Mirametrix Virtual Camera & Intel Microphone Array - Sudden failure

[britechguy]

Apparently, I'm not alone in this situation, but my web search mojo is finding tons of reports of the same problem, but with little in the way of solutions. I have already written both Mirametrix and LG in regard to drivers, but thought I'd ask here, too.

I know, because I played with the camera when setting up the computer, that with Windows 11 Home, as shipped from LG (this is on my Gram 16) it worked just fine. It was also listed as a Windows Hello device for facial recognition. Now, none of that is true. The camera keeps disabling itself, but if manually re-enabled it shows in Device Manager as functioning normally.

The microphone array is showing in device manager as running fine. But it is taking no audio input no matter what I do.

Just wonder if any of this rings a bell for anyone, since it appears that a Windows 11 update is what triggered it for most reporting it. In my case, it was a nuke and pave with Win11 install media straight from MS being used.

This is no great crisis, particularly the camera, but it would be nice to get the microphone functioning as I'm used to using Google Voice from the laptop.

Addendum: When attempting to troubleshoot the mic this morning, even though it showed 0% input volume in the Win11 settings it showed "pegged green" as though something were blasting into it and it was hearing it in the classic control panel interface. Nonetheless, no matter what you tried as far as setting up the mic, it was 0%.

I decided I'd remove the device and let Windows pick it up again and maybe, just maybe, install different drivers. Well, lo and behold, Windows doesn't seem to know the microphone that's built in even exists now. Ah, the adventures of computing!

 

[Markverhyden]

LG has an updater app like many OEMs. Did you try that?

 

[britechguy]

LG has an updater app like many OEMs. Did you try that?

Yes (LG Update Center), and no-go.

There are also several other LG Apps available (in theory) from the Microsoft Store that are not available via the Get button for my machine. I wrote to LG about that and essentially got a, "Sorry, we're working on that and it will eventually be fixed," type response.

I've never before removed a device via Device Manager that was not picked up again either at next restart or when you do a scan of plug n' play devices, but that is precisely what's happened, and persisted, with the microphone array.

 

[phaZed]

Any way to take a physical look at the camera and ribbon cable? Sounds like it could be a dislodged or dodgy connection. Worse case, it'd dead Jim!

 

[britechguy]

Well, I could pull the base from the computer again, I suppose.

I just find it very odd indeed that "everything worked" just fine with the Windows 11 that came with the machine (bloatware and all) but a clean reinstall of Windows 11 from Microsoft seems to have been the trigger for these devices going offline.

And if you web search on both of them, and Windows 11 updates, it does not look like I'm alone.

At this point I'm PO-ed with both LG Support and Mirametrix Support. In the case of the former, I just keep getting canned responses from them that don't even address the original query (and I've now used the "Contact the President" option about that, not that I think it will matter). Mirametrix has just stonewalled completely. The camera itself is definitely recognized by device manager, and I was able to get the LG Glance by Mirametrix app from the Microsoft Store. However, the built-in driver updater in that app does absolutely nothing, so I wrote to their support asking for a link to the driver installer.

One thing I've learned about LG is that unlike HP, or Dell, or a number of other OEMs, their Software and Downloads pages for the various devices are very far from comprehensive. There are no drivers of any kind to be found, and that's insane, as one of the most common needs is to replace/update a driver that's sourced from the OEM.

 

[Markverhyden]

One thing I've learned about LG is that unlike HP, or Dell, or a number of other OEMs, their Software and Downloads pages for the various devices are very far from comprehensive. There are no drivers of any kind to be found, and that's insane, as one of the most common needs is to replace/update a driver that's sourced from the OEM.

This is a pet peeve of mine which in turn drives a purchasing frame work. Companies try to branch out into "related" product lines just because there's some similarity to their existing product. I'll never buy one from a company like that. Sony did that years ago. While their products didn't make a hit I can say they did a very good job in the support area. They even provided onsite repair for their products, including laptops, when requested by the customer. Like many, though, lacking a solid presence in the B2B market proved their undoing. To be successful one does need to have both hands and feet in both pots, consumer and business. Canon was another example.

I put LG in that category. I love their appliances and TV's. Just because they have processors and probably have Linux under the hood doesn't mean I'd spend any money on a computer from them. I did look around at @britechguy's model and was also surprised by the lack of drivers. In fact they didn't even differentiate between Pro and Home versions. But maybe they decided to funnel the software related stuff over to MS Store and Updates.

