obsproject / obsproject/obs-studio

v4l2 Virtual camera - Loopback device conflicts (Including droidcam)

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#3,929 50 comments 18 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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issue/confirmed platform/linux
Dominant language
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Description

Platform

Operating system and version: Arch Linux - Rolling
OBS Studio version: 26.1.0.r9

Expected Behavior

Clicking on "Start Virtual Camera" button should start the virtual cam flawlessly

Current Behavior

Pressing the button does not create any effect.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install droidcam from @dev47apps**
  2. Install obs-studio-git from AUR
  3. Remove the old CatxFish/obs-v4l2sink plugin
  4. Install v4l2loopback-dkms
  5. Start OBS and click "Start Virtual Camera" button.

Additional information

The log says "warning: Failed to start virtual camera" when clicking on the button.
I've installed droidcam alongside OBS, and it currently uses the /dev/video0 device. I thought maybe obs is trying to use that device and it conflicts with droidcam, but disabling (not removing) droidcam doesn't solve the issue.

Edit:
I've tried removing droidcam, it turns out that they were indeed in conflict. Removing droidcam solves the issue, reinstalling it works fine, but as long as I reboot droidcam takes over /dev/video0 and I could not find any other ways than removin and reinstalling droidcam... every reboot.
It's solved in a way but that's not very practical.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the failure with droidcam and v4l2loopback-dkms installed, checking the OBS log warning and which device is assigned at /dev/video0. Trace the Start Virtual Camera path and determine whether OBS can select or coexist with the device after reboot; done means virtual camera startup works without removing or reinstalling droidcam.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
arch-linux, linux
Domain
desktop, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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