view video while continuing to record?

[Muddy Dog Sports]

I'm looking to buy a decent camera doing finish line video as backup. Ideally I would like to have the ability to watch the first part of the video to judge close finishes while the camera continues to record. Maybe a video camera hooked up to software that can do this or possibly a DVR? Any advice from the group is appreciated!

[Dioxin]

I haven't tried them but maybe you could use a Wi-Fi SDcard in your camera so you can access images without having to stop or move the camera?

Then almost any camera taking stills can be used and you can look at the images immediately from any computer on your Wi-Fi network. 

I'm not so sure if it will work on true video, as the camera might refuse to let the video file be opened while it is being recorded.

http://www.eyefi.com/

[Daryl Bloomfield]

I use a pair of Go-Pros on the finish line tucked up into the top corners of the Gantry focused straight down on the line..

And then if anyone needs to check a close finish I can just swap out the Micro SD card from one of the Go Pros and play it back as needed.

They capture the full finish width easy for my events (whether on my small or larger gantry) - and are not that noticeable.

The one trick I have done to them is to connect them to an external battery pack so that I can get more than 2 1/2 hours record time out of them - Now can get over 9 hours on the 64Gb card at 1080p before the card is full

See the attached images for reference.

If I have to I could also just unplug the battery cable and plug that into a PC for checking as well without removing the card from the camera (but you need to stop recording on the Go Pro so you can view / access the files)

I also use a couple of Go Pros behind / further down the finishing chute to capture participants as they walk out / so that I can read the bibs (it does mean I end up with about 50GB+ of finish line footage each event currently  - put it always helps me answer who came across the line in order (and also gives me the ability if timing system goes kaka - to re-time an event manually

[Ted Finch]

We use a GoPro too.Benefits are that the Gopro will record continuosly. GoPro clones and Compact Cameras limit recording time to a single file.

GoPro have 'apps' for Android ( and IOs) that allow you to minitor the camera via WiFi. There is also  PC application,not from GoPro, but Windows does not like adhoc networking so the link to the GoPro is tricky at best.

The benefit of video backup for manual timing or checking the order of finishers cannot be under estimated. A basic model is sufficient. In the EU refurbished models are available direct from GoPro in the Netherlands for about £130.

Cheers
Ted

[Ohio Race Day]

Here is a link from a couple years ago of a conversation that strayed into this topic.  Review the comments before and after for ideas. 

review and record video at same time

[Muddy Dog Sports]

Thanks for the input everyone. It seems video is something with no upper limit on how much you can spend if you want to. Looking around more I did find a couple options for record and view at the same time. Here's really inexpensive webcam security software that lets you do it:

http://www.pysoft.com/

Also found a very nice looking setup (demo video even shows it backing up an Agee RFID system at an XC meet) but starting to spend a bunch more:

http://www.eagleeyedv.com/Video_Review_p/er3.htm

[MarkE]

Is there anyone here that has used the eagle eye system?  I've been considering this system for CC events this fall. There was a similar question posted about a year ago with no response but it does look like a reasonable way to get good quality finish line video.

[Peak Performance Timing]

Mark.....I have considered the eagle eye system too. I would like to hear an opinion also :)

[Pete Wareham]

I have used the eagle eye video for years as video backup. It works great. You can record and review video simultaneously. I use it to find any/all runners where their chip was not picked up.

[SportMadeSimple]

We've been using a relatively cheap home security system .  It has 4 cameras that are automatically synced on screen.  I face one at the clock, one across the finish line and the other 2 facing the runners from either side of the finish line.  It keeps recording during playback and is really easy to use. 

[MarkE]

Thanks for the link!  I've looked at these security systems and wondered how they would work.  Is the picture quality good enough to grab bib numbers if needed?  Also, is the frame rate high enough to get a good quality frame to frame finish line image for close finishes?

[SportMadeSimple]

Mine records at 30 frames per second which is more than enough for close finishes.  The quality is good enough to read bib numbers for sure, as long as you position the cameras correctly. (not directly into the sun & not too low).  It is a really easy solution. Plug it in and it starts recording it overwrites old data when the drive fills.  I probably have video from the last 5 or 6 events on it at any given time.

[Pete Wareham]

Can you scroll forward and backward?
Can you review in slow motion?
Do you view it on a small monitor or laptop with an hdmi cable?

[SportMadeSimple]

I use a monitor (there is software to watch it over a network, but I like the simplicity of plugging the monitor into the device.  It is like a dvr playback any speed from something like 1/8  to 64x speed forward and backward.  The one I have is older so it doesn't have HDMI (it's VGA or Component cables).