5.2.7.0 - RTSP sub-streams for high-MP cameras

tward392

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Pretty sure this is a known issue with sub-streams at the moment since it is still a work in progress. You either have to stop using sub-streams or put up with this bug until it all gets worked out.
 

jnweith

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I currently have 10 cameras using sub streams, One temporary wireless camera continually had the odd clip times with 49d11hXXXXX almost all the time so I discontinued the sub stream on that camera. Last night another camera started having the same issue and I narrowed it down in the log to a loss signal from that camera. Once the signal was lost and restored it started a new clip. That one and the next 3 had the time issue.
 

shalem2014

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Anyone have an idea why Blue Iris acts as if the sub-stream doesn't exist on the first camera out of 16 on one of my systems? It's acting as if I literally left the box empty—not even attempting to establish the sub-stream connection. Out of three systems I've tried this on, I am only having the issue with this one. All using the same kind of cameras. I've looked and looked, and I don't see anything wrong in the settings. Inputting the IP address to another camera it is successfully dual-streaming only changes the picture. It's as if something is wrong with that "virtual camera" in Blue Iris. Sub stream status simply shows "-" in the Camera Settings dialog, and the two sub stream columns under Blue Iris Status are blank for that camera.
 

kklee

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Substream refused to work in BI on a camera that had AOI (area of interest) configured. I had to delete and re-create the camera without an AOI before it worked (couldn't edit or delete the AOI, it was grayed out).
 

sebastiantombs

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Out of curiosity what kind of camera? Mine was a Dahua 5442TM-AS and had been cofigured and working with the substream for about a month. I started tinkering with detection zones in BI and it lost the substream ability. I do have IVS configured, both trip wires and intrusion zone, in the camera and BI does receive the trigger from it with no problems.
 

kklee

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This was on a GW Security GW8736 4K camera (Hikvision based, not sure what model it maps to). I've been tinkering with detection zones too as I fine tune the use of substreams and it's been working well (not counting the various bugs that have been fixed).
 

shalem2014

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Mine was on an Amcrest IP2M-841E. Your comment had me curious as I was using detection zones on a number of the cameras in that system. I checked, and it seems that that particular camera was not set up with zones (full frame detection), but I discovered that all zones have been cleared on the other cameras since enabling substreams—interesting, for sure! For now, I'll just let it be. But part of me wants to dig in and find out exactly why that camera is behaving differently from the other 15 on that system.
 

kklee

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After I enabled substream for a camera, I had to redo the camera's zone definition, which makes sense since motion detection is now using the substream and the resolution of the substream is different than the main stream.

I recently re installed a Amcrest IP2M-841E that I had decommissioned and it's working fine with substream and zone detection.
 

MickPB

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Version BI 5.2.9.16 -

I've enabled substream feeds for all cameras and enjoying the lower CPU utilization but I am no longer recieving the notifications / alerts triggered from within the Dahua Starlights.

Anyone else having this issue or is there maybe something I missed wetting them up? Or....... Do the cameras maybe not send the trigger on the sub-stream?

On a seperate note, I logged a ticket asking about access through the webserver to the sub-streams for external viewing apps and even the RTSP / ONVIF feed and was told that it is coming!
 

Scoobs72

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Anyone have an idea why Blue Iris acts as if the sub-stream doesn't exist on the first camera out of 16 on one of my systems? It's acting as if I literally left the box empty—not even attempting to establish the sub-stream connection. Out of three systems I've tried this on, I am only having the issue with this one. All using the same kind of cameras. I've looked and looked, and I don't see anything wrong in the settings. Inputting the IP address to another camera it is successfully dual-streaming only changes the picture. It's as if something is wrong with that "virtual camera" in Blue Iris. Sub stream status simply shows "-" in the Camera Settings dialog, and the two sub stream columns under Blue Iris Status are blank for that camera.
Try disabling "Use FLAC audio compression" under Record>Video File Format and Compression. I had to do that to get one of my cams to use the substream.
 

shalem2014

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Thank you for the suggestion... While that wasn't the exact problem (and all the other working cameras are using FLAC just fine), the problem was on that same page! For some reason, that camera was set to re-encode instead of Direct-to-disk like the others. Upon correcting that setting, the substream immediately kicked in.
 

inline6

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Agreed, particularly if it can be made simple to use a substream for motion detection/multicam monitoring, and the main high def stream for recording/single cam monitoring.

edit: Just did some testing and WOW, this does make a huge difference.

