|
DMI News |
Previous Entry.. Next Entry.. Good News
October 23, 2003 13:18 It appears I will finally be moving again on or around the 12th of November. Assuming nothing changes, the site should resume its original functionality around that time, at a new location, with decent bandwidth and a number of new features. First of all, the cams will mostly be operated from a couple high(er) end servers than I have typically used in the past. Not only will this allow for the classic javascript and netscape based motion jpeg refresh of the cams, but also streaming media (video and audio) in asf format to start and other formats as I get them working. The listen live feature will also work as originally available for those who won't have the bandwidth to handle the full stream. All the capture card based cameras will be replaced by low cost camcorders which will significantly improve the quality of the images, as well as allow for an easy to adapt to zoom feature. Panning and tilting will also be available on all cams in the near future. The RC Car as it currently exists has been retired. The model currently in use is fragile, and therefore prone to damage, and I'm frankly tired of fixing something that's quite literally falling apart. The layout of the new house may not permit the use of a typical RC car under normal conditions, so instead at this time I'm planning instead for an RC boat for the pool. In the future I will be building a robotic platform with more reasonable speed control and sensors to prevent it from venturing where it does not belong. At that point there will be an indoor mobile cam again. The barcode scanner will be active again and we will attempt to maintain at least a semi-accurate inventory of the consumables in the house. The doorbell will be interfaced and a camera viewing the front porch will keep a visual record of all visitors. In addition, a number of motion sensors in and around the outside of the house will capture any motion activity and the mailbox will have a sensor of its own to let us know when mail has arrived. Yes, life will finally return to normal. On that note, I am searching for a local source of cheap used (and possibly somewhat broken) camcorders. I could easily do it via ebay for the price I want, but that's a gamble, and I'd prefer to at least spend a couple minutes testing them out first. What is required is the following: Working color video, working video out in RCA and/or S-Video, working zoom, and working power via an external power supply. Working audio and a remote control would be nice, but not required. It does not have to have a working viewfinder, battery, or tape deck, as it will never be mobile and never tape or playback anything. I am willing to pay up to $50 for a camcorder that meets these criteria from a local source. I can get them cheaper on Ebay, but like I said, I'd pay more to not have to risk a gamble.
|