Database Develop

New Skype with video support!

Anyone try this out? Does it work? If so, what rom are you running, and did you need to change anything?
Link here.

I'm at work but I'm really curious; Skype says it will work with *some* 2.2 devices, and if you have 2 cameras the wrong camera will work but we have only one camera so we might be in luck.
Fingers crossed...

Just installed it.. Will try it out!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

I tried it briefly in Vegan tab 5.1.1.
-Everything aside from video calling seemed to operate well. This includes voice calls.
-The video call function was not available in the settings menu.
When I read through the skype announcement I noticed that it will only show video of rear facing camera's in froyo. Can the front facing camera be spoofed to work like a rear facing camera?

jdoorny said:
Can the front facing camera be spoofed to work like a rear facing camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think it can. I recall when trying to get Yahoo Messenger working for video calls, some genius developer modified the Yahoo app to add a "swap cameras" button. It worked, but the video was always transmitted and displayed sideways.
My fingers are crossed that it works out of the box, even if it's only in Froyo. This would get me to (sadly) downgrade from GtabComb.
Tested with ROMs:
- VEGAn-TAB 5.1.1 - No video option. Darn it.
- CM 7.0.3 (Stable) - No video option
- I wanted to try it on Clemsyn-Caulkin v5, but the keyboard was acting funky after loading that ROM. Pressing any numbers acted like I was pressing the BACK button. Weird. I might try it again later.

Skype has said that with 2-camera Froyo devices only the rear camera will work. We have only one camera, so here's hoping...

I'm under the impression that our front camera is actually the "rear" camera according to the system.
There is only an API for one camera by default, it wasn't until Gingerbread that they started differentiating between a front and rear camera. That's why older apps work with only certain front facing cameras- the developer had to figure out how to call the front camera on each device individually since it wasn't a standard system function.
This is why ReelPortal works on our tablets- Adobe Air (which the app was written in) recognizes only the rear camera currently, so most tablets can't be used for chatting with it. But on the G-tablet (and certain Archos tablets), there is only one camera and the system recognizes it as "the" camera.
I would assume that any app which uses the camera would see our front camera as the system camera (a.k.a rear camera). That has been my experience with market apps that use the camera, at least.
I think there is some other reason the video option is disabled. I just tried installing skype on an Optimus S as well (budget android phone with only a rear camera, also running froyo), and the option is not there either.
Skype says "Unfortunately, if you cannot see the video calling settings, it means your Android phone does not meet the minimum requirements needed to make Skype video calls". That's ridiculous. It looks like someone needs to rip open the app and find out where that restriction is.
This is beyond my realm of hacking ability. Anyone with skills willing to look at this?

Hey I found these posts while digging through a few different threads and thought i would leave it here for other G-Tab users who are following this thread. Thanks Dishe for asking all the questions in the other forums. Unfortunately it's not looking so hot for skype video calling on the G-Tab at this point. I will keep watching patiently hoping that someday it will work.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16337833&postcount=399
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16338146&postcount=1061

Yes- just to update everyone, here's what I found out.
Skype chose to use something called the NEON instruction set for hardware-based acceleration of video encoding / decoding. Problem is, not every mobile processor supports this instruction set (usually lower end hardware, like my LG Optimus). The Tegra 2 does not support NEON at all, and that is why our tablets don't offer the video option, and the ones that are hacked to work (by skipping the device check) will just crash after trying to sign in.
So, it is currently not possible for Skype to work on the G-tablet as long as they are pushing NEON acceleration.
This is the first time I've ever been upset to have a Tegra. All this time I actually wanted the G-tab BECAUSE of the high end Tegra2 for such an inexpensive tablet.
Why Nvidia left out support for this (while other CPUs include it) is beyond me, but on the plus side there is hope for the future. The Tegra2 is used in a lot of high end tablets these days, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Acer Iconia, Moto Xoom, etc... Right now Skype won't work on any of them, and I'm sure the company does not intend to alienate such a large portion of tablet customers. When they get supported, so will we.
Meanwhile, someone posted in one of the other threads about a CES demo this past year in which NVIDIA and Skype showed off HD video calling hardware using what they call "Skypekit" framework to build an app on a Tegra-based demo tablet.
So, stuff is coming folks. We just have to wait it out I guess, as there is nothing that can be done now.

