Live video streaming and video
capture with a mobile computer (notebook)
In microscopy or macroscopy, it is
often necessary to use the micrometer button to optimize the focus
before capturing the image. As a rule, assessing the picture quality on
the digital camera’s built-in TFT monitor is unsatisfactory. The
internal TFT monitor is usually too small and the picture quality, such
as the brightness and contrast, cannot be judged properly. Furthermore,
it is not ergonomic to work without external control monitor. Because
the TFT monitor is not directly visible due to the awkward position, a
monitor within the immediate range of vision would be preferable.
Almost all consumer digital cameras
have an analog video output (composite or s-video). If you use a video
cable to connect a digital camera and a video monitor (television),
then the image can be viewed on a large screen. Good video monitors are
very expensive and take up a lot of space. Because in digital
photography a computer is required to edit images, it is possible to
use a notebook as a control monitor. Modern notebooks deliver high
performance and have very good TFT displays. The analog video signal is
fed into the mobile computer using a PCMCIA digitalization card. Such
PCMCIA expansion cards are used to digitize video films (video
recorders, SAT receivers). This makes it possible to record a
microscope video sequence onto the hard drive. Good expansion cards
have an integrated chip which supports the hardware encoding. The
expansion card takes over the calculations for compressing the video to
a standard video format, such as MPEG1 or MPEG2. This removes some of
the workload from the computer’s processor (CPU). An old notebook
(Intel Pentium I with 800 MHZ) is sufficient for digitizing films. Good
PCMCIA expansion cards (such as Terratec Grabster AV 400 mobile) cost
about 200 Euro (as at 2005)). The software provided with the cards is
simple to use.
Advantages
|
No control monitor required
|
|
Low acquisition costs
|
|
Very simple to record videos
onto hard drive |
|
Simple to create video CDs or
DVDs
|
Packaging for the Terratec Grabster AV 400 mobile
Included in delivery:
• Grabster AV 400 mobile
• Breakout cable
• S-video cable
• A/V cinch cable
• Scart adapter
• Software and driver CD
• Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2
• Ulead VideoStudio 7 SE
• Printed software manual
• Printed hardware manual
PCMCIA expansion card for
mobile computers
PCMCIA card with cable attached
PCMCIA card is inserted into the computer
Attachment of video cable and
connection to digital camera
Caution! Always use the original video cable provided by the
manufacturer for the respective camera model.
Connection of the video cable
Live video image from a microscope
image
Pressing this button takes
you to the program settings
Set the brightness, contrast, etc.
Set the capture quality for the hard disc recording
Capture quality of fixed images
Related Links
New LM Digital Adapter for: Canon EOS 1D X / Nikon D4 / Canon EOS 1D Mark IV / Canon EOS 60D / Canon EOS 600D / Sony NEX-5N / Nikon D3S / Canon EOS 5D Mark II / Canon EOS 7D / Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i / Kiss X4 Digital / Pentax K-5 / Sony Alpha 55 / Sony Alpha 580 / Sony NEX-C3 / Sony NEX-7 / Sony Alpha 65V / Sony Alpha 77V / Nikon D3x / Canon EOS 1100D / Nikon D7000 / Sony Alpha 33 / Sony NEX-5 / Sony NEX-3 / Sony Alpha 35 / Olympus E-5 / Pentax K-r / Canon EOS 1D Mark III / Nikon D5100 / Nikon D700 / Nikon D3 / Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 / Olympus E-30 / Olympus E-3 / Olympus E-620 / Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III / Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i / Sony NEX VG10 / Olympus E-600 / Nikon D300S / Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 / Pentax K-x /
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