The collected works of recondas - Page 20

Managed to find someone with a no-longer-needed Apple iSight FW camera for sale, so I picked up the iSight for testing under IRIX.

For the record the test platform is a Tezro running IRIX 6.5.30. The 'DM10' is actually a generic PCI firewire board with a Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 chip, the hinv shows "PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x104c, device 0x8024)". The DM10 software is the later 1.1 revision . While I got away with hot-plugging (and hot-unplugging) the iSight without any adverse effects, there have other mentions of system crashes while attaching or removing firewire devices with IRIX running. The safe bet is to do either with your system shut down.

Connected the iSight to one of the ports on the pseudo-DM10 in my Tezro. Without any additional action on my part the following appeared in the syslog (the Oxford IDE device listed is a pre-existing 2GB CompactFlash card in an MicroTech FW CameraMate CF card reader):
I ran an hinv -vm and it appeared there... as well as in the output of fwprobe:
Firewire/DM10 video devices don't use any of the classic IRIX video tools (e.g. Media Recorder, videod, et al), instead they use DM10 specific ML video libraries.

The iSight didn't initially appear in an "mlquery", so after a little rtfm quality time I followed the advice found in the DM10 Release Notes and stopped and restarted the mldaemon:
Then ran "mlquery" to get the iSight's ML device name:

So far so good, so I tried the iidc_vidtogfx sample program ( additional background and installation instructions are in this post ) and got: Not too promising, but since 'sampling' seemed to be the rub, I took a look inside iidc_vidtogfx.c for clues and found: Using 411 sampling I was able to successfully display a live video feed from the iSight: Unless you specify otherwise, the iidc_vidtogfx display window auto-closes after approximately 30 seconds. If you want the iidc window to remain open , there's a note inside iidc_vidtogfx.c that defines the command line switches. Adding " -c 0 " (that's a zero) to your command line string will cause the vidtogfx window to remain open indefinitely.

The sample program code for the DM10 also includes iidc_vidtomem. That works in a similar fashion. Using the same 441 sample value (and specifying an output path) I was able to successfully write raw output from the iSight to a file: If you save the output with a .ppm extension IRIX will open a single frame for viewing. There are a number of input and output options discussed inside iidc_vidtomem.c that might prove useful with a little more investigation.

hamei wrote: Super news, thank you !

You're welcome. Be interesting to see what other IIDC or AV/C fw vid devices can be make to work. Having someone with real programming skills take a look at the iidc/avc_vidtogfx and iidc/adc_vidtomem source code samples will be the next hurdle.

guardian452 wrote: What model and revision isight is it? (IIRC there are 3 revisions, /A, /B, and /C)

Good question - but if google got it right it might not make a difference as far as the DM10 is concerned. The MacRumors iSight wiki and this post in Apple's support forums suggest the revision letter only appeared on the packaging to designate which mounts originally shipped with the iSight. An examination of the iSight I have seems to superficially bear that out, no model/revision appears on the iSight (I don't have the original packaging).

ClassicHasClass wrote: Man, you beat me to it (on a business trip this week).

Couldn't have done it without you - the discussion in your Fuel thread moved fw vid to the top of my one-of-these-days list. If you consider similar tests with your Canopus ADVC-300 and Orange Micro iBOT, it would move this thread beyond the single-lucky-combination-of-hardware stage.

ClassicHasClass wrote: So far so good. Next, the Orange Micro iBOT FireWire camera..... it works fine here, as the image proves... TAKE THAT, RECONDAS!

Nicely done ClassicHasClass, I'll gladly take it (and add it to the IP35 Hardware Aggregator)

In reference to the avc_vidtogfx producing an inverted display, ClassicHasClass wrote: Perhaps it's useable like this in the Southern Hemisphere.

If we can get to the point of capturing a video stream to a useful format with avc_vidtomem, GMplayer has an option under the 'Video' tab in the Preferences Panel to "Flip image upside down'.

ClassicHasClass wrote: Notice that periodically avc_vidtogfx and the device get out of sync and you have to do it again.

