New Hardware

PlayerOne filter wheels are now fully supported on all platforms.

AstroDMx Capture 2.16.2 includes a complete native implementation of Player One filter wheel support on Linux (x86-64 and ARM), macOS (x86-64 and ARM64), and Windows, providing reliable device detection, slot control, and seamless integration with existing capture workflows.

If a filter wheel is connected, the slots can be changed from the drop-down menu, Filter Wheels (Native) and also from the capture control window. INDI filter wheels can be connected from the controls on the left-hand side of the main window.

Minor UI changes

Improved cooler readouts for better at-a-glance visibility.

The camera cooler temperature and power readouts have been updated with larger, clearer displays, making it easier to monitor cooling performance at a glance during capture sessions.

Logging Improvements

The internal logging system has been updated to provide clearer, more consistent output, which will assist me if I need to analyse problems.

Notable Bug Fixes

QHY camera TEC control improvements.

Improvements have been made to the TEC (cooling) control logic for QHY cameras, resulting in more reliable and predictable thermal behaviour.

SDK Updates

The following third-party camera and device SDKs have been updated in this release:

• QHY SDK
• Atik SDK
• Altair SDK
• Touptek SDK
• Player One SDK
• ZWO Camera SDK
• ZWO Filter Wheel SDK

Version 2 maintenance status.

AstroDMx Capture version 2 continues to be in maintenance-only mode, as previously announced.

This release represents an exception, allowing key fixes, updated SDKs, and additional hardware support to be included while primary development continues on the version 3 rewrite.

For more information about version 3, please see this article.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.16.2) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release Notes for 2.16.2 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

AstroDMx Capture Version 2 (the current wxWidgets-based codebase) is now entering maintenance-only mode.

Over the past months, I’ve been working on a major rewrite of AstroDMx Capture, porting the application to the Qt6 framework. This decision was made to address a number of long-standing issues in Version 2, particularly incompatibilities with Wayland based Linux desktops, and to create a cleaner, more modern, and scalable foundation for future development.

What this means for users

• Version 2 will continue to receive occasional maintenance updates, mainly for critical bug fixes and SDK updates.
• Releases will not be as frequent as before, and no new features will be added to Version 2.
• Active development is now focused on AstroDMx Capture Version 3 (Qt6-based), which will bring:
  • Full support for modern Linux desktops (including Wayland).
  • A redesigned, modular, and more maintainable UI.
  • Detachable controls that can be floated or reorganised.
  • A much improved histogram engine, also detachable and resizable arbitrarily.
  • Many other significant UI improvements designed for flexibility and ease of use.
  • Improved performance and scalability across all supported platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS).

About promised new features

I know many users have been looking forward to new functionality such as live stacking, guider control, auto-focus, and a full sequencer. These features remain firmly on the roadmap. However, due to the urgency of the Qt6 port, their development has been put on hold until the new foundation is complete. Once Version 3 is stable and released, work will continue on these features.

Looking ahead

AstroDMx Capture Version 3 is under active development and will take some time before it’s ready for public release. In the meantime, Version 2 remains fully usable and will be supported through critical updates as needed.

I’d like to thank everyone who continues to support AstroDMx Capture, and I look forward to sharing more news on Version 3 shortly.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.15.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release Notes for 2.15.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

Automatic glibc Detection & Optimised Dependencies

The Linux installers for x86-64 and ARM have been improved to automatically detect the target system’s glibc version. Based on this, the installer selects and installs the most optimised dependencies, ensuring better compatibility and performance across different Linux distributions.

Bug Fixes & Enhancements

Sexagesimal RA/DEC Conversion Issue

A bug in the sexagesimal conversion of RA and DEC coordinates has been fixed. Previously, certain coordinates could incorrectly add ‘60’ in the arc-minutes or arc-seconds to the FITS metadata fields, causing issues when loading images into some processing applications. This issue has now been resolved, ensuring accurate coordinate representation in FITS files.