I wonder if Skype does a hardware test or just a device check; maybe we can set the device ID or use some other trick to fool the software into thinking our gTabs are worthy.

mike_ekim said:
I wonder if Skype does a hardware test or just a device check; maybe we can set the device ID or use some other trick to fool the software into thinking our gTabs are worthy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the post right about yours. It will crash because the Tegra CPU does not have the instruction set it needs. I've tried it.

Thanks for the info everyone. I was hoping to surprise the girlfriend abroad with a hacked apk to get skype to work, but I guess ooVoo will have to do for now.

Oovoo messes up my sound everytime. I've had good results with reelportal tho.

I have droid charge, I use skype everyday and it is so annoying to flip the phone to see the other person. Tegra chip wise everything is clear but how about the droid charge? Can any dev find workaround for this nonsense? I am willing to support that dev and donate some beer money.

This discussion is about the G-tab.
For other devices, there are threads here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1153285
and here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1148708
If you have architecture capable of NEON, one of those versions should let the software access the front camera.

mike_ekim said:
I'm at work but I'm really curious; Skype says it will work with *some* 2.2 devices, and if you have 2 cameras the wrong camera will work but we have only one camera so we might be in luck.
Fingers crossed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So..if we are on 2.3 and have this device...are they saying it will work then? Getting my Tab in 2 days. It already has 2.3 on it.

New version of skype (v2) supports videocalling in tegra devices such as Asus Transformee or Xoom.
I'll test as soon as I get home if it works for the Gtablet.
Enviado desde mi GT-I9000 usando Tapatalk

Still no video call support
I just tested the new version of skype (version 2.5.0.108 downloaded from market) on my Gtab running Brilliant Corners 1.3.1 and there was still no video call option. I will keep playing with it and see if I missed anything obvious.

jdoorny said:
I just tested the new version of skype (version 2.5.0.108 downloaded from market) on my Gtab running Brilliant Corners 1.3.1 and there was still no video call option. I will keep playing with it and see if I missed anything obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to activate the videocall options on settings first.
I tested it on honeycomb flashback rom but as the camera doesn't work on our honeycomb roms yer the test was useful, lol.
Please check on settings that videocalls are enabled and test back on your brilliant corner roms.
However it would be nice if someone using a gingerbread rom can test it

titooo7 said:
You have to activate the videocall options on settings first.
I tested it on honeycomb flashback rom but as the camera doesn't work on our honeycomb roms yer the test was useful, lol.
Please check on settings that videocalls are enabled and test back on your brilliant corner roms.
However it would be nice if someone using a gingerbread rom can test it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I missed that and didn't change the settings.
When I changed the settings to accept video calls it worked. It was very buggy tho. The video came in clear, but it was rotated sideways (flipping the gtab on its side wasn't enough to fix the problem). The video I received also covered all the buttons for ending the call/muting the microphone etc. This made it difficult to end the call without guessing where the button would be underneath the incoming video. Also, when I exited the skype app while in a video call, the application closed but the video stayed on top. This made it impossible to do anything else while having a video chat going on in the background.
Overall this is a huge step forward. Video calls with audio are now working. I can't give extensive reviews on video quality, as I was only calling myself from my laptop to my gtablet and didn't spend much more time than was needed to see if it worked.
Some work will definately be needed to iron out some of the bugs before this becomes perfectly useable. For now I am happy with the progress that has been made and will wait patiently for someone smarter than me to work out the bugs.
Gtab running Brilliant Corners 1.3.1
---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 AM ----------
After playing with skype for a little while longer, I noticed that skype is placing the video from the Gtab over the video from skype.
Let me try explain.
In a normal skype call, you have the large video from the person you are talking too taking up most of the screen. In one of the corners you have a video of yourself that is being sent to the other person. This video is rotated sideways when I hold the Gtab in landscape mode with the camera on top.
When I use the skype for android app on my Gtablet (brilliant corners 1.3.1), I get a third video laid overtop of the other two videos. The video is the same as the small one of myself in the bottom corner of the video chat, but with the correct orientation. I know that the other two video's exist (outgoing and incoming that normally exist in skype) because there is some space beside the 3rd video.
If that was confusing, let me try explain a different way: It's as if the video camera application is running over top of skype whenever I am in a video call. The 'video camera app' is persistantly on top whenever I am in a video call. It will even stay on top when I close the skype application during a video call.
I failed to notice this during my initial testing, as I had the gtab and laptop pointing at me, and failed to differentiate which video feed I was seeing.
I think the app would be perfect if the following were fixed.
-Outgoing video rotation is fixed.
-video being captured on gtab was not over top of the video's skype is recognizing.
Has anyone on different ROM's experienced these problems? I don't feel like going through the hassle of changing ROM's to test.

