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[David R. Slentz]

We are setting up a nursery and would like to have a Live Audio/Video feed to our Nursery.
Budget: Under $500

Our new nursery is located just about 10 or 20 feet behind our Sound System, so distance is not a difficulty, and the camera could be operated right inside the Sound platform also.

We would like to set up a Flat Panel TV in the Nursery which can then serve TWO purposes - Showing DVD's during Sunday School time or other occasions AND the Main Service by live feed.

My thought is simply to use a portable video camera for the video and audio. If audio needs to be of better quality, we could take a direct line right from the PA System.

HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS:
(1) What would be the best choice for a portable video camera which would allow us to take a signal out of it directly to a Flat Panel TV in the nursery in order to get the live audio feed? (This camera could also be used at other times for recording special events, etc. -- so a "baby" video monitor type of system would not be our choice)

(2) What kind of Flat Panel should be used (probably only need a 32 inch or whatever fits under our $500 budget) and what a/v connections should it have?

(3) What kind of cable should be used for the audio and video? And will any other connections be necessary?

Thanks for your help in advance!

David R. Slentz

[Frank DeWitt]

We are doing something similar.  We chose a consumer video camera with a live HDMI output and a long optical zoom.  We bought locally because most cameras don't say if the HDMI works live all the time.  (Ours works whenever the camera is on.

You can get away with feeding the flat screen with a active HDMI cable as long as 60 ft 
http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10255
also make sure that your camera has a audio input jack so you can connect the audio from your board.  Either the camera mic or the input jack will add the audio to the HDMI signal.

I think the only to get the camera and TV and cable and tripod for under $500 is used

[Stephen Swaffer]

We use a consumer camera, feed the video to a stand alone modulator, run a line feed from the sound system (actually use monitor signal from the CD recorder),then we just ran composite via coax to the nursery.  But if starting over might go Frank's way as we will likely go HDMI in the future.  But, if you can repurpose a no longer needed camera and a low cost video feed, then you could invest in a nicer flatscreen and upgrade rest as funds are available.

[Tom Burgess]

We are doing something similar.  We chose a consumer video camera with a live HDMI output and a long optical zoom.  We bought locally because most cameras don't say if the HDMI works live all the time.  (Ours works whenever the camera is on.

You can get away with feeding the flat screen with a active HDMI cable as long as 60 ft 
http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10255
also make sure that your camera has a audio input jack so you can connect the audio from your board.  Either the camera mic or the input jack will add the audio to the HDMI signal.

I think the only to get the camera and TV and cable and tripod for under $500 is used

Consumer vid cams still have audio inputs?  Although it's been a few years, the last time I shopped for one of these I couldn't find anything for under about $600.00 that had an audio input of any kind.  If you don't mind my asking, what brand and model is it?  I have a client that needs a cam for this exact purpose.  Their current cam has no audio inputs so the audio feed comes through the camera mic over HDMI which, as has been suggested earlier, is not a good option.  Since it's a small chapel, I was thinking Zoom Q8 (no optical zoom) since it has XLR inputs but if there's a suitable consumer cam out there then that may be a better solution for them.

[Frank DeWitt]

Consumer vid cams still have audio inputs?  Although it's been a few years, the last time I shopped for one of these I couldn't find anything for under about $600.00 that had an audio input of any kind.  If you don't mind my asking, what brand and model is it? 

Well, It is not cheep but we are using a Panasonic HC-X900K  We chose it for the long optical zoom.

BTW It has been suggested to us that we look at DSLR, and even point and shoot cameras.  They all shoot video now, and many have HDMI output.

Here is one example.
Canon PowerShot SX60

Note, you need to check that it has clean (no viewfinder info) HDMI out.

[Tom Burgess]

Well, It is not cheep but we are using a Panasonic HC-X900K  We chose it for the long optical zoom.

BTW It has been suggested to us that we look at DSLR, and even point and shoot cameras.  They all shoot video now, and many have HDMI output.

Here is one example.
Canon PowerShot SX60

Note, you need to check that it has clean (no viewfinder info) HDMI out.

Cool, thanks for the reply.

[Jonathan Johnson]

As Frank alluded to, you need to make sure that the video output of the camera meets your needs. Some possible issues:

• Video output contains on-screen metadata (the same as what you see in the viewfinder) and it can't be turned off. In some cases, the metadata is only off when the camera is actually recording.
• Camera goes to sleep/turns off if no buttons are pushed -- even when in record mode.
• If you need to take the camera off or on the AC power supply during use, how does it respond? Some cameras will crash or reboot, even with a battery installed.

When I was shopping for a camera about 10 years ago, I had initially chosen a JVC model, but I quickly found out it had some of the above limitations. I opted instead for a Sony model. I haven't shopped for a camera since then, so I cannot give any current recommendations.

For your budget, you are unlikely to find a camera with an audio input.

[BradLyons]

We are setting up a nursery and would like to have a Live Audio/Video feed to our Nursery.
Budget: Under $500

Our new nursery is located just about 10 or 20 feet behind our Sound System, so distance is not a difficulty, and the camera could be operated right inside the Sound platform also.

We would like to set up a Flat Panel TV in the Nursery which can then serve TWO purposes - Showing DVD's during Sunday School time or other occasions AND the Main Service by live feed.

My thought is simply to use a portable video camera for the video and audio. If audio needs to be of better quality, we could take a direct line right from the PA System.

HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS:
(1) What would be the best choice for a portable video camera which would allow us to take a signal out of it directly to a Flat Panel TV in the nursery in order to get the live audio feed? (This camera could also be used at other times for recording special events, etc. -- so a "baby" video monitor type of system would not be our choice)

(2) What kind of Flat Panel should be used (probably only need a 32 inch or whatever fits under our $500 budget) and what a/v connections should it have?

(3) What kind of cable should be used for the audio and video? And will any other connections be necessary?

Thanks for your help in advance!

David R. Slentz

May I ask, how important is this Audio and Video feed to the nursery?  The reason I ask is that $500 won't get you very far at all so if it is important, is there the ability to apply a budget that will get you more into what you need?  Okay we're not talking broadcast level here so I understand but still, there is a cost to the technology. The cheapest way to do this would be a consumer camera that has an HDMI output, and run an HDMI output to a TV using a high quality HDMI cable if it's a short run.  The audio is what it is and won't be that focused, nor will you have any kind of control of the level of the channels being fed. So a way around that is to run an XLR cable to a small, powered speaker fed from an Aux or Matrix out of your console. Realistically you're going to be around $1,000 for a basic camera, TV, audio, to provide the bare minimum.

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