# How to identify hidden video capture devices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Programming Help\ **Tags:** windows\ **Created:** [July 19, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933 "2021-07-19T19:21:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nmtimme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@nmtimme](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/nmtimme)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/1 "2021-07-19T19:21:28Z")
Hello I’m interested in using PTB to perform video capture from a FLIR Chameleon 3 camera. It is connected via USB 3 and I am running Windows 10. I am using the following version of PTB: '3.0.17 - Flavor: beta - Corresponds to SVN Revision 12135. My version of Matlab is: ‘9.10.0.1649659 (R2021a) Update 1’. When I execute Screen(‘VideoCaptureDevices’), the camera is not found. The website ([http://psychtoolbox.org/docs/Screen-OpenVideoCapture](http://psychtoolbox.org/docs/Screen-OpenVideoCapture)) explains that this can happen with some devices and it provides information about how to pass information to PTB about hidden devices so video capture can proceed. However, I can’t find any information about how to identify the camera. How do I determine the camera’s name or ID? I’d appreciate any suggestions on how to do this or if you could point me to the resource that describes this process. I looked around on the website, the forum, and the github issues, but I couldn’t find anything. If I missed it, I’m sorry. Thank you so much for your time and have a good day! ~Nick ---
**Author:** ![mariokleiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@mariokleiner](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/mariokleiner)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/2 "2021-07-20T03:57:40Z")
You asked the same question in a GitHub issue a month ago, i explained priority support to you as an option of getting help, you fell silent, so i will close that issue now. -mario ---
**Author:** ![nmtimme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@nmtimme](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/nmtimme)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/3 "2021-07-20T13:21:34Z")
Hi Mario, Thanks for that update! I was sidetracked by other issues, so that is why I had not pursued this question further. When I came back to it yesterday and it still had not been answered, I decided to follow your suggestion and move the question here. Since information appears in the software guide on how to deal with hidden cameras, I thought people would have some tips on how to identify the hidden cameras. Perhaps this is a complex problem that is much more system specific than I had anticipated, which is why you are suggesting using paid support. I’d appreciate any advice anyone has with this problem. Thanks! ~Nick ---
**Author:** ![Ian-Max-Andolina](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/psychtoolbox.discourse.group/ian-max-andolina/32/4_2.png) [@Ian-Max-Andolina](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/Ian-Max-Andolina)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:40am UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/4 "2021-07-21T03:40:09Z")
Try reading the documentation for GStreamer and for Windows. For linux, video devices are found by listing `/dev/` — a really nice feature of Linux where everything is exposed as a “file”, even hardware devices. My vague recollection is clicking around in device manager USB section in Windows? Also doesn’t Teledyne have some software you can use to configure your camera etc.? ---
**Author:** ![mariokleiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@mariokleiner](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/mariokleiner)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/5 "2021-08-05T15:07:13Z")
Has this problem been resolved? If so, i guess others might appreciate some feedback that might help them in similar situations. -mario ---
**Author:** ![nmtimme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@nmtimme](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/nmtimme)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/how-to-identify-hidden-video-capture-devices/3933/6 "2021-08-11T15:50:20Z")
Unfortunately, no. I’ve worked on it a bit this morning, but I still can’t get it to work. I’ve found numerous names and IDs in the device manager properties for the camera. I’ve tried ~15, but with no success. I’ve looked around online to see if there is anything about device IDs, but most of that information is in relation to identifying drivers. Perhaps if I had more information about where the device ID and name come from in PTB, that might help. Whenever I try to open the device with an ID or name I found in the device manager properties, I get the following error from PTB: PTB-ERROR: Statechange failed with GST\_STATE\_CHANGE\_FAILURE! Error in function OpenVideoCapture: Usage error In OpenVideoCapture: Opening the video capture device failed during camerabin pipeline zero → ready. Reason given above. I’d appreciate any other information or suggestions people might have. Thanks! ~Nick