SDK Updates & Camera Compatibility

Several camera SDKs have been updated to improve compatibility, stability, and performance across supported hardware:

• SVBONY SDK
• PlayerOne SDK
• Altair Camera SDK
• OmegonPro SDK
• Touptek SDK
• StarshootG SDK (Linux & macOS)
• RisingCam SDK (Linux & macOS)
• Mallincam SDK (Linux & macOS)
• Bresser SDK (Linux & macOS)

ChromeOS Support

Support for AstroDMx Capture on ChromeOS has been discontinued due to compatibility issues with the Crostini virtualisation environment. The application’s reliance on low-level camera access is not now properly supported within Crostini, leading to performance, stability and usability issues.

The Crostini environment has always been problematic but, due to recent changes made by Google, it is no longer possible to stream cameras at an acceptable resolution. It may be possible to stream at a low resolution (800×600 for example) but this is an unacceptable limitation. As a result, further development and support for ChromeOS have been halted.

The downloads for previous versions will remain on this site for now but will be removed in due course.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.13.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release Notes for 2.14.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

We’ve expanded hardware compatibility with the addition of three new SVBONY cameras:

• SVBONY SC715C
• SVBONY SV305C PRO
• SVBONY SV905C2

These cameras are now fully supported, bringing more options for astrophotographers.

New Features & Enhancements

16-bit Auto Stretch Transform

A new 16-bit auto stretch transform has been added, improving real-time image display for high bit depth captures. This option can be found under the “Controls: Preview” control group and is non-destructive. This means that this functionality does not affect the saved data.

Native Apple Silicon Support for QHY Cameras

QHY cameras now run natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4), eliminating the need for Rosetta translation and enhancing performance.

User Interface Changes

The user interface for Mounts, Focuser Devices, Filter Wheels, and INDI Cameras has been redesigned to improve usability. These changes enhance workflow efficiency and provide a more intuitive experience.

If you’re upgrading from a previous version, please check the updated UI layout to familiarize yourself with the new design.

SDK Updates

To ensure the best camera performance and support for the latest cameras, we’ve updated multiple camera SDKs:

• SVBONY SDK
• Touptek SDK
• ZWO SDK
• Atik SDK
• OGMA SDK
• PlayerOne SDK
• OmegonPro SDK
• QHY SDK (includes firmware updates for Linux users)

Significant Internal Refactoring

This release includes major internal refactoring of the legacy codebase for advanced controls, specifically Mounts, Focusers, Filter Wheels, and non-native cameras. These changes enhance maintainability, performance, and long-term scalability.

While this refactor does not introduce visible new features, it lays the groundwork for future improvements. Additional refactoring is currently in progress and will be included in a future release.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.12.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release Notes: 2.12.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

This feature release of AstroDMx Capture introduces new functionality along with performance improvements that should increase frame rates for lower-spec computers when streaming from colour cameras requiring debayering. It also addresses some bugs reported since the release of version 2.9.7.

Preview Display

The preview display code has been completely rewritten, primarily to support new features for the next major release of AstroDMx Capture (version 3). A beneficial side-effect of this rewrite is an improvement in frame rates for low-spec computers when streaming from colour cameras that require debayering. This has been achieved by processing the debayering operations in a separate thread, helping to eliminate bottlenecks introduced by the debayering process.

• The use of low spec computers with high resolution cameras is not recommended.

During the operation of AstroDMx Capture, the user may see text on the preview screen. Previously, this text was displayed in yellow, but depending on the brightness of the background, it could be difficult to read. The informational text now has a black background, ensuring it remains visible even if the preview display is white.

DMx White Balance

AstroDMx Capture has included a feature called “DMx White Balance” for quite some time. In this release, the function has been enhanced with additional white balance algorithms. The supported algorithms are Simple, Greyworld, and Leaning. Greyworld is the default, but depending on the nature of the object being imaged, the feature may perform better with either Simple or Leaning. The new controls can be found in the Controls: Preview Controls group.