Does the Canopus ADVC-300 output a compressed or uncompressed video stream? Probably unrelated, but if you haven't already seen it/tried it, there's a note in the avc program folder that mentions devices that deliver compressed video to the avc_vidtoxxx programs need 411 sampling, and those that deliver uncompressed video need 422 sampling.

The README file in /usr/share/src/dmedia/video/avc wrote: Note that most AVC devices use DV compression, which limits the sampling to 411 compressed DV. 422 is only available for AVC devices that support uncompressed video.

If you'd like another opportunity to beat me to the firewire punch, about a decade ago the fcc mandated that cable HDTV set top boxes include a firewire video-out port (the set top box here has two 1394-out ports, but it's about 25 feet farther than the FW cable length spec).

Comcast even offers STB Firewire Drivers for Windows , and the AVS Forums have a multi-page topic on the same subject . The Win references obviously aren't useful to us, but there's a brief mention on the Comcast page

Comcast wrote: If you simply want to capture a Firewire stream..... then all you need is the AV/C Tuner device."

Life with IRIX is rarely that simple, but it at least opens the possibility of another test source for the DM10 and the avc versions of the sample programs.

Cable HDTV set top box connected via firewire Shows up as an AV/C device, but didn't appear in an mlquery (possibly because I tried this with the cable box powered but not running). The SGI gear is a bridge too far from the incoming cable terminus, so the cable box was tried without a cable connection. Apparently the cable box net boots, because without the cable attached, it hangs with "booting" displayed in the LED panel.

Since not having the cable box booted and running may or may not be the reason that it didn't appear in an mlquery, has anybody else got a firewire equipped system and a (more) conveniently located cable set top box they could test?

If the files produced with the avc_vidtomem program are in mpeg-transport stream format , Mplayer may be able to play them (and if necessary, invert them). ClassicHasClass, if you have the opportunity could you try an avc_vidtomem capture from your Canopus AVDC 100?

ClassicHasClass wrote: I mentioned hot swapping. It doesn't work. In fact, it seemed to hose the FireWire driver so bad that I had to hard-power-down the machine (the console was spammed with tons of FireWire errors about bad or missing targets and the kernel just sat there emitting errors forever until I hit the hard reset). Resetting mldaemon only worked the very first time for me (no devices seen and plugging one in). It wouldn't work for other devices after that.

It's probably lurking right around the corner, but so far (knock on wood) that hasn't happened with the Tezro. No obvious reaction from the system when I hot-disconnect a video device from the DM10. When I hot-plug a new device "Scanning FireWire bus" appears on the console and in the syslog. Here's the entries produced when I hot-unplugged the iSight and hot-plugged the cable set top box: Perhaps attributable to differences in the Fuel-Tezro PCI bus topology?

As jan-jaap points out, the SCSI and IDE connectors on the IO9 are separate - you should be able to use standard 68-pin (SCSI) and 40-pin (IDE) cables (SGI used 'round' cables in both locations in the O350).

If you haven't already done so, you can get a better idea by removing the IO9 so you can see the connector-side of the board (if you haven't had the chance to pull yours there's a photo in this post ).

The SCSI connector (the silver one on the top right side) and the IDE connector (the black one located at the center top) are pretty obvious. The large white connector (located on the right side just below the SCSI connector) attached to a not-so-common-ribbon-cable that runs from the serial-PS/2 daughter board in Origin 350s. Those ports don't seem to be used/included in the A350 - or at least they aren't discussed or shown in the compute module section of the Altix 350 manual .

leaknoil wrote: Is the console port standard DB9 serial 9600 8N1 ?

38,400-8-N-1

Nicely done CHC!

Updated the Fuel (IP35) Hardware Aggregator to change the status of firewire video from questionable/not-working to functioning-with-the-right-device.

ClassicHasClass wrote: And the best news of all. On a brainwave, based on recondas' prior post, I dumped avc_vidtomem to an .mts file. And guess what can play it?Yes, laydeeez, the MTS file is fully playable by Irix itself.

