Recording cctv on a pc ?

[ronan]

Does any of the computer wizards among you know if i can connect cctv cameras like the ones available from maplin etc to a normal desktop pc ? I have a few cameras i used to have connected directly to an old portable telly but would love to have it recording on a harddrive as there have been a good few break ins in the area recently.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Best to buy a tv recorder ie the ones you hook up to a tv and record programs.

These have a hardrive installed and can record longer than a pc will,pc's tend to drop a few frames per every 50mb's.

Look on ebay for a cheapie,I bought one specifically for the said purpose,these where going cheap because they couldn't record two different channels ie they could only record 1 channel continuosly.

Let me see if they're still available?

 

[mike 109444]

Hi ronan. You are probley better off pickingup a cheepie DVD/HD recorder with suitable inputs to match your cctv cameras. By the time you get the card for your pc, and software. Set it all up and find your pc is to slow or becomes to slow dealing with the camera data . Maplins did do a cctv box, maybe a bit to pricey though . Look in Asda, Argos, Aldi, Lidi ect for cheepy DVD/HD recorder. BTW do you realy want to watch the Sh**'s going off with your stuff ?
Mike in south Bristol

 

[rtbcomp]

Yes, you can get video capture cards with multiple inputs, just make sure they're compatible with your cameras, usually they're composite video. Look on Ebay for the cards and cameras. Also CPC do a good range of CCTV stuff.

Then download something like http://www.videomonitor.biz/

or

http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Nope can't find the seller? anyway I did find an 160gb recorder with two scart sockets one in one out so you'd have to buy a scart with composite in for the camera.

There are other cheapos but I got fed up lookin...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wharfedale-DV...ideo_DVDPlayers_Recorders&hash=item19c5e273fb

 

[ronan]

Well the reason i wanted to use the desktop is i rarely use it anymore and i was talking to the local crime prevention officer recently , he reckons things like cameras and alarms do actually deter the scum from breaking in , they go and find somewhere else.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

your pc is to slow or becomes to slow dealing with the camera data

Its not only that,the HD has to be huge because raw data grabs eat the HD space ie 10 minutes takes up 1 gig of HD space.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

the local crime prevention officer recently , he reckons things like cameras and alarms do actually deter the scum from breaking in , they go and find somewhere else.

Thats a load of bull for a start,tell him they do wear balaclavas to protect themselves from being recognised.

 

[ronan]

Cheers georgie, i'll look into what you were saying about the hd recorder , seems to be the way to go.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

These are the type of cards for the PC,but be aware you get what you pay for and as I stated it eats HD space fast,the lower the price the poorer the quality.

If you do take this route? make sure it comes with multipul camera software.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=...kw=cctv&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1311

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

seems to be the way to go.

It is, reason being I've gone the PC way and it was a terrible way to record the videoing of the cameras.

So went with the TV recorder as it was cheap and no need to get rid of my portable TV.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

I would look through the listings there,as there are better models ie Sony,Panasonic,Hitachi,Toshiba,Samsung...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SAMSUNG-DVD-S...ideo_DVDPlayers_Recorders&hash=item415a15cbed

 

[rtbcomp]

Its not only that,the HD has to be huge because raw data grabs eat the HD space ie 10 minutes takes up 1 gig of HD space.

A half-hour TV program (Dad's Army, 28/5/2011) takes up 669,236 Kb, I make that 0.7 GB.

Given that CCTV is lower resolution and you can take freeze frame instead of continuous video or even only start recording when motion is detected I reckon that a spare PC is a good way to go. You can even use it to send the data to a website so you can view the video remotely.

 

[gavuk]

hard drives are cheap as chips ....i have one of these well cheap....video capture....connected to a wireless 2.4 camera...works ok for a budget

 

[Robotstar5]

I've got a Synology NAS drive and one of it's options is video recording from networked cameras

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

A half-hour TV program (Dad's Army, 28/5/2011) takes up 669,236 Kb, I make that 0.7 GB.

Now can you post a screen grab and lets see the quality?

To have quality we need a digital recorder and a camera to go with it ie anything below 640 lines will be poor and anything below 320 lines will not be worth a blow on a ragmans trumpet.

 

[rtbcomp]

This is a snapshot just before the program started. The MPG was played back using VLC Media Player and the JPG has not been retouched in any way.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Whats the capture card? model or make?

 

[rtbcomp]

It's a digital TV card

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

It's a digital TV card

Well yer it would be,it being a pc card lol...ecl my old Pinnicle was a TV card but it was poor in quality for capturing and kept dropping frames.

Worked out to buy a good capture card above £70 I might as well go the HD video recorder route ie 7 days recording none stop.