In brief:
After a single use in Zoom. the ManyCam Virtual Cam instance has disappeared - from Zoom and all other relevant applications.
Here’s a more detailed view: firstly, the environment… Hardware/OS
MacBook Pro/Mac OS Catalina v10.15.5
iPhone 11 ProMax (via NPI)/iOS 13.6
iPad Pro 12.9 (via NPI)/iOS 13.6
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 Applications
ManyCam Studio Lifetime v7.3.1.0
NPI Virtual Input v1.0 (1)
Zoom: v5.1.2 (28648.0705)
Skype v8.62.0.85
Microsoft Teams v1.3.00.15561
Cisco WebEx v40.7.3.9
Aside from the (very) recent addition of ManyCam to this environment, the hardware/software platforms are very stable. All of the hardware/firmware/software components are current, up-to-date, and otherwise non-problematic.
Now the issue…
After using the Demo (Free) version, I performed an Uninstall, purchased the Studio Lifetime edition, performed a clean install, activated the Subscription, and restarted the MacBook Pro.
Launched ManyCam, set up several presets and combinations of video sources - one with only the Logitech USB webcam, others with both the Logitech webcam and NPI devices (iPhone and iPad Pro’s as previously described), and one with a Lower Third banner.
Launched Skype, and the Virtual Cam device appeared in the Devices drop-down. Selected the VirtualCam device, and Quit. Note: the Devices pick list was very slow to load vs. prior to the ManyCam installation.
Launched Zoom, and the Virtual Cam device appeared in the Devices drop-down. Selected the VirtualCam device, and Quit. Note: the Devices pick list was very slow to load vs. prior to the ManyCam installation.
Navigated back to ManyCam, and the application froze. Restarted the MacBook Pro, relaunched ManyCam, deleted the Profiles and created a single Profile with only the Logitech as a single video source.
Launched Skype: no Virtual Cam device appeared.
Launched Zoom: no Virtual Cam device appeared.
Launched Microsoft Teams: no Virtual Cam device appeared.
This condition has been reproduced after numerous applications quits and MacBook Pro restarts.
My take on "what just happened"
While admittedly new to ManyCam, this incident has the aroma of file/config/preference/settings corruption, but humility rules the day, (every day), and your collective expertise is greatly appreciated.
My questions, and request for a solution(s)
What is the scenario that causes the Virtual Cam device to disappear across all applications?
What is the configuration/preference/setting that might have caused this condition?
What are the steps to rectify and reliably stabilize the environment?
A diagnostic/decision tree that can help avoid symptom tracking becoming a mysterious art form and turning into a black hole of time would be greatly appreciated.
I just ran a quick check. I’m currently running MacOS Catalina 10.5.6 and ManyCam Studio Lifetime 7.1.2.3. ManyCam works fine with Zoom (5.0.5) and Microsoft Teams (1.3.00.15561). I upgraded to Zoom 5.1.2 and although ManyCam appeared as an option in Zoom I couldn’t select it and the virtual background defaulted to one of their built-in backgrounds. I rolled back to Zoom 5.0.5 and it worked fine again. Is your ManyCam a Beta or have I missed an update?
Most videoconferencing services on Apple devices have experienced virtual camera issues due to recent Catalina OS security/permissions changes, but all seem to have resolved them (except Webex who only currently support virtual cameras on their Web version, not desktop app). The previous Zoom update worked fine, and strangely the release notes for 5.1.2 specifically cites virtual camera support in its list of fixes…
Hi Tony, and thanks sincerely for the consideration of sharing both your experiences and configurations.
With an otherwise fully working, stable, and optimal hardware/OS/network/software environment, (including a just-updated OS versioning to Catalina 15.10.6), my issue at present seems to be application agnostic:
all of the video collaboration platforms (Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams), seem to recognize ManyCam’s Virtual Cam upon its initial installation, but once the MacBook Pro is either restarted or shut down and restarted, the VirtualCam device disappears from all of the applications.
FYI: I’m currently using NDI with an iPhone ProMax and an iPad Pro, and it works seamlessly and problem-free across all of the named applications. Additionally, I have previously used iGlasses as a virtual device with all of the video sources for those applications - again without issue.