Front Camera Video P20 Overexposed / Soft

Hi
Will Huawei fix the overexposed soft image quality of the selfie camera on this phone.
I am still on 8.1.0.103 and wondering if its been fixed in one of the newer updates as it is really disappointing

Not sure they think it's broken, it was obviously designed to do this on purpose. I know a lot of people that use beauty mode. It is rather annoying though as it can't be disabled for those that don't want to be enhanced to Ken doll like proportions lol
If you hit the photo mode rather than the default portrait mode for front camera it does help a bit. Definitely better than portrait mode. I do hope that a future update will add more control over the processing, but I won't bank on it.

I've tried many different camera apps, and the overexposure and softening occur as soon as the camera detects a face. Haven't been able to find a solution yet.

prowsterz said:
I've tried many different camera apps, and the overexposure and softening occur as soon as the camera detects a face. Haven't been able to find a solution yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im 99% sure it can be disabled with root - its got to be a setting that detects faces.
we;d need someone to go through the source (if they ever release it)
once i root my p20 ill stalk around to try and find a property.

Sorry, i dont have phone yet. But, if you use some other camera application, will it be the same problem?

Its definitely a setting built into the kernel/source code because using another camera app will not override the setting. It only focuses on the subject (face) and blurs out the background which should not be the case

I have rooted P20 pro, and there is a ton of properties and definitions xml files for different modes and effects in odm/camera folder. For example there is something called "casiobeauty" among others But, to mess with those parameters someone has to have knowledge. So, i guess effects can be modified, if there ever will be someone of knowledge and will to do it

You all may want to install CameraMX from PlayStore.
It gives out high resolution and high qualoty images. Selfies taken by it are noticeably sharper than the p20 pro stock camera. Also, there is a slider to adjust exposure for the front cam (something that is missing from the stock). In addition, the app also supports HDR for the selfie cam as well.
You can give it a try...

mulkman said:
Hi
Will Huawei fix the overexposed soft image quality of the selfie camera on this phone.
I am still on 8.1.0.103 and wondering if its been fixed in one of the newer updates as it is really disappointing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was fixed in .120

Kusznier said:
it was fixed in .120
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What region? I am currently using the .120 for C636 but there is still the annoying overexposure and lack of details esp in groufies

You all might want to use the CameraMX app... I use it on all my selfies now. Ive compared it with the stock front cam and it's way way way better. See for yourself...

Archer Casio said:
You all might want to use the CameraMX app... I use it on all my selfies now. Ive compared it with the stock front cam and it's way way way better. See for yourself...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very cheap quality sorry bro!
I hope overexpo fixed in next update!

Kusznier said:
it was fixed in .120
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's better in 120 but definitely not fixed.

kabirjedi said:
very cheap quality sorry bro!
I hope overexpo fixed in next update!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uploaded the wrong photos the last time sorry..
For the photos below, the washed out one is taken with the front camera native app. The better one is with cameraMX app.
Note: No editing done, same lighting condition, almost the same hand position, same angle.
It is very evident that the native camera app is washed out/overexposed.
Well, the CameraMX photo isnt perfect but for me, it is 80% better than the stock camera.