The hyperbolic stretch feature in AstroDMx Capture is designed to map high bit-depth streams to the 8-bit preview screen and has been part of AstroDMx for some time. This release improves the user interface for this feature, including the ability to type values directly as well as use sliders.

Flat Field and Dark Frame Calibration

AstroDMx has long supported real-time frame calibration for either the preview screen (leaving the saved data untouched) or both the preview screen and saved data. Previously, for colour cameras, this feature required the use of “Full Debayer.” In this version, it is now possible to calibrate the preview screen even when not saving fully debayered (RGB) image data. This is useful for situations where a camera produces significant amp glow, and the user prefers not to see the amp glow on the preview, while leaving the saved data untouched.

Reported Bugs

Cameras that do not operate in exposure units of microseconds were not handled correctly, causing the exposure countdown indicator to sometimes display incorrectly. This was purely a UI related issue and did not affect the operation of the cameras. This has been fixed in version 2.10.1.

When connecting to Altair cameras with specific resolutions, a crash could occur. This issue has also been fixed in version 2.10.1.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.10.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release notes for 2.10.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

IMPORTANT: 2.9.5 replaces the recently released 2.9.4.

Version 2.9.5 is a maintenance release of AstroDMx Capture that fixes a few bugs reported since the release of 2.9.1. In addition to this, the diagnostic reporting system has been significantly improve.

Diagnostic System

AstroDMx has featured a diagnostic reporting system for many years. However, due to certain issues, it has not always been possible to analyse the information produced by the diagnostics. The latest version introduces a new diagnostic system that will generate significantly more information in the event of a crash.

In the unlikely event that AstroDMx crashes, the user will see a detailed window displaying key information along with a stack trace. This information will also be saved to the user’s desktop. The following screenshot shows what this message will look like.

The user can email the stack trace saved on the desktop or copy and paste the information displayed in the crash report. The hexadecimal addresses in the report will assist the software developers in analysing and debugging the problem.

General

Version 2.9.1 underwent a complete rewrite of the ToupTek camera code. Unfortunately, this resulted in a minor bug resulting in an erroneous error message. This bug has been fixed. In addition to this, various SDKs have been updated.

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.9.5) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release Notes: 2.9.5 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

Version 2.9.1 of AstroDMx Capture is a feature release which introduces several new functions together with various improvements and optimisations for existing functionality. For a definitive list, please see the changelog.

ToupTek Derived Cameras

• Altair
• OmegonPro
• Orion StarshootG
• Risingcam
• OGMA
• Mallincam (Linux and macOS only)
• Bresser (Linux and macOS only)

The entire native implementation for ToupTek Derived cameras has been completely rewritten and several new controls have been added. The new implementation should yield faster frame rates for short exposure work as well as improved stability. The new controls are as follows:

• Low Noise Mode: This mode is switched on by default. Turning this control off will, in many cases, significantly increase the frame rates as the expense of adding a little noise to the image data.
• High Full-Well: This mode is off by default, if switched on, it should increase the dynamic range of the camera.
• Taillights: This control will turn on of off the camera’s tell-tail lights.

NOTE: The controls detailed above will only show if they are supported by the camera in use and can be found under the “Controls: Camera” control group.

Two additional ToupTek derived cameras, Mallincam and Bresser, have been implemented natively on Linux and macOS. These cameras should work under Windows but will have to fallback to the ToupTek driver.

INDI

INDI Cameras

The INDI camera implementation has had a number of improvements and bug fixes that should make using INDI cameras easier. On previous versions of AstroDMx Capture, most of the camera’s controls (excluding thermal and exposure controls) were located on the left-had side under “Controls: Camera (Non-Native)“.

As of 2.9.1, many of the usual controls, such as Gain and Offset can now be found on the right-hand side (just as they would be if connecting natively) but this is dependent upon the driver being used. Specifically, this has been tested with ToupTek and SVBONY cameras.

If the driver being used does not supported this functionality, then the camera controls will be found on the left-hand side as usual.

