Though undoubtably a novel and noble idea, on reflection, it seems like more than a minor effort, and quite possibly a major pain in the ass. I'm sure that John wouldn't suggest it unless he thought he and the team could do it well, and they are certainly capable of executing.
But its not just like plugging in 96 cameras into a couple of switches in a room with a ip controlled dimmer/blinds and an electric train and walking away. That might be somewhat possible in a pure learning/experimentation scenario, with a "it is what it is" mentality. However, there is a huge difference in asking the question "i wonder how much better WDR cameras are than non-WDR", than "Is the Axis ABC with XYZ with better in low-light than the Bosch..."
The temptation to try to perform ad-hoc shootouts for specific situations/oppurtunities will be great, and attempting to facilitate them might be quite labor intensive. As in:
- How do I try the lens from that IPVM shootout?
- Can I upgrade/rollback the firmware?
- How do I get the same scene in camera X as Y?
- How do I record these clips?
- Is there a license plate/face available?
- How do I adjust a vari-focal lens?
- What happened to camera ABC?
@John, what do you envision the parameters for concurrent use would be, to keep it within a reasonable effort level for staff?