Device is not a valid UVC H264 camera

USB UVC Webcams
1

I have a 1080P 60FPS HD USB Camera, H.265/H.264 High Definition 2MP UVC Camera for Industrial Webcam and I’m using gstreamer.

The camera works fine with v4l2src plugin but I want to use uvch264src in order to be able to define the bitrate. However, when I use uvch264src I get the following error:

ERROR: from element /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstUvcH264Src:src: Device is not a valid UVC H264 camera

This is the result when I use the following pipeline:

gst-launch-1.0 uvch264src initial-bitrate=1500000 average-bitrate=1500000 iframe-period=1000 device=/dev/video0 name=src auto-start=true src.vidsrc ! video/x-h264,width=1280,height=720,framerate=30/1,profile=constrained-baseline ! h264parse ! mpegtsmux ! filesink location=output.ts

2

Sorry to hear that. Don’t worry and our enginner will test it and reply you as soon as possible.

3

@mwon

We tested it, and it does appear the same error as you.But with this command I can successfully display the camera in h264 format,It is recommended that you modify the function you want on this basis.

gst-launch-1.0 -e v4l2src device=/dev/video4 ! video/x-h264, width=1280, height=720, framerate=15/1 ! avdec_h264 ! xvimagesink sync=false
4

Thanks. Yes, I know I can v4l2src but the problem is that I want to manually control the bitrate. I can’t do that with v4l2src and uvch264srcwas an option.

5

@mwon

Okay, I understand your needs. I will try how to solve

6

Hello @Edward any news? I’m facing the same issue. I need to manually control the bitrate of the H264 cam but it is impossible with v4l2src.

uvch264src seems the perfect match but I got:

ERROR: from element /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstUvcH264Src:uvch264src0: Device is not a valid UVC H264 camera

gstuvch264_src.c(2519): ensure_v4l2src (): /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstUvcH264Src:uvch264src0

7

@lgozalvez

I conducted further tests, and it seems that there are not many compatible devices for the uvch264src plug-in. I used devices from Logitech and Songix for testing, and the results were not supported.

I took a look at his source code and used the XU control to judge the device

dingtalkgov_qt_clipbord_pic_11
dingtalkgov_qt_clipbord_pic_111302×883 145 KB

XU is a unit provided for specific suppliers to add specifications, and it can be fully customized. I haven’t seen how they customize this rule.
We have software in windows that can control the code rate, if you can accept it, I can also share it with you

8

Hello @Edward
Facing the same issue with another H264 camera of yours. It seems that indeed the devices control H264 parameters via a non-standard XU. If you are able to share any software (incl. Windows) or documentation for that it would be greatly appreciated. We might be able to cook up a driver for other people to use.

9

@landswellsong

Currently I know supported software：
Amcap、potplayer

For Amcap:
AMCap.exe (616 KB)

potplayer official is okay

1 Like
10

@Edward
Thanks. We ran it and it doesn’t seem to be offering bitrate selection either. Maybe we haven’t looked enough, can you please make a screenshot in your spare time?

Alternatively, is there a chip manufacturer that’s used in the module we could reach out to for the documentation? Can sign NDAs etc if needed be.

11

@landswellsong

I checked and this camera probably needs a special XU protocol to control it.

The new Software:
H264 Preview 1.1.6.3.zip (4.3 MB)

12

Hello @Edward
Awesome, it works for us. It is indeed a nonstandard XU, but the application does change the params (we verified with ultra low and ultra high bitrates), so we’ll try to reverse it for our needs.

I have a follow up question, our camera is an IMX291 StarVis one. I checked the image at night and it’s not particularly impressive. At the same time I don’t seem to find any shutter or ISO settings either. Perhaps this is also done by a similar software? Can you guide us please on this as well?

13

@landswellsong

The imx291 is a starry night vision camera that supports HCG (High Conversion Gain) mode.
The firmware of this camera prioritizes frame rate, and there are certain brightness restrictions.

The corresponding control also requires firmware cooperation. If you find these basic functions unsatisfactory, please fill out the form to submit your requirements.