Important Aspects of Video Camcorders

Video camcorders are modern day technological wonders that can instantly capture important events of our lives; store them in tapes, DVDs or hard disks and keep them permanently for posterity. The video images are also accompanied by recording of surrounding sound which enables a viewer to literally relive the past. Apart from storing of images of family events, video camcorders have also been commercially exploited while taking pictures of rare public events.

Some of the amateur videos have become successful shows on TV and this has further boosted the popularity of video camcorders. The technology of video camcorders has continually evolved over several decades. The technology used is actually a combination of advancement in various related technologies like camera optics, digital compression, microprocessor chips and the like. This article discusses two of the important parts of a video camcorder.

Camera section

The CCD for capturing image, lens and electric motors for activating the moving parts are the 3 basic elements of the camera section of a video camcorder. CCD or charge coupled devices are semiconductor devices that generate electric impulses on being excited by light. Depending on the intensity of light falling on these devices, the charge levels also vary. The image screen follows pixel based technology in which each picture element (pixel) is a charge coupled device (CCD). The higher the number of pixels, the sharper is the image. These electric impulses are then processed in the VCR section of the camera.

The lens is an important element of a video camcorder. It gathers the light reflected from the object and focuses it on to the CCD screen. The quality of images is directly dependent on the quality of the lens used.

Miniature electric motors help in zoom function of the lens as well in rotation of tape / disk and the like.

The VCR section

The VCR section is the second important component of a video camcorder. It performs the function of converting the electric impulses into images that can be stored magnetically in tapes or disks. It is similar in operation to regular VCRs but is of compact size so that it can fit into a video camcorder. Advanced video compression technology and image processing techniques are used in digital camcorders. The captured image in magnetic form in a tape can then be played back in the camera itself or in a TV similar to that in a normal VCR.

Company Introduces New Type of Security Camera That Looks At Things Differently

Exalt Connects Video Surveillance System for California Department of Forestry ... - MarketWatch (press release)

Exalt Connects Video Surveillance System for California Department of Forestry ... MarketWatch (press release) The video surveillance system currently features tower-mounted cameras covering El Dorado County, and it will be expanded to include additional surveillance ... and more »

Purdue installing exterior security cameras - Journal and Courier

Purdue installing exterior security cameras Journal and Courier The camera system is also expected to save the university money by acting as a deterrent to vandals, Cox said. “One of the things that Purdue suffers from ... System will monitor busy campus areasPurdue Exponent all 7 news articles »

California updates video surveillance for forest fires - Central Valley Business Times

California updates video surveillance for forest fires Central Valley Business Times Vicom says the system's multiple cameras connect to broadband Ethernet radios that transmit video back to a command center in Camino. ... Vicom gets into the long-distance bizSecurity Systems News Vicom Wireless Deploys State-of-the-Art Fire Detection and Surveillance System ...Marketwire (press release) all 7 news articles »

California State University, Monterey Bay Selects INX to Implement and Expand ... - MarketWatch (press release)

California State University, Monterey Bay Selects INX to Implement and Expand ... MarketWatch (press release) CSUMB has deployed a campus wide security camera solution based on Cisco System's Video System Operation Manager (VSOM) in order to monitor the campus and ... and more »