Stereo3D Preview output from camcorders

[Prech Marton]

Thanks, but now i have everything for monitoring, except the usb easycaps.
So, DC60 will work?

[Prech Marton]

I answer my question :)
Yes, DC60 work.
I ordered two easycap but have some problem after installing and using it.
At every windows boot, i get a message about a new hardware and have to show the driver folder, and install it. But only for one easycap, for the other i don’t have to, it’s installed.
Why is this? I do it on an Acer laptop with 4 USB2 port, with XP SP3.
Multiplexer and the player works fine!

[Pavel Houda]

The problem with loading the driver most likely with your Acer BIOS or with the driver itself. I would ask the customer service of both Companies for help. I had bad luck with ACER so far and, ended up buying Sony Netbook, that works like a charm, after loosing the battle with two different Acers.

The reason why you load the driver just once is in the driver itself. They tie the driver with the type of device. In my case, with the SIIG, they tied the driver with the actual individual device, so I had to install it twice.

With the Acer, I couldn't use external hub, with the Sony, I can. Again, either H/W or (most likely) BIOS issue.

[Prech Marton]

Thanks.
You tested with Acer aspire one?
Maybe i will buy this. Quite good spec:
8,9" display, 1.6ghz atom cpu, etc..
But if it also detects one easycap at every boot, and need to install,
then i look for another model. Maybe Asus eee 900 or Msi wind.

[Pavel Houda]

Yes, I did test with the Aspire One, but the one I tried used AMD CPU and ATI graphics accelerator (Acer Aspire One AO521-3530 - Athlon II Neo K125 - ATI Radeon HD 4225). The AMDs run notoriously hot, and the computer died in 15 days. 1 day after my return period expired, 3 days before my trip to Asia. The dealer had no replacement either, so I traded it in for a slightly larger one (Acer Aspire AO721-3574). That one didn't work with the digitizing dongles. It did recognize them, but it didn't display any video. I had no time to troubleshoot the turkey, so finally I traded that one for a Sony netbook (PCG-21313L), with Intel CPU. That one works well for the 3D monitoring application, but it is noticeably slower for general computing and 3D HD playback from YouTube. I took it to Okinawa in early September, with it's notorious heat, humidity and couple of typhoons, and it lasted just fine.

Unfortunately, we are using the H/W beyond what it is meant to be used, and I don't think the manufacturers test the BIOS very well. The netbooks are meant for light weight web browsing, and the digitizing dongles are meant for digitizing old video tapes, so the system similar to digitizing two video streams is probably never tested. Most of the low cost manufacturers just slightly modify the IC manufacturers reference designs. They, as quickly as possible, put their logos on it and ship it. In my experience, Sony has higher corporate quality standards, so their products cost little more, work better and are more reliable in complex applications.

I have better experience with Intel then with AMD chips as well (I used to design PCs). I had thermal management issues with AMD chips for years.

[Prech Marton]

Yesterday i tested with Toshiba NB100 8,9" netbook. Weight is only 1kg.
It worked perfectly with win7 32 bit. Stereo multiplexer and the player with the
cheapest DC60 easycaps!
Too bad the boy solded it today for about $250 :(
Now i search another model.

[Pavel Houda]

Yes, it is too bad. You'll find another similar one, I am sure. The system is really useful. I've placed several clips on Vimeo (

3D Stereoscopic Alignment Procedure Last Part - Multiple Disparities on Vimeo

) and on YouTube ( YouTube - 3D Stereoscopic Alignment Procedure Part 4 - Convergence Disparity ) to show how useful such monitoring method can be to me. I hope others find it useful or interesting. Best of luck in finding another PC.

[Prech Marton]

Nice.

The 8,9" netbook is comfortable for outdoor use?
How can i setup it up? To the tripod? Or to the ground?
Some real life experiences? :)
Or a 7" is even better? But we need 2 usb2 of course.

[Pavel Houda]

There are many ways it can be done. If you use a stationary setup such as tripod, there are commercial holders like those shown here: +notebook Holder . I am cheap, so I use a music stand:

Amazon.com: On-Stage SM7211 Professional Folding Orchestral Music Stand, Black: Musical Instruments

 

Amazon.com: On-Stage SM7211 Professional Folding Orchestral Music Stand, Black: Musical Instruments

. On my portable setup, I just carry it in the Kata bag:

Part 4 - Articulated Amateur 3D Rig Experiment - Partially Red & Cyan on Vimeo

.

