How to implement parallel recording from 3 cameras?

Question

Do it yourself

There is a task:
Scene. A person is on stage. The format is a seminar, a master class.
It is necessary to install 3-4 video cameras in the hall. Stationary, so that they record, later it all needs to be edited for video lessons so that there are different angles. One camera can be motorized, the rest are stationary. The sound is recorded from a high-quality microphone at the presenter.

How can this be implemented? Hardware, software, etc.

I thought to put several IP cameras in HD format. But how to write it in a cool quality somehow. The budget also plays a role.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with ready-made applications for simultaneous work with several cameras. For one, VirtualDub would fit (if we are talking about Windows). Well, or if there are 3 cameras, then you can start recording on 3 computers at the same time :)
If you want to write such a program yourself, you can try using the highgui module of the OpenCV library. This may not be the most direct way, but the API is temptingly simple, plus you can peep into the tutorials . If you are too lazy to read tutorials, then you can look here .
If we take a 4-core processor from more or less the latest Intel (2.8GHz), then I think it will manage to record 3 times in FullHD (1920x1080). But I can’t say for sure how to connect several cameras of good resolution to a computer. We basically took either web cameras or analog ones and connected them through video grabbers. At one time they worked with Ewclid boards .
If you decide to move in this direction, you can paint in more detail.

Answer 2

Try VLC. You just save the stream to disk, change the container on the fly, without compressing the video, right? The main thing is not to run into disk performance.

Answer 3

Try a powerful processor with the AVReg program and connect your HD cameras to it (as I understand it, 1280x720, no higher resolution is required for seminars). If you play with codecs, then some compromise in quality and recording speed can be achieved.
To mount already with some video editors, I think this will no longer be difficult.

Answer 4

A request like “multi-channel video capture card” will help you :) For example, for 4 Full HD channels www.dvr.net.ua/product.php?prodid=129 (not my moped, just googled it
) we rented a high-quality HD recorder from a video surveillance company and later removed the video from it, though we had to look for cameras from familiar TV people.

Answer 5

Recording a video is not difficult. You can write with any camera. Attach at least three HD webcams, each to its own port. Only the higher the resolution, the more difficult it will be to edit. Editing of 6 streams (video, audio) + you will want additional voice acting + effects, titles. screensavers are hard and painstaking work. Besides, the graphic station will be required not cheap. It's worth it?
Usually, seminars are filmed with one camera with a tripod and an operator who, if necessary, carries it around.
Everything is processed in the simplest, amateur way.

Answer 6

You can record using the iSpy program - if the cameras are IP or Web. It's easy to turn on permanent recording. IP cameras have sound recording. You can record the sound in any way, even the standard "sound recording". As a result, you will have several streams of speech / seminar. And with the help of a video editor, you do the timing assembly, here you probably need Adobe Primier or the like.