By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-08-30 06:01:05 | Word Count: 364
At a recent museum exhibition, the administration wanted to provide the public the opportunity to participate in the display’s ongoing highlights – capturing audience reactions, new features at the site and opportunities to enjoy the works of art over and over again. To accomplish these goals, the museum installed live video at the exhibition and piped the feed directly to the museum’s Web site. The feedback from the public was excellent.
Several Web sites currently offer live video feeds to watch anything from activity on a beach to traffic on a major freeway. The technology is mature enough to bring the video data from almost any location directly to the Web, as long as the video collection system is directly connected to the Internet (which allows for almost unlimited access).
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The system is commonly configured with multiple wireless cameras set up at strategic locations. This generates the wireless live video that is sent to the video collection system. The remote cameras are powered by lithium batteries that sustain use for up to a year without a battery change. Secure connections between the camera and the workstation keep the equipment accessible to only authorized entities. The wireless video data feed is fast, sending data at a high enough rate and resolution to make the images clear and usable. At the collection system, regular updates are sent to a Web provider that authenticates users and distributes the video. It’s a very straightforward process, and individuals interested in the video at their site can schedule just how much video to provide, the times of day to record and the storage limits of the unit.
Another application of these cameras is video monitoring. Companies and homeowners can utilize this same technology to monitor activities at any site. Checking several remote facilities at one time with video surveillance equipment becomes easy. Security personnel can simply access a Web site and check the status sites. It’s less expensive to install than a large industrial video surveillance system.
