Intraoral Cameras - DirectVideo – Planet DDS

The DirectVideo extension is designed to be a universal connection to intraoral (IO) cameras, therefore it is not designed with any specific or individual camera in mind. As there are hundreds, if not thousands, of IO cameras on the market that can be purchased, most will function to some degree within the DirectVideo extension, though not all features may be available. Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try and get the most functionality out of your current IO camera, as well as some links to documentation provided by some commonly seen IO camera manufacturers regarding setting up their cameras within our systems.

Some cameras use manufacturer specific extensions instead of the DirectVideo extension. Some examples would be CareStream/Kodak, Gendex/Dexis, and Sigma IO cameras.

If you are missing the DirectVideo Extension within XVCapture, It can be acquired under Imaging Devices at this following link: Current Imaging Downloads

This article has been split into the following sections:
- Windows 10 Permissions
- Manufacturer Guides
- Webcam vs IO Camera
- Capture Button Fixes
- Foot Pedal Setup

Windows 10 Permissions

Windows 10 privacy settings, depending on how they are configured, can disable program access to cameras. Make sure that camera access is enabled by performing the following:

Click on the Start menu.
Select the Settings icon.
Click on the section Privacy, then select from the left-hand side Camera.
Verify that the option Allow apps to access your camera is On. If Off, select Change and turn On Camera access for this device.

Note - If running Windows 10 Pro, you may also have to turn on Allow DESKTOP apps to access your camera.

Manufacturer Guides

Webcam vs IO Camera

If the PC has a built-in or always connected webcam, the DirectVideo extension may default to the webcam.

If the webcam is not going to be used on this computer at all, unplug the webcam or see if your local IT can internally disable it (this will remove the webcam from the list of available video devices within the DirectVideo extension).
If unable to unplug/disable the webcam, or if there are multiple video devices plugged into the computer for some other reason, you can manually select the correct camera by clicking on Video Devices in the upper left of the DirectVideo extension.
Select the correct video device from the populated list.

Capture Button Fixes / Slow or Laggy Video

Due to the sheer number of different IO cameras and manufacturers that exist, we at Apteryx cannot guarantee that the capture button of any individual IO camera make and model will function within our software. The following steps are meant to provide the best chances of the capture buttons working, but may not result in that feature being usable.

If the physical capture button on the sensor does not work within the DirectVideo extension or the video feed is slow or laggy, there are two settings that are typically checked in an attempt to enable that feature: Still Pin vs Video Stream Capture and Capture Button Assignment.

Still Pin vs Video Stream Capture

Within the DirectVideo extension, click on Video Options and select Still Pin And Other Video Sizes.
If (and ONLY if) the drop down under Still Pin Capture is NOT empty, click on the circle next to I want to capture video from the still pin and then hit OK at the bottom of the window.
(This should allow the capture button to function. If not, continue to Capture Button Assignment)

(Still Pin Capture Available)

(Still Pin Capture Not Available)

If the drop down under Still Pin Capture is empty and you select the Still Pin Capture option anyways, the DirectVideo extension will begin auto-capturing images until either the PC runs out of memory or the software crashes. Do NOT select Still Pin Capture if the drop down is empty.

Capture Button Assignment

Within the DirectVideo extension, click on Capture Buttons and select the top option (excluding ATVideo if listed).
Test the capture button on the camera. If it does not work, click on Capture Buttons and select the next option (excluding ATVideo if listed) and test.
Repeat until either the hardware capture button works during testing, or all options have been tested with failed results.

Much like selecting the Still Pin Capture with an empty drop down, selecting the ATVideo Capture Button will cause the DirectVideo extension to begin auto-capturing images until either the PC runs out of memory or the software crashes. Do NOT select the ATVideo Capture Button.

If the above steps have been attempted, and the hardware capture button still does not function, then this camera's capture button does not appear to be supported. You can still trigger the capture by using the mouse cursor to click the Capture button or by pressing the 'Enter' or 'Space' key on the keyboard while the Capture button is highlighted.

Foot Pedal Setup

Some IO cameras come with foot pedals (or can be used with 3rd party foot pedals) that can be utilized to capture images, as well as other imaging functions. Those features can be changes within the Foot Pedal Assignment options:

Within the DirectVideo extension, click on Video Options, select Advanced Options, and click on Foot Pedal Assignment.
There are two Foot Pedal options that can be set to any of the options shown below. Click on a drop down and select one of the options. Once satisfied, click the OK button.