Need IP Camera Recommendation For Sports Video Application
Need IP Camera Recommendation
I am working on a sports video analysis application which will use IP cameras to record up to four concurrent angles of a sporting event to a Windows 8.1 desktop or laptop. The purpose is essentially to create a 360 degree view of a player and use this video footage and the custom analysis tool application for evaluation and training with a coach.
The application is targeted at skill events like golf, tennis, volleyball or baseball which will primarily be held outdoors during the day or in lighted gyms. High resolution and high frame rate are the highest priority for the type of instruction we want to do; however the target market is high schools and clubs, not professional sports and pricing and reliability will also be important.
From what I have read on this site, the Samsung SNB-6004 seems like the best compromise solution; it has HD resolution, lower data rate (than the alternatives in the IPVM camera reviews, important so we can record multiple streams in real time), the 60 fps option and reasonable pricing.
Has anyone implemented a similar application or can make a recommendation on cameras that seem like a better fit? We are all software developers first and foremost and not video experts. I would really appreciate your suggestions before we start buying a bunch of cameras for testing.
Is there a reason the camera has to be IP? Normally high frame rate and high resolution mean high compression. Is your sports video app essentially the VMS or do you plan on using a COTS VMS also? H.264 or possibly MJPEG? If you expect to do 4ch frame by frame slo-mo synchronized viewing from a source of 60 fps, I would be concerned about the frame jitter making the end result unacceptable. At the very least test the camera for not only fps adequacy but also that the interval between frames is exactly what it should be.
These type of issues are dealt with in the broadcast world by very precise mechanisms (SMPTE timestripe, wordclock, blackburst) that insure all devices are transmitting phase accurate. Maybe your app isn't that demanding, but it sounds like it might be.
I'm not familiar with Samsung's SDK, but Axis Communications' SDK is generally regarded as the best in the business. Axis recently came out with their ARPTEC-5 architecture, which supports 60FPS at 1080P. Hopefully, you'll soon be able to buy a 60FPS 1080P camera with Axis' SDK.
I know there are Samsung distributors on this forum. Hopefully, someone will soon pop in and explain if and how the Samsung SDK compares to Axis', because the SNB-6004 is an incredible camera at an incredible price.
I am doing this already. I'm using 6 3MP Sony cameras recording Judo training at 20fps. Everything is synced together using exacqVision. If I reduce it to 1080p, then I can get 30fps, but I lose coverage area and a "hot spot" on the mat.
At 20fps, I really don't have any issues looking at the video frame by frame and can see the various aspects of what happened with no problem. More frames would be useful, but not to sure it's necessary for me. Obviously 60fps would be better, but the files are already pretty big. A 22 second clip is coming in at 22.8MB. This is just 1 camera view.
I have also used Arecont 1.3MP, 3MP, and 5MP cameras in the past. I have a 60fps Sony that I have yet to install because I was testing it for another application, but will eventually install it in this application. Everything is recording in h.264. Because of the lighting in the facility, I've had to play with the shutter speeds. That's really been my biggest challenge. If I could change out the lights, then I would have no problem getting clear stop motion when looking frame by frame, but I can't because it's not my facility.
Hope this helps.
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