I am currently living alone and want to see how I sleep at night as far as possible snoring and movement.
I have a decent PC running XP and a cheap low-res webcam that also has a microphone in it.
I would like to hook this up to my PC and have it record me sleeping overnight (video & audio) so I can see what my sleep habits are like and I possibly have any problems I need to look into.
I want something that puts the recording right onto my hard drive so I can view it later. It doesn’t have to be hi-res or a particularly big picture - I just want to see what my movements are and if I am snoring or having any other problems.
Can someone recommend a program (hopefully freeware or cheap) that can do this for me?
You have many options. Your webcam manufacturer, if a big company like Logitech or Microsoft, will usually include rudimentary software. Check the install disc or their website.
If you like Google, their free Picasa software can do this.
If you like Microsoft, the free Windows Movie Maker (or just “Movie Maker” in newer versions) can also do this.
If you like Adobe, a trial version of Premiere Elements can do this.
Sony has their own movie editing software.
The open-source world also has the free and powerful, but rather hard to use, VirtualDub.
Out of all of those, I’d choose to use Picasa myself.
If you have an Android smartphone, you might start off by using the Sleep as Android app. It doesn’t have any video/camera capability, but it does monitor movement (using the phone’s accelerometer) and noise while you sleep.
The best option, even considering the fact that the company recently had to shut down, would one of the Zeo sleep monitors. Some of the reviews I read before I got one earlier in the year (when demise of the co. was starting to become known) were simply horrible, but I got one anyway - the mobile one which is the cheapest. That was because I know someone who has a serious sleep disorder, has used it for years and absolutely swears by it. She does have one of the original bedside units but I’m not sure that makes any difference since the sensors are in the headband.
Here is a recentTechCrunch article that tells a little more about the company, it’s background and the device. It also mentions some other wrist worn devices that are supposed to monitor whether you’re asleep or awake. The Zeo does much more, but as the article notes, that doesn’t seem to be enough of a concern for most people to justify the cost (I think the mobile starts at around [$60-70 on ebay](zeo for sale | eBay sleep monitor) and you might be able to do better at an auction).
But to answer your question, the July issue of PCWorld has an article on home security and remote video surveillance so maybe something like that would work. The only one that seems to run on a Windows computer though is [AtHome Camera/Video Streamer.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/AtHome Camera/Video Streamer.)