iRob

Hey all my name is rob Im new to the boards and new to CCTV.. I am a paranormal investigator and I am interested in making my own CCTV system via PC so I can take it on investigations with me. I want to pick up either an 8 or 12 channel video card and Ill start out with just 4 IR cameras... nothing too pricey or SUPER high quality since most IR is grainy and fuzzy regardless of the camera.. so my question to you all is if Im going to make a DVR and the CCTV out of a PC what specs should I have for the PC? I would imagine I dont need a high performance video card (unless Im going to be doing video editing) because its going to run on the capture card.. so basically do I just need a fast Processor and a lot of RAM? how much? Im guessing that a 1TB HDD would be enough because Im just going to keep footage of a night at a time on there.. find what Im looking for and crop it, and delete the rest.

it really isn't too expensive I mean this CCTV system is the most expensive piece of equipment we would use.. I don't have a thermal Imaging camera I would love to but we are talking $5,000-$10,000 for 1 piece of equipment. Sometime fire departments will donate theirs when they upgrade but very rarely... as far as other equipment goes I use EMF detectors, Digital voice recorders, various audio enhancing software, IR digital camcorders, Digital cameras and thats pretty much it.. aside from the small things, extra batteries, LED flashlights, first aid kits etc.. and its hard to charge for a service you cant fully prove 100% ya know? people offer us money and the only thing we would take would be gas money if we drove a LONG distance, no more. We just like to help people understand their situation OR help them realize their place isnt haunted and that they can relax.

wow thanks thats a lot of info! I will be using these cameras in houses and commercial buildings, we are not charging any fees though. I would more or less have a "command station" where all the equipment is set up in one area and just run cables around and attatch the cameras at the end. I was thinking of going with a little less bright IR and just the IR illuminators to brighten things up where I need it.