Add Intel IPU6 and libcamera support via GStreamer integration #1032
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Add GStreamer Integration for Modern Camera Support (Intel IPU6, libcamera)
🎯 Problem Solved
Modern laptops with Intel IPU6 cameras are incompatible with Howdy because they rely on the libcamera stack and don't provide stable V4L2 devices for OpenCV. This locks out a growing number of users with newer hardware.
✨ Solution
This PR introduces optional GStreamer integration that allows Howdy to work with any camera supported by GStreamer/libcamera:
🔧 How It Works
use_gstreamer = truein config🧪 Testing
Tested extensively on:
test_gstreamer.py)📚 Documentation
Comprehensive setup guide included in
GSTREAMER_INTEGRATION.mdcovering:🔄 Backward Compatibility
🎉 Impact
Enables Howdy compatibility with modern laptop cameras, expanding hardware support significantly without affecting existing users.