The Oklahoma regional is going to be using HD video ([email protected]) for the spectator display this year, so I’m trying to build a PC to handle the webcast and video archiving. My 6-year-old laptop had enough trouble keeping up with 640x480, so instead of spending my spring break working on low-cost match archiving boxes, I’m going to be working on a high-cost box. :o
Here’s the setup I’m looking at so far:
Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM
4 x 1TB HDD, in RAID 5
NVIDIA GT 540 (In my dreams, I’d like to use NVENC to do H.264 encoding in real time on the GPU, but that will have to wait for next year)
I’m looking for any suggestions on capture hardware, software setups, and general recommendations about what it takes to work with HD video. After the regional, I’ll write a whitepaper about my setup and experience, since the move to HD will be a common trend in the next few years. Thanks!
Composite video is what I’ve used for the last few years. It analog, and typically only 480i. That means my poor laptop could handle it with only a $10 capture interface, but it also means that you tend to get shapeless blobs instead of sharp action.
We definitely need more HD in FIRST. I find it odd that footage filmed on expensive HD cameras is only available in 480p. On top of that, sites like like Ustream support HD steaming, so it’s not like the technology isn’t there.
I don’t think the FMS keyer/key output is HD either.
Last year, we got a local IT company to stream the regional and they spent all the money to get an HD stream and the feed was only SD. (They’re doing it again this year, so we did something right.)
