"Call" an Arbitrary Code to a Camera

[acat]

One of the great features of Blue Iris is the support for so many cameras. I have a Sunba 20X camera, and Blue Iris supports a very large number of the Call functions of the camera, but not all. For close-up imaging at night I'd like to send "100 + Call" to the camera to turn on only half the IR LEDs. These are the wide angle LEDs. The "Auto" call setting provided by Blue Iris does work. Unfortunately the Auto setting of the Sunba camera doesn't seem to be sensitive enough to switch on only half the LEDs, which I think it should. Sometimes it works and turns one bank on other times it turns both on "burning" the image in the center. I can use the VMS software provided by the manufacturer to do the trick but it's sort of a kluge to use both pieces of software simultaneously. Just wondering if there is a "manual" feature of Blue Iris that I have yet to uncover. So far I can only find the Call functions that are explicitly listed for each particular model camera, and the "low" setting is not one of them.

 

[acat]

Blue Iris Tech Support was very helpful in clarifying a solution to this issue. Under Camera>Schedule>Event Schedule I had been using the built-in camera settings available from the drop down menu to set a camera setting and PTZ setting simultaneously. Except in my particular case, the setting was not available for the camera (half the LEDs on). So the other way to do it is in the camera control settings: PTZ/Control>Edit Presets. There, the second column from the left can be edited to send an arbitrary call number to the camera for additional control. Problem solved. Now I have two sets of presets, one sets positions with the camera in "Auto" mode, the other with a customized IR LED intensity for the given preset Zoom value.

 

[wittaj]

Cool - thanks for pointing that out - I am going to look at that and see if that is a solution to something I have been trying to accomplish with a PTZ and BI.

 

[acat]

One important thing to note is that a PTZ preset can call only one command. I had to experiment to prove this to myself. So I've set PTZ 20 (left-most # column) to send a code 101 to my camera to turn on half the LEDs. This code is entered in the second column from the left. The Description (3 rd column) can be a reminder of some sort. But if you edit a preset there is an "on call"and "call" dialog box but entering the number there didn't do anything. I had hoped that I could move the camera to a new position and turn the LED on in one command. Couldn't do it. So to schedule this I have to schedule both presets close together in time. Of course I'm still learning so perhaps I've failed to understand some finer point.