Question abt. CCTV

[pjay]

I have an old laptop, and a good desktop computer that I'd like to use one or the other to hardwire 2 cameras to. I remember reading once that there's a card you can get to put in a laptop, but several people had ordered the card and then found out it didn't work with their computer processor. Does anyone know how to do this? I've been just using several camcorders set up in rooms, but I'd really like a camera setup that would record right to the computer at investigations. Just don't want to buy stuff only to find out it won't work.

[Darren]

Hi Pjay,

It's always good to check the computer meets (or ideally exceeds) the minimum requirements set out in the product specifications before buying. Since you're looking at 2 cameras you'll need a rate of at least 50 (PAL) or 60 (NTSC) frames per second which is divided among the cameras, giving you the ideal 25/30 fps (PAL/NTSC) for recording in real time. Most devices will provide a minimum of 4 camera inputs so keep that in mind too - four cameras would need a board with a rate of 100/120 fps (PAL/NTSC) to record all cameras in real time.

When looking at the frame rate manufacturers will often give two specs - the viewing frame rate and the recording frame rate. Quite often the viewing frame rate is real time (25/30 fps on each camera) but the recording rate will be less. So look for the RECORDING rate in the specs - it will either say something like "real time recording on each camera", 4 x 25fps (PAL), or will give a total figure which is divided between connected cameras (eg 240fps).
Example - we wanted to run a minimum of 8 cameras so required a board with 240fps (8 x 30 fps).

Other specs worth checking are the resolution - making sure the size of the recorded file is as required and the file format is one which you are happy with. Some products will not work with certain video boards/processors, I would hope that such issues will appear in the product specs or user manual. It's always good to google specific models you have in mind to see if anyone has reported problems with it.

You've stated the laptop is an old one so I'd be extra careful to ensure specs are compatible. A popular option for laptops is the USB DVR units. Usually frame rates are low but may be all you need. These can also be used on desktop computers. In most cases the DVR boards for desktop computers are the cheapest way to create a computer based DVR unit. Other than that there's the standalone systems.

Hope this is of some assistance PJ

[pjay]

The laptop is 6 years old. I just remember some discussion on some list or board that mentioned some video cards weren't compatible with some kind of processors. Wish I knew where I saw it.