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Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Original poster
Mar 4, 2003
8,802
11,240
I'm trying to put together a fairly complex webcam setup. I don't need to solve all of these problems at once, but I'm wondering if anyone has answers to any of these problems:

I'd like to set up a webcam that we can control remotely. I'd like better resolution than the usual webcam provides. An iSight would do in a pinch, but a camcorder actually isn't that much more expensive. Security cameras seem to be another option, but they're insanely expensive...

How much control would I have over a camcorder remotely? Would I be able to control the zoom, for example? Is a camcorder a bad option if I won't be physically there to touch the controls (turning it on and off, for example)?

Are there pan and tilt stands that can be controlled from a Mac?

Will any of these survive outdoors in winter at -30C? I can probably waterproof it, but any ideas on how to keep the temperature controlled? I thought about mounting it in an enclosure with a light bulb, but that's probably asking for glare problems (not to mention making people wonder what the light is...).

The outdoor camera is mostly for entertainment purposes, but I'd also like to set up some indoor security cameras at the same site. How hard is it to route multiple cameras to a single computer?

Some of the smaller security cameras seem to have analog outputs, any suggestions on digitizers?

Then there's the whole software question-- what applications are there out there to integrate all this?

Thanks for any help I can get on any of these questions...
 
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