 

[britechguy]

@Markverhyden

And now it's a pet peeve of mine, too. Got a response from Mirametrix this afternoon after a "where the hell is an answer, any answer?" complaint said in a businesslike way that I sent this morning. I have to love the circularity of it all:
------
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding Glance by Mirametrix. We are sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with our software. We do not supply drivers for LG cameras, you will need to contact LG support for that. Upon installation of the Glance software we will also install the Mirametrix Virtual Camera driver. This requires you to have a functioning camera to use and therefore you will need to have working LG drivers. According to the detailed information you provided, Glance cannot detect a working camera on this system.

Please visit https://www.lg.com/us/support/software-firmware-drivers to get the latest firmware and drivers for your device.

After that please reset Glance appdata, to do so please follow these steps:

1. Search for Glance in the windows search bar located in the bottom left of the desktop.
2. Once located select the "App Settings" button in the app menu for the Glance app.
3. Once in the "App Settings" menu, scroll down and locate the "Reset" button and select it.
4. Confirm the selection and reset the app settings.

------

I've already pretty much given up, and since I virtually never use the camera, and neither need or want it for Windows Hello facial recognition, it's a big "meh." I've ordered a USB nano-sized microphone, which is all I need to be able to make/receive phone calls via the computer.

I may resort to taking the bottom off again over the weekend just to see if I somehow managed to dislodge a connector (since both camera and microphone are in the lid) but I really don't think so.

 

[HCHTech]

I'm sure you checked, but the camera isn't listed in device manager when you click on 'show hidden devices' on the view menu, is it?

 

[Markverhyden]

@Markverhyden

And now it's a pet peeve of mine, too. Got a response from Mirametrix this afternoon after a "where the hell is an answer, any answer?" complaint said in a businesslike way that I sent this morning. I have to love the circularity of it all:
------
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding Glance by Mirametrix. We are sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with our software. We do not supply drivers for LG cameras, you will need to contact LG support for that. Upon installation of the Glance software we will also install the Mirametrix Virtual Camera driver. This requires you to have a functioning camera to use and therefore you will need to have working LG drivers. According to the detailed information you provided, Glance cannot detect a working camera on this system.

Please visit https://www.lg.com/us/support/software-firmware-drivers to get the latest firmware and drivers for your device.

After that please reset Glance appdata, to do so please follow these steps:

1. Search for Glance in the windows search bar located in the bottom left of the desktop.
2. Once located select the "App Settings" button in the app menu for the Glance app.
3. Once in the "App Settings" menu, scroll down and locate the "Reset" button and select it.
4. Confirm the selection and reset the app settings.

------

I've already pretty much given up, and since I virtually never use the camera, and neither need or want it for Windows Hello facial recognition, it's a big "meh." I've ordered a USB nano-sized microphone, which is all I need to be able to make/receive phone calls via the computer.

I may resort to taking the bottom off again over the weekend just to see if I somehow managed to dislodge a connector (since both camera and microphone are in the lid) but I really don't think so.

That's such a worthless response it has that aroma of a ChatGPT generated response.

 

[britechguy]

I'm sure you checked, but the camera isn't listed in device manager when you click on 'show hidden devices' on the view menu, is it?

No, I hadn't, and I wish I had known about this. Now, for the rest of the story.

I do not know if this is an LG thing, a Windows 11 thing, or a combination of the two but I have never before encountered anything like the tangled web that had to be untangled to fix this. Part of that tangle was that devices did get hidden in device manager.

LG has a function it calls Secure Mode, which can be toggled on/off using Fn + F4. On my partner's machine, the LG functions that show that the toggle has occurred on-screen, along with a system tray icon that is either red or stippled grey to indicate the state, work. On mine both of those functions are absent and are something I wrote to LG about. They are both supposed to be shown by apps that I am supposed to be able to download from the Microsoft store, well . . .

But the really odd thing, and the thing that I'd never experienced before, is that this secure mode not only functionally disables any real (as opposed to virtual) cameras and microphones, but also makes them disappear from wherever they might show up. Watch this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GqxGsrkySI6AlQVRHi9u7F69iFE6x_-R/view?usp=drive_link

Notice in the first part that when I hit FN + F4 the cameras (actual ones) disappear from both the Windows Settings camera management dialog and device manager. Later (sorry for the length) when I repeat the toggle on/off of secure mode the microphone array doesn't disappear, but the volume level appears to peg at 100%, even above where I have the slider, then go back to normal and you can see the "sound heartbeat" when it's functioning. If you have one of the old-style input device dialogs up, it pegs at 100%, too. In that state no audio gets through, though.

