Motion Version 5

[Mr-Dave]

In order to improve the transparency regarding the changes in version 5.0 of Motion, I am posting a draft of the release notes below. This draft will be update frequently until the final release. Also note that some items may also shift between removed/new parameters over to "renamed".

The documentation for the 5.0.0 release can be found in the Motion 5.0.0 Guide

Version 5.0 includes significant revisions from the 4.x versions and most of these
revisions are summarized below.

1.  New Requirements
    1.1 Motion now requires the inclusion of the FFmpeg libraries.  Motion will no longer build without FFmpeg.

2. Unsupported Options
    2.1 Simultaneous use of multi-channel video capture cards
    2.2 Brooktree devices
    2.3 Embedded serial port and UVC tracking
    2.4 Webcontrol GET commands to revise parameters
    2.5 Separate ports for each camera stream
    2.6 Using a single configuration file for combined application and camera parameters.
    2.7 Netcam options not using FFmpeg
    2.8 Movie containers of mpeg4, msmpeg4, swf, ffv1.

3. New supported options/features
    3.1 Secondary object detection
    3.2 Full PI camera configuration via libcamera
    3.3 Sound recording for network cameras
    3.4 Sound frequency detection
    3.5 User provided web page
    3.6 Add/Delete cameras via web control
    3.7 Stream feeds in MPEG-TS format
    3.8 Stream of consolidated image of all cameras
    3.9 User specified automatic cleaning of recorded videos
    3.10 User specified scheduled detection/no-detection times
    3.11 Download and play recorded videos via web interface.
    3.12 View log output view web interface.
    3.13 Execution of user defined actions via web interface
    3.14 Specification of complex user parameters via additional file.
    3.15 Edits on validity of configuration option specifications
    3.16 Remove requirement for sudo permissions to change parameters.
    3.17 Webcontrol provides data via json  
    3.18 Movie containers of ogg, webm.
    
4. Removed Configuration Options
    4.1 "setup_mode"
    4.2 "quiet"
    4.3 "tuner_device"
    4.4 "auto_brightness"
    4.5 "roundrobin_frames"
    4.6 "roundrobin_skip"
    4.7 "roundrobin_switchfilter"
    4.8 "minimum_frame_time"
    4.9 "movie_duplicate_frames"
    4.11 "webcontrol_lock_max_ips"
    4.12 "stream_port"
    4.13 "stream_localhost"
    4.14 "stream_auth_method"
    4.15 "stream_tls"
    4.16 "sql_log_picture"
    4.17 "sql_log_snapshot"
    4.18 "sql_log_movie"
    4.19 "sql_log_timelapse"
    4.20 "track_type"
    4.21 "track_auto"
    4.22 "track_motorx"
    4.23 "track_motorx_reverse"
    4.24 "track_motory"
    4.25 "track_motory_reverse"
    4.26 "track_maxx"
    4.27 "track_minx"
    4.28 "track_maxy"
    4.29 "track_miny"
    4.30 "track_homex"
    4.31 "track_homey"
    4.32 "track_iomojo_id"
    4.33 "track_step_angle_x"
    4.34 "track_step_angle_y"
    4.35 "track_move_wait"
    4.36 "track_speed"
    4.37 "track_stepsize"
    4.38 "stream_limit"

5.  New Configuration Options
    5.1 "log_fflevel"
    5.4 "device_tmo"
    5.5 "schedule_params"
    5.6 "cleandir_params"
    5.9 "libcam_device"
    5.10 "libcam_params"
    5.11 "threshold_sdevx"
    5.12 "threshold_sdevy"
    5.13 "threshold_sdevxy"
    5.14 "threshold_ratio"
    5.15 "threshold_ratio_change"
    5.16 "secondary_method"
    5.17 "secondary_params"
    5.18 "static_object_time"
    5.19 "on_secondary_detect"
    5.20 "on_action_user"
    5.21 "on_sound_alert"
    5.23 "movie_retain"
    5.25 "webcontrol_port2"
    5.26 "webcontrol_base_path"
    5.27 "webcontrol_headers"
    5.28 "webcontrol_html"
    5.29 "webcontrol_actions"
    5.30 "webcontrol_lock_script"
    5.31 "stream_preview_params"
    5.32 "stream_preview_ptz"
    5.33 "stream_scan_time"
    5.34 "stream_scan_scale"
    5.35 "sql_event_start"
    5.36 "sql_event_end"
    5.37 "sql_movie_start"
    5.38 "sql_movie_end"
    5.39 "sql_pic_save"
    5.40 "ptz_auto_track"
    5.41 "ptz_wait"
    5.42 "ptz_move_track"
    5.43 "ptz_pan_left"
    5.44 "ptz_pan_right"
    5.45 "ptz_tilt_up"
    5.46 "ptz_tilt_down"
    5.47 "ptz_zoom_in"
    5.48 "ptz_zoom_out"
    5.49 "snd_device"
    5.50 "snd_params"
    5.51 "snd_window"
    5.52 "snd_show"

