It'd Sure Be Nice to See My Cams On My TV's

[Eye Hunter 0]

I plugged an s-video cable into my laptop tonight to watch some .avi files on my TV. I pulled up my camera program and I was watching my cams on my TV.

 

And it dawned on me -- is there an easy way to "pipe" my PC based security cameras into one, or all, of my TV's?

 

A guy told me a while back about some device that makes security system cameras available on a random channel on all TV's in your house, but I've never seen anything like it and I think it was for an analog system anyway.

 

There's no s-video out on the computer that is dedicated to running my cams, so that option is out.

 

Anyone know a cheap/easy/better way?

 

TIA

[capz 0]

I'm planning on doing the same using shielded cat5, a vga balun on each end and a kvm switch. For your application it depends what the tv has for inputs.

Try this site http://www.svideo.com/ and click the pc to tv connection guide.

DLink also makes a wireless unit that clones your pc screen to your tv.

[Soundy 1]

There are a number of ways to do it, depending on the DVR and the TV and desired final result. Most newer TVs (flat panels particularly) have VGA, DVI or HDMI inputs that can be fed directly from your DVR PC. You could also use something like an AverKey to convert a VGA display to S-video or composite.

 

Most PC DVR cards I've seen have an analog-out that will feed one camera (usually selectable in software) via composite, that could be get into a regular A/V input on your TV.

 

Modulators that will put a composite or s-video signal onto channel 3 or 4 are cheap and easy to come by, but beyond that, you're probably looking at several hundred dollars for something designed specifically for CCTV to modulate it onto a higher channel, if you want to go that route.

[Eye Hunter 0]

Thanks capz and Soundy for your responses -- they're a big help with the explanations and links, great stuff.

 

I should also mention that my video card (nvidia geforce3 ti 200) has a dvi output. capz, I didn't see my desired combination on the svideo dot com page.

 

I could do at least one TV quickly if I could go (from computer) DVI output to s-video or RCA inputs (to TV) with just the right cable.

 

Is that even possible? Any ideas?

 

PS - obviously, I have no idea what a DVI output is... or much else for that matter, heh!

 

Thanks guys!

[capz 0]

You said you have a DVI output on the card. Is that IN ADDITION to the VGA now going to the monitor? If so all you need is a vga to dvi adapter. See here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/307815-REG/Belkin_F2E4162_DVI_I_Male_to_VGA.html. Then get the VGA to RCA (red,white, yellow) cable from s-video.com. You can then setup dual monitor in windows. Note, I've never used a pc connection to tv so I don't know the quality you can expect to get.

 

Above is the cheap way. If you want to spend more, have a look at the D-Link MediaLounge series. In work, we use the DSM-510 to stream picture slideshows from a switch to a remote monitor over cat5. The DPG-1200 can be used to control your pc, i.e. stream video to the remote monitor. When my DVD player fails (and they always do) I'm getting one of these to stream movies from my pc. It's wireless but a wired connection over cat5 is recommended. As for multiple cameras, it may create a bottleneck. I don't know, maybe someone with more experience will chime in. For multiple tvs this would be very expensive for you as you'll need one unit for each tv, plus router/switch plus cat5e running to each location.

[Soundy 1]

Don't expect great quality going from PC display down to TV, regardless of which way you do it. My PC's ATI All-in-Wonder card, with built-in tuner, has composite and S-video outputs, and at XGA resolutions only large text is really readable on my 14" monitor (an old Commodore 1701!)

 

Doing a dual-monitor setup in this way can be tricky, as well, because with most cards, Windows won't activate or acknowledge the second output unless the TV is connected and turned on at startup.

 

DVI is "digital video interface" and is the new standard over VGA - frankly, if your computer monitor supports DVI (as most LCDs do now), you should be using that instead of the VGA out, as it will generally give you a crisper, cleaner picture.

[Eye Hunter 0]

Thanks again guys for the education, it's starting to sink in.

 

As I check out the links for cables/adapters, it seems that DVI to RCA is much more popular than DVI to S-Video for some reason.

 

Maybe because all the info I see says that the length of an S-Video cable should be limited to 6 feet.

 

I need this hookup to travel at least 20 feet.

 

The end quality doesn't need to be perfect as I'm familiar with the camera views and would notice a change in the vista as motion occurs in the frame. But, it can't be totally degraded either, that would be worthless.

 

Here' what I'm thinking -- I get an adpater that goes from DVI-i to 3 RCA's and then make a cable for just the video terminal and route that the 20 feet through the floor to the TV.

 

What do you guys think?

 

PS -- all of the DVI to RCA cables/adapters come with 3 RCA in/outs, why is that when a video card (as far as I know) only carries video? What are the other 2 RCA's for?

 

Thanks again capz and Soundy, you guys and this site are great!

[Soundy 1]

It would help if you had a link to the specific cables you're talking about, but at a guess, I'd say the cable is intended for component-video output - separate red, green and blue signals - and won't work unless your TV also accepts component input.

 

What DVR card are you using? Doesn't it have an RCA composite-video output?

