Oreon

I'm Trying to hook up a security Camera in our Office and run it to a computer through an S-Video input, so that it can be accessed at any time.
So we were recommended this video card: PNY GeForce4 Mx440

Based on the Information about this card it looks like the S-video is an output only. Then when I tried to find some other video cards online I was able to really find any card that had a TV Input. So I thought maybe I'm still ok.

I'm just not sure what my next step is. Do I need to find some software for this thing to capture video, or to Stream it? or do I need a new Video Card? The Security camera was a Swann DIY (Do it yourself) Security Camera and didn't come with any PC Software because it was designed to pretty much run straight to a TV. The Video Card doesn't seem to have any other software on it either.

Is there simply a better way I should go about this?

Thanks

pixelbend

Are you really stuck on that camera? We have been looking at some options for this and I am really starting to like the idea of the cc cameras with the ethernet out. they have a built-in web server so all you have to do is point a browser at it's IP and bam, you're online from anywhere on the lan.

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Oreon

Wow that sounds like a pretty cool feature. I may have to run with that idea.
However I know I'm gonna have to troubleshoot this problem first before I can do that.

guthmund

Well, I ran a PNY Geforce MX440 (or maybe it was the 420...?)in my machine up until about 6 months ago.

As far as I know (I never really tinkered around with that way) the S-video is output only.

I've still got the card and, I think, all of the stuff that came with it tucked away somewhere....I'll try to dig it up over the weekend and see what's what.

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shakran

most if not all vidcard Svideo ports will be output only.

Now, if you have a COAX output that outputs a standard video signal, then you should be able to get a TV card to work with it.

cyrnel

Oreon,

Those Swann cameras are of varying quality. They sell quite a few models and often switch guts. You may still find identifying marks on the camera which could point you to a lower cost source. Really, the choice should be based on required field of view, distance, light levels, and money (good 1/3" ccd or cheap CMOS). Then pick an interface depending on if it's networked or providing a raw signal to something smart.

Will this be production surveillance or just testing?
You only want one camera? Will the PC be dedicated?

I haven't had great luck with PC add-on solutions. One camera will work but the software is awkward. If it crashes you don't capture, and may not even know it's down. Easy for the PC to be wasted. You may be better off with one of the many Ethernet/WiFi cameras, as pixelbend mentioned. Plug it in and go. Site monitoring doesn't scale well beyond single cameras but they're neat for simplicity.

The low-end DVR boxes aren't great either. Each exchange benefits & problems. The best easy solution I've found is ~$400-500 for a mid-range DVR. They're self-contained multiple input boxes the size of a component cd player.

- ~$400-500 handles 1-4 cameras, RCA or BNC. 1-16 available, admin sw treats them as a group.
- Records all detected motion at up to 60fps
- Can trigger alarms or other devices, or be triggered by sensors
- Review & record simultaneously
- Easy marking and output to tape
- Remote viewing
- Simple HD exchange - pseudo-tapes
- They typically employ image watermarking to help video stand up in court.

The best part is they just run. It's a controlled working appliance with predictable buttons and remote control. Nobody installs hardware or software that takes it down. Much more reliable for surveillance than PC's. (of course, inside it's a PC running *nix, but then so is TiVO.)

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guthmund

It was a GeForce MX420 and it's output only...

Newegg has a couple of cheap ones with s-video in for about $40-50, if that helps.

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Mbnfc

Webcam(s) + Active Webcam = solution??