It currently uses the substream for monitoring (all views) and the main stream for recording. This makes an enormous difference to CPU usage in multi-cam scenarios, to the point where I can record in 2160p now where previously I was limited to 1080p.

Some quick tests:

4 Hikvision cameras H264
No GPU, 4 x 2.93Ghz Westmere cores.

Main streams:
3 x 2160p
1 x 1520p

Substreams:
4 x 640 x 360

CPU usage compared:

Substream disabled
10% CPU usage - All clients closed (motion detection running)
60% CPU usage - UI3 open and set to 1080p, preview 4 cams

Substream enabled
2% CPU usage - All clients closed (motion detection running)
8% CPU usage - UI3 open and set to 1080p, preview 4 cams

For my cameras, configuring this was as simple as:

  • Camera Properties
  • Video tab
  • Network IP "Configure" button
  • Add a "Sub stream" path, usually this is an increment of the camera number:

View attachment 60790

For another camera model it was slightly different:

Main Stream:
/Streaming/Channels/101?transportmode=unicast&profile=Profile_1

Sub stream:
/Streaming/Channels/102?transportmode=unicast&profile=Profile_1

You get the idea.

Bugs
UI3 reports "Video stream lost" when triggering recording. Purely cosmetic as it recovers quickly and the recording does trigger

Feature requests
  • Switch to main stream when monitoring a single camera
  • Use main stream when taking a snapshot
My CPU needs a heater now! 4 of the 6 cameras running on substream and CPU at 16%. Brilliant addition to an already great system.
Wow - amazing. I have an 8 camera setup ... all running 4mp on the highest res and microphones on each of them.

I went from consistent 50-60% CPU down to average 10-15% CPU!! Wow. If I wanted to, I could lower the sub-streams resolution and bitrate even more as at the end of the day - I don't care about the quality of display, as long as it's recording in high quality. Great job Blue iris!!!

Edit: I lowered the FPS on the substream to 5-6fps
 

technicaldisruption

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I've been playing with the sub stream feature tonight and have a few cameras set. For live viewing I read that if you click into 1 camera the view should return to the primary full resolution screen. Is that just in the windows client itself or should it be working in the UI 3 web interface as well? I'm just seeing the low quality substreams in the browser. This isn't ideal as I use the web interface a great deal. Changing the resolution in the lower right of the web screen doesn't have any impact when using substreams. Any suggestions?

Thanks
 

b0bthebuilder

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I've been playing with the sub stream feature tonight and have a few cameras set. For live viewing I read that if you click into 1 camera the view should return to the primary full resolution screen. Is that just in the windows client itself or should it be working in the UI 3 web interface as well? I'm just seeing the low quality substreams in the browser. This isn't ideal as I use the web interface a great deal. Changing the resolution in the lower right of the web screen doesn't have any impact when using substreams. Any suggestions?

Thanks
which version of BI are you running?
the latest version shows the full stream in UI3 for me
 

IAmATeaf

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You need to go up to a later release, not too sure at what release this was implemented but you might as well go up to .18 which I think is the latest.
 

technicaldisruption

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The latest is 5.2.9.18. Try that one
I had to manually install that version from the website, it solved the web resolution problem but it de-registered my license and now I have "blue iris evaluation version" stamped all over the images. Entering my license code doesn't impact anything and it deletes after each client restart. Is this a bug or do I now have to pay the support fees again? I had no license issue before I began fiddling with the substreams. Thanks
 
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