[capz 0]

Now that I'm thinking more about it, I don't think it will work with a DVI (with vga adapter) to single rca for video. You may need a converter as you're going from digital to analog? That's probably why you won't be able to find a DVI to composite RCA cable.

 

 

PS -- all of the DVI to RCA cables/adapters come with 3 RCA in/outs, why is that when a video card (as far as I know) only carries video? What are the other 2 RCA's for?

 

Don't confuse composite with component cables. Composite has yellow (video), red and white (audio). Component has red, green, blue rca (all video), as Soundy stated.

 

Unless you have RGB inputs on your tv, you'll need a converter. For audio you'll need a separate cable from your headphone jack to an audio in on the tv.

 

Before we really confuse each other into oblivion, let's start over. List the outputs on the vid card and your tv inputs.

I'd like to figure this out as I'll be going through the same thing shortly.

[Eye Hunter 0]

It would help if you had a link to the specific cables you're talking about, but at a guess, I'd say the cable is intended for component-video output - separate red, green and blue signals - and won't work unless your TV also accepts component input.

 

What DVR card are you using? Doesn't it have an RCA composite-video output?

 

I'm familiar with the separate red, green and blue signals, that's what I saw. I had a duh-moment there, sorry. I know about those as I just hooked up my Blu_ray player in the same manner. I get it now, sometimes I just need someone smarter than me to remind me of the obvious. None of my loser friends are "into" dvr's / security cams /computers so I never get a chance to talk these things out in real life, thanks again Soundy.

 

My DVR card is the Swann DVR-4-Net. It doesn't have an RCA out.

 

There are two "bays" on my TV that have the separate red, green and blue signals inputs but both are being used. The "bay" I need to use has either standard RCA (yellow) or S-Video.

 

Now that I'm thinking more about it, I don't think it will work with a DVI (with vga adapter) to single rca for video. You may need a converter as you're going from digital to analog? That's probably why you won't be able to find a DVI to composite RCA cable.

 

Unless you have RGB inputs on your tv, you'll need a converter. For audio you'll need a separate cable from your headphone jack to an audio in on the tv.

 

Before we really confuse each other into oblivion, let's start over. List the outputs on the vid card and your tv inputs.

 

Computer out: DVI-i ...... .......... ....(it also has a VGA but that's the one that the system monitor is hooked up to)

TV in: RCA (yellow) OR S-Video

 

No need for the audio because my system doesn't have sound.

 

capz, I'm thinking that for the price of one of those converters, wouldn't you be better off just buying a new/appropriate video card? Make sense? (Neither of which I want to do.)

 

Is S-Video digital? Maybe that's the only option?

 

[Soundy 1]

Now that I'm thinking more about it, I don't think it will work with a DVI (with vga adapter) to single rca for video. You may need a converter as you're going from digital to analog? That's probably why you won't be able to find a DVI to composite RCA cable.

 

Actually, there's analog in a DVI output as well, on separate pins... hence your basic DVI-VGA adapters that most DVI-equipped cards come with.

[DaveM 0]

I have my PC weather station feeding into my CATV for the house. I bought one of the $9.00 ATI PCI cards with a TV out from Ebay.

 

The picture is no where near as clear as the composite out from a DVR, but it does work. If you just want to see if someone is around the cameras it should work for you.

 

As was said, the TV out doesn't turn on unless the cable is connected at boot. You will need to turn on dual display for the PC, and open up the window you want to view then drag it over to your second display. Works pretty cool.

 

It is cheap and easy, you just need an extra PCI slot. I had to set the display to 600 x 800 for the TV out to work right. It also lets you use the main display while the TV display is unchanged.

[Eye Hunter 0]

I have my PC weather station feeding into my CATV for the house. I bought one of the $9.00 ATI PCI cards with a TV out from Ebay.

 

The picture is no where near as clear as the composite out from a DVR, but it does work. If you just want to see if someone is around the cameras it should work for you.

 

As was said, the TV out doesn't turn on unless the cable is connected at boot. You will need to turn on dual display for the PC, and open up the window you want to view then drag it over to your second display. Works pretty cool.

 

It is cheap and easy, you just need an extra PCI slot. I had to set the display to 600 x 800 for the TV out to work right. It also lets you use the main display while the TV display is unchanged.

 

 

Sounds like that would work dave, thanks! And it'd be a whole lot cheaper than a converter or a new/fancy video card.

 

I'm pretty sure I have an open PCI slot, I'll take a look later.

 

capz/soundy, what do you think?

 

I just have one question, dave: wouldn't having 2 video cards cause a conflict in the OS? (assuming that an ATI PCI is in fact a video card)

 

[DaveM 0]

Sorry for the late reply, I forgot to watch this thread!

 

Most current operating systems support 2 cards. I chose to "extend desktop" to the second card. What I do is open up the window I want to view and then drag it off the side of the desktop and it shows up on the second card. You will need to either move your monitor cable over, hook up a second monitor, or watch the TV set to get the window centered up.

 

Dual monitors are just way to cool. I used them until I got my really big monitor last year.