frequently asked questions

In order to provide you with a rapid response to your questions about the i-Catcher range we have created this FAQ section. If you do not find the answer to your question please contact us directly. This section of the web site will be expanded as we feel relevant questions are encountered.

General Questions:

Q1.1 Does the i-Catcher product range run under Windows 95/98/NT4 operating systems?
Q1.2 Will i-Catcher work with Windows XP?
Q1.3 Can i-Catcher software be used with Windows ME?
Q1.4 The systems we run are not Microsoft Windows compatible, do you have plans to develop i-Catcher versions to run on other operating systems?
Q1.5 There are many motion detection/web cam applications on the market why did you develop i-Catcher?
Q1.6 Why is the colour quality of my captured image poor?
Q1.7 I have a network/IP camera. I put its IP address in as a network source. Why do I get an error?
Q1.8 Why isn't my device listed under Video Feed/Devices?

Q1.9 I've started i-Catcher in a Terminal Services/Remote Desktop session. Why are the images in a low number of colours?

Q1.10 How do I get my i-Catcher online so that other people can see my cameras?

Q1.11 Why doesn't my i-Catcher registration key work?

Q1.12 Does i-Catcher do audio?

Q1.13 Can any i-Catcher product run as a service?

Q1.14 I have an Axis IP Camera. I see the image in my web browser, why can't i-Catcher use it using the same address?

Q1.15 Why don't I get an image from my DV/FireWire Camera/Capture card?

Q1.16 I have a windows XP based machine, whenever I switch users accounts with the quick switcher enabled the image appears corrupt, why is this?

Q1.17 Why can I not send email alerts with Outlook?

Q1.18 I have Internet Explorer 6 SP1 installed, and no network feeds work. What is the problem?

Q1.19 I've installed a network camera and used its IP address as the feed address in i-Catcher. Why do I get a decoding error?

Q1.20 I installed i-Catcher as one user, but when I log in as a different user I get problems with i-Catcher and permissions.

Q1.21 When i-Catcher starts, the XP Firewall gives an error about iCatcherTools (Sentry/Wildlife) or Console saying some feature were disabled. Why, and how do I clear it?

Q1.22 Why are net Send/Windows Messaging alerts are never sent form a Windows XP/Server 2003 system, or never received by a Windows XP/Server 2003 system?

Q1.23 Why doesn't the Web View work with high security settings in my browser?

i-Catcher Console Questions:

Q2.1 I have started up i-Catcher Console, but I don't see my camera/video input card. Where is it?

Q2.2 Where's the playback button, like on i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife?

Q2.3 How do you connect Console to Sentry/Wildlife?

Q2.4 Why doesn't i-Catcher Console operate in a mode other than Motion Detection?

Q2.5 Why is the Management button disabled in i-Catcher Console 2.1?

Q2.6 Can I have i-Catcher Console installed with a different version of i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife?

i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife Questions:

Q3.1 Why is the playback button disabled when connecting to i-Catcher Console?

Q3.2 Can I have i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife installed with a different version of i-Catcher Console?

i-Catcher Video Server Questions:

Q4.1 Why doesn't Video Server have a capture-to-disk option, or any of the motion detection features, etc?
Q4.2 I have i-Catcher Video Server running, but when I try to select the Osprey 100 card in i-Catcher I receive an error about opening multiple streams. Why?
Q4.3 i-Catcher Video Server is supplied free with the Picolo Pro 2 and Osprey 100 cards. Is this software essential?
Q4.4 Why do some images go very bright occasionally when using the Osprey 100?
Q4.5 I installed i-Catcher Video Server but I get "No compatible boards found". My card is not a Picolo or Osprey card. What's wrong?
Q4.6 I have installed i-Catcher Video Server on Windows 95, 98 or ME, and I have an Osprey 100 card. Why can't i-Catcher Video Server see it?

Q4.7 I have installed i-Catcher Video Server on Windows XP, and I have an Osprey 100 card. Why can't i-Catcher Video Server see it?

