# Analog cameras

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When do I need an analog camera?</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Under certain conditions analog cameras will serve you better than digital cameras. If cables longer than 5 m are needed between the camera and recording equipment, for most digital cameras, you need an amplifier. Industrial analog cameras may be more suitable in these cases. Cable lengths of 30-50 meters are generally no problem.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">An additional advantage of analog cameras is that their signals can easily be splitted by simply splitting the cable. To split a signal from a digital camera a video splitter or video splitting software is needed.</span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Install and setup</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">To convert the output of analog cameras into a digital format, a video capture card is needed. If you bought a complete solution from Noldus IT, the video capture card is present in the computer. If you bought your cameras, video capture card and MediaRecorder separately, you must do the installation and setup yourself.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">See <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Set up analog cameras</a></span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a name="XREF_11632_Supported_analog" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></a>Supported analog cameras</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In theory, MediaRecorder works with output of every analog camera that is used with the Euresys Picolo Alert PCIe Video Capture Board. We specifically tested MediaRecorder with output of the following cameras with the Euresys Picolo Alert PCIe Video Capture Board with Multicam driver 6.15.13573:</span>

- <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ikegami B/W ICD-49 PAL</span>
- <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Panasonic WV-CP504 NTSC</span>
- <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ikegami Analog PAL/CCIR</span>
- <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ikegami Analog NTSC/EIA</span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Maximum supported number of cameras</span>

- <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Euresys Picolo Alert PCIe Video Capture Board - Four cameras or PhenoTyper Top Units.</span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tested setups with EthoVision XT</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The table below shows the maximum supported (1) resolution, (2) frame rate (fps), (3) color space, (4) number of devices and (5) recording time (hours). Tests were done on a Dell 3640 PC</span>

<div align="left" id="bkmrk-%C2%A0-device-resolution-" width="100%"><table cellspacing="0px" class="table0 TopRowAlternatingRows" dir="ltr"><tbody><tr class="t1st"><td></td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Device</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Resolution</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Frame rate</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Color space</span>

</td><td><span class="FM_A_SansBold" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">No of devices</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Recording time</span>

</td></tr><tr class="t2Row"><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[![image.png](https://bookstack.noldus.com/uploads/images/gallery/2023-11/scaled-1680-/WImE4eMMj0GxTmPM-image.png)](https://bookstack.noldus.com/uploads/images/gallery/2023-11/WImE4eMMj0GxTmPM-image.png)</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ikegami B/W ICD-49 PAL- Analog CCIR Euresys Picolo Alert PCIe</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">768 x 576</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">25</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">YUY2</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">RGB32</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">0.5</span>

</td></tr><tr class="t1Row"><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[![image.png](https://bookstack.noldus.com/uploads/images/gallery/2023-11/scaled-1680-/kTAI3sHg2vDxT39i-image.png)](https://bookstack.noldus.com/uploads/images/gallery/2023-11/kTAI3sHg2vDxT39i-image.png)</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Panasonic WV-CP504 NTSC - Analog EIA Euresys Picolo Alert PCIe</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">640 x 480</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">30</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">YUY2</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">0.5</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">18</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">60</span>

</td></tr><tr class="t2Row"><td></td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Analog PAL/CCIR</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">768 x 576</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">25</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">RGB24</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">4</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">24</span>

</td></tr><tr class="t1Row"><td></td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Analog NTSC/EIA</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">640 x 480</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">30</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">RGB24</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">4</span>

</td><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">24</span>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

</div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**<span class="FM_All_caps">IMPORTANT</span>** The file size of a 18, 24 and 60 hours recording is very large.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**<span class="FM_All_caps">Note</span>** CCIR is the monochrome version of PAL and EIA is the monochrome version of NTSC.</span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cable length</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In theory, a length of 250 m should be possible, however we did not test that. We know that a length of 100 m can be used without problems.</span>

## <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Notes</span>

### <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">PAL or NTSC</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">MediaRecorder automatically identifies the analog cameras as PAL / CCIR (=monochrome PAL), or NTSC / EIA (=monochrome NTSC). It selects the correct frame rate and resolution automatically.</span>