The EpocCam driver processes video using the GPU of your Mac or Windows system. In rare cases, the system can be affected by GPU-specific compatibility and performance issues. These are more common with older GPUs and with laptops.
If you believe you may be experiencing such an issue, the first troubleshooting step is to make sure your system is running an up-to-date version of Windows or macOS. On Windows, you also need an up-to-date graphics driver. This can be downloaded from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, depending on your make of GPU.
If after updating the operating system and driver, you still experience video problems that are:
- Consistent: for example, happening continuously or several times each second, rather than once every few minutes, and
- Repeatable or predictable: for example, triggered when GPU usage reaches 100% or when additional video applications are opened, rather than surfacing randomly
You might be able to troubleshoot the issue by using some advanced configuration options for the EpocCam driver (version 3.4 or later.)
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WARNING: These are low-level options. They are meant to be used as a last resort, and are aimed at advanced users. If you partially or fully disable GPU processing, your system will be locked out of current and future GPU-only features. To access these features again, you will have to manually undo the configuration steps performed here - so don't forget about them! |
Requirements
- EpocCam driver 3.4 or newer
- Download the latest driver from http://www.elgato.com/downloads
Pipeline Hardware Modes
Here are the possible values for Pipeline Hardware Mode.
Mode 0: Use the primary GPU
This is the normal value, and the factory default. It is the best setting for the vast majority of systems. If you try a value other than 0 and the issue is not immediately resolved, chances are it's making things worse, so you should switch back to mode 0.
Mode 7: Use an alternate GPU (Windows only)
By default, EpocCam processes video on your primary GPU. If you have multiple video applications running, your GPU's usage level could reach 100%. Alternatively, it might run out of dedicated video memory. If there is an alternate GPU available, it might be better for EpocCam to use that one instead.
To use the alternate GPU instead of the primary one, set the mode to 7. To return to the primary GPU, set the mode back to 0.
Does your system have two GPUs? You might be surprised.
Many systems have a GPU on the same chip as the CPU, known as integrated graphics. The primary GPU can either be the integrated graphics, or it can be a separate and more powerful discrete GPU (on desktop systems this means a separate hardware card.) Many systems have both, in which case the integrated graphics can be used as the alternate GPU for EpocCam. Note that some systems require you to manually enable the integrated graphics via a BIOS setting, so check your system's documentation.
Mode 2: Decode on the GPU, perform all other video processing on the CPU
If you only have one GPU and it's at 100% usage, or if it's out of dedicated video memory, it's possible to perform most video processing on the CPU instead. This will automatically disable current and future GPU-only features. It might also cause your system to run out of CPU instead.
To perform all video processing other than decoding on the CPU, set the mode to 2. To return to full GPU processing, set the mode back to 0.
Mode 4: Perform all video processing on the CPU
If your GPU does not support hardware video decoding at the required levels, or if it is being "maxed out" by other video applications, it's possible to perform all video processing on the CPU instead. This will automatically disable current and future GPU-only features. It will also use a lot of CPU. Video decoding in particular is much more expensive on a CPU than on a GPU. Your CPU may end up being maxed out instead.
To perform all video processing on the CPU, set the mode to 4. To return to GPU processing, set the mode back to 0.
Windows Configuration
The GPU configuration is controlled by the Pipeline Hardware Mode setting. It can be changed as follows:
1) Create a text file with NotePad containing just the mode number, for example just the single digit 7 to use the alternate GPU.
2) Name the file
EpocCamPipelineHardwareMode.txt
3) Save the file at this location:
C:\ProgramData\Elgato\EpocCamService\
To return to normal mode, change the number to 0 or delete the file.
macOS Configuration
To change the Pipeline Hardware Mode on Mac:
1) Open Terminal and type the following command, replacing the X with the mode number:
defaults write com.kinoni.epoccam PipelineHardwareMode -int X
To return to normal mode, change the number to 0:
defaults write com.kinoni.epoccam PipelineHardwareMode -int 0