There is no Virtual Camera option

[5k18a]

Hi
I'm trying to use OBS with the Droid Cam plugin (https://droidcam.app) for Zoom videoconferencing. The Droid Cam plugin works fine, but I cannot use OBS for Zoom because the Virtual Camera option is missing from the "Controls" and there is no way to turn it on. I have installed OBS (30.2.2) using the Flatpac packages:

1. flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio
2. flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio.Plugin.DroidCam

 

[dev47]

Hey @5k18a Do you have the v4l2loopback module installed and configured?
https://droidcam.app/linux/#av
https://obsproject.com/kb/virtual-camera-troubleshooting

 

[5k18a]

OK thanks, I had v4l2loopback installed but the OBS and Droid Cam were in the flatpak container so there was no connection between them. I fixed that with this command:

flatpak override --user --device=all com.obsproject.Studio

So the full installation process for those experiencing the same problems with the Droid Cam is as follows:

Install OBS Studio via Flatpak:

flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio

Install the DroidCam plugin via Flatpak:

flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio.Plugin.DroidCam

Install the v4l2loopback module via APT:

sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r) v4l2loopback-dkms

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback

Link OBS Studio with system resources to grant access to virtual cameras:

flatpak override --user --device=all com.obsproject.Studio

Launch OBS Studio and verify that the virtual camera is available.

 

[5k18a]

But I'm still not able to run the audio in Zoom. In OBS I can see there is Audio capturing but in zoom there is no MIC to choose.

 

[Tuna]

There is no virtual microphone.

 

[dev47]

You can try the trick here: https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/virtual-audio-cable-for-zoom.125072/post-489532
Though I am not sure how/if the Flatpak sandbox will interfere with things.

There is also the DroidCam Client at https://droidcam.app/linux/, but as noted under the Audio section, it's best to use a regular microphone for audio.

 

[AaronD]

Do you HAVE to use the flatpak? That and other containers (snap, docker, etc.), are based on security, not usability, which is fine if an app is entirely self-contained and doesn't need much connection to the outside world.

OBS needs access to a ton of system resources - cameras and audio, for example - and so the security model that the containers are based on just doesn't work. You can explicitly and incrementally allow this, that, and the other permission, so that OBS gets what it needs, but by the time you do that, you've pretty much torn down the entire purpose of the container and kept most of its downsides.

Install OBS natively if you can. No container.