IP PTZ (min 20x optical) with sound input rather than microphone

[cymruchris]

I've done what I think has been a relatively exhaustive search - and have possibly come up with a solution - but interested to see if anyone knows any other potential options.

On my previous thread I set up a couple of owl cams for the local church, and received a very helpful pointer which resulted in success - and now have been tasked with another project.

There's currently a Hikvision 8 POE port K series NVR in operation, and the challenge is to whether I can incorporate a 24 hour security camera with a broadcast camera as one and the same.

From my previous thread I now have a much clearer understanding of RTSP streaming - so I can get my head around that fairly easily - and have considered whether there are any IP PTZ's on the market with an RTSP stream that also have an audio input rather than a built in microphone and also at least a 20x optical zoom.

The camera would be mounted at the back of the church, whereby I'd then connect a wireless microphone receiver to the audio input, and the wireless microphones themselves would be situated around the various 'speaking points' of the church. Something like this:

From my research so far - I've only found one PTZ that fits the bill - and that's on Amazon of all places - and it's one of the non-brand Chinese types from a company called Sunba. This delivers on having an RTSP stream, a 20x optical zoom and a standard RCA phono input for audio:

So my question is - among the mainstream brands at the 'economy price' end of the market - are there any IP PTZ's with 20x optical plus an audio input other than the one above?

 

[Dan]

Hi @cymruchris

I am not aware of any PTZ models, at the consumer end of the price range, that support both 20x optical zoom and RCA phono input. There are several models that will support audio I/O but these would use a terminal block and not a phono/audio jack input.

 

[cymruchris]

Hi @cymruchris

I am not aware of any PTZ models, at the consumer end of the price range, that support both 20x optical zoom and RCA phono input. There are several models that will support audio I/O but these would use a terminal block and not a phono/audio jack input.

Thanks for your input - it confirms what I thought - a bit of a gap in the market there potentially for those that want to combine a security camera with a streaming camera in an all-in-one package. (Churches particularly) I might give the unbranded one a try to see how it performs and will report back to share results.

 

[Dan]

Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Quality audio streaming via IP cameras is something that has really only become a big requirement in the last 18-20 months during COVID & the professional brands we deal with have shown little interest in developing products for this specific requirement. As I said there are models that would support audio input using a terminal block, so to do what you require is potentially possible but would likely require more specialist equipment and setup knowledge.

 

[cymruchris]

Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Quality audio streaming via IP cameras is something that has really only become a big requirement in the last 18-20 months during COVID & the professional brands we deal with have shown little interest in developing products for this specific requirement. As I said there are models that would support audio input using a terminal block, so to do what you require is potentially possible but would likely require more specialist equipment and setup knowledge.

Totally agree that it’s a recent development - I’ve not come across audio using a terminal block - is there an example camera that you’re aware of that has this that I could take a look at? I tend to like to analyse options and learn as I do.

 

[Dan]

I don't have any specific examples I can dig up at the moment but most people who have tried connecting microphones to the audio I/O on the cameras have simply used a directional microphone placed some distance from the camera, but not connected hand-held or clip-on mics as these would require some kind of hub unit like the one you show above which I'm not sure that would link the cameras audio I/O.

 

[cymruchris]

I don't have any specific examples I can dig up at the moment but most people who have tried connecting microphones to the audio I/O on the cameras have simply used a directional microphone placed some distance from the camera, but not connected hand-held or clip-on mics as these would require some kind of hub unit like the one you show above which I'm not sure that would link the cameras audio I/O.

That’s good information thanks - it may work on a similar basis where one output from the above type of microphone sets are ready mixed and balanced coming along a single cable - so there’s potential I’m sure. I’ll try the first option first - and if it works will feedback for others to know if it works - then if that doesn’t produce acceptable results will look at the option you’ve suggested as the next trial and error. It’ll be good to work out a solution that might benefit others who want to combine security with a basic live stream utilising a ptz.

 

[cymruchris]

Now that I've had everything delivered - and tried a home setup - I thought I'd come back and update the thread for anyone that might be searching for a similar solution in future. The Sunba camera itself is a decent unit, with good image and seems well built, and was able to pick up the RTSP stream which worked well - and does have the sound input as described. However on connecting my 'mixed microphone' line in - I got terrible feedback through the camera audio channel which made it completely unusable (the microphones connected to any other line-in were perfect). I contacted Sunba's help email - and to their credit they replied within 24 hours - which said they were aware there was an issue, and that the audio sampling rate of this range of cameras was low. They did recommend a couple of ideas - including their £430 camera - but for this project that's beyond budget. So I'm going to go with my plan B - which is to take the RTSP feed from the camera - and connect the microphones directly to a laptop, which will then use the OBS software to transmit a combined stream. (and see how that works!)


Hi Chris,

Thanks for contacting SUNBA, I know your concern.
The audio effect of the 405 camera through the active pickup is not good, there are some interference with the sound.
We have also noticed this problem. Due to the low audio sampling rate of the lite series cameras, it cannot meet the live broadcast standard.
Therefore, some of our customers used a single audio source to be mixed into the live broadcast software (such as OBS) . This method can achieve a good results, but third-party software is required for audio and video mixing step.

In addition, if your requirement of the sound effects is not to high, you can try the illuminati model. The AAC audio sampling rate of this camera can reach 48KHz and the Audio Stream Bitrate 128kpbs. But the price is quite expensive. Refer to this video for the effect: video removed for posting

Regarding the church live broadcast, we will update and iterate our products on the hardware in the near future. thank you for your patience.

Best Regards,
Customer Service Manager
Robin P.