[Prech Marton]

Thank you, great video!
Can you also see anaglyph video in the glasses?
For me, this netbook preview possibilities is not only for alignment correction, but also
for set the correct stereo base distance between cameras.
I like to record far objects, with 30cm base, etc.
So with anaglyph mode i easily can see, if the horizontal parallax is too big or slight for a scene.
Of course the side by side version is also good for preview (sure the best), no color distorsion, real 3d preview, but when i set the base too much, i can only see "hard to watch 3d video", and cannot see exactly the horizontal parallax. Hope, you understand my question :)

regards,
Marton

[Pavel Houda]

With the glasses you can see either 2d, so that you can see side-by-side, or anaglyph overlays, just like on the screen. What they add to it, is they can convert either side-by-side OR anaglyph to true 3d (each side displays the proper lens). Another words, it can de-anaglyph and display left and right into the proper lcd (even though some colors are lost in the case of anaglyph 3D), so that if there is a discomfort due to various unpleasant disparities, you can see them before you get back and start post-processing. The main downside is the low resolution of the glasses. That gets even worse with 16:9 aspect. There are higher resolution glasses on the market, but those would be out of my budget. With the glasses you can switch between 2D and 3D with just the controller that comes with the glasses, without touching either the computer or the rig. Sometimes it is nice to align everything in anaglyph, and verify the setup by quickly switching to the 3D view. It is like putting on the anaglyph glasses, without actually doing it.

[Prech Marton]

Ok, thanks.
Definetly i will buy glasses, but in higher resolution, and not now.
Tomorrow i check an Aspire one (with intel processor), and if it works,
i'll buy it and use as anaglyph preview monitor.
Other great thing with this method: on the computer screen i can see the whole frame,
not just the cropped, overscanned area like with camcorder's lcd screen.
There was many situation, where a tree or something was on the picture, and i
cannot saw it because overscan, but there was on the projected silverscreen!...

[Prech Marton]

Good news!
The Acer One also works great with Easycaps, so i buyed it! :-)
I setup the multiplexer once, start the player with the command line parameters:
use the multiplexer as input, start in full screen mode and don't show logo..
All of this run with a simple hotkey! No mouse is required, very nice.
I can check the setup, the correct base distance, alignment errors, etc.
With F4 i get side by side view, so i can check colors, exposure differences and with F5
i see anaglyph preview, so i can check the final depth and horizontal parallax..
After checking i simply set the netbook to sleep mode, go to another location, and check
the again when opening the netbook, within 5 sec!!

The battery capacity is about 2,5hour. So i think for 3D checking
i can work with it in a whole day!

Now i start searching a 90 degree usb connector for easy placement
of the digitalizers.

Thanks all of you!
Marton

[Pavel Houda]

Most of you are pro's who will probably laugh at my "rig", but some may wish to experiment with 3D without investing thousands of dollars or buying milling machines. Those maybe interested in the latest improvement of the camera support, which makes the cameras very stable. Something like that is needed to support a moving rig. The solution doesn't cost a lot, works really well, and is reversible. The clip is here:

Part 1 Followup - Articulated Amateur 3D Rig Experiment - Mechanical on Vimeo

or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3fNlIWHqqI . The charts mentioned are here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBm2bQ0aAk . and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIgozlQf6o . They help me to correct just about any alignment disparities I normally care about.

[Frank Stearns]

This thread helped inspire me to build my own two camera 3D rig.
It consists of two Canon HF21s, a Lanc Shepherd Pro that I interfaced a Phidget relay module with, a motorized pan/tilt head that I interfaced with the same Phidget module, two video captures modules and a Samsung Laptop that controls everything.
I also added a Phidget servo to toe in and out the right camera and it is also controlled via the laptop.

I use the laptop as a remote server running Stereoscopic Multiplexer and Stereoscopic Player.

I log into the laptop remotely and control everything over wifi and also over the internet.
For the moment I am using the standard Phidget control software to operate the functions while I watch the video with anaglyph glasses on my Iphone 4 or Ipad.

It's a lot of fun.