RE: Do-it-yourself CCTV - an update
- From: "Ken Perry" <whistler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:54:36 -0500
One suggestion from me is getting a TV / monitor combination I have a 15
inch but being that your making a cctv you can get all the way up to 100
inch tv /monitor that can be used for both computer and TV. This would get
rid of the need for two. One thing to worry about if you go this route is
to make sure the remote has a way to switch from monitor to TV mode with one
push of a button. Mine is a pain in the butt because it takes pushing one
button 4 times to get back to Tv and some times when I have been drinking
too much rum I get on the wrong setting and have to fight with it.
Ken
-----Original Message-----
From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Trouble
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 3:31 PM
To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Do-it-yourself CCTV - an update
you might want to check out this site. They have a lot of what your
doing on it,\
http://www.handytech.us/video.html
At 12:31 PM 12/30/2009, you wrote:
>Hi all -- A while back I posted to this list, expressing frustration
>at the expense of CCTVs for people with low vision, and asking about
>how easy it might be to make my own from a consumer-grade camcorder.
>Well, I finally have some progress to report. Eventually I'll put
>together a web page, but here's some preliminary notes. I'd
>appreciate any feedback.
>
>My first idea was to buy an HD camcorder and connect it to my PC
>using USB, and display the video image on the computer display,
>either in a window or fullscreen. But it turns out the USB lacks the
>bandwidth to display an HD image, so this setup would only display
>at standard definition.
>
>To get around the USB bandwidth problem and display at full HD, I
>would need a video capture card in a PCI-Express slot.
>Unfortunately, my PCI-Express slot is already occupied with a
>double-wide 3D graphics accelerator, required for my business.
>(Still, this is a good solution, and I want to try it in the future
>if I ever get my hands on a spare PC with an available PCI-Express slot.)
>
>The final solution I came up with is to just go direct from the
>camcorder to an HD TV using an HDMI cable. This is unfortunate,
>because I was really trying to avoid having yet another display on
>my already overcrowded desk. For now I am just using the existing HD
>TV we already have in our family room, but eventually I want to but
>a small-ish 22" HD TV for my office.
>
>Focusing at near distances is a concern. Preliminary tests indicate
>that my camcorder, out of the box, is already providing the
>magnification I need. However, as my vision continues to decline, I
>might need to get a 2x macro lens. These are usually made for still
>photo cameras, but I understand there are some universal adapters
>that will allow me to use them with a camcorder.
>
>Anyhow, with the setup as it stands today, the quality is already
>good enough to allow me to read the camcorder manual (with its
>microscopic typeface) on my TV screen.
>
>The actual parts I ended up buying were:
> $500 - Sony HandyCam CX100
> $30 - 6' (2m) HDMI cable
> $30 - HDMI to mini HDMI adapter
> $39 - Tripod
>
>In the future, I'll probably buy the following:
> $80 - Macro lens
> $250 - 22" HD TV
>
>So my total out-of-pocket so far is $600, and I'll probably spend
>another $350 or so in the near future, putting the total under
>$1000. If you already have some of these consumer components, or buy
>them used, the total price would be even lower. Compared to the
>$1500-$3000 price tag on low vision video magnifiers, this seems
>like a very economical alternative.
>
>On the other hand, CCTVs for people with low vision have a lot of
>nice features that my system lacks. Easy to use controls (my
>camcorder controls are tiny with hard to read labels), ability to
>invert video and select high contrast color schemes quickly,
>portability, built-in macro capability, etc. If these things are
>important, and you've got the cash, then my setup is no substitute
>for a real low-vision video magnifier system.
>
>I hope others find this helpful. I'll post a web link once I get
>this info up on the web.
> -Paul
>
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Tim
trouble
Verizon FIOS support tech
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