Comment by timewizard

1 day ago

Sure. I can do anything. It's the principle of the thing.

The principle is to use the right tool for the job.

USB can do just about anything. Video out is one possibility. But HDMI can already do that.

It doesn't make sense to expect the manufacturer to provide a free app to make USB do something you can already do over HDMI, and for which HDMI is intended.

This article is rage bait where there's no real cause for outrage. But it's adjacent enough to "right to repair" and "subscription fatigue" that it sounds outrageous.

  • The right too for the job most certainly is not HDMI.

    The video feed should (depending on usecase, sure) be compressed on the device and sent over USB.

    Sending uncompressed video just to be badly compressed in a capture device is most definitely not the right tool for the job.

    • Realtime compression in a portable device with limited processing power is going to reduce quality. It is better to transport uncompressed video and let the receiver decide how to manage it. USB-3 has adequate bandwidth for doing this. USB-C lets you switch to DisplayPort if the receiver can handle it.

      1 reply →

    • On these cameras, HDMI is the right tool for the job. USB video quality is often poor where it's supported, and HDMI is there for video output.

      These cameras are not made to be webcams. OP is using theirs as one, and that's fine; I do too. But device-side compression for USB video out, a webcam app, etc. are webcam features. They come at a cost, and many camera buyers don't need them.

      For those of us using these cameras in these nonstandard ways, we can reach for HDMI, which is the right tool for this particular job.

      2 replies →