Correct format not available for image acquisition

I am trying to read the images from a Mightex camera, BTE-B050-U, into Matlab. Mightex cameras use DirectShow, so we installed the DirectShow software. Using Matlab's Image Acquisition Toolbox, we have installed the 'winvideo' adaptor.

The correct format for the camera is not given. For some reason, the 'winvideo' adaptor insists that this is a color camera, when it is in fact monochrome.

>>devinfo = imaqhwinfo('winvideo',1)

devinfo = 
struct with fields:
           DefaultFormat: 'RGB24_2592x1944'
     DeviceFileSupported: 0
              DeviceName: 'Mightex_BufferSource Filter'
                DeviceID: 1
   VideoInputConstructor: 'videoinput('winvideo', 1)'
  VideoDeviceConstructor: 'imaq.VideoDevice('winvideo', 1)'
        SupportedFormats: {'RGB24_2592x1944'}

The camera is a 12-bit monochrome camera, not RGB24. The pixels are correct. I tried creating a video object with format 'MONO12_2592x1944', but I simply receive a message that the format specified is not supported by the device.

If I create the video object with the suggested format, the object construction works fine and I can execute commands, including preview and start/stop. However, the images are always blank. The actual image from the camera is not being read in this format.

An application developed by Mightex that uses DirectShow works fine, so I believe Matlab is simply not talking to the camera correctly. Does anyone know a solution? My ideas are to somehow convince Matlab to use the correct format, or use the given format with some adjustment that allows the image to be read in this format.

Using Windows 7, MATLAB R2017a (same behavior on another computer with Windows 10 and MATLAB R2016a).

[Nagarjuna Manchineni]

1) MATLAB Image Acquisition Toolbox winvideo adaptor supports cameras that work with Direct Show compliant WDM drivers. Refer to the below link for more details about Windows Video Hardware support from MATLAB:

http://www.mathworks.com/help/imaq/windows-video-hardware.html

2) The Vendor provided viewer software does not necessarily use the DirectShow interface. So to verify if the camera is direct show compliant, you can check if the camera gets detected with other Direct Show compatible applications such as graphedit, VLC or Picasa.

If the device is not able to read the exact format using any of these applications, inquire the vendor about any additional steps required for the device to be Direct Show compliance.

If that doesn't work reply to the post with the directx version of the system and the directshow driver that you have installed.

[David]

So sorry I forgot to respond for so long. The problem did seem to be Mightex's fault. The camera is supposed to work through DirectShow, but other programs that use DirectShow (we used VLC) also seemed to connect but only showed blank screens. The camera worked fine when using Mightex software.

We ended up buying a camera from IDS Imaging, which actually did work through the DirectShow interface. Looks like people are still reading this entry, so I wanted to give a report. Other Mightex cameras, 1.3 MP, have worked for our group in the past, but as far as I know none of the people I work with have gotten a 5 MP Mightex to work with DirectShow.

[Walter Roberson]

Thanks for the update, David!