Hardware Related Problems

Q5.1 I'm using an ATI Card with video capture. Why is i-Catcher leaking memory/crashing/using excessive resources?

Q5.2 Why won't my Pinnacle card work?

Q5.3 Why won't my Pico card work?

Q5.4 My Osprey card is causing problems in Windows XP (random crashes, high memory use, etc). What can I do to resolve this?

Q5.5 I have a BT848, 849, 878, or 879 -based capture card that i-Catcher is not detecting. What can I do?

Q5.6 I have an Intellinet, Veo, or LinkSys camera - Why doesn't i-Catcher seem to work with it?

Q5.7 I installed a Junior 4 card on a JetWay motherboard, why does my system lock-up?

General Questions

Q1.1 - Does the i-Catcher product range run under Windows 95/98/NT4 operating systems?
A1.1 - While i-Catcher is supported on the Windows NT 4.0 (both Server and Workstation) platforms, it is no longer supported under Windows 95, 98 or ME. This is because the system components needed by i-Catcher are not reliable enough for long term use. While i-Catcher should have no problems running on Windows 98 or ME, we no longer support such configurations. Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 are recommended for reliable operation.

Q1.2 - Will i-Catcher work with Windows XP?
A1.2 - We have tested i-Catcher running under windows XP and the performance is very good, at least on par with Windows 2000.

Q1.3 - Can i-Catcher software be used with Windows ME?
A1.3 - Although i-Catcher should no problems running under Windows ME, this operating system does not contain system components that are reliable enough for long-term use. For this reason, we no longer support Windows ME. Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 are recommended for reliable operation.

Q1.4 - The systems we run are not Microsoft Windows compatible, do you have plans to develop i-Catcher versions to run on other operating systems?
A1.4 - Work is already underway on the Linux version, but we currently have no plans for a Mac based offering.

Q1.5 - There are many motion detection/web cam applications on the market why did you develop i-Catcher?
A1.5 - The i-Catcher product family was developed as we feel that the multi-camera operation of the other solutions available was not flexible enough. The goal was to create a system capable of unprecedented flexibility. Because the software was developed to meet large system requirements, the result is a stable and feature rich product, even in single camera configurations.

Q1.6 - Why is the colour quality of my captured image poor?
A1.6 - i-Catcher works at the colour depth (number of colours) of the display. Try increasing the colour depth in display properties up to True Colour.

Q1.7 - I have a network/IP camera. I put its IP address in as a network source. Why do I get an error?

A1.7 - The Network Source driver will attempt to download an image from the specified network address, in the same way as your web browser would. Very rarely do Network/IP Cameras have an image as their "home" page. When you put in the IP address by itself, i-Catcher tries to download the default file in the root of the camera's web server. Very often this is an index or preview page of some sort, and can't be loaded as an image. You need to specify the full path to the image itself. An example for an Axis 205 camera would be similar to: http://192.168.1.1/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi

Q1.8 - Why isn't my device listed under Video Feed/Devices?

A1.8 - The device is most likely a WDM-only device. i-Catcher lists all found VfW (Video for Windows) devices, which don't include WDM (Windows Driver Model) devices. Microsoft provides a WDM to VfW "wrapper" for these devices. Select "Microsoft WDM Image Capture", and then click on the "Video Source" button. A dialog should appear allowing you to select which WDM device to use.

Q1.9 - I've started i-Catcher in a Terminal Services/Remote Desktop session. Why are the images in a low number of colours?

A1.9 - Terminal Services/Remote Desktop sessions use a desktop with a reduced colour depth in order to improve performance with respect to the bandwidth used to transmit the desktop. This also affects the colour depth at which captured images are acquired. At time of writing, a workaround is being looked into for this problem. Meanwhile, the only solution is to not run i-Catcher from a Terminal Services session.

Q1.10 - How do I get my i-Catcher online so that other people can see my cameras?

A1.10 - There are various ways to get the images from your i-Catcher installation online. The "Getting Online" HowTo covers this process in great detail. There is also the Advanced HowTo which covers more technical topics such as router devices, network connections, etc.

