Using Android Smartphone for recording astro webcam AVI?

[mikehab]

I was out the other night trying to bag my first Saturn of 2013 (managed to get it, but poor seeing, lots of light polution & 95% moon didn't make for a great imaging session) ... and by the time I'd got the scope set up and then the laptop setup on a table with mains extension leads, booting up into Windoze (which ruined my dark-sky vision for a while until I'd got SharpCap up and running in red-light mode) etc. etc. .... it all got me thinking ... wouldn't it be nice if I could just plug my webcam directly into my Android smartphone via an OTG cable, and then have some Android app (similar to SharpCap - but on Android) which records the AVI directly onto the SmartPhone. Then I wouldn't even need to setup the laptop and extension leads etc. ...

Does anyone know whether this is possible? a) is it possible to get an Android smartphone to recognise an external webcam that's plugged in via a USB OTG cable, and if so then whether there is any suitable Android astro video recording s/w that might be fit for purpose?

Thanks,

Mike

[mikehab]

No idea why the list identifier commonly known as the one between "a)" and "c)" came out as some cool-dude smily character with sunglasses... but hey ho.... Please bring back Editing!!

[long_arms]

Sorry I cant help, I just wanted to say I've always thought this would be such a good idea.

It would be awesome if sharpcap was available on android!!

I can't think of an app that would work but I hope someone makes one.

[nicks90]

This is something i am working on at present - as android does not support external usb webcams due to a lack of drivers. Android is very driver sparse - as the operating system is losely based on Linux and is a standalone operating system that runs over the top of a kernal. That kernal is the driver and hardware 'pack' that sits under the operating system and is usually specific to the phone/tablet itself and only contains the drivers needed to run the devices hardware. Bundling drivers for usb devices would take up alot of memory - which is not available on most mobile devices. On a desktop or laptop, you have much more memory and the operating system usually has alot of redundant drivers for a very wide range of peripherals from scanners, printers, drives, webcams etc.

What i am trying to do is to get the 'video for linux' driver pack bundled up into my tablets kernal so that it will recognise and run usb webcams. However, the problem does not end there, you need some way of capturing and recording this feed and at present there is no sharpcap apk file - only exe. So you would need to make some form of 'bridge' between the usb webcam feed and the hardware driver that controls the recording of the built in camera to the sd card/on board memory. Once you get that working, your device would recognise the usb webcam and be able to record it to the memory like you would your phone camera. But it woul be a straight record, no settings for exposure/gain etc, and i dont know how effective this would be.

also, one last thing - each device kernal is different, therefore this exercise would need repeating on every different device. I am currently trying this on my Advent Vega tablet running ICS. so if i get it working, it wouldnt work on a galaxy tab or any other android device.

Although its a great idea, it has a lot of complications and is not going to be something that is common in the android world.

I think the better bet would be using a windows 8 tablet. this DOES support external usb camera and there is the possibility of getting sharpcap to work on it.

[mikehab]

Thanks 'nicks90' ... it will be interesting to see what progress you make on this. I see from searching around that other people are also working on this (though not necessarily from an astro perspective).... and someone has already got this working on a "Galaxy Nexus" ...

and also on a Samsung Galaxy Note ...

.... so I think there's definite potential here.

[mikehab]

Also found this site... http://www.infinitegra.co.jp/en/solution/AndroidApp1.htm which is for an app available on the Google Play store - though currently restricted to certain devices and webcams.

[mikehab]

Corrected link ... http://www.infinitegra.co.jp/en/solution/AndroidApp1.htm

[Driven1]

Nicks90, very interested in your project. How are you coming along? I have two MS Lifecams working with my rooted 10" Tosiba Thrive running a version of CM10 developed for Thrives in particular. I can record video from the webcams but the problem I've run into is FULL control over the cameras. Especially in the areas of gain and focus control. I have one camera that is unmodified that is connected directly to my EP's (this is the one that gives me focusing fits as it will automatically try to refocus itself on occasion, ruining a shot), and the other is modified and used for prime focus shots. In both cases, gain cotrol would be huge. Both cameras overexpose.

What I think it's going to take based on all of my hunting about the web, as you've already alluded to, is a dedicated App (similar to SharpCap) that gives full contol over the camera and will record in an uncompressed format (no small feat there) and a dedicated android webcam driver that allows control of the aspects I mentioned ( no small feat either).

Right now, I'd just be happy with gain control. It's the one thing I simply can't get around.

Keeping an eye on this thread!

[24601]

I would be interested in this as well.

I've been using DSLR Controller on an Android tablet, but would like to be able to try a webcam.