Blue Iris playing back sub-streams — am I misunderstanding this feature?

[tai4de2]

Firstly — I have emailed support for this, but any insights still welcome... BI version 5.3.2.11, which is the latest stable/critical release as I write this.

I changed my camera configs to use 704x480 sub-streams. Main streams are 4K. I’m using continuous recording.

I’m finding that when I go to play back recorded video, BI is playing back the sub-streams — which is confusing because I thought BI isn’t even supposed to be recording sub streams, so how can it be playing them back? But it is.

This is happening only in the BI desktop app on Windows, and only for playing back recorded video.

Live video in the BI Windows desktop app works as expected (sub streams in camera group videos but switches to main stream when one camera is focused).
Exporting a clip that plays back in BI using the sub stream exports the main stream.
Live video in the iPhone app works as expected (Same as described for BI desktop client)
Playback of recorded video in the iPhone app works as expected (plays back the recorded main stream).

I can pause playback in the iPhone app and in the BI desktop app at the same moment in a recording and the iPhone one is main stream but the BI Windows desktop app is the sub stream.

Am I misunderstanding this feature? Is BI supposed to be recording the sub streams? Is it supposed to be playing them back? How can I see my 4K video for playback?

 

[wittaj]

With the more recent versions (forget which one it changed to), yes it is now recording substreams as well. For playback, it will use the substream until you full screen a camera, then it will go to the main stream. Main advantage to this is to keep the CPU down during playback of lots of cameras. Mine would max out CPU during playback of all the cams at the same time, but now stays under 35% during playback and seeing all the cameras at the same time. And if I want to see mainstream, I simply playback one or two cameras. I love the new feature!

 

[tai4de2]

it is now recording substreams as well. For playback, it will use the substream until you full screen a camera, then it will go to the main stream. Main advantage to this is to keep the CPU down during playback of lots of cameras. Mine would max out CPU during playback of all the cams at the same time, but now stays under 35% during playback and seeing all the cameras at the same time.

Thanks for the reply. What you‘be described is exactly how I expected this to work, and the reasoning about why it’s recording the sub stream makes perfect sense. But it wasn’t what I was seeing.

In any case I think I figured it out — a misunderstanding on my part.

Double-clicking on a camera’s view doesn’t actually “full-screen” it. I had to double click on it again to take it from “this is the only camera I am looking at” to “this is a ‘full-screen’ view of the camera”. When I do that, I see the main stream.

Edit: there’s also “Solo Selected Camera” on the context (right-click) menu. I selected that and now clicking on a camera brings it into the view that uses the main stream.

 

[tward392]

If you right click on the window, is "Use sub stream if available" checked?

 

[tai4de2]

If you right click on the window, is "Use sub stream if available" checked?

Thanks for the reply. That option wasn't checked.

The reason I was seeing the sub stream during playback is because I misunderstood the difference between viewing a single-camera layout, vs. a solo'ed or full-screen camera. The former uses the sub stream; the latter uses the main stream.

 

[Staff Curtis]

I was just told about the substream feature after investing a ton in a top of the line threadripper system. This new sub/main stream recording changes the game for blue iris. There should be no reason to use any other method for video security PERIOD. You can run high end cameras on low end intel refurb machines now very cheaply. A $150-$250 refurb should be all you need for 95% of those here.

 

[willwillandbec-com]

I have similar symptoms to tai4de2. I have two Annke cameras that are recording 4K main stream and 0.4MP substreams and one C-Tronics camera with 4MP/0.4MP. I have the i-frame set to the same as FPS (12) on all three cameras. I have all set to record dual streams.

In live view they behave exactly as described in that they switch from low-res to 4K within a second when I set one camera to full screen. When I playback general playback or alerts, my two 4K Annke cameras do not switch to high resolution playback at all, even when I go to full screen or solo.

The C-Tronics does change to hi resultion after approximately 7-10 seconds for playback of alerts (which could be my pre-trigger buffer of 7.5 seconds), but does not change to hi-res at all for general fullscreen playback.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[reddwarf55555]

I had the same problem with cameras with the "re-encode" setting. After changing to direct-to-disc it works.