Embedded Linux And Video Capturing?

Posted by Cliff on Saturday February 24, 2001 @10:17AM from the just-like-8mm-at-1/10th-the-size dept.

RapaNui asks: "I'm working on a project that uses a remotely controlled camera for video and still work. It currently uses a small board camera and a microwave (analog) downlink for video (the video feed is only used for targeting the onboard DVcam and still camera). Anyway, the telemetry downlink has just been upgraded and we now have 50-60 Kbps available that (if possible) we would like to use for a video downlink. All we need is 1/4 frame (PAL, 384x288) at around 2-5 fps What I was thinking of is a PC/104 or similar PC, running Linux and a vid-capture card (or an old parallel port video capture box - Snappy?). Whatever it is needs to be relatively small and light. Are there any usable (under linux) PC/104 or similar video capture (or still capture) cards? Or is there a unit (like some of the cams made by Axis) that could take video (composite or S-video) in one end and dump out a serial data stream at the other end? (This would be preferable, 'cause it would mean less hardware, and complexity on that end)."

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PC/104 video capture cards by dnxthx · 2001-02-25 05:01 · Score: 2

While they aren't the best video capture cards out there, there is some Brooktree (bttv) driver support out there for Imagenation's PXC200. I was involved with a project where I helped build six to eight systems based on this card --- but we were unable to make it as solid as we wanted to. This could be however, due to our choice of the other PC/104 devices however (which were EEPD systems, specifially).
Re:Linux USB Video by Bryan+Andersen · 2001-02-25 12:42 · Score: 2

Go with a USB web cam. You can always rip the lense off and use a video camera lense if needed. Making a C-mount isn't all the hard. The reason I say go with the web cam is fully due to the high power draw of all the frame grabbers I've seen. Another advantage is you get direct to digital which removes the sync problems associated with digitising a video feed. The other reason is cost. They are cheap, real chaep.
If you need to use a frame grabber, look at the Matrox Meteor. Supported under Linux and they have a PC-104+ version. I don't know the status of support for the Meteor II, last I knew it was in progress.