INDI Mounts

There have been improvements to the mount nudge functionality. Previous versions of AstroDMx allowed the mount to be nudged North, East, South and West. This version introduces nudge buttons that allow the mount to be nudged North-East, North-West, South-East and South West.

In addition to the nudge functionality, there is a new mount sync function. This function can be found under the “Controls: Mount” control group. The idea behind this function is to improve GOTO accuracy when it is not possible to plate solve. Once the Sync function has been activated, the application will take the current pointing position and the object’s position and workout the difference between the two. This difference is then be applied to additional GOTOs which should compensate for alignment error and produce more accurate slews.

INDI Configurator

The INDI Configurator has been completely rewritten. This in preparation of the upcoming INDIGO implementation.

Other Changes

Camera Exposure Settings

It is now possible to enter exposure settings with floating point precision. For example, the user can now enter 3.25ms (for 3250 milliseconds), 1.5s (for 1 and a half seconds) or 1.2m (for 1 minute and 12 seconds). Indeed, any combination of these values can be entered, unless requesting exposures in microsecond units.

User Interface

Several versions ago, AstroDMx Capture introduced a busy indicator to show the user that something is happening that could potentially take some time to complete. Unfortunately, this indicator could get in the way of other controls. The busy indicator in this version is shown near the bottom of the application window to reduce the possibility of this happening again.

Removed Functionality (Linux Build)

AstroDMx Capture’s lineage comes from Linux and right from the outset, it had a special AVI output format specifically optimised for Registax 5 and 6 running under Wine. As Registax usage as waned over the years, this functionality has been removed.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.9.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release notes for 2.9.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

This version of AstroDMx Capture is a feature release which introduces a new implementation for macOS UVC cameras together with other improvements and minor features.

macOS – UVC camera support

The previous versions of AstroDMx Capture for macOS supported UVC cameras (webcams etc) via a low-level USB interface that required the user to terminate a process by using the terminal before the camera could be connected. This version has a vastly improved UVC implementation that, instead of process termination, asks the user for permission to access the camera hardware.

The new UVC implementation has improved support for the SVBONY SV205C camera, however, due to a problem with camera’s firmware, it will only work when connected to a USB2 port. This can be achieved by using a USB2 hub or by plugging directly into a USB2 port if one exists on the computer. SVBONY has been informed about this problem, so hopefully there will be a firmware update to fix this problem soon.

The old USB implementation of UVC cameras is still available for backwards compatibility.

Crash Handling and Reporting

In the unlikely event that AstroDMx crashes, a message now appears that shows a stack trace that will help the developer to more accurately diagnose the problem. This option is enabled by default and will only show if a critical error occurs. Such errors can be segmentation faults, mathematical errors (division by zero etc) or other forced termination errors.

This message can be screenshot and then sent to the developer for analysis. In addition to this, a longer stack trace is written to the log file if the application is run in debugging mode

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.8.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release notes for AstroDMx Capture 2.8.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

This is a feature release of AstroDMx Capture that implements full support for the upcoming SVONY SC432M Solar Camera as well as other minor features and bug fixes.

SVBONY SC432M Solar Camera

The SVBONY SC432M camera is designed specifically for solar imaging but our tests show that it is adaptable to lunar imaging and possibly deep sky work. It uses the Sony IMX432 global shutter sensor with large 9µm pixels which makes it ideal for long focal length telescopes. The camera is very sensitive and is proving to be a capable addition to the SVBONY range of cameras.

The following are some images that we captured while testing the implementation of this camera.

Refinements

Long exposure progress indicator

The long exposure progress indicator has been improved for Microsoft Windows. Previously, the indicator could be out by several seconds, but in version 2.7.1, the indicator is now highly accurate.

Refined auto-exposure function

ZWO users can now benefit from a controllable auto-exposure and auto-gain control. Once auto-exposure or auto-gain is activated, the user will see an additional control which locks the automatically calculated value to an upper limit.

