I need to get a live audio/video signal across town. Think of the situation as having a standard camcorder with a NTSC composite video output connected to a VCR input. Now break the connection and separate the units by some miles.
The destination will be the same always, but the origin may change, so I need some flexibility at that end. Keeping cost down is paramount, super-quality signal isn’t (but it should be adequate for broadcast). I have ruled out microwave links for practical and cost reasons.
I have at my disposal a PC at each end. They can be configured or upgraded as needed to suit the task. Each end will have a fast Internet connection thru either a WiFi-G or Ethernet cable connection.
If there is some way to convert an NTSC signal to/from a WiFi or Ethernet standard without going thru a PC, that would be even better.
So what additional hardware and software do I need?
If you want to stream the video signal over the internet, you’ll need a video-capture card on the camera’s PC to get the video. Then, all you need is a video streaming server and a web browser on the other end.
I know nothing about setting up a video streaming server, though. You may have to shell out for some software.
The bandwidth probably ain’t there. Regular full-motion 30-frame NTSC video will need around 4-15 Mbps before you get into heavy compression that will clobber any semblance of “broadcast quality.” You’d have to pray that a 6 Mbps (upstream speed) broadband is available for your dedicated use to get in at the bottom end of that range.
That said, have a look at the Slingbox AV - It’s a basic media server device that has a regular NTSC input and can fling it across a network - either in-house or over the Internet. The “Pro” version adds HD / component inputs.
At the other end, you just snag the signal off the net and pipe it off to whatever with a video card that has NTSC output.
So is the “video streaming server” strictly software that can run on a standard PC?
We have 10Mbs available in the down direction. The cable company can probably provide 5Mbs in the up on request (and extra cost). This kind of video will be mostly talking heads, and could be highly compressible with negligible loss.
I note that Netflix claims to be able to send DVD-quality A/V to the end user with 3Mbs down. I’m testing their claims, and so far it hasn’t reached optimal quality, but there may be some technical problems to solve (one may be the distance to their servers, which won’t be a problem here).
I’ll take a look at the Slingbox AV, and thanks.
So easy for you to say! What program or PC function do I use to “snag” it off the net?
The Slingbox comes with the requisite applications to put programming onto the internet and to retrieve it at whatever the other end is with the use of your ID and password - this is what lets them scoot around restrictions against broadcasting programs.