[mdlug] Best Linux rig for capturing frames from analog video?

[Michael Mikowski]

Thanks Aaron, that was my guess too (see my earlier post).  A digital cam would also reduce complexity and improve reliability.

David:

ZoneMinder is the Linux software I was thinking of earlier.  Google it for details.  I don't know if I'd trust the Reds, but they claim to support Linux: http://felenasoft.com/xeoma/en/

Here is a link to high-def bullet cameras: http://www.cu1.com/ipbullets.html.  These usually plugin (or transmit wirelessly) to a base and can be set to take snapshots at regular intervals (say once per minute).  The one we have is wireless.  I looked at hooking it up to my Linux box, but never had a compelling reason - I just dropped the SD card into my reader every few weeks to do a backup.

I know these all cost money, but they might very well be the least expensive option in the end.  To Aaron's point, here is a nice analog video capture card: http://www.fullcompass.com/product/377093.html?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleps&gclid=CLyKx-LUsLcCFaU5QgodxTgACg.  That cost is at least comparable to good HD digital cam.

Cheers, Mike


________________________________
 From: Aaron Kulkis <akulkis00 at gmail.com>
To: MDLUG's Main discussion list <mdlug at mdlug.org> 
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 11:27 PM
Subject: Re: [mdlug] Best Linux rig for capturing frames from analog video?
 

David McMillan wrote:
>
>      I have a new side-project assignment from my bosses (for, you know, my copious amounts of spare time).  We have a high-res *analog* video camera (NTSC video for the composite input on a TV) left over from another project, and we're about to
> enter a serious build phase for the new project.  The bosses want me to connect this camera to a computer and capture periodic images that can be stitched together later into a time-lapse video of the construction.
>
>      Now, I've done time-lapse before, using images taken using a hacked Canon Powershot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbDwl8Dh1kk), but I've never done analog-video framegrabbing with Linux before. So, here's where I'm looking for advice:
> 1:  video capture hardware.  Has to have a Composite (not component!) input.  Since I'll probably have to make do with whatever computer I find lying about unused, needs to use USB. Frame *rate* isn't vital, but image quality is
> 2:  capture software:  My current thought is that I can probably use motion, with motion-triggered capture, to avoid taking tons of useless photos at night and during lunch.  But I'm wide open to advice on this.
> 3:  "Stitching":  I did that YouTube video using mencoder, but it was a bit crude.
>

It's FAR less cost to buy a digital USB webcam than to buy an analog -> digital converter,
let alone trying to find non-Windows-only software to actually process the output from it.

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