Video capture card for private use: several important recommendations.
Video capture card for private use: several important recommendations.
Video capture cards for video surveillance are designed for high-quality processing of images coming from observation nodes. The video capture card is produced in various configurations, differing from each other based on the degree of complexity of the problem solution, functions, purpose, and setup process. When choosing equipment with which to install the video capture card, first of all, you should take several consecutive steps: first, you need to decide on what base the system will operate — PC or MAC– in general, the performance and capabilities of both platforms are almost identical, however, it should be taken into account that the average cost of functionally similar systems for MAC is somewhat higher, as is the cost of technical support. It is optimal if the video capture card is multisystem — it supports PAL, NTSC and SECAM. The PAL version has the least difficulties when connecting to the system. As a rule, video capture cards are manufactured and sold in the following configurations: 1 channel, 2 channels, 4 channels, 8 channels, and, finally, a video capture card for 16 channels. The number of boards can always be increased, based on this, the choice should be made based on the number of video cameras currently installed. Video surveillance boards are among the main components of video recorders. This also includes the processor, memory cards and video cards, a motherboard, and a large hard drive. The boards affect the overall performance of the video surveillance and video recording system. Therefore, when choosing a video capture card with hardware compression, experts recommend evaluating some technical characteristics of the system as a whole. Next, you should determine the type of video signal the card will work with: S-VHS, DV standard, supporting the standard IEEE 1394 FireWare interface. There are two ways to input digital data into the computer: use (in addition to the video surveillance card) a separate FireWare interface card In this case, to access the video material, you must first input the video data from the camera to the computer via a digital channel, and then convert it to a format convenient for the planned video surveillance card. This configuration is well suited for those who already have a video capture card.
Non-linear editing
The second way is — purchase a video capture card that already has a FireWare interface and can directly work in DV format, i.e. perform input/output and non-linear editingin this format, one of the positive aspects is that it does not require conversion and recompression. The audio properties of the video capture card are also important: if you choose a «budget» option, you will need to use a separate sound card to digitize the sound, which is present in most computers. However, problems with synchronization of sound and video may arise. You can eliminate this problem by finding out which sound card the existing video capture card works with the highest quality. When installing a video capture card, you should find out what type of hard drives this card will provide the performance you need with. The fact is that some cards, especially those with a built-in controller, are capable of functioning well only with strictly defined disks. To install a video capture card, non-linear editing is required. This may require a video editing package. Depending on the effects you need, you can choose the video editing package that is optimal for your purposes. How reliably the video capture system will work also depends on the computer keyboard. The keyboard connects the video surveillance system to complex inaccessible devices. When working with the keyboard, it is not enough to know how to extract a letter or number. A user who does not know the system well enough is a factor that reduces its reliability. It is also worth paying attention to the ability to access the surveillance system via remote access.