JamesACon Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Hi all I've been asked to set up some way of streaming live video and audio from our Theatre/auditorium across the local network. There's a budget (possibly even four figures if I can make the case). I think the easiest thing is probably for us to invest in an IP camera but most of the ones I've found are technically security cameras. Has anybody come across anything like this which is designed for use in Theatre? ThanksJames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Hi all I've been asked to set up some way of streaming live video and audio from our Theatre/auditorium across the local network. There's a budget (possibly even four figures if I can make the case). I think the easiest thing is probably for us to invest in an IP camera but most of the ones I've found are technically security cameras. Has anybody come across anything like this which is designed for use in Theatre? ThanksJames Hi Jame, welcome to Blue Room.What sort of picture quality do you need? Do you care about the resolution or compression artefacts? Is high latency going to be an issue? Are you friends with the person that adminsters the network? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Hi Jame, welcome to Blue Room.What sort of picture quality do you need? Do you care about the resolution or compression artefacts? Is high latency going to be an issue? Are you friends with the person that adminsters the network? Also, how is the stream going to be displayed? How many users do you have to cater for? Most IP cams will only allow a limited number of connections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natjones Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Hi all I've been asked to set up some way of streaming live video and audio from our Theatre/auditorium across the local network. There's a budget (possibly even four figures if I can make the case). I think the easiest thing is probably for us to invest in an IP camera but most of the ones I've found are technically security cameras. Has anybody come across anything like this which is designed for use in Theatre? ThanksJames Hi Jame, welcome to Blue Room.What sort of picture quality do you need? Do you care about the resolution or compression artefacts? Is high latency going to be an issue? Are you friends with the person that adminsters the network? Ooo! I've just been asked to look into a similar set up. Seeing as the OP hasn't followed up, I'm going to try to hijack this thread before starting one of my own. The uni that I work for are interested in setting up an IP camera in one of our theatres to record performances for assessments, which means that it will need sound. We will also stream this to a screen outside the auditorium for latecomers when we have performances. Latency isn't, therefore, as massive issue. We're looking for 1080p as a resolution. And the network admin sits next to me in our office. Hi Jame, welcome to Blue Room.What sort of picture quality do you need? Do you care about the resolution or compression artefacts? Is high latency going to be an issue? Are you friends with the person that adminsters the network? Also, how is the stream going to be displayed? How many users do you have to cater for? Most IP cams will only allow a limited number of connections. As I am hijacking this thread...In my case, the stream would be displayed on a TV screen outside the theatre, and recorded remotely by a computer on the same local network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 An IP camera is not the best way to record for an assessment. You will get much better quality from a good camcorder. A performance is a hard thing to record at the best of times due to high lighting contrast. There are lots of ways to show the output on a screen - some camcorders will stream the picture over wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 An IP camera is not the right way to record for an assessment. Buy a good camcorder. An appropriate high quality IP camera with appropriate sound arrangements and a scheduled recorder system can be an excellent way to record assessments, and avoids tying up technical staff in babysitting a camcorder because the drama/music teacher can't use it and/or has no interest in learning how to. Our brand new conservatoire building has an extensive Q-sys network that ties into a Tricaster. We can schedule record, we can livestream, we can add extra cameras for big events. Not cheap, but it has already saved many hours of work and babysitting, and enhances what we can offer to internal and external events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natjones Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 An IP camera is not the best way to record for an assessment. You will get much better quality from a good camcorder. A performance is a hard thing to record at the best of times due to high lighting contrast. There are lots of ways to show the output on a screen - some camcorders will stream the picture over wifi. We are brainstorming IP cameras to get away from using camcorders. Placing a camera on a tripod on our audience gallery means that it does indeed have to be babysat by a technician, and given that it's generally a static wide shot anyway, the picture is always a bit crap, tbh. The assessment recordings are hardly ever viewed - they're a backup for second marking and for audits, not for public consumption, apart from the silly people who arrive late and need to wait for an admission point during big shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pstewart Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 As your institution appears to use Panopto - we use Axis IP cameras (V5915) with a bit of software on a PC that also runs Panopto to do recordings in some of our lecture theatres - it has an XLR input as well so can take audio in (though in our case audio goes straight into the PC instead). The cameras have HDMI out which we connect to a local monitor, or you could use VLC to display the image on your screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 We use Samsung HD security cameras. The advantage being they can be forced into IR mode with an external 12V signal, which we can arrange for the lighing desk to supply via a cue, so when there is a blackout we can immediately force IR mode (rather than wait 5 seconds for the camera to realise it can't see anything). They're at the higher end of the HD security price range (couple of hundred quid) but they're good. We have it permanently mounted at the very back of the rig covering the whole acting area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Ok I withdraw my comment. I was thinking of cctv type cameras which all seem to struggle with lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 CCTV cams have come along a long way in last few years, 5MP resolution is quite common even among generic board cams, back light compensation actually works and latest line of starlight cams make MK1 eyeball seem like a vidicon tube for sensitivity. PoE IP cams couldn`t be easier to install at a cost of lag. Seen no brand IP board cams for under a tenner, Dahua and Hikvision have a good reputation at the cost effective end of branded market. Axis is highly respected along with the major familiar Japanese brands if cost isn`t top consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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