Q1.11 - Why doesn't my i-Catcher registration key work?

A1.11 - There are various reasons why you might experience problems with your registration key. Most of the time, they are down to an error in entering the name or key, or both. When you enter your name and key, you need to make sure you enter them precisely. There must be no leading or trailing spaces. and if you enter your key without pasting from the clipboard, you must leave out the hyphens (-). The best way to enter your registration key, is to copy (Ctrl+C) from the registration email, and paste (Ctrl+V) into i-Catcher. Also note that i-Catcher keys are not global to the i-Catcher product range, i.e. an i-Catcher Sentry key won't work on i-Catcher Console, and similarly, an i-Catcher Console key won't work on i-Catcher Video Server.

Q1.12 - Does i-Catcher do audio?

A1.12 - Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to incorporate audio recording into i-Catcher, due to limitations in the Windows operating system. Because of the reduced frame rate when capturing on a frame-by-frame basis, matching up any recorded audio would be near impossible. For most CCTV applications however, this is not a problem.

Q1.13 - Can any i-Catcher product run as a service?

A1.13 - At this time, no. We are looking to implement i-Catcher (optionally) as a service in a future version, but have no support to do so at this time. If you desire an i-Catcher server that is automated, we advise you to use the auto-login option (Windows 2000/98 and higher) and add i-Catcher to your startup folder on your Start Menu. Also, there are third party applications that are available that allow applications to be run as services, however we do not have any links to such applications, as we do not use them.

Q1.14 - I have an Axis IP Camera. I see the image in my web browser, why can't i-Catcher use it using the same address?

A1.14 - Axis cameras by default require a username and password to see the image. Your browser caches these details when you go to view the image, so you see the live image fine. i-Catcher does not know about the username/password details, and so they must be supplied. In the source address dialog, immediately after "http://" you need to insert text of the form "<username>:<password>@", for example, "user1:secert@". This will ensure that i-Catcher can access your Axis cameras.

Q1.15 - Why don't I get an image from my DV/FireWire Camera/Capture card?

A1.15 - DV/FireWire devices very often aren't supplied with Video for Windows capable codecs. Since they are higher performance devices, they are intended to be used with more specialist software that doesn't use the Video for Windows mechanism.

Later versions of i-Catcher use the WDM video capture system rather than Video for Windows, which should provide an interface to your capture device. If this is not the case, you will need to locate a Video for Window or WDM compatible capture driver for your DV/FireWire video device.

Q1.16 - I have a windows XP based machine, whenever I switch users accounts with the quick switcher enabled the image appears corrupt, why is this?

A1.16 - The Quick Switcher within Windows XP is a version of Terminal Services/Remote Desktop. Whenever a session is no longer active, it reduces the colour depth to save resources. This also affects the colour depth at which captured images are acquired. At time of writing, a workaround is being looked into for this problem. Meanwhile, the only solution is to leave not switch user when i-Catcher is running.

Q1.17 - Why can I not send email alerts with Outlook?

A1.17 - Due to new security measures in Outlook 2000 and above, it will display a message asking for authorisation before sending each email alert. For more information, read MS Knowledge base article Q262631 and Q290500.

Q1.18 - I have Internet Explorer 6 SP1 installed, and no network feeds work. What is the problem?

A1.18 - i-Catcher uses a subset of the Internet Explorer interfaces to acquire network feeds from the widest range of sources. Changes to Internet Explorer in Service Pack 1 mean that you may be experiencing problems if you normally go through a proxy server to access websites. If the feed with problems is local, i.e. you don't need to go through the proxy server, then you should add its hostname or IP address to the bypass list under Tools/Internet Options/Connection/LAN Settings/Proxy Server/Advanced/Bypass proxy server for addresses. 

If the feed is the other side of a proxy server, e.g. a remote camera being viewed via the internet, you may need to enable HTTP/1.1 through Proxies. This option is listed under Tools/Internet Options/Advanced/HTTP 1.1 Settings/Use HTTP 1.1 Through Proxy Server.