The situation with the captured video is actually better than I'd hoped.

Rather than capturing a mpeg transport stream, the video stream captured by the DM10 is in DV/DIF digital format.

Here's the results of "Get Movie Info" run against the test sample so kindly provided by ClassisHasClass:

ClassicHasClass wrote: I'm going to do more testing on the audio, possibly record a longer sample from a different source. That test file should have audible audio in it.

The movie info seems to think audio is possible with the DIF/DV format, so please let us know what you find out.

ClassicHasClass wrote: Where did you get the Get Movie Info stuff from?

The easy way is to right click on the file icon in the IRIX File Manager and select "Get Movie Info" from the drop down menu.

leaknoil wrote: Ahh I see now. Two separate cables. The IDE one is easy but, a cable that goes from 68pin external to 68pin internal style is going to be difficult. Especially a short round flexible one. Never mind. I just looked again and it is the same as the internal connector just metal with latches. I thought it was the wide external type.

If you haven't already found some these look like they might do the job. The planar end of the round SCSI cable even has the latches to match the IO9.

Hard to sure of length/connectors from a photo, so just be safe I'd ask for some measurements/connector pin-counts to compare to your Altix.

Both cables are from the same seller, which ought to help minimize question asking and shipping (also has some SGI gear listed, which is how I happened to run across these).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290678121151 - DELL F2387 POWEREDGE 2800 PE2800 SCSI BACKPLANE CABLE 68PIN CN-0F2387
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300766521323 - Dell Optiplex GX520 GX620 HD CD DVD Drive IDE Cable 0C6012 C6012

I included whatever OEM part number references I could find in the listing, just in case someone down the road needs something similar (after these are long gone).

Leaknoil - if you try either of these or cables from some other source/manufacturer, could you update this thread for future reference?

leaknoil wrote: I don't have the panel portion that interfaces the IDE cable to the laptop style cdrom drive. I just have the scsi backplane portion. Not going to be able to have a internal optical drive.

You'll need a JAE-to-ATAPI adapter, there's usually a large selection on eBay or other sources: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=JAE+Adapter

If you want to be as original as possible (there are dimensional limitations), the JAE adapter in the O350 has "JMRER1" screened on the PCB, one of those even turned up on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/320896890722

If you don't already have a optical/DVD drive in your Altix, you might find this post helpful. Can't speak for the Altix, but the PROM in the O350 won't boot from the drive unless it's drive 0 (master) - slimline optical drives are typically hardwired as drive 1 (slave). If you end up in the same position there's some notes on making the necessary (and relatively simple) modification: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16726461&p=7349209&#p7349209

mia wrote: I'm impressed, this is nice.

I agree.

In its day SGI hardware had a large footprint in Hollywood, so I'd guess just about everyone who's owned SGI gear has at least considered exploring the use of some of the traditional MIPS/IRIX video applications. For the Tezro or Ony350 that has meant adding the expense of a DM3, a DMedia VBoB (and the usually-not-included/not-easy-to-find LVDS cabling), plus an SD or HD capable video hardware. Lacking an XIO2 slot for a DM3, the Fuel is limited to the almost-never-seen-in-the-wild DM6/DVS SDStation, plus SD video gear.

While I'm not suggesting a generic TI-based firewire board and a Canopus ADVC box will produce the same results as a DM3 or DM6, they would allow someone with a Fuel/Tezro/O300/O350/O3k to capture digital video and explore the world of SGI video editing at a lower cost. With that in mind I'm kind of surprised at the lack of participation in this thread.

To further expand the list of IIDC/AV/C hardware supported by the DM10, I tested a ADS Pyro 1394 IIDC webcam. I also have a lead on a couple of non-Canopus AV/C firewire capture devices, a Pinnacle Studio DV and an AJA IO. Getting the AJA unit working under IRIX will probably be a reach (since it was specifically designed for Mac hardware running Final Cut), but if it can be made to work the AJA IO can do analog-to-digital conversion/capture or digital-to-digital capture via firewire, and has an internal TBC (along with some other spiffy professional features).

