webcam applications missing device

idella4

This is an unexpected gap that occurs in applications dealing with the webcam.
The webcam is Creative Vista plus, though I think it doesn't help to know. I have kde so I have kopete and I've installed camstream. Both kopete and camstream should be able to direct a video stream of the webcam. Neither do.

The driver I installed outside portage. I tried the gspca driver from portage first but it didn't even load, so I installed the driver from source which was effective. The driver loads and is listed under lsmod.
In addition, the diode light on the cam goes off which is consistent with the driver being present to run the device. The system makes the ch device /dev/v4l/video as it should and sym links are made to /dev/video and /dev/video0. Everything should be in place to run the webcam.

In both kopete and camstream there is a drop box present in which the device is to be listed and selected by the mouse cursor. In both cases, the webcam is not registered by the applications and not made available to select.

Does anyone know how to prompt the system to make these applications register and list the webcam device?
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idella4@aus

loftwyr · Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject:

camstream is very old and likely abandoned since 2006, I'd give up on it.

kopete has issues with webcams in general.

aMSN works well.

use "mplayer tv://" as a test.
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idella4 · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:48 am Post subject:

aMSN, I'll try it again.
Thanks.
However, I also tried skype and it too wouldn't see the hardware.

As I thought, same thing happens. Camstream may be old but it currently works in ubuntu. They all do, just not in gentoo.

So much for gentoo.
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idella4@aus

tuber · Apprentice Joined: 12 Nov 2004 Posts: 267

In gentoo, are you using the gspca or gspcav1 driver?