Outdoor cameras and more!

[Thetechmanmac]

Hey all, Im doing an install soon for a restaurant that has built an outback bar/stage. They want to hang a camera outside and be able to run the video into the restaurant to be displayed on some flat screens. Anyone know of water resistant camera this is full HD? There is going to be a conduit run from the stage to the building (about a 500 ft run) so I was thinking a couple of cat 6 lines and have converters for HDMI over cat 6. One more thing, to be able route several inputs (camera(s), computer, dvd player, cable box) to several outputs, a matrix switcher would be what I want correct?

 

[rsmentele]

I would suggest a PTZ camera. You can either get one that is built waterproof, or put it in a dome.

Here is a camera option
http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/510036-Speco-Technologies-HTSD12XH-Speed-Dome-Camera

Here is a link to some domes/enclosures
http://www.fullcompass.com/category/Camera-Housings-Domes.html

 

[Thetechmanmac]

Unfortunately, The most they want to spend is $1500. The domes were very helpful though!

 

[Amiers]

You might be able to get away with a GoPro

Link=

I would rent one first if you can find someone that rents them to test it out before hand to see if it can capture what they want.

 

[Morte615]

You can get HD cameras in an outdoor enclosure (or natively waterproof) for way under $1500. Though does that need to include the cable and installation, or is that just the hardware? And throw in a Matrix Switcher and you may start to get a bit over that.

And yes you are looking for a video matrix switcher for the routing. I would look at Infocus for cameras and the matrix switcher.

Cat 6 may not be the best choice for cabling especially if you just want a static camera that's on the stage. I would look at HD-SDI for signal, as lots of matrix switchers can use the format, though if you need to combine HDMI and SDI the cost goes up.

 

[Call911]

If just looking for a regular video feed fixed, look at a good IP security camera. Advidia has a few good options in the $400 price range.

If needing PTZ, multiple cameras, eye, then the price goes up quickly.

 

[Chris15]

So if the run to stage is 500', 150 odd metres, you're going to need to consider cable length issues regardless of the format.
You're basically looking at fibre at that length, HDMI over Cat is out at 100 metres, and in most cases, so is 3G-SDI.
Single run ethernet over copper is also gone - and an IP camera would likely need a box to be viewable on a LCD.

I doubt the project is so easily achievable within the budget with fibre involved...

 

[MNicolai]

You don't have enough money.

Signal transport alone will put you over $1500 between cable, and extenders, plus a dome and a power drop at the camera, and while you certainly can find cameras in that price range, they'll have a security camera look.

That's not even to mention adding other sources, a switcher, or distribution out to the TV's.

My estimation is that if you found a way to do it in the neighborhood of $1500, the final image quality of the video shown in the restaurant wouldn't be anything anyone would want to watch, negating the entire purpose of investing in the system in the first place.

Forgive me if I sound critical. I've seen too many people try to do things like this on the cheap only to discover the best thing they could've done was not undertake the project at all.

The stories I keep encountering are people discovering first-hand and to great expense that commercial video applications are not like whipping out your camera phone to take a video of your kids. Cameras aren't created equally, lenses matter especially in longer distance throws, and cameras may very well put out 1080 but at a noise quality that distorts the image so much it might as well be 480.

This is all to say that you should manage expectations of stakeholders before you spend a nickel. Maybe security camera quality is sufficient and they'll be okay with that if they know that from the start. You absolutely don't want to get to the end though and have them figure out they got that instead when they thought they were paying for a broadcast quality system.