Camera is using wrong format

[myOmikron]

Describe the bug
We're using a Canon XA-15 with a Marshall VAC-23SHU3 Signal Converter. When in Windows or on a Mac / Linux, the Camera is working in FullHD 16:9.
When we're trying to use the camera, we're getting a 4:3 format within the original 16:9 format is squeezed together. Instead of the FullHD resolution, we're getting 640x480px

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows, Mac, Debian
• Browser: Chromium, Safari, Firefox

[matiasilva]

Have you solved this issue? If so, please close this issue.

[konradvoelkel]

Having a similar issue with a GoProHero7Black camera via MiraBox HDVideoCapture; cam is FullHD 16:9, works in all other videoconferencing tools (and OBS studio) correctly, but on BBB getting a thin/squeezed aspect ratio while another cam on the same laptop (integrated) works correctly.
Maybe connected to issue #2661 in some way?

[matiasilva]

Perhaps, that thread was for the Flash client which didn't use WebRTC and had a completely different layout entirely.

[konradvoelkel]

Further testing showed the same problem happens here:
https://webrtc.github.io/samples/src/content/devices/input-output/

But it looks correctly here:
https://webrtc.github.io/samples/src/content/getusermedia/resolution/

So this might be quite easy to fix? (and will probably affect more people in a teaching setting).

[matiasilva]

What are your results on https://test.webrtc.org/?

[konradvoelkel]

It is all good:

Check resolution 320x240
[ INFO ] cameraName: Integrated Camera (5986:02d5)
[ INFO ] actualVideoWidth: 320
[ INFO ] actualVideoHeight: 240
[ INFO ] mandatoryWidth: 320
[ INFO ] mandatoryHeight: 240
[ INFO ] isMuted: false
[ INFO ] testedFrames: 221
[ INFO ] blackFrames: 2
[ INFO ] frozenFrames: 1
[ INFO ] Not available: encodeSetupTimeMs, avgEncodeTimeMs, minEncodeTimeMs, maxEncodeTimeMs, avgInputFps, minInputFps, maxInputFps, avgSentFps, minSentFps, maxSentFps
[ INFO ] Cannot verify sent FPS.
[ OK ] Captured video using expected resolution.
Check resolution 640x480
[ INFO ] cameraName: MiraBox Video Capture (1bcf:2c99)
[ INFO ] actualVideoWidth: 640
[ INFO ] actualVideoHeight: 480
[ INFO ] mandatoryWidth: 640
[ INFO ] mandatoryHeight: 480
[ INFO ] isMuted: false
[ INFO ] testedFrames: 136
[ INFO ] blackFrames: 1
[ INFO ] frozenFrames: 0
[ INFO ] Not available: encodeSetupTimeMs, avgEncodeTimeMs, minEncodeTimeMs, maxEncodeTimeMs, avgInputFps, minInputFps, maxInputFps, avgSentFps, minSentFps, maxSentFps
[ INFO ] Cannot verify sent FPS.
[ OK ] Captured video using expected resolution.
Check resolution 1280x720
[ INFO ] cameraName: MiraBox Video Capture (1bcf:2c99)
[ INFO ] actualVideoWidth: 1280
[ INFO ] actualVideoHeight: 720
[ INFO ] mandatoryWidth: 1280
[ INFO ] mandatoryHeight: 720
[ INFO ] isMuted: false
[ INFO ] testedFrames: 59
[ INFO ] blackFrames: 1
[ INFO ] frozenFrames: 0
[ INFO ] Not available: encodeSetupTimeMs, avgEncodeTimeMs, minEncodeTimeMs, maxEncodeTimeMs, avgInputFps, minInputFps, maxInputFps, avgSentFps, minSentFps, maxSentFps
[ INFO ] Cannot verify sent FPS.
[ OK ] Captured video using expected resolution.
Check supported resolutions
[ OK ] Supported: 160x120
[ OK ] Supported: 160x120
[ OK ] Supported: 320x180
[ OK ] Supported: 320x240
[ OK ] Supported: 640x360
[ OK ] Supported: 640x480
[ OK ] Supported: 768x576
[ OK ] Supported: 1024x576
[ OK ] Supported: 1280x720
[ OK ] Supported: 1280x768
[ OK ] Supported: 1280x800
[ OK ] Supported: 1920x1080
[ INFO ] 1920x1200 not supported
[ INFO ] 3840x2160 not supported
[ INFO ] 4096x2160 not supported

[prlanzarin]

We don't specify resolution nor aspect ratio in the camera profiles by default to expand compatibility and reduce overconstraining errors. If you wanna change that, you can. Go to HTML5's settings.yml and alter the cameraProfiles by adding a constraints field to them. The constraints are regular WebRTC constraints dictionaries.