But back to the ADS Pyro 1394. Immediately after attachment it appeared in the console and the syslog (yes, I got away with hot-plugging into the Tezro again): fwprobe looked good: Since I hot-plugged, I stopped and restarted the mldaemon, then ran mlquery: And was able to successfully display a video feed from the Pyro 1394 using iidc_vidtogfx: To my eye the video quality looked to be every bit the equal of the iSight, with the Pyro 1394 having the advantage of generally being available for less $.

Thanks to this post by nekonoko I've discovered that it's possible to use the IRIX CGI snap tool and a DM10-attached camera to remotely view snapshots via html. Might be handy for anyone who wants to visually monitor the area around/environment of an SGI system from elsewhere on a network (or the internet).

Please Note: Because of the relative age of IRIX, take a close look at your security before enabling or using Outbox.

To use 'Snap' you'll need to have a web server running and have "Outbox" configured. The release notes for Outbox have most of the basic info you'll need to get things running. If you're not certain if Outbox is installed and/or can run, from the Toolchest, select Internet > Browse OutBox Page. That'll call a script called "openhomepg" that will either open your Outbox page in your browser or offer a dialogue that tells how to install it.

To use the DM10-attached camera with Outbox you also need to change line 18 of the "snap" script from mlcamera="DISABLED" to mlcamera="ENABLED" . The Outbox Release Notes don't mention the 'mlcamera' stuff, but as nekonoko pointed out in his post, somewhere along the line SGI updated the script to include ML cameras.

Snap converts the camera image to a 320x240 pixel gif. I was able to double the size of the snapped image by editing line 52 of the the snap script from "size=320x240" to "size=640x480". Here's a couple of examples of a few Outbox web pages:


BTW, Outbox offers a pretty simple method to share files from your IRIX box to other systems inside your network. Just right click on a file you own and select "Publish to Outbox..." from the drop-down menu. That file will be accessible in the 'Public' folder of your Outbox page.

guardian452 wrote: I thought everybody knew about that.

First time SGI owners become involved in nekochan all the time, so it really wasn't aimed at anybody already fully qualified for the been-there-done-that merit badge.

mstepansky wrote: This Octane2 has VPro V6. I need to ask you: do you guys have any experience or work-arounds for using Dell 19" LCD monitor, especially the model name E193FPb (b/black) connecting to this Octane2 V6???

Just went thru a similar situation another thread. That case involved a different 19" Dell TFT monitor - even though the EDID modeline for 1280x1024@60Hz came in *just* below the unuseable-on-a-V6-or-V8 pixel clock range, that particular monitor still suffered the same display 'glitches' you mentioned. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16727696 You could try something similar, but based on that experience I don't hold out much hope.

mstepansky wrote: According to Dell E193FP specs, it supports 1280x1024 x 75 hz native resolution, and automatically syncs. The horizontal scan rate ranges from 30 to 82 Khz. The Vertical scan rate ranges from 56 - 76 Hz. BUT, however, I am concern because I read in the SGI Octane2 tech pub manual (pdf) which stated: [code](copy/paste from manual page 239, or PDF page 265): " For VPro graphics, a 1280 x 1024 display resolution is only possible using the Sony G1 21” or 24” monitors at a vertical refresh rate of 96Hz. If you have another monitor, you
cannot run 1280 x 1024 resolution at any vertical refresh rate...."

Unfortunately, unless you're willing to accept some of the display glitches you mention, that advice still holds true. The 1280x1024@75Hz your monitor supports falls even further into the pixel clock range your V6 cannot use.

mstepansky wrote: If not, how about the Dell Ultrasharp 20.1" model name E2007FP?? I heard it can work with 1600x1200 on the V6... please confirm.

Regardless of refresh rate, there aren't any 1600x1200 resolutions in the listed for the V6: http://www.nekochan.net/wiki/VPro#V6.2F ... ock_Issues

mstepansky wrote: Nice to see you guys supporting the SGI machines for few more years to come! Thanks for support!

Thanks - you're welcome to join us.