We've decided to add a Google AdSense widget to our sidebar below the navigation elements. I'm really not a huge fan of ads in general, and I hope this doesn't cause some sort of uproar on that fateful day when we inevitably become hugely popular. I think they're unobtrusive enough to deal with. I really want to know what it feels like to get a check from Google. :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Love / Hate Relationships
We've decided to add a Google AdSense widget to our sidebar below the navigation elements. I'm really not a huge fan of ads in general, and I hope this doesn't cause some sort of uproar on that fateful day when we inevitably become hugely popular. I think they're unobtrusive enough to deal with. I really want to know what it feels like to get a check from Google. :)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
EPIC FAIL
I guess I won't be enjoying those Favorite TV Programs after all.
It appears that the el-cheapo tuner I bought isn't going to work. Even though I managed to get video to the computer using one app, nothing else I've tried can successfully get a signal. In my search for a solution to this problem, I stumbled across a bunch of people having similar troubles getting this card to work with Windows Media Center. Looks like it doesn't have an integrated MPEG encoder or something along those lines.
At least it was cheap, and Newegg is still fast. We'll have a new one soon.
It appears that the el-cheapo tuner I bought isn't going to work. Even though I managed to get video to the computer using one app, nothing else I've tried can successfully get a signal. In my search for a solution to this problem, I stumbled across a bunch of people having similar troubles getting this card to work with Windows Media Center. Looks like it doesn't have an integrated MPEG encoder or something along those lines.
At least it was cheap, and Newegg is still fast. We'll have a new one soon.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Enjoy favorite TV programs!
Damn. Newegg is really quick. The card's red so it'll look all cool nestled between my dual Radeon HD 3870's. w00t!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
TV is cheap
Once we've gotten the ArgoCam to communicate with its receiver, we'll need a computer to acquire that feed so that it can be streamed directly to your face via teh intarwebs. Since the camera is designed to work with a standard analog TV, this can be done with a tuner card without much hassle.
After an extremely brief search (find all TV cards and arrange by increasing price), I placed an order last night for a vanilla Sabrent TV tuner card. I have never heard of these guys before, but they had the cheapest card available at $20 plus shipping. It should be pretty tough to screw up an analog TV tuner, so I'm not worried about its cheapness. I suppose it could potentially affect image quality, but we have a low-quality video source to begin with anyway.
After an extremely brief search (find all TV cards and arrange by increasing price), I placed an order last night for a vanilla Sabrent TV tuner card. I have never heard of these guys before, but they had the cheapest card available at $20 plus shipping. It should be pretty tough to screw up an analog TV tuner, so I'm not worried about its cheapness. I suppose it could potentially affect image quality, but we have a low-quality video source to begin with anyway.
Batteries are heavy / Cats are weak.
Also yesterday:
Yoweigh and I tested the camera with a 9V and then with a 4xAA holder that he had. Both work pretty dang good. The 4xAA pack only provides 6V and it ran great... sooo i'm hoping that the VPack5.0V we just ordered will work too, even though it's only 5V. The VPack5.0V is a DC-DC step-up circuit attached to a battery holder. I have read that you can really extend the life of AAs with this kind of set up. I was inspired by the Mintyboost, but the VPack5.0V was cheaper than the Mintyboost kit and does pretty much the same thing (and no assembly required).
More to come... (once we get the VPack5.0V in the mail)
Yoweigh and I tested the camera with a 9V and then with a 4xAA holder that he had. Both work pretty dang good. The 4xAA pack only provides 6V and it ran great... sooo i'm hoping that the VPack5.0V we just ordered will work too, even though it's only 5V. The VPack5.0V is a DC-DC step-up circuit attached to a battery holder. I have read that you can really extend the life of AAs with this kind of set up. I was inspired by the Mintyboost, but the VPack5.0V was cheaper than the Mintyboost kit and does pretty much the same thing (and no assembly required).
More to come... (once we get the VPack5.0V in the mail)
Tiny cameras are expensive.
Ok well, they can be expensive.
The one we decided to use came from ebay:
Ultra-small 2.4GHz Wireless Camera Nanny Cam CCTV
and only $50 after shipping.
I received it yesterday and immediately tested it with the provided AC power supplies.
Image quality is decent: I'd describe the quality as somewhere between a cell phone video and a VHS camcorder. It has a manual focus (it comes with a little tool to adjust it. hehe tool)
Audio quality is decent: Audio??! Yes, this camera has a built in mic, so you can hear, not just see your kids being beaten by the nanny.
Though you wouldn't be able to clearly make out a conversation from 10 paces, it's good at close range. It'll do just fine for our purposes.
I noticed that the image would break up a bit if the camera was jostled at all, but upon closer inspection it was just the power plug wiggling around. We will perform a power-jack-ectomy and hard wire the camera to our battery holder, so this will not be an issue. In fact, the little power jack dongle thingie feels heavier than the camera itself.
To be continued...
The one we decided to use came from ebay:
Ultra-small 2.4GHz Wireless Camera Nanny Cam CCTV
and only $50 after shipping.
I received it yesterday and immediately tested it with the provided AC power supplies.
Image quality is decent: I'd describe the quality as somewhere between a cell phone video and a VHS camcorder. It has a manual focus (it comes with a little tool to adjust it. hehe tool)
Audio quality is decent: Audio??! Yes, this camera has a built in mic, so you can hear, not just see your kids being beaten by the nanny.
Though you wouldn't be able to clearly make out a conversation from 10 paces, it's good at close range. It'll do just fine for our purposes.
I noticed that the image would break up a bit if the camera was jostled at all, but upon closer inspection it was just the power plug wiggling around. We will perform a power-jack-ectomy and hard wire the camera to our battery holder, so this will not be an issue. In fact, the little power jack dongle thingie feels heavier than the camera itself.
To be continued...
Overview
Greetings,
Yoweigh and I (Serficus Winthrax) are huge fans of kitties and huge fans of technology; so naturally, we felt that the synthesis of the two could change the world forever.
Strapping a camera to a cat has been done before.
Well, there are lots of reasons why. (Many of which are also discussed at the CatCam Live page) Here are our key issues:
Yoweigh and I (Serficus Winthrax) are huge fans of kitties and huge fans of technology; so naturally, we felt that the synthesis of the two could change the world forever.
Strapping a camera to a cat has been done before.
- Mr. Lee’s CatCam is totally badass but only takes still shots.
(I’ve just found out Mr. Lee is also working on a “CatCam Live.” He’s definitely on the right track but it looks like he hasn’t produced a prototype thus far) - Smaka is another german cat that takes photos.
- Squeaky and Friends! The cameras on these cats look very uncomfortable.
- The Takara Tomy Wonderful Shot: Designed for a dog, could be strapped to a cat.
Well, there are lots of reasons why. (Many of which are also discussed at the CatCam Live page) Here are our key issues:
- Tiny cameras are expensive.
- Batteries are heavy / Cats are weak.
- Wireless video signals are weak.
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