Be aware that we do not subset nor fallback constraints if you try to force exact constraints and a device fails to abide to them.

[flipreverse]

@prlanzarin How is the syntax for that?

cameraProfiles:
- id: low
name: Low quality
default: false
bitrate: 100
constraints: ?

[prlanzarin]

@flipreverse Regular getUserMedia constraints dictionary from the link I pasted in my previous comment. Map it from JSON to YAML.
Eg.: The example for the Applying constraints section translates to

- id: high
  name: High quality
  default: false
  bitrate: 2000
  constraints:
    width:
      min: 640
      ideal: 1920
    height:
      min: 400
      ideal: 1080
    aspectRatio:
      ideal: 1.7777777778

[prlanzarin]

@konradvoelkel @myOmikron I need confirmation whether setting the constraints works or not, otherwise I'll be closing this issue in a few days.

[flipreverse]

@flipreverse Regular getUserMedia constraints dictionary from the link I pasted in my previous comment. Map it from JSON to YAML.
Eg.: The example for the Applying constraints section translates to

- id: high
  name: High quality
  default: false
  bitrate: 2000
  constraints:
    video:
      width:
        min: 640
        ideal: 1920
      height:
        min: 400
        ideal: 1080
      aspectRatio:
        ideal: 1.7777777778

These settings seem not to work for me. Are there other settings that I might have missed?

[prlanzarin]

I don't even know what you're trying to achieve @flipreverse. What are you seeking with the constraints?

[flipreverse]

I don't even know what you're trying to achieve @flipreverse. What are you seeking with the constraints?

I want to use my Canon DSLR as webcam via an HDMI frame grabber. The input signal has a resolution of 1920x720.

[prlanzarin]

The constraints I sent are examples to showcase how they work. You have to 1) look at the docs I sent 2) experiment with them and see what makes your cam work with.

[konradvoelkel]

As far as I could understand, this would require me running a bbb server myself, right?
I have not done that, and could not figure out whether url parameters like "userdata-bbb_preferred_camera_profile=" would be a possible way to do something similar (I doubt it).

[matiasilva]

Yeah, you'd need direct access to your BBB server. The preferred camera userdata parameter simply selects from the existing options in the settings.yml.

[prlanzarin]

@flipreverse I actually got confused with the next version where the constraints config did actually require the video key in the config. That isn't the case for 2.2. Look at my comment again, I've edited it for clarity.

[flipreverse]

@flipreverse I actually got confused with the next version where the constraints config did actually require the video key in the config. That isn't the case for 2.2. Look at my comment again, I've edited it for clarity.

That works. :-) Thanks!!

[konradvoelkel]

So, as far as I can see, there is no way to fix this problem on the client-side. Will there be any way the server-side gets fixed or would that induce regressions for other users? Any hope that this kind of setting will be made available to the client at some point?

[prlanzarin]

@konradvoelkel You'd have to speak with whoever manage the BBB instance you use to figure out a set of media constraints that makes your camera work properly. Figure out which constraints config makes it display ok (ie forcing it with aspectRatio: 1.77~8), create a new camera profile (so it's an optional profile and it won't introduce widespread regressions), configure it as described.

Camera profiles are extensible for situations like yours.

[strifel]

I can conform that this issue still exists.

[prlanzarin]

How can you confirm that? Did you alter the constraints as suggested throughout the issue?

[strifel]

That was a fast answer. Thank you :) (and sorry for the few information)

I do have a 16:9 camera plugged into a cheap capture card.
OBS does show the input as 16:9. When activating the camera in BBB it seems to force the 16:9 image into a 4:3 image

I do not have the possibility to alter the constrains on (every) server I use and strongly think that this is an issue that should be fixed by BBB itself and not by every server admin.

[prlanzarin]

that should be fixed by BBB itself and not by every server admin

Again: camera profiles are configurable. If an admin wants to add a 16:9 profile, they can (and should). Admins already have to configure a myriad of things in BBB and this one would be no different. So I don't think that argument is sounding.

The reason why there's no built in 16:9 profile right now is because 1) the UI was just not built for that aspect ratio (although there is a PR open improving it; but it's still just a stopgap 2) I'm still not 100% convinced that forcing 16:9 AR all across the board, by default, won't break compatibility with an unknown range of endpoints.

Also: if you want to open a PR adding a new default 16:9 profile, please do (against develop branch). If it's just an extra, optional profile, I'd probably support it landing in 2.3.

[prlanzarin]

BTW I'm closing this issue because the questionings here have been roughly addressed. If anyone wishes to have a built in, optional 16:9 camera profile in BBB, please open a new properly described issue so it can be properly tracked.