The only way I’ve managed to have the VirtualCam device re-appear is to Uninstall, Restart, and re-Install ManyCam, but the scenario then repeats itself in classic Groundhog Day fashion. It leads me to think that the source of the issue is not any single specific target application but rather the link common to all of them.
Thanks again for the value of your time, and benefit of your insights, Tony. If you or anyone else can offer guidance, I remain most appreciative.
I had the same problem - after sending support ManyCam logs, here’s the reply I received (7 July):
"Our internal team has confirmed the problem and added it to our roadmap. Right now we cannot provide a specific timeframe but we are currently working on the solution and will make sure it’s delivered as soon as possible.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience with this."
Disappointing - the app worked fine for a few days or so, then just quit. I’d be happy to try it again if/when the issue is resolved, but requested a refund - the software is useless to me a this point.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and add your experience to this thread - greatly appreciated.
So far, ManyCam Support has communicated daily emails inquiring into the basics of the issue, but…
I’m not certain what “adding it to their roadmap” means in the context of our problem(s); software defects tracking and problem resolution is usually an ongoing support function vs. product development’s roadmap & release schedules.
ManyCam is the only unstable solution in my environment, and given that nearly all of our working efforts at present involve mainstream collaboration platforms (Zoom, Skype, Teams, etc.) having a solid, robust and reliable platform is not optional or a “nice to have” - it’s essential.
I’m having the same issues. I need to uninstall, reboot, and reinstall for the cams to be recognized anywhere. Considering what I paid for a Lifetime license, this is unacceptable. I can’t use the software without running it as a fresh install each time. I’ve already tried the beta and everything on my machine is up to date.
When you install manycam does it ask for Admin password? Do you enter it?
Does your macOS user has Admin permissions? Check for “Admin” in Users & Groups:
Please provide output of the following command in Terminal after installation and after reboot (when ManyCam disappears): ls -la /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL
Do you have any antivirus installed and if yes which one?
Do you have multiple macOS users and do they have ManyCam installed?
Do you have multiple ManyCam.app instances on your mac? Please open Finder and search for ManyCam.app and remove all ManyCam.app files if it finds multiple then reinstall the app.
Do you see ManyCamVideoDeviceAgent process in Activity Monitor after reboot and starting ManyCam? if not please enter this command in Terminal to start it: sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchAgents/com.visicom.ManyCam.VideoDevice.agent.plist
When you install manycam does it ask for Admin password? Do you enter it?
Yes
Does your macOS user has Admin permissions? Check for “Admin” in Users & Groups:
-Yes
3. Please provide output of the following command in Terminal after installation and after reboot (when ManyCam disappears): ls -la /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL
Last login: Thu Dec 10 11:03:49 on console
[redacted]@[redacted] m ~ % ls -la /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 192 Dec 10 10:32 .
drwxr-xr-x 4 root wheel 128 Dec 9 23:02 …
drwxr-xr-x 3 root admin 96 Jun 26 2014 CamMaskVideoDevice.plugin
drwxr-xr-x 3 root wheel 96 Dec 9 23:56 ChromaCamKit.plugin
drwxrwxr-x 3 root wheel 96 Nov 17 23:56 ManyCamVideoDeviceCMIO.plugin
-rw-r–r-- 1 root wheel 37 Jan 1 2020 plugins-info.txt
[redacted]@[redacted]~ %
Do you have any antivirus installed and if yes which one?
-No
Do you have multiple macOS users and do they have ManyCam installed?
-No.
Do you have multiple ManyCam.app instances on your mac? Please open Finder and search for ManyCam.app and remove all ManyCam.app files if it finds multiple then reinstall the app.
No
Do you see ManyCamVideoDeviceAgent process in Activity Monitor after reboot and starting ManyCam? if not please enter this command in Terminal to start it: sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchAgents/com.visicom.ManyCam.VideoDevice.agent.plist
This does not show up in the activity monitor at any point. But, running this terminal command appears to fix the issue at least for the programs I use most, (Zoom, and GoogleMeet) updates may be needed for Cisco Webex and Skype, but both of those aren’t recognized even on first install since Big Sur I believe.
