Question / Help Multiple Webcams on OSX

[webdevbrian]

Hi,


I tried searching around and I may have missed a thread on this -- but anything I try doing on getting multiple webcams on OSX (right now the latest version of Yosemite) the first camera works, but the second one will not until I disconnect the first one ... quite annoying. This isn't an OBS issue as it's a OSX hurdle to get around, I'm just interested into hearing if people were able to pull it off (you can actually do it with similar apps) and how they did it.

Is there a work around for this? I really need multiple webcams.

Thanks!

 

[dodgepong]

Are you trying to use multiple instances of the same webcam, or several different webcams? Are the cameras plugged in via a USB hub?

 

[webdevbrian]

Hey dodgepong -- several different webcams. I have two USB based ones (one logitech, the other this sweeeeet microscope camera that I'll be using to live broadcast reviews of electronic circuitry up close, and the built in macbook pro webcam for another alternating angle. Currently they're all plugged in to a USB3 hub.

 

[dodgepong]

I've had issues in the past on my Mac with multiple webcams all plugged into the same USB3 hub where it wouldn't add any more webcams after the first one. Can you see if it works if the webcams are plugged into separate actual USB ports on the computer itself?

(To solve my issue, I got a Thunderbolt 2 dock with 3 USB3 ports, and those all work with the webcams correctly. I will note, however, that I was on Windows via Boot Camp at the time, and I don't know if the same issue would happen on the Mac side.)

 

[bowlingotter]

I currently have two Logitech C920s plugged in to a USB 3.0 hub going to my Mac Pro and I have no issues with having them both working simultaneously in OBS. Is the hub powered?

 

[webdevbrian]

Thanks guys for the responses!

bowlingotter -- yes, this is a powered USB 3.0, 8 port hub connected to a 2012 Retina Macbook Pro.

I've tried connecting both, (whichever gets 'seen first' works, the other just displays a gray feed) disconnecting one, connecting the other, that kind of thing ... can only get one going at a time (tried swapping / changing out the order of the cameras too, same effect).

 

[webdevbrian]

dodgepong -- yeah tried that too (directly into the mac) same thing :(

 

[Light And Magic]

On most of my streams I use two Logitech USB webcams (C525 and C910), both connected directly to my Mac Pro and it works great.

 

[Harold]

In practice, you can't use hubs for multiple webcams. They don't play nice.

 

[bowlingotter]

In practice, you can't use hubs for multiple webcams. They don't play nice.

I haven't had any problem with that. Although looks like the two people (myself included) who are doing it without issue are using a Mac Pro. Perhaps the 2012 Macbook Pro has less USB bandwidth?