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v2.6.0
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@leikareipa leikareipa released this 21 Dec 03:33
· 347 commits to master since this release
v2.6.0
6d22b14

You can read an introduction to some of the key features of this release at https://www.tarpeeksihyvaesoft.com/blog/whats-new-in-vcs-2.6/.

Notes

  • This release has been developed on Linux, and tested only lightly in Windows. As always, you should consider contributing an issue report if you see the program working in a way that you'd consider unusual – but especially so with the Windows version.
  • Some of the changes in this version touch on capture code, so in theory it's possible that there are capture-related regressions.
  • Some of the overlay editor's variables were renamed. See the user's manual for details.
  • Custom letterboxed output aspect ratios are now handled via the output scaling filter in the filter graph dialog (Ctrl+F).

Compatibility

This release has been tested to some extent on the following platforms (also see known issues, below the table):

OS Capture device Signal type Works?
Linux 5.13 (Ubuntu 20.04) Datapath VisionRGB-E1S Digital Yes
Linux 5.13 (Ubuntu 20.04) Datapath VisionRGB-E1S Analog Yes
Windows XP (VM) Datapath VisionRGB-PRO2 Analog Yes
Windows 7 (VM) (VCS virtual) N/A Yes
Windows 10 (VM) (VCS virtual) N/A Yes

Known issues

  • Seen in a Windows XP virtual machine but not in a Windows 7 virtual machine:
    • Unusually frequent frame drops (once per second vs. once per several minutes) in eco mode. This may be due to that particular VM's low performance, which the eco mode doesn't handle well yet.
    • Dialogs' menu bars ARE NOT rendered properly.
  • (Minor) If you delete an active input resolution alias, the resolution doesn't reset to its pre-alias version.
  • (Minor) If you force an input resolution with an analog signal, it gets applied twice (as per console output).
  • In the filter graph dialog, dragging a connection from a node's input or output may not always draw the connecting line.
  • Using a hardware input color depth lower than 24-bit will result in only half of the output image being displayed. (This issue applies only to the color depth to which the capture hardware has been set, not the color depth of the source being captured. With a hardware depth of 24, you can capture any color depth from 32 and down.)
    • Fixed in the next release.
  • Changing the dialog font size requires a program restart for all GUI elements to scale properly.
  • If a modal popup dialog blocks the output window while the input signal is lost, the output window may not properly repaint itself after the modal to indicate the no-signal condition. This may be a Windows-only issue, or specific to the virtual machine where I saw it.
  • The user's manual still lacks content about various things, like image filters.

Changelog

  • Various improvements to the filter graph dialog
  • Windows: Fixed capture not starting with the correct input resolution
    • Note: My ability to test capture in Windows is somewhat hardware-limited at the moment, so post an issue report if you still come across this bug.
  • Linux: Fixed not triggering a display update when signal was lost
  • Fixed the record dialog's "Zero latency" setting not persisting
  • New filters:
    • Output scaler
    • Text renderer
  • Renamed filters:
    • "Delta histogram" => "Histogram: pixel delta"
    • "Frame rate" => "Source FPS estimate"
    • "Kernel (3 × 3)" => "3 × 3 kernel"
  • Moved the cropping filter in category from Reduce to Distort
  • Made the source FPS estimation filter more Fraps-like in its presentation
  • Improved the presentation of the pixel delta histogram filter
  • Demoted an assertion into a debug message in the anti-tear system
    • This relates to a bug where the anti-tearer can receive transient invalid values when the video mode changes. The assertion would trigger and VCS would close. Now it just prints a debug message in the console and ignores the values.
  • Added the ability to change dialogs' font size
  • Added an optional power-saving eco mode
    • Note: This feature has been tested primarily on Linux, where it's shown very few - if any - frame drops. If on Windows you experience worse performance, you should post an issue report to make me aware of it.
  • Reorganized the output window's context menu
    • The eye dropper was removed entirely
    • Upscaler and downscaler were merged into one
    • Removed the ability to customize the output aspect ratio - this functionality is now handled by the output scaling filter in the filter graph dialog
  • Small improvements to the app's styling all over
    • Scroll bars are now a bit smaller
    • Buttons got a hover and focus highlight
    • Dialog titles are more unified
    • The video preset dialog's preset activity indicator now uses an icon image instead of a font glyph
  • Improved Tab navigation in dialogs
  • Screenshots ("Save as image") now use an automatic filename
  • Simplified the overlay dialog
  • Removed support for the USE_OPENCV compile flag - OpenCV is now a non-optional component for building VCS
  • Renamed the CAPTURE_DEVICE_XXX build flags to CAPTURE_BACKEND_XXX
  • A few of the dialogs with analog-specific functionality will now issue a warning if used while capturing a digital source
  • Color-coded the console output on Linux
  • Improved the styling and content of the user's manual
  • Code refactoring here and there
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