Archer Casio said:
Uploaded the wrong photos the last time sorry..
For the photos below, the washed out one is taken with the front camera native app. The better one is with cameraMX app.
Note: No editing done, same lighting condition, almost the same hand position, same angle.
It is very evident that the native camera app is washed out/overexposed.
Well, the CameraMX photo isnt perfect but for me, it is 80% better than the stock camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - Is everyone certain this is a SW issue? I don't know a ton about cameras but is it possible there are defective front facing cameras on a bunch of these devices?

Hobartwash said:
Hi - Is everyone certain this is a SW issue? I don't know a ton about cameras but is it possible there are defective front facing cameras on a bunch of these devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm pretty much sure it's a software issue as the original photo can look so much better when you edit it. And, you can also use other camera apps

There is a workaround on the overexposed p20 front camera images using the Google Photos Editor App
(I've read it from another XDA thread).
The results are stunning! It's almost as if the photos were taken using an actual Google Pixel front camera! (In my opinion)
I suppose the image enhancement algorithm for the Google Photos app is similar to the image post-processing of Google Pixel phones.
Note: Google Photos is commonly preinstalled along with Gmail, Hangouts, GMaps.
Step 1 - Snap a selfie using the native app
Step 2 - Preview the photo and click the (...) at the bottom right
Step 3 - Click Advanced Edit ---> Select Google Photos
Step 4 - Select the second icon next to the filters menu.
You will find 3 sliders (Light, Color, and Pop)
Step 5 - Slide Pop all the way up, as well as Color.
You may tweak the settings more for Color and Light too!
(There are more options when you expand it)
Step 6 - Click Save.
Find sample photos below:

Just got a P20 Pro and this is seriously my biggest hate with this phone! The rest is great (except my google pay not working) but the front camera makes me look like a ghost on any image!

I'm on update 128 and the front camera still overexposed.

srgank said:
I'm on update 128 and the front camera still overexposed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I second that.

10bit HEVC Extreme Black Crush after using Camera App

Somthing I noticed a few times on my Note 9 was that some times my media files would play very dark. Now this would only happen with 10 bit Hevc files.
So I did some trouble shooting and found that whenever I start and exit the camera in "Photo" mode this would happen.
I have put a pic for a 10 bit hevc video paused on the phone, in both instances all settings are the same, the pic titled "No Black Crush" is before using the camera and the other after using the camera and exiting in Photo mode. From the pic we can see that one pic is significantly darker and details are lost (eg. White spots on the sign and some background stuff).
The only way to fix the black crush is to restart the device.
Would really appreciate if some one out there that is using an Exynos version and plays 10bit hevc videos on the phone would help in testing some stuff out.
Edit - Ok so I guess some more info is in order.
Device info - Note 9 Exynos (Model SM-N960F) on latest official build and NON ROOTED
To replicate issue download the video in the link (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QR-5JEWNOFI3nbvbLR_80Z7BgA37Dil_)
1. Restart phone
2. Play the video using stock video player (keeping Video Enhancer on makes noticing the bug easier as screen is brighter, Video Enhancer off should also work)
3. Open stock camera and make sure "Photo" mode is selected and then exit staying in "Photo" mode (switching camera modes wont let the bug show up.)
4. Play the clip again. BOOM everything is a dark mess.
5. Restart phone and play the clip again and everything looks clear again

