(meteorobs) All night video recording question

[Thomas Ashcraft]

Hi YCSentinel.

Thanks for that reference.  I found a meteor movie sample of HandyAVI 
at    http://www.azcendant.com/Examples.htm

I am wondering if there is dead time when the software is processing a 
movie?  For example, Sentinel takes something like 90 seconds or so to 
process a data file before it resumes observation. I am hoping for 
unbroken recording time for possible meteor clusters and also long 
duration events.

But indeed, HandyAVI looks like it has its place.

Tom

stange34 at sbcglobal.net wrote:
> Hello Thomas.
>
>    Run the camera composite video into the ATI input when HandyAvi is 
> installed into the computer for fireball captures. See example at:
>
> http://geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/System_Diagram
>
> You don't need the active splitter & it can be eliminated from 
> diagram. Try the system out with the trial version of HandyAvi first 
> before buying the $40 key for permanent registration. Use Meteor Trail 
> mode.
>
> I have been preaching the inexpensive ability of HandyAvi for some 
> time now in simple/effective meteor watch & capture setups.
>
> YCSentinel
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Ashcraft" 
> <ashcraft at heliotown.com>
> To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
> Sent: 2007/08/21 14:35
> Subject: (meteorobs) All night video recording question
>
>
>>
>> I am setting up a video meteor/fireball recording system and need 
>> some advice.
>>
>> Right now I am operating a HiCam HB-710E video camera with an allsky 
>> fisheye lens and I am running the video camera signal into a VCR 
>> which makes an all night recording onto VHS tape. The system works 
>> quite well for capturing fireballs. ( I am also feeding audio from a 
>> short wave radio into the VCR recorder for WWV timing and on the 
>> second stereo audio channel of vhs tape I have a forward scatter 
>> radio signal coming in from an ICOM pcr1000 radio. )  I am capturing 
>> great meteor specimens to vhs tape but am having a problem inputting 
>> the vhs specimens into my pc to make shareable movie files. I 
>> purchased an ATI video capture card but the video running into my 
>> Dell pc, XP, 1.8 gHz PIIII, Windows Media Encoder 9 only record at 
>> about 1 frame per second which makes a poor quality movie. So I am 
>> sort of stuck in my process.
>>
>> What I would like to do is forget about the VCR altogether and 
>> instead run the video from the camera into a computer for an all 
>> night, 8 or 10 hour digital video recording, and then extract the 
>> significant fireball specimens and make movie files at high quality.
>>
>> Do people do this?   Any advice is welcome and please feel free to 
>> contact me off-list if you like.
>>
>> I am thanking you in advance.
>>
>> Clear skies,
>> Thomas Ashcraft
>> ashcraft ( at ) heliotown.com
>>
>