USB webcam detected but does not work

To replace the malfunctioning iSight camera, I bought a cheap USB webcam.

Mac OSX profiler identifies it as:

USB Web Camera

Version: 1.00
Bus Power (mA): 500
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: SiGma Micro
Product ID: 0x3000
Vendor ID: 0x1c4f

When I try iChat, I get "Your camera is in use by another application".

On googling, I found that macam might help. However, that shows
"Status: No Camera".

Any suggestions ?

 

http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/
http://www.ioxperts.com/products/webcamx.html
http://www.mac-compatible-web-cam.com/

If your cam isn't one the list of any in these sites, guess you're SOL.
Buy one that "just works" next time.

 

It is listed as a UVC compliant webcam. Should that not mean that it is
supported on Mac OSX ?

It gets detected correctly afterall.

 

There's "detected" and there's "it works with the software". Being a
caveman, you may not know the difference.

The hardware can be "found" or recognized by MacOS X, meaning that the
device shows up in the filesystem. But how do you _use_ the hardware?
That's what device drivers are for. If MacOS X doesn't have a device
driver for the thing, someone else will have to provide one. If the
manufacturer didn't, then a 3rd-party or _you_ will have to provide it.

The above sites give you information on various drivers which may or may
not be supported by your hardware. If they aren't, you'll have to write
your own to get the software to use the device. Otherwise you have a
testing device suitable for asertaining the local gravitational constant.

 

It appears to me that you could have addressed the bit about UVC
compliance without descending into these ad homineums. But being a
caveman, I could hardly be expected to know better.

 

I have one that behaves like that in one USB port, but not the other.

 

Well, you shouldn't have picked such a stupid nickname, should you? I
bet you think it's clever.

 

At the above sourceforge macam link, and in regards to USB webcams on the
Mac in general, it states:

(note: iChat does not recognize most USB webcams unless you install
iChatUSBCam - this is shareware unrelated to macam)

It also gives a link to that shareware site:
<http://ecamm.com/mac/ichatusbcam> US$9.95.

HTH

 

I think I read of a bug at one point that some usb devices don't
respond after the computer wakes from sleep. I was researching a
keyboard problem on my mbp. I've had no problems with the
keyboard attached to my mini, but I recently got a cheap webcam,
that suffers the same problem. Disconnecting the USB cord and
plugging it back in appears to work.

HTH & GL

Michael C.
--
http://mcsuper5.freeshell.org/

A pessimist always wins.
He is either wrong (which is good), or he has the satisfaction
of being right.

 

Thanks to everyone who responded.

I installed iChatUSBCam trial. Now I get a black screen.

The webcam is perfectly fine, and works beautifully in Linux.