AshDroidG said:
Somthing I noticed a few times on my Note 9 was that some times my media files would play very dark. Now this would only happen with 10 bit Hevc files.
So I did some trouble shooting and found that whenever I start and exit the camera in "Photo" mode this would happen.
I have put a pic for a 10 bit hevc video paused on the phone, in both instances all settings are the same, the pic titled "No Black Crush" is before using the camera and the other after using the camera and exiting in Photo mode. From the pic we can see that one pic is significantly darker and details are lost (eg. White spots on the sign and some background stuff).
The only way to fix the black crush is to restart the device.
Would really appreciate if some one out there that is using an Exynos version and plays 10bit hevc videos on the phone would help in testing some stuff out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does changing the the screen mode from adaptive display to amoled cinema or even basic help at all?
if you get inconsistent results then it would seem that is would have something to do with the "auto" nature of the display mode. moreover the ambient lighting in the room you are watching might also be a cause. adaptive brightness might produce different results and might be tied the the screen mode as described above.
so remove auto brightness and put screen mode to Amoled cinema or even basic if you really want to compare apples with apples.

bober10113 said:
does changing the the screen mode from adaptive display to amoled cinema or even basic help at all?
if you get inconsistent results then it would seem that is would have something to do with the "auto" nature of the display mode. moreover the ambient lighting in the room you are watching might also be a cause. adaptive brightness might produce different results and might be tied the the screen mode as described above.
so remove auto brightness and put screen mode to Amoled cinema or even basic if you really want to compare apples with apples.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since I have been seeing this behaviour for some time now I have actually checked to see what was triggering it. Changing the screen mode does not help. Also in the pic I attached the brightness level is the same since adaptive brightness is off.
Now I understand where you are coming from but this is not a screen illumination issue. If I play a H264 file everything works fine no black crush even HEVC files which are not 10bit play correctly, the issue is only with 10bit HEVC files.
Oh and am not sure if you are aware as to what "black crush" is, it basically is the tendency of amoled panels to make dark areas so dark that u loose details in the video. In the pic I uploaded u can clearly see that one pic is significantly darker than the other even though all settings are kept exactly the same even the brightness levels are the same but dark areas appear much too dark when the bug is triggered.

AshDroidG said:
Since I have been seeing this behaviour for some time now I have actually checked to see what was triggering it. Changing the screen mode does not help. Also in the pic I attached the brightness level is the same since adaptive brightness is off.
Now I understand where you are coming from but this is not a screen illumination issue. If I play a H264 file everything works fine no black crush even HEVC files which are not 10bit play correctly, the issue is only with 10bit HEVC files.
Oh and am not sure if you are aware as to what "black crush" is, it basically is the tendency of amoled panels to make dark areas so dark that u loose details in the video. In the pic I uploaded u can clearly see that one pic is significantly darker than the other even though all settings are kept exactly the same even the brightness levels are the same but dark areas appear much too dark when the bug is triggered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok well if basic mode dosent change this then how about video enhancer? that's an other peice of trash i disable.
btw its hard to help or replicate when you provide 0 info on your testing enviroment....
like what player are you using?

bober10113 said:
ok well if basic mode dosent change this then how about video enhancer? that's an other peice of trash i disable.
btw its hard to help or replicate when you provide 0 info on your testing enviroment....
like what player are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so you are right. More info definitely needed so I have updated the original post with details on how to replicate the issue and have shared a clip as well that you can download and play using the stock video player.

AshDroidG said:
Ok, so you are right. More info definitely needed so I have updated the original post with details on how to replicate the issue and have shared a clip as well that you can download and play using the stock video player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ill test it tonight under full obscurity.

bober10113 said:
ill test it tonight under full obscurity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Below mentioned steps should work to replicate the bug.
Testing to be done on Exynos version.
To replicate issue download the video from the link in the very first post
1. Restart phone
2. Play the video using stock video player (keeping Video Enhancer on makes noticing the bug easier as screen is brighter, Video Enhancer off should also work)
3. Open stock camera and make sure "Photo" mode is selected and then exit staying in "Photo" mode (switching camera modes wont let the bug show up.)
4. Play the clip again. BOOM everything is a dark mess.
5. Restart phone and play the clip again and everything looks clear again
If you need any more info let me know and thanks for helping out man.

