README

Purpose

Research and troubleshooting guide for resolving video issues when using the Logitech Brio webcam on Ubuntu systems, specifically the black screen/dark video problem that occurs when enabling background blur in Google Meet.

Contents

• google-meet-background-blur-dark-screen.md - Comprehensive troubleshooting guide for black screen issues with background blur in Google Meet, including root causes and multiple solution approaches

Key Findings

• Primary Issue: Logitech Brio exhibits black/dark video when background blur is enabled in Google Meet on Ubuntu with Wayland
• Root Cause: WebRTC/PipeWire integration issues in Chrome/Chromium on modern Ubuntu systems with Wayland display server
• Recommended Solution: Enable the enable-webrtc-pipewire-capturer flag in Chrome to properly utilize PipeWire for video capture
• Alternative Approach: Manual exposure control using v4l2-ctl can adjust camera settings when auto-exposure conflicts with background processing
• Hardware Acceleration: Background blur requires hardware acceleration to be enabled in Chrome settings
• Common Mistake: Users often enable the wrong Chrome flag (enable-unsafe-webgpu instead of enable-webrtc-pipewire-capturer)

Quick Start

To Fix the Black Screen Issue:

1. Enable WebRTC PipeWire Support (Most effective):

   • Open Chrome/Chromium and navigate to: chrome://flags/#enable-webrtc-pipewire-capturer
   • Set to “Enabled”
   • Restart browser
   • Test Google Meet with background blur

2. Alternative: Manual Camera Exposure Control:

   # Install v4l utilities
   sudo apt install v4l-utils
   
   # List your camera device
   v4l2-ctl --list-devices
   
   # Disable auto-exposure and set manual values
   v4l2-ctl -d /dev/video0 -c exposure_auto=1
   v4l2-ctl -d /dev/video0 -c exposure_absolute=250

3. Last Resort: Switch to X11:

   • Log out
   • Select “Ubuntu on Xorg” at login screen
   • Log back in

Diagnostic Commands

# Check current camera settings
v4l2-ctl -d /dev/video0 --all

# List all video devices
ls -l /dev/video*

# Determine display server (Wayland or X11)
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

# Check Chrome GPU capabilities
# Navigate to: chrome://gpu/

Related Research

• ubuntu-audio-streaming - Ubuntu multimedia and streaming issues
• chromecast-audio-ubuntu - Chrome-based audio/streaming on Ubuntu
• webgpu - GPU acceleration in web browsers

Sources

• Chrome Flags: chrome://flags/ (WebRTC and PipeWire settings)
• V4L2 (Video4Linux) documentation for camera control
• Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/

Status

• Research Started: 2025-11-16
• System: Ubuntu (Wayland and X11)
• Browser: Chrome/Chromium
• Webcam: Logitech Brio
• Last Updated: 2025-11-24

For detailed troubleshooting steps, error diagnosis, and additional solutions, see google-meet-background-blur-dark-screen.md