Camcorder as surveillance device -- how practical is it?

I have a few old analog camcorders, a couple of good-quality web cameras and several computers around the house located near windows. So, how practical is it to set up these as surveillance devices and record data to the hard disks of these computers?

If practical, where would one find decent software to handle the incoming data?

 

mmmmmm....you might not need software if the hardware didn't need software to begin with.

How many video capture devices do you plan to connect to the same computer? Two inputs should be handled reasonably (??) Remember that both will be converted to a file and written to the hard disk drive at the same time. Both rely on the CPU and hard disk (and temporary storage in the RAM).

Do some trials and see if they work, don't set them up and then wonder why they won't work.

You might get jerky visuals, how much can you stand (or how much is worth missing in the jerk)? A powerful computer could probably do it easily, it probably depends on how old your computers are. They will be sitting there doing only one task, do they match the System Requirements asked of them? If you put two or more visual feeds into the one computer, it is the same System Requirements that are being relied on (multi-tasking, but on the same task).

Matt

 

You still will need software or the disk drives will fill up in no time. So you either need to take "sample" still shots every X seconds or constantly delete the old as new comes in - or both.

Most webcams have a focal length of a few feet so unless the badguy comes up and looks through the window, he will probably be a blur. Webcams used for security are focused further out, and often have built-in motion and/or heat detectors too so they record only when something is out there, hopefully not the dog and every squirrel that wanders by. So they may be best for indoor only. Some webcams designed for indoor use don't do well in sunlight either.

It would probably be better to use one dedicated computer, tied to a whole house security system, rather than individual and independent systems throughout the house.