PC CAM - Sunplus SPCA533

**NooNoo** · October 31st, 2007, 10:37 AM

And quicktime?

**Zippedidooda** · October 31st, 2007, 12:00 PM

Oh yes, sorry. Yeh I checked it was the latest Quicktime when it first failed.

I think perhaps it's a compatability issue with vista, because there are no vista drivers for the device anywhere as far as I can tell.

*update* Ok I've tried running the software with XP and it works as far as I can tell. It would appear to just be an issue with vista. At the same time though, the camera still isn't appearing in My Computer, so I'm really struggling to find a way to upload the videos even on windows xp

*update* Hmm I've tried everything. The device is appearing on control panel, and it says the device and its drivers etc. are working fine, and the drivers don't seem to be causing any trouble, but the camera just isn't appearing on My Computer, or anywhere in the actual directory, so I can't upload anything- the software just asks me ot point in the direction of the camera, which is of course fruitless because it doesn't appear. I've tried add new device etc. It just gives me the same list, I select the camera and it says it's working properly. There are no options to enable of disable the device either so I'm stumped.

**NooNoo** · October 31st, 2007, 04:05 PM

OK, what kind of storage does this use... does a flash type drive show up in disk management?

**Zippedidooda** · October 31st, 2007, 04:14 PM

Nope, the only thing that appears anywhere is the camcorder itself, by the product name, on devices.

I've been tinkering with the registry values just now, and my pc's rebooting. Hopefully I'll have fixed it.

**NooNoo** · October 31st, 2007, 04:23 PM

ok it's a camcorder... then you will need to use a capture program such as windows movie maker to capture the video.

**Zippedidooda** · October 31st, 2007, 06:09 PM

Ok I've fixed it. There's a button, unspecified in the manual that makes the camcorder visable as flash storage. If anyone else has this problem, once the driver is installed (doesn't work on Vista) open My computer; if the camcorder isn't there, press and hold the bottom-right hand button, the orange one also used as a play button. Give the computer a minute, and you'll hear a couple of pings. Then the device appears on My computer. Also, the camcorder seems to be applicable to the old XP bug- the one where the registry needs to be edited because memory sticks/external hard drives etc. can't be picked up. You can find the info on how to fix that here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925196/en-us

Hope this info is helpful to people.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out

**NooNoo** · November 1st, 2007, 06:07 AM

Brilliant... thank you for that. This thread is read alot, so your post is important!

Can you actually use movie maker with this camera?

**Zippedidooda** · November 1st, 2007, 06:13 AM

You can use moviemaker yes. The best way I found to do it if you want to use vista movie maker is to import the video into movie maker on xp, save it to flash memory device (I used the camera itself) and import the movie project into vista movie maker.

This is only because I made the vid using the computer with xp though, it might work to import the video direct from the camera into movie maker even on vista without the driver, now that the memory can be seen, you could probably jsut go into the folders and plonk it right onto your desktop.

I'll give it a go later on today and post back

And to correct my earlier post, you don't need the driver installed for the camera to be visable as storage so far as I can tell. It just won't allow it to be used as, for instance, a webcam, or uploaded with the software you're provided, which do need the driver.

**NooNoo** · November 1st, 2007, 06:24 AM

You are correct, there is no need for a driver for it to be seen as just a flash driver on ME/2k/XP/Vista... having said that, there are some funky cheapies out there that don't conform to the standard and therefore need a driver. This camera should not be one of them, but it would be good if you could confirm that.

**Zippedidooda** · November 1st, 2007, 06:31 AM

Yeh, I couldn't see why a computer wouldn't see the camera for its memory card jsut because it didn't have the driver- that would be a bit stupid eh.

But yes, it works fine, so if anyone is having trouble with it for vista, without the driver they can't record via the computer (as in, direct through the software, with the cam connected, and thepicture on the screen) or use it as w webcam, but they can take videos and import them into movie maker if they do the trick with the orange button to make it visible.

**NooNoo** · November 1st, 2007, 06:44 AM

May be you should write up a post with numbered instructions and the driver link and I can stick the post at the top of this forum for others to save them wading through 5 pages...?

**Zippedidooda** · November 1st, 2007, 06:54 AM

Sure thing.

