Using Live Video

Once you have successfully installed a video capture card you will see the Camera Toolbar appear.  If you have firewire installed on your computer (as most new computers do) then this toolbar would have been available before you installed your video capture card.



The first time you use live video you will need to initialize the card.   To initialize the card right-click the Live button.  This will display the Camera Property Page. If the camera property page does not display the wrong camera may be selected.  Left-click the Select button (the second button) to see which cameras/inputs are available then right-click the "Live" button once you have selected DV Camera.



Using the top dropdown menu select your video capture card and then hit the "Sel" button to initialize it.  Note: Unless you hit the "Sel" button the camera will not display, even if you have selected it from the list.  Once the card is initialized use the "Default" dropdown menu to select "Selected Device".  This will make whatever video card is currently selected the default when the workspace is loaded.  Once you have set the default close the window and save the workspace.  When this is done you will no longer need to initialize the capture card when you start the software in order to go live.  However, if you want to switch to a different live feed you will need to hit the "Sel" button to initialize that card.

Once you have initialized the camera clicking the live button will turn the live feed on and off. 


Switching Between Cameras and Inputs

Next to the Live button is the camera select menu.  Your video capture card will always be camera #1.  If you have more cameras connected to your computer (possibly through firewire or usb2) you can switch between them using the up and down arrows.  When switching between cameras you will always need to hit the live button again to continue the live feed.

You can also have several cameras connected to some capture cards.  Some cards support both an S-Video input, and a Composite input.  While some cards have a TV Tuner, the tuner not work in Presentation Manager.

To switch between the S-Video and Composite video in Presentation Manager right-click the "Live" button.  Make sure that the right card is selected in the dropdown menu and click the source button.  This will display a property page specific to your capture card. 

In the "Input" section use the dropdown menu to select either the "Video Composite In" or the "Video SVideo In". 
Note: You may need to hit the "Sel" button again to initialize the card when you have changed these settings.


Saving Camera Settings

You can change the settings of the camera by using the '...', 'Source', and '..Pin..' buttons. Changing options on these pages will not be saved unless you use the File tab to create a graph file. Once you create a graph file with the correct camera settings you will need to select File (.grf) as the Default option, else you camera will not load back with the correct settings.

NOTE: Not all camera settings can be saved. The settings that are saved are not controlled by Presentation Manager but by the card/camera manufacturer.