What is the path of data from the camera -> encoder -> laptop -> internet -> consumer?
See Diagram.
What is an external video capture device?
This is a device that encodes analog video from a camera to something a computer can understand.
What is the difference between using a firewire connection from a camera and a video capture device?
A firewire cable can be plug in directly to a laptop with a firewire port, but can only be used with a camera that
captures digital video. This can be convenient, since there’s no need for an additional piece of equipment (i.e. an
external video capture device), but can eat up a lot of a computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit, or processing speed).
An external video capture device is inexpensive, but typically are used to encode analog video data.
What is analog video?
A signal that is based on a series of electrical signals. Each signal is based on the changes of brightness and color.
Think of a speedometer in a car that still uses a needle and a dial and continuously changes.
How is digital video different than analog?
Digital is based on either an “on” or “off” signal, or the bits (0 being “off,” and 1 being “on”). Information that is in
digital form is actually information that is averaged into these bits.
What are the different types of analog cable?
Composite (also known as an RCA cable) – A coaxial cable that caries video signals (including all the luminance, or
brightness, and color data) through one single cable. To force so much information over that single cable, the data
must be compressed. Because the data has to be compressed so much, it does not support HD signals and can also
contain a lot of interference.
S-video cable – A cable that keeps the chrominance, or color data, and luminance, or brightness data, separate.
Because these signals are kept separate, there is less room for interference or mixed up video data.
Component – A coaxial cable that caries a Y (luminance or brightness…the green cable) signal, Pb (blue minus
luminance…the blue cable) signal, and a Pr (red minus luminance…the red cable) signal. This cable can support
higher resolutions than an S-video cable. Since the signal is split between 3 cables, it can support HD signals.