[PD] Is it possible to change webcam's resolution in Mac OS?

[Matteo Sisti Sette]

Hi,

I'm using Pd Extended 0.42.5 and for a series of reasons upgrading is 
not an option right now. I don't have a Mac but I need my patches to 
work on Mac OS and Windows. (I can test windows and linux)

I don't know if it has been fixed in later versions of GEM, but there's 
some dreadful bug somewhere in [pix_video], [pix_movement] or [pix_blob] 
or maybe somewhere else, that causes [pix_blob] to randomly output 
out-of-range values for x and y (negative values and values a lot 
greater than 1), both on Windows and Mac.

On Windows a workaround that works is to lower the webcam's frame rate 
AND resolution (I'm not 100% sure the framerate is needed, but the 
resolution certainly is). I can live (unhappy) with having to do it 
manually every time, and I can trigger the settings dialog to open by 
sending the "dialog format" message to [pix_video] (unfortunately the 
values are not saved)

THE PROBLEM is that on Mac OS, the settings dialog that open up with 
"dialog format" doesn't give any option to change the resolution. I can 
change the framerate (which is not enough for the workaround to work) 
but not the resolution.

The questions then are:
- Is there a way, perhaps somewhere in the system settings in Mac OS, to 
lower the webcam's resolution?
- Does the "dimen" message work on Mac OS? (it doesn't on Linux, at 
least with my hardware)
- Btw Is there a message for setting the camera's framerate? (I don't 
find it documented)


And if anybody has encountered a similar issues 
(pix_video+pix_movement+pix_blob = out of range values) I'd of course 
love to know how you have worked around it (or is it worked it around?)


Thanks in advance
cheers
m.