6.  Renamed Configuration Options
    6.1 "camera_id" replaced with "device_id"
    6.2 "movie_codec" replaced with "movie_container"
    6.3  "video_device" replaced with "v4l2_device"
    6.4  "video_params" replaced with "v4l2_params"
    6.5 "timelapse_codec" replaced with  "timelapse_container"
    6.6 "camera_name" replaced with "device_name"

7.  Configuration Options with changed formats
    7.1 webcontrol_interface changed to text options
    7.2 webcontrol_auth_method  changed to text options
    7.3 stream_preview_method  changed to text options

8.  Technical changes
    8.1 Code has been changed from C to C++
    8.2 Assembler code has been removed.
    8.3 

9. Additional Notes:
    9.1 In prior versions of Motion, if a user had a single camera it permitted the use of only the motion.conf file.  This is no longer supported.  Users must specify at least one camera.conf file in the motion.conf.   

[tosiara]

Would version 5 be backwards compatible with 4.x configs?
What users who updating to version 5 should expect?

[Mr-Dave]

I would say "mostly" backwards compatible. At a minimum, things need to change because the file location changes. (from /etc/motion to /var/lib/motion)

As for expectations of users, it will vary depending upon the user. If you just run motion and don't have scripts changing parameters, checking web control, etc, then I don't think that there is going to be much. (Maybe changing some parameters and paths, specifying a camera file where Motion 4.x didn't require it for a single camera, etc.)

However, if you run on BSD with Brooktree, or run this contraption, use the horrible round-robin functionality or are installing on to a machine that can't run ffmpeg, then it isn't going to work and those users have to stay at 4.7.

Also, the webcontrol changed. Instead of all the various ports for webcontrol and each camera, everything is now via a single port and handled via GET/POST instead of just GETs. So the manipulation of parameter changes as well as the location to see streams is different.

[tosiara]

The main issue I wanted to address was users who installed motion from distro. We probably want to ensure that if they do "apt-get upgrade" the motion does not stop working for them.

[AntiSol]

things need to change because the file location changes. (from /etc/motion to /var/lib/motion)

To clarify, wen you say "things need to change", I think you mean in the software? If users need to move their config files then it seems like that will break for everyone who does an apt-get upgrade, so I hope you don't mean "users need to move their config files"?

[AntiSol]

So the item in the list above which concerns me most is:

Embedded serial port and UVC tracking

But it might not be as big a deal as I thought - am I correct in thinking that this corresponds to values 1 (stepper, "embedded serial port?") and 5 (uvcvideo) for the track_type config item? i.e the other values 2-4 are still available? I'm using the generic tracking mode with a shell script, so I'm happy as long as that's available.

I feel like somebody using options 1 or 5 could probably write a script use the stepper/uvcvideo controls with the generic tracking option.

Is that correct? That would be great news! I was under the impression tracking had disappeared altogether. I'd be very happy to find I was wrong!

[manno-xx]

Just checking:
Some of the text above can be read that Motion 5 is already released ('can be found', 'version 5 includes') and some can be read as it will be released in some near future (and then I'd be happy to wait a little).

Asking because an install using apt-get (as per https://motion-project.github.io/motion_build.html#Install_Apt) gave me version 4.5.1 in the motion.log when I started motion. And I cannot for the life of me find a page begin the Motion 5.0.0 Guide as mentioned above.

[Mr-Dave]

Motion 5.0 is not released. The latest release(4.7.0) as well as all prior can be seen on the releases page. This discussion is a preview of what the release notes would say when 5.0 is released

[manno-xx]

Thanks for the info!
Not to put the pressure on, but do you have an estimate? Weeks, months, this year? Deciding if i want to wait or get 4.x running first and then migrate to 5.

[Mr-Dave]

Pretty sure it would be measured in months. Whether you migrate now, later or not at all really depends upon what you need, how many cameras you have, etc.

[manno-xx]

Thanks!
I have only one camera on a bird feeder. Had MotionPlus running, but messed things up, then saw the repo was archived. Guess I'll try 4.7 for now. :)