Q1.19 - I've installed a network camera and used its IP address as the feed address in i-Catcher. Why do I get a decoding error?

A1.19 - The decoding error is because i-Catcher connects to the IP address and receives its index page, not a camera image. i-Catchet tries to use this page as an image, and so fails at the decoding stage. i-Catcher requires the path to a single still JPEG image on the camera. Your camera documentation should tell you what the path to this is. 

Q1.20 - I installed i-Catcher as one user, but when I log in as a different user I get problems with i-Catcher and permissions.

A1.20 - The security model in Windows prevents users from sharing files without express permission. If you run i-Catcher as a different user to that which it was installed as, you may encounter problems when saving images or profiles. If you require multiple users to run i-Catcher, you can adjust the permissions properties of the i-Catcher installation folder (normally C:\Program Files\iCatcher) to allow multiple or all users write access to the various parts of the i-Catcher installation.

Q1.21 - When i-Catcher starts, the XP Firewall gives an error about iCatcherTools (Sentry/Wildlife) or Console saying some feature were disabled. Why, and how do I clear it?

A1.21 - Windows XP's Security and firewall features are attempting to block the Web Server component of i-Catcher for listening for web requests, and preventing a potential malicious program from being accessible by outside users. This prevention was introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2 to try to prevent viruses from installing backdoors allowing malicious users to control a system. Since Windows XP doesn't know about i-Catcher, it doesn't know that the process is clean.

To resolve this issue, when the message pops up, you can add iCatcherTools.exe or Console.exe as an exception to the firewall/security system. Once the exception is in place, Windows XP will permit the process to listen on the web server port. Note that this function is limited to certain users. Only the Administrator can unblock it at the time the error appears, and only the Administrator can permanently unblock the program. Non-Administrator users will not be able to use the web server component until the Administrator user has unblocked it.

Q1.22 - Why are Windows Messaging alerts are never sent form a Windows XP/Server 2003 system, or never received by a Windows XP/Server 2003 system?

A1.22 - Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are shipped with the Windows Messaging service turned off by default. This prevents the machine from both sending AND receiving Windows Messaging alerts. Note that in the case of Windows XP, the restriction applies only to system in which Service Pack 2 has been applied.

Q1.23 - Why doesn't the Web View work with high security settings in my browser?

A1.23 - Web browsers that enforce "high security" settings disable the use of JavaScript in certain ways in order to avoid the execution of malicious code. The Web View requires full JavaScript functionality in order to operate correctly. You can work around this by adding your i-Catcher system to the trusted sites list (please see your web browser's help/documentation for information on how to do this).

i-Catcher Console Questions

Q2.1 - I have started up i-Catcher Console, but I don't see my camera/video input card. Where is it?

A2.1 - i-Catcher Console is our multi-camera product, and as such does not have any cameras added to it by default, as it would be difficult to assume which camera should be used. Camera feeds can be set up via "Local Feeds". The options there can be used to add and configure as many cameras as your licence allows (255 for trial versions, 1 for demo versions, Full version licences are specified at time of purchase).

Q2.2 - Where's the playback button, like on i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife?

A2.2 - As i-Catcher Console can monitor multiple cameras, a single playback button would be inadequate. On the window for each feed, there is a button with an icon depicting a camera on it. Clicking on this will load the playback window for that feed.

Q2.3 - How do you connect Console to a Sentry/Wildlife feed?

A2.3 - You don't. The connection is in fact the other way around. In i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife, you simply set the path of the feeds directory (See under "Connection") of your i-Catcher Console system, and click on "Start Monitoring". The feed will automatically be added to the feed list of i-Catcher Console. You can however set up a local node on i-Catcher Console, using the i-Catcher Sentry's built-in web server as a network source. This will however cause the motion detection routines to be run twice, reducing your frame rate.

Q2.4 - Why doesn't i-Catcher Console operate in a mode other than Motion Detection?

