iSight : Possible Hardware or Software Conflicts with iSight or iChat
As mentioned in the Title box - there are pages that were written a little while ago by EZ Jim, a poster on the Apple Discussions who contributed to iSight and iChat Discussions. The words the following pages are EZ Jim's
Use the the Information Column Menu for EZ Jim's pages.
Possible Hardware or Software Conflicts with iSight or iChat
It is possible that you may encounter conflicts between iSight (or iChat AV) and some third party hardware or software. Such conflicts are not common, and they are usually fairly easily remedied once the offending item is identified.
First, assure that your Mac and iSight are using the latest software by checking the Blue Apple Menu > Software Update...
Then check for known issues on your 3rd party software and hardware. Some devices, like the DeckLink card, may be internal. (18Sep05Edit) (Edit 2024:- The site seems to have been reorganised but this is now the Internal Card options. The Updates Available in the scrollable colums go back to 2013 so some compromise may work).
Some conflicts can also arise from application software irregularities or from multiple applications attempting to simultaneously access some of your Mac's QuickTime services. If your problem does not occur with all applications that drive your iSight or when you run only one app that uses iSight at a time, the conflict is likely application software related.
iSight and/or iChat AV can be rather picky about how and with what it shares your Mac's Firewire. If you Mac has more than one Firewire port, try using a different Firewire port. That may cure your problem.
If you are using a Firewire hub, are chaining Firewire devices, or have other Firewire devices connected to your Mac, and if you are having trouble, disconnect ALL the additional devices (including iPods, internal devices, and other unpowered devices) and plug iSight directly into one of your Mac's Firewire ports until you KNOW your iSight works.
With a known working iSight, add the other Firewire devices back one at a time to find what item conflicts.
If you find a conflict with one of your 3rd party Firewire devices or AV software apps, ensure you have the latest available software and/or firmware for the suspected item. Try again after you update the software to determine whether the conflict is resolved. In worst case, you may have to disconnect the device or uninstall the offending software application while you are using your iSight. Conversely, if you need the other device or application, you may need to disconnect iSight while using the conflicting item.
External iSight users may also find helpful ideas in Apple's Tech Support Article entitled iSight: How to Troubleshoot.
Some users report that installing a separate Firewire card to eliminate Firewire device chaining corrects their problem. Some users find that it works better if they connect ONLY their iSights to their Mac's original Firewire port(s) and connect all other Firewire devices to the ports of their separate Firewire card(s).
Others find that they must disconnect all other Firewire devices while using iSight.
In my own experience, although I connect my iSight to the front Firewire port and my Firewire scanner to one on the back of my desktop G5, I must keep my scanner turned OFF when I use iSight and I must UNPLUG iSight in order to use my scanner.
Additional Info added by Ralph
This FAQ at Apple Discussions kichat: How do I get iChat 3 working ? Upgrade hints, FAQ tell of possible problems with older iChat Add-ons and consequences of changes between Panther (10.3.x) and Tiger (10.4.x) OS software. (Edit 2024:- The Link is now a Web Archive one from the Way Back Machine).
Most of these are about downloading Add-ons when you have Panther and not updating them when you install Tiger by updating rather than a fresh install. (read the same for Tiger to Leopard) Some of them refer to changes in the OS like the Firewall (see the instructions and Pic here), The Quicktime Streaming setting in System preferences > Quicktime and having Apple Remote Desktop active in System Preferences > Sharing.
4:01 PM Thursday; October 5, 2006
Made on a Mac®
© 2005, 2006 EZ Jim
© 2005 Ralph Johns: Edited 24/9/2005, 5/5/2006
Updated September 2006. Moved to Gargoyles Mar 2007. Major review October 2024 towards HTML5
Information Column
EZ Jim's iSight Stuff
Plain Text links to related Pages
For Screen Readers
EZJim Folder
EZJimindex Index of EZ Jim's iSight and Other InfoUsing iSight Using iSight
EZJim page2 Where to Find Help for iSight
EZJim page3 About the Built-In iSights
EZJim page4 How to Test your iSight is Functional
EZJim page5 Improving your (External) iSight's Picture
EZJim page6 Possible Conflicts with iSight an iChat
EZJim page7 Some Applications you can Use with an iSight
EZJim page8 iSight V DV Camcorder or other Web Cam
EZJim page9 Mounts for your External iSight
EZJim page10 iSight Versions (External)
EZJim page11 How to Turn your iSight Really Off
EZJim page12 iSight and the PC
EZJim page13 Common PC Applications and Chatting
EZJim page14 Mac Video Chat with PCs
EZJim page15 Using An iSight with iChat
EZJim page16 Help for iChat 3 Problems
EZJim page17 How to Get iChat working again
EZJim page18 Check your Broadband Speed
EZJim page19 OS X Maintenance
EZJim page20 Updating the OS
EZJim page21 Reinstalling the OS
EZJim page22 Macintosh System Stability
Made on a Mac®
