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Differences between version 18 and predecessor to the previous major change of OV519WebCam.

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Newer page: version 18 Last edited on Friday, September 23, 2005 9:46:02 am by IanMcDonald Revert
Older page: version 16 Last edited on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 1:00:17 pm by IanMcDonald Revert
@@ -1,34 +1,20 @@
-The OV519 chip is used in some cheap webcams - for example, from [DSE] (product code XH5096) sold as "Internet Camera with Microphone", as well in the Sony ~EyeToy. 
+The OV519 chip is used in some cheap webcams for example, from [DSE] as well in the Sony ~EyeToy. 
  
-This [USB] WebCam supports 640x480 resolution images at 15fps, and video at 25fps, according to the box.  
-  
-!Linux Support  
-The 2.6 series LinuxKernel (as of 2.6.7 at least) come with support for [WebCam]s that use the similar OV511 chip, but not these [WebCam]s.  
-  
-The 'lsusb' program shows:  
- 05a9:8519 ~OmniVision Technologies, Inc.  
-  
-However, there is a driver (licensed under the [GPL]) that you can download  
- from http://alpha.dyndns.org/ov511/download.html#ov51x - the module will be called ov51x. It should work with 2.2, 2,4 and 2.6 kernels.  
-  
-The camera's built-in microphone is detected by the kernel's USB [ALSA] drivers, but it doesn't actually seem to work - a new sound device is registered (/dev/dsp1) but reading from this device doesn't do anything . 
+There is a driver (licensed under the [GPL]) that you can download from http://alpha.dyndns.org/ov511/download.html#ov51x - the module will be called ov51x. It should work with 2.2, 2,4 and 2.6 kernels. 
  
 Unfortunately, these cameras serve images up in [JPEG] format only, and this behaviour will require application-level support. No webcam software for [Linux] seems to handle this (yet - at least for [V4L] version 1). The source code for the driver (linked above) comes with a small program that can grab and save [JPEG] images from the camera. JohnMcPherson has a modified version of this program that will display captured video in an X window - 
 grab the "showvideo" package from [our software archive|http://www.wlug.org.nz/archive/software/ov51x/]. 
  
-  
-Best bet (for now) is to get a camera with better [Linux] support.  
-  
- You can also code the decompression in the kernel space! Take a look at the decompression for ov518: it is very very close to JPEG decompression.  
-But there are patents about JPEG decompression and that is why - as far as I understand - the module doesn't handle JPEG decompression in kernel space.. 
+You can also code the decompression in the [Kernel] space! Take a look at the decompression for ov518: it is very very close to [ JPEG] decompression.  
+But there are patents about [ JPEG] decompression and that is why - as far as I understand - the module doesn't handle [ JPEG] decompression in [Kernel] space.. 
 But an individual that coded it for himself (and his friends ;) ) would not have to fear those patents... and the ov519 would work anywhere no mater with what app! 
  
 One such driver is now available for download from the following website: http://www.rastageeks.org/ov51x-jpeg/ 
  
 -- The [LinuxKernel] maintainers would not allow something like [JPEG] decompression inside a kernel module... they will argue (correctly) that this is something that should be done in userspace. 
  
--- That is not totally correct. Web camera decompression is being done in kernel but the biggest obstacle has been (and why it keeps coming out of kernel ) is that code was not clean room. Also note about patents is not correct - you can still be prosecuted as an individual - less likely but you still can. Having seen John 's comment below it confirms my memory that the problem was people stealing code from Philips and not [JPEG] being the issue. IanMcDonald 
+-- That is not totally correct. WebCam decompression is being done in kernel but the biggest obstacle has been (and why it keeps coming out of the LinuxKernel ) is that code was not clean room. Also note about patents is not correct - you can still be prosecuted as an individual - less likely but you still can. Having seen [JohnMcPherson] 's comment below it confirms my memory that the problem was people stealing code from Philips and not [JPEG] being the issue. IanMcDonald 
  
 -- [JPEG] is not a patent-encumbered format, [AFAIK]. JohnMcPherson 
  
 -- [JPEG] itself may not be patented - it is a rather common mathematical compression BTW, but the file format that uses that compression, the [JFIFF] is patented [AFAIK]. Romain Beauxis