USB Web Cam w/built in mic on XP Home/SP3

[Terry Davidson]

Hi
I recetnly installed an HP (EW099AA)webcam w/built in microphone (EW099AA),
but cannot use built in mic. -No problem with add-on mic via mic input on
sound card. If this issue is with the sound card (MSI mainboard KM8MM3/VIA
audio Driver v6.14.10.3870s) can you recommend sound card that will recognize
built in webcam mic?

Thanks in advance,

 

[smlunatick]

Hi
I recetnly installed an HP (EW099AA)webcam w/built in microphone (EW099AA),
but cannot use built in mic.   -No problem with add-on mic via mic input on
sound card. If this issue is with the sound card (MSI mainboard KM8MM3/VIA
audio Driver v6.14.10.3870s) can you recommend sound card that will recognize
built in webcam mic?

Thanks in advance,

Most webcams offer the mic input over the same USB connection as the
video. Can not be sure but this HP seems to also be USB based.

 

[Terry Davidson]

For sure it is usb - the issue is I can't use the usb mic because the sound
card or system doesn't recognize the microphone...camera works fine and
add-on mic work fine - would rather do without the added mic and use the mic
supplied in camera.

 

[smlunatick]

For sure it is usb - the issue is I can't use the usb mic because the sound
card or system  doesn't recognize the microphone...camera works fine and
add-on mic work fine - would rather do without the added mic and use the mic
supplied in camera.

The sound card makes no matter. You need to check the Sound and Audio
Device Control Panel applet. In there, you need to correctly adjust
the Sound Recording (Audio Tab) device and the Voice Recording (Voice)
device. Otherwise he webcam's drivers are incorrectly installed or
"busted."

I have successfully got Microsoft LifeCam, Logitech Quickcam and Micro
Innovation webcam working with Windows XP.

 

[Paul]

For sure it is usb - the issue is I can't use the usb mic because the sound
card or system doesn't recognize the microphone...camera works fine and
add-on mic work fine - would rather do without the added mic and use the mic
supplied in camera.

Southbridge --- HDAudio --- CODEC --- Microphone
--- Line_In
--- Line_Out

Southbridge --- USB --- Composite_Device_Webcam ---- USB_Video_Class
---- USB_Audio_Class

The two input sources (your "sound card" or your webcam), are separate paths.
The USB webcam is not getting any support or comfort, from the HDAudio hardware
in the computer. The USB path must be self supporting. The USB path uses
its own software.

In the diagram I've drawn, I show a driverless webcam. The webcam happens
to support two standard USB classes, for which WinXP has a built-in driver.
It is possible for a webcam to be supported by system drivers.

In some cases, due to the special features (face tracking, auto focus),
a driver is needed to augment the USB Video class. So that is a reason
you might benefit from a driver. For example, on my webcam, the
highest resolution the camera offers, is only available via the
manufacturer's driver. That resolution is missing if I use the built-in
driver.

For audio, I'm not convinced the webcam software is doing anything. I think
it is just a standard USB audio device.

In the Control Panels in WinXP, is a control for Sound. In it, you can select
inputs to come from your HDaudio, or from your USB webcam. For playback, a
different pulldown entry, allows control of the output device. You can
check the Sound control panel, to see which device(s) have been selected.

When I want to record audio only from the webcam, I just use the Sound
control panel, to select the USB audio as the input source. Then I use
an audio recording application, to make a recording. Audacity, for
example, can make recordings and do simple editing.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

If you enable the microphone monitoring function, you can tell right
away whether something is electrically connected to Audacity. If
the level meter doesn't budge at all, then you haven't selected
a valid input. If the level meter is registering "noise", and the level
indicated is not zero, then you know something electrical has been
connected. Between the Sound control panel, and the Audacity microphone
monitor pulldown menu (upside-down triangle), you should be able to figure
it all out.

Paul

 

[Terry Davidson]

Hi -

Thanks for the replies......

I happen to have Audacity.....okay, here's the deal. In Stereo Mixer/Aux
modes Audacity registers a red input line but does not record sound and does
not show the tapping on the input monitor (tapping on the webcam mic) but I
can hear clicking noises when I start/stop record process and some sound
(open line noise. like on an off-hook telephone)

My sound card is built into the mainboard - when I attempt 'microphone'
input, nothing happens because I don't have mic plugged in (however, when I
do, it does).

Device Manager tells me I have Composite USB support as well as enhanced USB
support (2.0)

 

[Paul]

Hi -

Thanks for the replies......

I happen to have Audacity.....okay, here's the deal. In Stereo Mixer/Aux
modes Audacity registers a red input line but does not record sound and does
not show the tapping on the input monitor (tapping on the webcam mic) but I
can hear clicking noises when I start/stop record process and some sound
(open line noise. like on an off-hook telephone)

My sound card is built into the mainboard - when I attempt 'microphone'
input, nothing happens because I don't have mic plugged in (however, when I
do, it does).

Device Manager tells me I have Composite USB support as well as enhanced USB
support (2.0)

Again, another diagram.
+--------------------------+
motherboard_sound ---\_________| Control Panels |
mixer_for_sound -----/ | Sound and Audio Devices |
| "Audio" Tab |----- Audacity Mic
USB_microphone ----------------| Sound Recording Menu | Monitor
(No controls!) | Select the USB audio |
+--------------------------+

The mixer for your motherboard sound, isn't going to help the
USB webcam microphone. You need to go to the "Sound and Audio Device"
control panel, and select a Sound Recording device first. That is
about all you should have to do, to get the USB based microphone working.

