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[danfly]

How can I keep the Vanguard and/or Sentinel camera from automatically centering when it starts up? Thanks in advance.

[steven r]

From my experience, at least with the Sentinel, going to the center position is the default when power is restored to the camera. I have found no way to change the default position and assume that returning to center is a hardware / firmware "feature" that can't be changed.

[danfly]

Thanks, so much for that one. Now then, I am using multiple cameras and when I turn one camera on - it does not turn the other one off therefore I get a scrambled dual image. I am using both as "wired" cameras now. Before I used them as "wireless" and did not have that problem. Suggestions?
Dan

[TrinityEB]

So let's say you have two wireless Sentinels setup as C1 and C2 and you currently have C1 "PTZ'd" on a subject, then switch to C2 via the remote.  I assume that C1 shuts off when C2 is selected.  Does that mean that when you switch back to C1, it returns to center and you have to reposition it to where it was originally?

[steven r]

So let's say you have two wireless Sentinels setup as C1 and C2... ...I assume that C1 shuts off when C2 is selected.  Does that mean that when you switch back to C1, it returns to center and you have to reposition it to where it was originally?

No. OFF for the Sentinel is different than OFF for other cameras. While an OFF for most cameras cuts power to the camera, this is not the case for the Sentinel.
When a Sentinel is turned OFF, all control and wireless transmission stops. When the Sentinel is turned back ON it is at the same position as before.

Important notes:
[li]If power is interrupted to the Sentinel, it will reset to center when power returns.[/li]
[li]The wired video signal will continue even when the Sentinel is turned "OFF".[/li]
[/list]

[TrinityEB]

Thanks Steven.  I assume the Vanguard PTZ camera works the same way as the Sentinel, they're pretty much the same camera aren't they?

I just received and installed a single wireless Vanguard camera in the sanctuary at our church (today as a matter of fact).  Our plan is to record the sermons on to a Sandisk V-Mate SD card recorder, then post them as webcasts on the church website.  At some point I'd like to add two more to get different angles and zooms.  I was afraid that everytime I would switch from one camera to one of the others, the camera would reposition itself back to center.

BTW, I also ordered this small 2.4GHz handheld receiver/recorder: http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/24ghz-wireless-mobile-av-recorder-25-inch-lcd-sd-mmc-usb/
I'm hoping that the receive frequencies are close enough to the Vanguard's so that I can use it as a framing monitor while sitting in the pew.

- Frank.
 

[steven r]

...I assume the Vanguard PTZ camera works the same way as the Sentinel, they're pretty much the same camera aren't they?...

That's my guess but I don't have one to try. Let us know.

...I also ordered this small 2.4GHz handheld receiver/recorder: http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/24ghz-wireless-mobile-av-recorder-25-inch-lcd-sd-mmc-usb/...

That's a nice item. How much video will a 2GB card hold?
The specification says it will let you select from these frequencies: Ch.1 = 2414MHz; Ch.2 = 2432MHz; Ch.3 = 2450MHz; Ch.4 = 2468MHz
Of the top of my head, I think those are the standard 4 choices that X10 uses as well.

If you're planing to do your recording from a 2.4GHz feed, be sure you test it and make sure you don't have any interference from cordless phones, microwaves, and wireless routers in the area. Also if you're near any other possible sources feeding a 2.4GHz video feed, you could get some unexpected surprises.

[TrinityEB]

The specification says it will let you select from these frequencies: Ch.1 = 2414MHz; Ch.2 = 2432MHz; Ch.3 = 2450MHz; Ch.4 = 2468MHz
Of the top of my head, I think those are the standard 4 choices that X10 uses as well.

The X10 frequencies are pretty close, but not exactly the same...
Channel A = 2.411 GHz; Channel B = 2.434 GHz; Channel C = 2.453 GHz; Channel D = 2.473 GHz
I guess I'll have to wait till it arrives and see.  I'll be sure to report back in this thread how it works out.

That's a nice item. How much video will a 2GB card hold?

The specs say the maximum resolution is 640x480 and the recording format is .avi, but I haven't been able to find anything about the bitrate.
My guess is somewhere between 1 and 2 hours at the max resolution, which is more than enough for me.  I'm just looking to capture the sermon.  Plus, the Sandisk V-Mate accepts SDHC cards up to 4gigs and that's what I'm planning on using to capture the entire service.

If you're planing to do your recording from a 2.4GHz feed, be sure you test it and make sure you don't have any interference from cordless phones, microwaves, and wireless routers in the area. Also if you're near any other possible sources feeding a 2.4GHz video feed, you could get some unexpected surprises.

The few tests I did today after installing the camera were encouraging.  I tested the receiver using a small monitor in the church office about 30-35 feet away and the signal was clear.  I did have some problems with the remote though... it was only effective within 10ft from the camera, and even then sometimes I had to move it around for it to work.  I'm not sure this is the normal range for the remote or not, but I was hoping for it to work consistantly at least 20 to 30 feet away.

- Frank.

[TrinityEB]

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I received the handheld 2.4GHz monitor/recorder today.  I ran over to the church to try it out and I'm happy to report that it works just fine.  I tried all 4 channels and all worked when I set the corresponding channel on the camera, though I couldn't necessarily say that any one channel worked better than the others either in terms of range or picture clarity.  I settled on channel A for the Vanguard and channel 1 on the monitor/recorder since the monitor defaults to 1 when you turn it on.  I did not have a chance to try the recording features of it, I'll try that during the service this Sunday.  The receiving range isn't that great, you really need to be within about 20-25 feet to receive a consistantly clear picture, but that's not an issue for me since I'm only planning on using it to set & monitor the different PTZ positions I setup for different parts of the service and I'll be in a pew only about 10-15 feet from the camera.  I have the antenna on the camera facing away from where I'll be sitting which is also contributing to the problem, but I needed to do that to align the antenna to the X10 receiver in the back office which is going to have the SanDisk V-Mate SD recorder attached to it.

