Flash Player 11 webcam distortion fix

[Deleted member 4846]

Hi,

Not sure if this has already been discussed and sorted out, couldn't find anything in a quick search, but here it is anyway...

Since I updated to Flash Player 11 my member cam video stream has been distorted such that I look squashed horizontally, like trying to fit a 16:9 picture in a 4:3 box. This only happens with my Logitech C910 webcam which is plugged in via USB, not the built-in iSight webcam (on my Mac), however it had worked fine with Flash Player 10.3. I tested the webcam with various cam test sites that used the Flash Plugin and it was hit-and-miss, some displayed the aspect correctly, others were squashed. I sent a note to MFC about it but naturally heard nothing, I assume there must be some web coding that probably causes it with the new Flash Plugin version but getting anyone to recode their website may result in an endless wait.

I have noticed a model with a squashed aspect on her cam too, so it is not just me or other members who are affected.

The fix is quite simple really...

1) Uninstall Flash Player. Do this easily using the uninstaller (available for Windows or Mac OS) http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/

2) Re-install a previous version of Flash Player. Do this using one of the installers from this page http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/142/tn_14266.html, scroll down to the Release and Content Debugger archives section.
I downloaded the latest 10.3 version (10.3.183.10), this is a bundle that contains installers for all computer platforms, for Mac OS I ran flashplayer10_3r183_10_mac_intel.dmg, for Windows I would assume to use flashplayer10_3r183_10_win.exe.

Test your cam, it should now be back as it was before the Flash Player 11 problems started.

I found the Adobe forums rather cumbersome and the advice given by the Adobe staff somewhat cryptic, I had to hunt for links to the uninstaller and archived Flash Player versions in various threads.

The Adobe Flash updater will pop up after a little while of surfing the web, I would advise ticking the Do Not Remind Me box and Quit the installer for now, wait for Adobe to release a newer update or MFC to update their web code. I'm rather hoping that MFC will dump Flash video all together, then we wouldn't have this problem at all. Flash video is EVIL and completely unnecessary!

Hope this helps someone!

 

[Anonymous]

OMG, it's mankor!!! :hello2: How the hell are ya? :mrgreen:


And I've dealt with issues on Streamate where my video will *let's see if I can explain this* show me doing these jerky movements, where it looks like I'm basically doing a double-take of each movement I make. For example, if I turn my head to my right, on cam it might show me looking like I'm doing an instant replay of me turning it to the right (like it's an immediate double-take, which makes it look like I'm twitching). It drives me nuts!

I had the same issue when I used MFC's newer model browser, so I had to go back to the old model software. I don't have this issue at all when I use the old browser.

 

[Deleted member 4846]

OMG, it's mankor!!! :hello2: How the hell are ya? :mrgreen:


And I've dealt with issues on Streamate where my video will *let's see if I can explain this* show me doing these jerky movements, where it looks like I'm basically doing a double-take of each movement I make. For example, if I turn my head to my right, on cam it might show me looking like I'm doing an instant replay of me turning it to the right (like it's an immediate double-take, which makes it look like I'm twitching). It drives me nuts!

I had the same issue when I used MFC's newer model browser, so I had to go back to the old model software. I don't have this issue at all when I use the old browser.

Hi Foxy! Yes, it's always worth having a backup plan should a new update cause things to go screwy, software testing just isn't what it used to be!

The jerking movement thing sounds like it could be to do with a bad video timecode / synchronisation signal, possibly caused by an inconsistent internet connection speed.

 

[Anonymous]

I've read about other people having the same issue with Flash Player 11 (when using their webcam), so I'm gonna go back to version 10. I didn't have this issue until just recently.

 

[nzhere]

Flash supports hardware encoding / decoding of Video.

To do this properly you need your motherboard chipset or graphics card to actually support it.

Many older pcs with onboard video on the motherboard/chipset (that use shared memory) are useless at processing video.

Any serious models should be using a setup with a decent modern VIDEO card and onboard video Disabled.

 

[Deleted member 4846]

Flash supports hardware encoding / decoding of Video.

To do this properly you need your motherboard chipset or graphics card to actually support it.

Many older pcs with onboard video on the motherboard/chipset (that use shared memory) are useless at processing video.

Any serious models should be using a setup with a decent modern VIDEO card and onboard video Disabled.

I would say anything with an i5 / i7 processor should have a modern enough chipset to easily handle standard definition webcam streaming, probably "HD" too (not Full 1080 HD, more like 800x600). Some of the more expensive webcams do actually do on-board video compression which takes the load off the computer, this could be a cheaper option for someone who can't afford a new laptop.

I think as most models probably use a laptop then not many can afford one that has a dedicated graphics card as they are usually in the premium range, I reckon a typical i5 laptop should be good enough and will last a few years. I find it depressing to see so many laptops still being flogged with Pentium processors, these are dinosaurs compared to the i-series and should not be on sale IMO. i3 is the absolute minimum anyone should consider when purchasing new if they intend to do anything more than surfing and word processing. My Core2Duo MacBook handles a couple of I/O webcam video streams quite well but I wouldn't want to put much more processing through it at the same time.

Going a bit off-topic now though!