• This limit is set by the user and can be found under the “Controls: Camera” control group.

The developer of AstroDMx Capture does not advocate the use of automatic controls. It is far better to manually specify gain and exposure values, however, this could be useful, for example, when imaging the Sun during an eclipse.

Currently, this function is limited to ZWO cameras. It may be possible to add this functionality for other cameras in the future.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.7.1) can be found on the main downloads page.

Please note: All version 1 releases of AstroDMx Capture have now been removed from this website in order to save space on the VPS (Virtual Private Server).

The post Release notes for AstroDMx 2.7.1 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.

This is a feature release of AstroDMx Capture that introduces several new functions together with native support for Apple Silicon (ARM64) computers. In addition to this, there are SDK updates, various bug fixes and other improvements.

Apple Silicon

Version 2.6.3 introduces a native build for Apple Silicon computers. At the current time, this build supports cameras that have native Apple Silicon SDKs. The list of supported cameras is as follows:

• SVBONY
• DSLRs
• Altair
• Touptek
• OGMA
• PlayerOne
• UVC (Web cams)

If you are Apple user and your camera is not listed above, then you should download the build for x86-64 and run it using Rosetta.

Significant New Features

A number of new features have been implemented for this release.

SVBONY: Bad Pixel Correction

SVBONY has added a bad pixel correction function into its SDK and this functionality has been implemented in this release.

After connecting to an SVBONY camera, you should notice the new functions under the “Controls: Camera” category located on the right hand side of the main UI. Depending upon the camera used, this will either just show a checkbox to active the functionality or both a checkbox and a slider. The slider can be used to alter the severity of the correction. This function is active by default.

IMPORTANT: This functionality does not exist on the SV105 or the SV205.

Plate Solver Functions

It is now possible to specify a path to the ASTAP star database. This allows for the ASTAP command line program to be in a different directory (folder) than the corresponding star databases. This function can be found in the setup UI for ASTAP.

It is now possible to automatically reduce the size of the image that is uploaded to Astrometry.net. Many high resolution astronomy cameras produce very large files which can take a long time to upload over an Internet connection. This function reduces the size of the image which allows for a faster upload to astrometry.net and faster solves. The image size is controlled by a percentage slider and can be found under the setup UI for Astrometry.net.

Disk Space Information

AstroDMx Capture now informs the user of the amount of disk space available for captures. This information is reported in the status bar (at the very bottom of the main window), in the log window and on the capture dialog box.

In addition to this, warning messages are shown in the log window if disk space is becoming critical.

Stability Features

Previously, if a camera had a glitch, it could cause AstroDMx to lockup on exit or when changing pixel formats/resolutions. If this happened, it would need the user to manually kill the application. The reason for such lockups were caused by threads becoming “stuck” in an SDK function call. Fortunately, this didn’t happen often but could be more common with specific camera types or even faulty USB cables/ports.

This version now has a monitor that detects such anomalies and, if a block is found, AstroDMx force-terminates the offending thread before handing control back to the user. This should completely remote the possibility of AstroDMx locking up due to camera SDK problems.

If such a problem is detected, the user is shown a message indicating that processing is active and asked to wait.

macOS UI

There have been changes to improve the visual appearance of the macOS user interface. This is specifically associated with the borders that group related controls. Most of the user interface has been improved but there are still some dialog boxes that are still to be done.

For more information about the changes, please see the changelog.

Previous Release (2.5.1)

As the release notes were never published for the previous version, here is a summary of what was changed.

• Added a warning message to inform the user if plate solves were attempted with an exposure greater than 20 seconds. This warning message is a yes/no question. If answering “Yes” then the user can continue to solve at that exposure. Answering “No” cancels the request and allows the user to change the exposure.
• Bug fixes to correct plate solving problems when attempting to solve very near to zero right ascension.

For more information about the changes, please see the changelog.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.6.3) can be found on the main downloads page.

The post Release notes for 2.6.3 first appeared on AstroDMx Capture.