32-bit versions of SharpCap - the beginning of the end...
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2025 1:51 pm
Hi folks,
I am posting here to let people know that I intend to stop producing new 32-bit versions of SharpCap at some point in the next few months. At the moment, I produce a 64-bit and 32-bit version of each new update, however...
* My usages statistics suggest that only about 4% of users on recent versions of SharpCap are using the 32-bit version - 96% use 64-bit
* Further analysis suggests that about 80-90% of those using the 32-bit version are using a 64-bit operating system, so could use the 64-bit version - i.e. less than 0.5% of users would be unable to upgrade
* The 64-bit version is more robust (especially for working with high resolution cameras) and noticeably faster
* Compatibility with 32-bit only ASCOM drivers can mostly be maintained via the ASCOM device hub.
* Differences in behaviour between the two versions mean that the 32-bit version can have bugs that are not found in the 64-bit version, and are hard to debug
* It's very unlikely that SharpCap is being run on any CPUs that cannot support a 64-bit operating system - the last of those from the point of desktop chips were models from the early to mid-nougties. There were some low power Intel Atom CPUs with no 64 bit support up to about 2012, but they were slow in their day and would be glacial now.
If you are currently using the 32-bit version of SharpCap, *and* have a good reason not to switch to 64-bit, *and* need to stay up-to-date with recent changes/bugfixes, please post below so that we can explore options and discuss further.
Of course, this is *not* the end of SharpCap in any way at all - I will still be producing new updates to the 64-bit version on a regular basis with new features, improvements and bug fixes.
thanks,
Robin
I am posting here to let people know that I intend to stop producing new 32-bit versions of SharpCap at some point in the next few months. At the moment, I produce a 64-bit and 32-bit version of each new update, however...
* My usages statistics suggest that only about 4% of users on recent versions of SharpCap are using the 32-bit version - 96% use 64-bit
* Further analysis suggests that about 80-90% of those using the 32-bit version are using a 64-bit operating system, so could use the 64-bit version - i.e. less than 0.5% of users would be unable to upgrade
* The 64-bit version is more robust (especially for working with high resolution cameras) and noticeably faster
* Compatibility with 32-bit only ASCOM drivers can mostly be maintained via the ASCOM device hub.
* Differences in behaviour between the two versions mean that the 32-bit version can have bugs that are not found in the 64-bit version, and are hard to debug
* It's very unlikely that SharpCap is being run on any CPUs that cannot support a 64-bit operating system - the last of those from the point of desktop chips were models from the early to mid-nougties. There were some low power Intel Atom CPUs with no 64 bit support up to about 2012, but they were slow in their day and would be glacial now.
If you are currently using the 32-bit version of SharpCap, *and* have a good reason not to switch to 64-bit, *and* need to stay up-to-date with recent changes/bugfixes, please post below so that we can explore options and discuss further.
Of course, this is *not* the end of SharpCap in any way at all - I will still be producing new updates to the 64-bit version on a regular basis with new features, improvements and bug fixes.
thanks,
Robin