A2.4 - The i-Catcher range of products pass data by saving files in specific places. When large numbers of cameras are used, this can cause a heavy load on the file system and processor. Motion detection relieves this load by only passing data when there is something of interest, i.e. motion. This reduces the load considerably, making the system more efficient. We do however acknowledge that the ability to run in Time-Lapse mode, or a mixture of the two modes is desirable in some cases, and are (at time of writing) working on a way of doing this efficiently.

Q2.5 - Why is the Management button disabled in i-Catcher Console 2.1?

A2.5 While i-Catcher Console is running (monitoring feeds) the Management button is disabled, as the process of determining disk space usage consume a lot of CPU time. To access the Management feature, stop i-Catcher Console first.

Q2.6 - Can I have i-Catcher Console installed with a different version of i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife?

A2.6 Due to change in the common components used by the i-Catcher products, this is not possible. If you do require both Sentry/Wildlife and Console on the same system, they should both be the same version.

i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife Questions

Q3.1 - Why is the playback button disabled when connecting to i-Catcher Console?

A3.1 - When connected to i-Catcher Console no stills are saved locally, therefore it would be pointless to offer playback. To access any stills that may have been recorded before i-Catcher was connected to i-Catcher Console, change the Connection settings to "Standalone".

Q3.2 - Can I have i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife installed with a different version of i-Catcher Console?

A3.2 Due to change in the common components used by the i-Catcher products, this is not possible. If you do require both Sentry/Wildlife and Console on the same system, they should both be the same version.

i-Catcher Video Server Questions

Q4.1 - Why doesn't Video Server have a capture-to-disk option, or any of the motion detection features, etc?

A4.1 - i-Catcher Video Server is not a product for capturing/manipulating camera feeds. It is merely used to serve network video feeds from supported multi-port video capture cards. If you wish to use the advanced features of the i-Catcher product range, you will also need to download i-Catcher Sentry, Wildlife, or Console.

Q4.2 - I have i-Catcher Video Server running, but when I try to select the Osprey 100 card in i-Catcher I receive an error about opening multiple streams. Why?

A4.2 - i-Catcher Video Server is a network server. It's images are made available via a built-in web server. Selecting the Osprey driver in i-Catcher will attempt to open the Osprey driver directly, which will work fine for the first input, but will fail on subsequent attempts. If i-Catcher Video Server is running then all attempts will fail as the driver is already in use. You need to specify a Network Source, and point i-Catcher to i-Catcher Video Server. Help on doing this can be found here.

Q4.3 - i-Catcher Video Server is supplied free with the Picolo Pro 2 and Osprey 100 cards. Is this software essential?

A4.3 - No. Both the Picolo Pro 2 and Osprey 100 cards can be used without i-Catcher Video Server. The Picolo Pro 2 will allow all four ports to be used simultaneously, and the Osprey 100 will allow one port to be used. i-Catcher Video Server is only necessary if you wish to use more than one port on an Osprey 100 simultaneously, or if you want to use either card remotely.

Q4.4 - Why do some images go very bright occasionally when using the Osprey 100?

A4.4 - This is due to video inputs with no video signal present. The Osprey 100 is based on the Fusion 878A chip. This chip has design flaws relating to the AGC (Automatic Gain Control), which cause the chip to try and calibrate itself to a non-existent video signal. Under normal operation this is not noticeable, however when the chip is made to switch inputs rapidly, this effect happens far more often, and frequently the chip has insufficient time to "come back down" from this excessive AGC adjustment, causing over compensation. The solution is to disable any video inputs that are not being used.

Q4.5 - I installed i-Catcher Video Server but I get "No compatible boards found". My card is not a Picolo or Osprey card. What's wrong?

A4.5 - Unlike the Sentry, Wildlife and Console i-Catcher products, i-Catcher Video Server is for use with two specific card models, the Picolo Pro range, and the Osprey range. The reason for this is that these cards have multiple video inputs, and i-Catcher Video Server uses these inputs to server multiple feeds from a single card using a single interface. Because of the need to access the cards directly to do this, only specific cards can be supported.