AshDroidG said:
Below mentioned steps should work to replicate the bug.
Testing to be done on Exynos version.
To replicate issue download the video from the link in the very first post
1. Restart phone
2. Play the video using stock video player (keeping Video Enhancer on makes noticing the bug easier as screen is brighter, Video Enhancer off should also work)
3. Open stock camera and make sure "Photo" mode is selected and then exit staying in "Photo" mode (switching camera modes wont let the bug show up.)
4. Play the clip again. BOOM everything is a dark mess.
5. Restart phone and play the clip again and everything looks clear again
If you need any more info let me know and thanks for helping out man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i forgot before leaving for home to do the test while having access to an other phone taking a picture of both scenarios so that i could analyze both pictures. but by testing it right now doesn't seem to make any difference.( picture seems ok.) but i am using a custom rom and kernel and system is heavily modded so who knows that might have had an impact. also when you do switch from camera to video, do you remove the camera app from memory( remove it from recents? i left it and no change)
for what's it worth im on a july build...
ill try again tomorrow this time taking before and after pictures

bober10113 said:
so i forgot before leaving for home to do the test while having access to an other phone taking a picture of both scenarios so that i could analyze both pictures. but by testing it right now doesn't seem to make any difference.( picture seems ok.) but i am using a custom rom and kernel and system is heavily modded so who knows that might have had an impact. also when you do switch from camera to video, do you remove the camera app from memory( remove it from recents? i left it and no change)
for what's it worth im on a july build...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh so I should have mentioned. Am on July official build, non rooted (still have 2 months on the warranty). I guess rooting and a modified system would have an impact on the issue but thanks for testing out. Out of curiosity what is your setup? Which custom rom and kernel are u using and what extra addons if any.

AshDroidG said:
Ahh so I should have mentioned. Am on July official build, non rooted (still have 2 months on the warranty). I guess rooting and a modified system would have an impact on the issue but thanks for testing out. Out of curiosity what is your setup? Which custom rom and kernel are u using and what extra addons if any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dr.ketan p13
beast mode v69
but ill re test tonite

Question Mi 11 Ultra - run camera in the background?

Hi All I realise the security risk of this, but I want to use the Mi camera app in the background so I can use the UW lens as a dashboard cam. In the foreground will be my satnav program and also in the background will be VLC playing my favourite music.
The problem I have is that the Mi Camera app won't run in the background. If I start it and switch away, when I switch back, it's stopped recording. There are plenty of 3rd party dashcam apps, but camera2 API only reports 2 cameras and typically 3rd party apps haven't caught on to the multiple camera configs of phones these days.
I did find a setting in Settings/Privacy/Protection/Network Interception/Restrict Using camera in the background which I thought might be a clue, but the setting doesn't work and has blue text "Protected" next to it. Am I asking for the impossible? All workarounds gratefully received.... Cheers Steve
ps I'm running Chinese MIUI 12.5.4 Stable

If you can figure out some way to do this, the phone is going to get hot and you will probably need to keep it plugged in... This phone eats battery life using the cameras

Hi @speedtripler thanks for your reply. After much googling and playing with privacy protection settings, I found an app, cunningly called Background Video Recorder here:
Background Video Recorder Pro - Apps on Google Play
motion detection / recording videos / baby monitor / burst image capturing
play.google.com
After a quick play, it seems to work, so I'll go for the 'full monty' later and try it out with Navmii navigating and VLC playing my music. I do use a power supply in the car and I'll take a bucket of water too, in case it catches fire!
My attempts with Mi camera and GCAM 8.1 failed, as both pause video recording as soon as they go into the background.
What I really wanted was the UW lens, as this will cover the most ground, but I may have to stick with plain old Wide as not many apps support multiple lenses.
I'll update later after putting the fire out
Cheers Steve

Ok so I did a quick test last night and ran my satnav (Navmii) in the foreground, VLC playing music in the background and Background Video Recorder in the background and it all worked just dandy.
The only slight issue is the file size was large, 700MB after 15 mins. Now I have 500GB of storage, but that's a little high. There doesn't seem to be an option to set the save location, otherwise I could save it to an SD card so I've emailed the developer with the suggestion and see what he says. Also I've asked if he can support multiple lenses, as UW would be just great.
It does offer various framerates, though and 5fps is probably OK for a dashcam so I'll give that a try and report back.
After a 15 minute drive I didn't notice any overheating problems, but I have 4 hour drive on Wednesday so see how that goes.
Cheers Steve

