chicago_anna
New Member
Context
I'm running OBS Studio on Linux (native install, not Flatpak). My webcam is fully functional in Cheese and confirmed via v4l2-ctl and ffmpeg, but OBS Studio does not list it in the Video Capture Device dropdown—neither /dev/video0 nor /dev/video1 appear.What I've Tried
- Verified webcam functionality in Cheese and ffmpeg
- Confirmed device presence via ls /dev/video* and v4l2-ctl --list-devices
- Ran OBS in safe mode and normal mode
- Checked OBS logs (no enumeration errors, but failures on aja.so, decklink-captions, and vaapi_device)
- Forced MJPEG format via v4l2-ctl
- Created a loopback device with v4l2loopback and piped webcam feed via ffmpeg
- OBS sees /dev/video10 as V4L2 device, but shows a black screen
- Verified session type (echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE) and switched to Xorg for compatibility
♀️ Symbolic Layer
This isn’t just a technical issue—it’s a ritual of visibility. I’m seeking tools and gestures that honor both emotional resonance and technical clarity. OBS Studio feels like an altar of emergence, but right now it refuses to render my signal.What I’m Asking
- Has anyone resolved webcam invisibility in OBS when Cheese and ffmpeg work?
- Are there known issues with V4L2 device enumeration or format compatibility?
- Is there a way to force OBS to query /dev/video0 directly?
- Any symbolic or creative workflows that helped you reclaim visibility?
— Anna