I definitely had times where the microphone array disappeared from Device Manager, but the vestiges of it could be found in many dialogs. I still don't know how I did that.

At least now I know if there are suddenly "no cameras" beside the Mirametrix Virtual Camera, and even that is disabled, that I've managed to invoke Secure Mode.

I sure hope that, eventually, I can get both the app that gives me an on-screen notification of the toggling state of a number of different functions when they're toggled as well as that app that shows what the Secure Mode state is in the system tray. For now, at least, I know what to look for if things are awry with the camera or microphone.

 

[britechguy]

it has that aroma

It has an aroma alright, and one that's entirely too familiar, regardless of the exact genesis.

 

[HCHTech]

I sure hope that, eventually, I can get both the app that gives me an on-screen notification of the toggling state of a number of different functions when they're toggled as well as that app that shows what the Secure Mode state is in the system tray.

This is probably controlled by a specific software you lost as part of the N&P. Go to LG's site and look for downloads for your machine - it's probably in there somewhere.

 

[britechguy]

Go to LG's site and look for downloads for your machine - it's probably in there somewhere.

Done, and nope. You apparently missed things I've said (and that's not a swipe at you) on several concurrent topics surrounding LG and availability of software and drivers.

They are VERY sparse on what's available for download from the LG support pages. Several of the apps I mention are supposed to be available via the Microsoft store, and I can even find their pages, but the "Get" button is not active for this machine, which I reported to LG in this message to support:
---
Hello, I recently needed to do a completely clean reinstall of Windows 11 (Home) on this machine. I have had no issues with getting LG Update Center and the two other downloadable updates from your support pages, and getting those installed and working fine. However, I really miss LG On Screen Display 3 and LG Control Center. I have found the Microsoft Store pages for each of these apps, but when I go to those pages I do not have a "Get" button for either one of those two apps, which is how one actually downloads and installs those from the Microsoft Store. I have been unable to find any EXE or MSI installer from LG's own support pages, so am stuck at the moment. Is it possible to get direct links for installers for both of these utilities, as I'd like to have them back.
---
where their response was:
----
Thank you for contacting us regarding your request for LG On Screen Display 3 and LG Control Center installers after a clean reinstall of Windows 11 (Home) on your machine. We understand the importance of these utilities and apologize for any inconvenience you may have faced during this process.

Currently, we are actively working on providing updated links for downloading the installers for LG On Screen Display 3 and LG Control Center. While we prepare these links, we kindly ask for your patience and assure you that we will send them to you as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we recommend the following steps as an alternative solution:

1. Check for Windows Updates: Ensure that your Windows 11 (Home) is up-to-date by checking for and installing any pending updates. Sometimes, certain features or applications might become available or functional after a Windows update.

2. Revisit Microsoft Store: Periodically check the Microsoft Store for LG On Screen Display 3 and LG Control Center. Occasionally, app availability might vary, and the "Get" button may become accessible at a later time.

As soon as we have the updated download links for the installers, we will promptly forward them to you, enabling you to regain these utilities on your LG laptop.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let us know. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to providing the best possible support for your LG laptop.

I hope this information has been helpful. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.


If you would like, you can share your feedback, suggestions, and recommendations regarding our products and services through our feedback portal at:

https://lgelectronics.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8Cc4WEbc5vIQo98
----

I love how they term a non-solution as an "alternative solution." Much like "alternative facts."

LG really needs to get its act together on this front. The devices themselves are marvelous. The support for them is abysmal.

 

[HCHTech]

Saw this in a Reddit post:

You'll love this solution. Open powershell, then type:

winget install "LG Control Center"

Press enter, answer yes, and done

Also, the LG Update center seems to be available here: That page is for a 14" laptop, but the update software is the same - so it might find your missing packages...

 

[britechguy]

@HCHTech:

Much appreciated, but:


As is so often the case, things have changed between the time of that Reddit post and now. In fact, searching for things by LG (which requires the space after LG) returns:


That's it at the moment from LG available via winget.

Let's hope that it is eventually brought back.

The Update Center was not a problem. That's one of the few things that seems to appear on the LG Downloads page for any random model.