BTW, the specs on the box says that it records at 30fps at 3.5MB/minute at 320x240, or 7MB/minute at 640x480.  That's a little over 400MB per hour at 640x480, so with a 2gb SD card I would be able to record for almost 5 hours (way more than I would need for a church service).  It doesn't take SDHC cards, so 2gb is the limit, but the SanDisk V-Mate I'm planning on using does support SDHC cards.


- Frank.

[Brian H]

Thanks for the update. Hope it works out well for you.

[TrinityEB]

Thanks Brian.

Post Sunday Update:  I recorded yesterday's service and while there are a few glitches to overcome, the resulting video was acceptable.  Here's what I observed:

- We definately need to wire up the camera to the recorder in the back office.  Wireless to the handheld receiver for framing while sitting in the Sancturary worked well, but we can't depend on a good enough signal to reach the back office.  The signal faded out several times during the service and some noise is evident throughout.

- The SanDisk V-Mate appears to be washing out the color.  The image on the monitor in the office looked fine while the V-Mate was powered off, but once it was turned on and ready to record the colors faded (even before recording).  I may look into another recorder like the Neuros OSD, which supposedly does a better job of encoding video.

- I need to fine tune the preset PTZ positions on the handheld remote.  The positions I set earlier the week were only approximate and need to be tweaked.  The P/T action isn't ideal as it doesn't do both at the same time... it will first move vertically, then horizontally to reach the new position.  The autofocus takes a while to catch up during zooming in or out as well.   It's not ideal camera/setup for this purpose, but it will suffice as I learn the idiosyncracies of the camera and adjust accordingly.

- Audio feed:  We have a wireless assisted listening system from Listen Technologies connected to our sound system for church members who have hearing issues.  I fed the audio from one of the receivers into the recorder and it seemed to work pretty well.

I isolated the sermon and converted it to flash and posted it up on the church website.  You can view it here:  http://www.trinity-pc.org/webcasts/2008-09-14.shtml.  It gives a good idea of how the optical zoom works as the camera was zoomed in pretty far for this part of the service.

I welcome any feedback and/or suggestions.

- Frank.

[steven r]

Audio was very good and video was acceptable for the parts I skimmed. White balance seams to be off causing the washed out whites. You might want to set it manually, if the auto exposure isn't right. On the the Sentinel you can set a weighted areas but for a fairly constant set up a manual setting maybe easier. Less noticeable was an occasional band of 2.4GHz interference.

Anyway the recorder looks good enough for me. I'm thinking of one as a portable viewing device for my cameras as well as a travel monitor to see if I'm being watched. 

[TrinityEB]

Audio was very good and video was acceptable for the parts I skimmed. White balance seams to be off causing the washed out whites. You might want to set it manually, if the auto exposure isn't right. On the the Sentinel you can set a weighted areas but for a fairly constant set up a manual setting maybe easier. Less noticeable was an occasional band of 2.4GHz interference.

Anyway the recorder looks good enough for me. I'm thinking of one as a portable viewing device for my cameras as well as a travel monitor to see if I'm being watched. 

The video for yesterday's sermon (http://www.trinity-pc.org/webcasts/2008-09-21.shtml) was pulled from the handheld reciever/recorder.  The recording from the Sandisk V-Mate had too much video interference and was unusable.   It took a bit of work to match up the audio with the video since the handheld isn't hooked up to our audio feed like the Sandisk is, but using Vegas 8 Pro it turned out not to be too difficult.  I also had to crop the video a bit because the handheld records the date and incrementing time in the upper right hand corner and I haven't been able to locate an option to turn it off.  First thing I noticed was that the color was much better than the Sandisk recording from last week.  I ended up doing some color correction on last week's Sandisk recording in an attempt to bring out the colors, but I don't feel that was necessary with the clip from the handheld.

- Frank.

[steven r]

...The recording from the Sandisk V-Mate had too much video interference and was unusable....

Do you have a sample of the Sandisk V-Mate for comparison? Are you happy with your Sandisk V-Mate?

[TrinityEB]

Hi Steven,

I don't have it up on the website, but I'll isolate the sermon section from yesterday's recording, upload it to the web and post a link so you can compare it.   I repositioned the antenna on the camera so I would receive a better picture on the handheld while sitting in the pew... I'm sure this contributed to the noise.  In a week or two it will be moot since we're running a cable from the camera to the back office so I'll only need the wireless for the handheld.   To be honest, I'm not all that happy with the V-Mate.  It's definately contributing to the color washout because I can see a difference in the image on the monitor when the unit is powered off (it does a pass-thru of the video when powered off as long as it's still plugged in) vs. when it is in record mode (it doesn't show the video on the monitor when recording in 640x480 mode, but it does show the video while in "ready to record" mode).   In effect, those are my two beefs:  Color washout and it doesn't pass thru the video while recording (at least not in 640x480 mode).  The quality of the video recorded by the Chinese designed handheld receiver/recorder is much better IMO.  I'm now considering replacing the Sandisk with a Neuros OSD.

- Frank.