Q4.6 - I have installed i-Catcher Video Server on Windows 95, 98 or ME, and I have an Osprey 100 card. Why can't i-Catcher Video Server see it?

A4.6 - The direct access driver needed to access the Osprey 100 is only available for Windows NT, 2000 and XP. While this doesn't stop i-Catcher Video Server from running, i-Catcher Video Server will not be able to see the Osprey card

Q4.7 - I have installed i-Catcher Video Server on Windows XP, and I have an Osprey 100 card. Why can't i-Catcher Video Server see it?

A4.7 - Osprey cards purchased recently ship with WDM drivers for Windows XP. While these drivers should be used for single-input purposes as they provide better support for the Osprey cards, the WDM drivers are not currently compatible with i-Catcher Video Server. When started, i-Catcher Video Server will report "No compatible cards found".

To resolve this problem, download the Windows XP Video for Windows drivers from here. Once these are installed, i-Catcher Video Server should pick up your Osprey card (you will need to restart i-Catcher Video Server).

Hardware Related Problems

Q5.1 - I'm using an ATI Card with video capture. Why is i-Catcher leaking memory/crashing/using excessive resources?

A5.1 - We have for a long time had problems with the capture drivers for ATI based cards, in particular the ATI All-In-Wonder series. The memory leak is actually in the capture driver itself, not in i-Catcher. Unfortunately, until ATI provides more reliable drivers for these cards, there is nothing that can be done to resolve this.

Q5.2 Why won't my Pinnacle card work?

A5.2 - The Pinnacle cards use proprietary drivers that only work with the supplied Pinnacle software. Since i-Catcher can only make use of Video for Windows, WDM, or Network devices, it unfortunately means that these cards will not be detected by i-Catcher. Note that we have had some reports of these cards working with i-Catcher using more recent drivers from Pinnacle.

Q5.3 Why won't my Pico card work?

A5.3 - Pico cards also use proprietary drivers, which prevent i-Catcher from detecting them properly (see the entry for Pinnacle cards above). However, these cards are based on the BT878 chip, and we have had reports that the generic drivers (see question 5.5 below) work well with these cards.

Q5.4 My Osprey card is causing problems in Windows XP (random crashes, high memory use, etc). What can I do to resolve this?

A5.4 - Some versions of the Osprey WDM drvier for Windows XP are known to have problems on certain systems. The latest drivers for Windows XP are reported to fix these issues, however if you are still experiencing problems, you can install the old Video for Windows driver for Windows 2000 (available on the driver CD or from the ViewCast website). This driver is compatible with Windows XP and is proven to be stable.

Q5.5 I have a BT848, 849, 878, or 879 -based capture card that i-Catcher is not detecting. What can I do?

A5.5 There are some cards that use the standard BT8xx capture chipset, but who's drivers do not support either a Video for Windows or WDM interface (such as the Pico cards above). However, it may be possible to operate these cards using generic drivers available from http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/. Note that we have not tested these drivers ourselves, and therefore cannot guarantee their effectiveness or reliability.

Q5.6 I have an Intellinet or Veo camera - Why doesn't i-Catcher seem to work with it?

A5.6 These cameras are network devices that use propietary protocols for delivering images to viewing clients. The specifications of these protocols are unavailable, so we are unable to provide support for them. In the case of Intellinet, we have reports that the latest camera firmware may support a standard JPEG output, which can be used with i-Catcher. Note that upgrading the firmware on your camera is an unsupported operation, and is undertaken at your own risk.

Q5.7 I installed a Junior 4 card on a JetWay motherboard, why does my system lock up?

A5.7 We have had reports that certain JetWay motherboards cause problems for the Junior 4 card, most likely due to PCI bus quirks and constraints. This is usually manifested as a system lock when attempting to use the board, causing the keyboard and mouse to become unresponsive, requiring a hard reset/restart. Unfortunately we are unable to provide a solution or workaround for this particular issue as it is a hardware incompatibility between the motherboard and the Junior 4 capture card.