The CineMate stack explained#
The layers#
| Layer | What it is | Responsible for | Documented in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor kernel driver | A V4L2 kernel module, selected by a dtoverlay= line in config.txt |
Register writes to the sensor, the readout modes it offers, sensor-specific controls such as ClearHDR | Boot config, Camera sensors and frame rates |
| libcamera | The libcamera camera framework, in Raspberry Pi's fork of it, built here from this project's own fork (Tiramisioux/libcamera, branch cinemate) |
Configuring streams, applying controls such as analogue gain and frame duration, delivering completed frame requests | Manual installation |
| cinepi-raw | A C++ fork of rpicam-apps, built on CinePi RAW |
The capture loop, the CinemaDNG writer, the HDMI and MJPEG previews, and a separate audio-capture process | Recompiling cinepi-raw, CinePi RAW terminal commands |
| Redis | In-memory key-value store with publish/subscribe channels | Holding live state (iso, fps, is_recording, …), carrying control changes down on the cp_controls channel and per-frame stats up on cp_stats |
Redis API, Redis key reference |
| CineMate | A Python program, src/main.py |
All operator surfaces, storage handling, settings, and launching cinepi-raw | Simple GUI, Web GUI, Terminal commands |
What runs as what#
Six systemd units, and the important thing about them is what does not depend on CineMate.
| Unit | What it is |
|---|---|
cinemate-autostart.service |
CineMate itself, started at boot |
redis-server |
The key-value store both programs depend on. Enabled by the installer |
storage-automount.service |
Mounts removable drives, RAW-labelled ones at /media/RAW |
wifi-hotspot.service |
The CinePi access point. Independent of CineMate, so it survives a crash |
cinemate-recovery.service |
A root-run console on port 8080 for a camera that will not start |
redis-log-maintenance.timer |
Keeps the Redis log from filling the root filesystem |
Fore more information on each unit, check System services.