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Home > High quality surveillance with a video capture card
June 3, 2005
By: Bob Whitehead
By using a video capture card, you can capture video from
a variety of sources: camcorders, VCRs and DVD players. The
video feed is then encoded for streaming on the Internet.
The results are usually a much higher quality product than
just using your web camera to capture images for storing. In
addition, a multi-input video capture card can also capture
more than one channel of information on one personal
computer at a time. This makes it ideal for a security
system that includes more than one camera.
A video capture card is similar to any other hardware
card installed in your personal computer. You will most
likely already have a sound card and video card installed in
specific slots on the motherboard where they were snapped
into place. Also required was a software driver that had to
be installed to make them work. Both of these cards had the
potential for producing software conflicts in your system if
they were not installed properly or compatible with your
personal computer system. The same problems
potentially exist when adding a card to capture video, so do
your homework.
One of the first things to do when considering installing
a video capture card is to check to see if there is a slot
available. Some older personal computers will not even have
a slot for a video capture card. You can see if your
personal computer does by turning to the back of the case
and noticing whether there is an available PCI slot in the
back. If you do, you are in business.
Make sure whatever video capture card you purchase is
compatible with your operating system and hardware.
Requirements for hardware are usually plainly labeled for
consumers to see before purchasing.
About the Author
Bob Whitehead is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Video-Surveillance-Guide.com. Your
definitive guide to video surveillance equipment, CCTV
cameras and wireless security systems for home and business.
Also See:
[ The age of informational spy gear ]
[ Karmic consequences of using spy equipment ]
[ Sneaking a global peek with EarthCam ]
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