Multiple bugs on MacBook - total loss of video from Xsplit or cameras

VCam
#1

There are multiple highly-intrusive bugs with VCam on MacBookPro M1 (Pro):

  1. After locking screen and reopening, or just after a period of not using the camera, Xsplit randomly stops working with MS Teams. This is intermittent, but frequent.
    Teams shows nothing but black instead of the video.
    The Xsplit preview shows video perfectly but Teams shows nothing.
    Selecting a hardware camera directly in Teams works, it’s only Xsplit that is broken.
  • This happens with both internal and external cameras.
  • This is unrelated to using a dock, it happens with or without a dock.
  • Quit and restart Teams seems to fix it - until the NEXT time - which won’t be far away.
    This just happens REPEATEDLY and seems related to screen lock but does not require the machine to sleep.
  1. With an external camera connected via a dock, if the machine sleeps, Xsplit starts showing a black screen in preview for ALL cameras. Any application using Xsplit also shows black instead of video.
    Quit and restart Xsplit does not fix it.
    In this case the workaround has many steps:
  • quit xsplit
  • disconnect from the dock
  • open the Mac
  • connect to the dock
  • close the Mac back into clamshell mode
  • open xplit
  • now you have to relogin to xplit…
  • finally, it works again
    If you are using Teams, you must quit that FIRST, and then can open it as the final step.
    Having to do this just to join a meeting is awful.
  1. When using a dock and a hi-res monitor (e.g. 4K+) in clamshell mode then when the xsplit preview is open, the entire screen flickers as if the monitor’s backlighting is going on and off - which it IS - this is somehow related to HDR display (not not local-dimming). As soon as the xsplit preview is closed the screen stabilizes.
    Also, this does not happen if the Mac display is also open (not in clamshell), even when the Xsplit preview is on the dock-attached monitor.
    Disabling local dimming and dynamic contrast on the monitor did not fix this.

Summary:
Using Xsplit on Mac is painful, and barely working.
If you rely on Teams, you can’t use it.
If you have a dock, you can’t use it.
Though there are workarounds, they are required FAR TOO OFTEN and are bothersome.
Frequently I am late for meetings, or have to attend with no video. It’s not acceptable quality.
If this isn’t fixed soon I will have to uninstall Xsplit and look for an alternative.

#2

Hi! May we know the version of XSplit Vcam on Mac are you using and can you post a screenshot here of the About This Mac window.

#3

Screen Shot 2022-03-24 at 11.58.09
Screen Shot 2022-03-24 at 12.04.28

Also, the dock is a CalDigit TS3+

#4

Had another Mac issue…
During a Teams meeting, VCam simply froze. Frozen image remained displayed to others, in VCam, and in Teams preview.
Quit and restart VCam resulted in endless progress graphic. VCam was unable to reacquire the camera.
Unplug and plug of the external camera allowed me to select the Camera directly in Teams, but VCam remained stuck in “waiting” mode and could not be used until the teams meeting was ended.

#5

An additional annoyance on Mac, as compared to PC, is that when Xsplit is open, the camera is active and the light is on. This occurs whether Xplit preview is minimized or not, and means you have to open and close Xsplit around every meeting. Quite tedious!

Clearly, it’s not like this on PC, where you can have Xsplit sleeping ready to activate every time you actually need to use the camera.

Is this intended behavior on Mac?

I think I need to clarify this a bit further.

  • If I open the XSplit application, I will have an open preview window and camera is obviously on, showing me the preview.
  • If I minimize the XSplit preview, the camera light remains on - the camera is still being used, even though the preview window is hidden and displaying nothing.
  • If, instead of minimize, I close the XSplit preview, the camera light goes off but the XSplit application is still running and its menu bar still exists. You’d think … great … that’s the answer. It isn’t. In this case, opening an application that uses the XSplit camera results in the application displaying a black screen. You will have to quit the application, open the XSplit preview, and re-open the application to get working XSplit video.
#6

As you can see, I posted the requested information…
No follow up since.
Are these bugs reproducible?