Upgrading From Older Version

If you are upgrading from motion 3.0.X or from an older version of 3.1.X you should note that many options have been removed from version 3.1.13 and forward and many new have arrived. You still have most of the old features. The options have been changed for two reasons. New more flexible features and to simplify getting started with Motion. With 3.2.1 the changes are significant. You should also note these major differences.

• The use of thread files has completely changed. Read the section "The Config Files" carefully.
• The mask file format has changed. Read the section about "Mask File"
• Pre_capture feature introduced in 3.1.12
• Advanced filename feature enables very flexible filename definitions (3.1.13)
• onffmpegclose options enables running external scripts when mpeg file is closed (3.1.13)
• despeckle feature improves motion detection and noise immunity (3.1.13)
• Minimum_motion_frames feature prevents short noise events from being saved (3.1.14)
• If you use the database features you need to note that from version 3.1.15 and forward the fields have been redefined. Removed are second, minute, hour, day, month and year. Instead these six have been replaced by a real timestamp field called time_stamp. The relatively new field 'type' has been renamed to 'file_type' to avoid reserved SQL words. A new field 'text_left' has been added which stores the text given by the config option text_left. And last a field called 'camera' has been added which stores the thread number.
• From 3.1.15 the ffmpeg feature now also supports mpeg4 and msmpeg4. The build process of Motion now use ffmpeg libraries as shared libraries. The --with-libavcodec has been replaced by a --with-ffmpeg which only needed to specify if you are installing ffmpeg from sources in a non-standard location. If you have installed ffmpeg from sources already you will need to rebuild by running (from within the ffmpeg source file root) ./configure --enable-shared followed by make and make install. If you had installed ffmpeg from a binary RPM or deb you probably don't have to do anything.
• Rotate feature was introduced in 3.1.15
• Berkeley mpeg feature has been removed in 3.1.18 (use ffmpeg - it is much better)
• Incomplete prediction feature was removed in 3.1.18. (lack of interest in finishing it)
• Smart Mask feature introduced in 3.1.18
• output_normal can now also have the value "first" which means only save first jpg from each event (3.1.18)
• ffmpeg-0.4.9 is now supported. Motion detection mpegs can no longer be saved as mpeg1 (ffmpeg does not support non-standard framerates in 0.4.9) (3.1.18)
• Motion now supports most (not all) mjpeg streaming cameras (3.1.18).
• output_normal can now have values "first" or "best". It is used when you need to present a link to an mpeg movie shown as a single jpeg image. "First" saves the first picture frame in the new event. "Best" saves the picture frame with most motion content (most changed pixels) when the event is over. "on" still saves all motion detection picture frames plus pre and post captured images. With "best" you can set jpeg_filename = "preview" and it gets the same filename as the mpeg file but with extension .jpg. Option "locate" can also take the value "preview" which makes it only draw a rectangel on the jpeg but not on the mpeg movie. (3.2.1)
• The xmlrpc remote control interface is replaced by a much nicer http remote control interface. (3.2.1)
• All the options that calls external programs have been made much more generic. New onxxxx options have been added. Execute, sms and mail have been replaced by the generic on_event_start. (3.2.1)
• New setup mode makes setting all the detection options much easier.
• netcam now also supports proxies (3.2.2) and ftp (3.2.4)
• text on the pictures can be set to double size (3.2.2)
• Tracking with Logitech Sphere/Orbit improved (3.2.4)
• SQL database feature is now fully configurable so you can control which fields you have in the database.
• Many new conversion specifiers have been added which can be used both in filenames, commands, text, and SQL database features (3.2.2-3.2.4)
• Stepper motor tracking feature extended to also include a Y axis (3.2.5)
• ffmpeg_filename has been renamed to movie_filename to prepare for alternative implementation to mpeg files made with ffmpeg (3.2.5)
• New feature: ffmpeg_deinterlace which can de-interlace using the ffmpeg libs (3.2.5)
• New feature: minimum_frame_time which enables Motion to run at frame rates below 2. minimum_gap feature was removed since this was useless and the new minimum_frame_time feature replaces it with much better function. (3.2.7)
• New feature: process_id_file which writes a PID file when started and removes it when stopped (3.2.7)
• V4L2 support with many new supported palettes : V4L2_PIX_FMT_SBGGR8, V4L2_PIX_FMT_SN9C10X, V4L2_PIX_FMT_JPEG, V4L2_PIX_FMT_UYVY (3.2.8)
• ffmpeg_video_codec allow swf (3.2.8)
• V4L2 fix support for : V4L2_PIX_FMT_MJPEG (3.2.9)
• ffmpeg_video_codec allow flv and ffv1(3.2.9)
• v4l2_palette: allow to choose preferable palette to be use by motion to capture from those supported by your videodevice.
• netcam_http: setup keep_alive , 1.1 or 1.0 http method to be used by netcam.
• on_camera_lost: Command to be executed when a camera can't be opened or if it is lost.
• AreaDetect, on_area_detected: Command to be executed by area_detect trigger.
• ConfigOptionNetcamTolerantCheck , netcam_tolerant_check less strict jpeg checks for network cameras with a poor/buggy firmware ( 3.2.11 ).

The table below shows the new options in the left column, and obsolete options in the right column. If the there are options on both sides in a row it means that the options in the left column replaced the options in the right column.

-- AngelCarpintero - 06 Nov 2007