Here's a wierd one - robotic cctv + laptop + DVrack

Holy Harry

Holy Harry

Well-known member
I get all sorts of queries at the office here... this one I need some opinions on.

A guy from a building firm called out to see me. Part of their work is (hold your nose) to send cc cameras on a robotic track down into sewers. They need to record what they see, then burn it to DVD to send back to clients as evidence of work done etc.

They had been using a standard domestic tv monitor and VHS video recorder and that worked fine, but since they've tried to use a domestic DVD burner they don't seem to be able to work the system to come up with a properly burned DVD - they're just getting blanks.

These guys have money to burn and want a simple hi tech solution - a way of monitoring the cc footage and then burning it to DVD. Without seeing their camera or knowing how it could be connected, and also without any experience of DV rack, I suggested using a laptop with DVrack as one way to go... but with the caveat that I would need to research it first.

So my questions to DVrack users are...

1. If the cc camera can be connected to the laptop... would this be a good system?

2. Would a builder, with basic PC knowledge, and no real interest in videography be able to work with DVrack.. would it be an easy process to capture and burn.

3. Will DVrack burn dvd's, or is there a simple builder-proof way of burning from dvrack?

Bless you guys for your patience!
 
Hey, thanks Paul. Appreciate that!

So what I've decided to do is send him info on DVrack and a very very simple DVD burning set up called "Dazzle DVD recorder" and advised him to try to get his supplier to look at some of the equipment that came up on the sites you suggested - I'm not charging him and I added the proviso that I'm not familiar with his field of work, my suggestions are no more than suggestions, and I cannot take any responsibility if they don't work out for him... I think that's about as much as I can do - really I don't want to get too involved with it... it's not my expertise, and I'm too busy already with what I'm good at.

Thanks again.
 
I had a guy run a b&w camera on the end of a cable reel down my sewer: I think it also had either a distance (of cable run out) or depth read-out that burned onto the screen.

I'm pretty sure all of that was the "sewer cam," because all the guy was using to record its output was a 13" CRT/VHS combo, so I presume all you'd need is coax or RCA composite into a cheap-o set-top DVD burner and a small monitor and you'd be set.

Of course, I'm in the US; who knows what an Irish sewer-cam has by way of outputs??
 
I have looked at recording DVDs at short notice before, so I'm throwing in another option that I want to try at some point;

Sony make a standalone DVD burner that looks pretty versatile, the DVDirect VRD-MC3: http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/vrdmc3dwn.htm

It will take a multitude of inputs and make a DVD.
They run to about £180.
Dabs in the UK sell them :http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

I'm looking at getting a couple for a particular job we do quite a lot of at work - recording trainee teachers and presenters for both personal performance review and actual assessment.
Until recently, we have just used the old VHS camera, but we have increasingly found people don't have VCRs any more, so we end up recording DV or DVCPRO and burning to DVD after.
While this works well in terms of quality, it's a pain in the backside to say the least, because it ties up one of the studio DVCPRO decks and the Pioneer PRV-LX10 DVD machine. It also takes us a day or two to turn the DVDs round.
My logic was that we could deliver DVDs on the spot with a DVX and one of these burners.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top