The nice man at Arbel Solutions replied very quickly and pointed out it is possible to save to other locations in Settings. This was greyed out so I didn't see it, but you have to pay for the software to enable it as it's a premium feature which is fair enough.
On switching lenses, this is also supported, but it just offers Main and Selfie, which ties up with the Camera2 API checkers. I guess I need to root my phone and enable Camera2 API.
That's all for now....
Steve

Just a quick update on this. I ran Background Video Recorder on my trip to see my daughetr and grandkids. It's a 200 mile trek and all worked fine. I used Navmii, VLC and BVR all at once and didn't notice any over heating problems.
However, on the way back, I did the same but this time with BVR recording 8K video. Gosh, that quality is good . Now I want to buy a 4K TV!
After a couple of hours, the phone overheated, popped up a message saying just that, so I switched it off and let it cool down. The phone is working fine again now it's cool phew! I guess @speedtripler was right lol.
The 2 issues with heat are
1) The sun was shining on the phone
2) I'm using a hard plastic backing cover on the phone to mount it on the holder
2) must frustrate heat dissipation quite a bit.
So next up is to buy some gauze on eBay, cut an opening in the backing cover and fit the gauze. If that doesn't work, I'll probably have to make a piped cooling system with a fan.
Oh well, back to reality!
Cheers
Steve

Oh, I forgot there's another workaround for this. If the camera doesn't work in the background, you can run it in the foreground with other apps.
Sound simple? Well it's a bit fiddly, but Android 11 offers split screen, so you can have two apps running in the foreground. The only gotcha is that both apps need to support split screen.
Surprisingly, the stock camera doesn't so that's out. Neither does GCAM 8.1. Good 'ole OpenCamera does and it works well.
I'm still getting the hang of split screen but here's a basic guide:
1) start both apps
2) Go to Task Manager (hamburger icon)
3) long press on the first app and choose split screen ( like 2 oblong boxes, 1 on top of the other)
4) In Task Manager, click on the other app
Now the 1st app will appear in the top of the screen and the second at the bottom.
For my example, I now have OpenCamera recording video and Navmii giving me directions.
Brill!
Below is a screenshot. See the small white horizontal bar in the middle of the pic? You use this to change the size of the window. What's not to like? (sorry about getting my big finger in front of the lens)

The grids arrived yesterday to ventilate my hard plastic case so I set about cutting holes in it to fit them. The case is very hard and difficult to scratch, but was no match for my Dremel.
Hopefully this will promote air flow and cooling when the phone is crying while it's pushed hard.
The grids were stuck on with Gasket Goo which is good up to 230° C at which point I think the phone would be spitting flames!
This needs testing on a long journey on a hot day. If it still overheats, I'll clip on a mini 5V fan which I'm sure will sort it.
A phone with a cooling fan? Lol
Cheers
Steve

Question PiP recording on stock Pixel 7?

I recently switched from the Z Flip 4 to the Pixel 7 256gb because I wanted the pure Google experience for a change. The one thing that I really miss from Samsung, is the ability to record a video with both the front and rear camera at the same time. I see that there is an app I can sideload to record from both, but Samsung took it a step further in that it took the front camera(selfie) and overlayed it on whatever the back camera was pointing at, and make a single picture in picture video output for you.
That way I don't have to take two different video files and edit them into a separate PiP video in post and have to synch the audio if I edit stuff out or add things in... Saves me time if I am recording an interview or doing a product review and want my face in the corner talking, while the larger main video portion is whomever I am talking to or whatever object I am reviewing or working on, etc...
Can this be done on a Pixel 7 without having to root it or jump through hoops? Samsung has been doing it in their stock camera app for years, and when I switched it never occurred to me that Google wouldn't already have that feature baked in as well.