XP users:

1) Don't connect your cam before you've installed the software. The only piece of vital software on the disc is the driver, but you might want to install the others as well, which are mostly just inferior versions of movie maker to be honest.
2) Plug in your cam using the mini-usb cable, and open My Computer (N.B. the cam needs to be swotched on seperately, before you plug it into the computer).
3) Give your machine a minute after it chimes, and if the cam still hasn't appeared, flip back the lcd screen, and locate the bottom right button on the panel. It's orange, and has 2 symbols on it, one of which is the play arrow. Press and HOLD the button, and the computer will chime twice. Once this has happened, release the button, and the mass storage device will appear in My Computer.

Vista users:

1) Don't bother installing the software or driver for the cam, as neither will work. The software reqires the driver, and the driver doesn't work with vista. Instead, plug your cam in using the mini usb cable.
2) 3) Give your machine a minute after it chimes, and if the cam still hasn't appeared, flip back the lcd screen, and locate the bottom right button on the panel. It's orange, and has 2 symbols on it, one of which is the play arrow. Press and HOLD the button, and the computer will chime twice. Once this has happened, release the button, and the mass storage device will appear in My Computer.
3) Any videos you have taken can now be located in the mass storage device, for you to copy and paste onto your computer, and play with windows media player.
4) Alternatively, to make movies, use Windows movie maker to import the video directly from the mass storage device, and save the project onto the computer itself.

Hope this is helpful

**CCT** · November 1st, 2007, 07:10 AM

I've been jumping around the net and here is what I have found:

Sunplus SPCA533 Also known as CD188 or Vivicam20 (Vivitar). : on this camera you are required to press a button (a pink one) on the camera to TOGGLE between mass storage device mode and camera mode. XP will recognize each mode as a separate unit.

The camera, when plugged into the usb port, will default to acting like a pc camera. Pressing the pink button (bottom right, with a play/pause symbol on it) will have it switch to a mass storage device. Pressing again will turn it back into acting like a camera.

1. The AVI download is an application that converts a file created on the V10 or V20 to an AVI file. The website no longer has the ArcSoft software used for off-loading images from the camera.

2. To take movies (short clips) you need to set the camera into movie mode. (The manual on the websitedid include instructions for setting the camera in the various modes.)

3. Although the off-load (and image viewing) software is not available on the website, you CAN use just about any other photo editing software that imports from TWAIN devices. Photoshop, Coral Draw, are examples. You DO need to have the driver installed for them to function in download mode. That driver was available on the site. Also, you have to reboot after running the driver install program in order that the image software will recognize the camera.

4. To download, plug the cable into the camera and the computer’s USB port. The cable is just an “A” to “A” USB cable.

They are a little hard to find, but they are NOT proprietary. They have the same connector on both ends; the same connector that you plug into the back of your computer in the USB port. You ALSO need to set the camera into download mode as I recall.

It took a little bit to figure out but the flash does still work when you change the batteries, just it resets to being off. Use the mode button to select the automatic flash symbol (A with a flash) and when it’s blinking press and hold down the select button until the camera beeps. The “busy” light will blink for a few seconds while the flash charges, and you’re ready to go. The drivers could be downloaded from Vivitar’s web site. They use a
A-A male cable which isn't that uncommon.

Had trouble getting the pictures off the camera and into the computer. I was able to import them using TWAIN in Photoshop and XnView. However Google’s Picasa program worked the best. http://picasa.google.com/

http://www.vivitar.com/

http://www.arcsoft.com/

http://www.camera-drivers.com/drivers/231/231549.htm

**Zippedidooda** · November 1st, 2007, 07:46 AM

Yep that's right.

Unfortunetly the instruction manual that comes with the device is completely useless, and makes no mention of the button (looks more orange than pink to me but ah well)

Although just to add to your post- the same thing does work with vista as well, as I mentioned earlier

**Yvonne Repia** · November 8th, 2007, 03:31 AM

Originally Posted by Saeed

Hi ;
I have one of these digital Camera that you hcan record video clips as welllas still photos.
Well I think i Was a bit hasty when I installed it first cause I can get the photos of the cam as it identifies
it as another external storage and allows me to fetch them however I can not use it as my PC Cam.
When I try to reinstall the driver , it says are you sure you want to Uninstall and you say Yes then it does something and finished and still PC cam is unusable.
When I hook it up with my USB cable it says SunPlus SPCA533 hardware detected however wehn i put the CD in and tell windows where the driver is , it says it can not find it ...

I have tried this on too different PC with the same OS and they were fine when i gave it enough time toi be installed and copied however I mucked it up on this one and cant figure out how to refix the problem.

Help !!!!!!!!1

Hi I am looking for the drivers for the SPCA533 can you help?,