The USB follows a separate path, has separate controls (or in my case,
no controls at all). When I use the microphone on my USB webcam, I have
no controls to adjust the volume. The control slider in Audacity doesn't
seem to do anything (because, as far as I know, it is associated with the
"mixer", which is intended for the other kind of sound devices). Moving the
slider in Audacity, when I'm using the USB microphone, doesn't do anything.

So, check your Control Panel first. Make sure the USB microphone is
selected. Then fire up Audacity. (If you change recording sources
in the Sound and Audio Devices, Audacity doesn't seem to register
the software event immediately. You have to disable monitoring
or otherwise fool around, until Audacity recognizes it. Thus
my suggestion to start Audacity again, to ensure the new choice
for recording sources gets honored.)

As far as I know, when you see "Composite USB" in Device Manager,
that is part of how a complex USB device is handled. Composite
means there is more than one component to the USB device. In this
case, the two components are video and audio.

Paul

 

[Terry Davidson]

Thanks again!

Well, we seem to be approaching a solution to this issue, but not quite
there yet...

I show no USB device in Control Panel/Sounds Audio Device Properties, nor
does Audacity recognize USB device (in any mode). Never have seen USB device
in either Control Panel or Audacity.

I have re-downloaded webcam update drivers from HP, Phyically uninstalled
cam and reinstalled (x2). Have un-clicked "Use only default devices" in
Audio Device Properties (Control Panel). No change.

Appreciate any further suggestions....regards
Terry Davidson

____

 

[Paul]

Thanks again!

Well, we seem to be approaching a solution to this issue, but not quite
there yet...

I show no USB device in Control Panel/Sounds Audio Device Properties, nor
does Audacity recognize USB device (in any mode). Never have seen USB device
in either Control Panel or Audacity.

I have re-downloaded webcam update drivers from HP, Phyically uninstalled
cam and reinstalled (x2). Have un-clicked "Use only default devices" in
Audio Device Properties (Control Panel). No change.

Appreciate any further suggestions....regards
Terry Davidson

In this example picture, the "Sound Recording" pulldown has three options.
In my case, one of the options is "USB Audio Device", and that is the
microphone on the webcam. Once I select "USB Audio Device", using
the control panel shown here, then in Audacity, the microphone monitor
will be monitoring audio from the webcam. I don't even need to be
running any webcam software in this case, because the USB audio
is a standard device and uses a Microsoft USB class driver.

http://www.pixelmetrics.com/Tips/VidTips/InUse.php

In Device Manager, under "Sound, video and game controllers",
I have "USB Audio Device". There are about eight driver files,
one of which is USBAUDIO.sys, and the other files all came with
WinXP.

I have an entry called "Imaging devices" and under that is
"USB Video Device". One of the driver files listed for that
entry, is "usbvideo.sys". So again, that is a standard class
driver, giving limited functionality (not full resolution).

Using UVCView, one of my computer ports reports

"USB Composite Device"

In the pane on the right in the UVCView window, there is a ton
of data, basically the enumeration of the video and audio sections
of the webcam. There is about 46KB of text in there, so I won't bother
copying it.

You can get a copy of UVCView from the archive here. It is about 164KB.
It is no longer offered for download by Microsoft, so an archived copy
is the next best thing.

http://web.archive.org/*/http://dow...f-a31d-436b-9281-92cdfeae4b45/UVCView.x86.exe

That doesn't explain what has happened to your webcam.

Normally, with USB devices, you first check the manual, and see if
the software requires the device to be installed before the drivers
are installed, or after the drivers are installed. Sometimes that
screws things up, if you get the order wrong. I don't keep my
webcam drivers installed, because the software leaves a lot of
junk processes running, which I don't want. I have limited
functionality in my case, by just plugging the camera in. But
to access the highest resolutions, I'd need to install the drivers
again.

So it could be related to the installation process. I don't know of
a way to undo things, such that your installation is guaranteed to
work.

If the driver is screwing up, I'd at least expect the plugged in
webcam, to have some entries in Device Manager with some mark on
them, showing the driver did not load properly or whatever.

If you run out of other sources of amusement, check the
setupapi.log file. For example, at the end of the file, I
can see this. This is presumably related to the "Imaging device"
entry in Device Manager.

[2009/09/01 00:57:15 1728.311 Driver Install]
#-019 Searching for hardware ID(s): usb\vid_046d&pid_0990&rev_0008&mi_00,usb\vid_046d&pid_0990&mi_00
#-018 Searching for compatible ID(s): usb\class_0e&subclass_03&prot_00,usb\class_0e&subclass_03,usb\class_0e
#-198 Command line processed: "C:\WINDOWS\system32\mmc.exe" C:\WINDOWS\system32\devmgmt.msc /s
#I063 Selected driver installs from section [USBVideo] in "c:\windows\inf\usbvideo.inf".
#I320 Class GUID of device remains: {6BDD1FC6-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F}.
#I060 Set selected driver.

Paul