Using iMac for local surveilance

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llvonn

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#65622 4-Aug-2010 17:43

Hi there

I have an iMac running Tiger (10.4) and was wanting to set up a temporary surveilance system using my iMac to run it.
Is this possible and if so, what extra equipment would I need?
Audio is most important with video being optional. I am trying to prove that my dog is not a problem barker.

llvonn

MattD

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#363164 4-Aug-2010 18:11

I guess the challenge is you do not want to sit through hours of audio to find out.

Could you try AudioHijack Pro and then run the sounds of silence function. I have not used, but maybe download the trial as allows 10min recordings.. and see what happens when barking at intervals throughout the 10mins
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/

The Sounds Of SilenceRemove audio, split or stop recordings when silence occurs.

michaelmurfy

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#363200 4-Aug-2010 19:01

There's a package in Linux called "Motion" which does what you are asking, but I am not sure about OSX. There maybe a nice GUI for it for OSX. I used to use it for spying on my old flatmates since I didn't trust them, and drop the images and video into my dropbox.

Except one of them was smart enough to steal my laptop, I wasn't too happy.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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josephhinvest

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#363219 4-Aug-2010 19:32

Does your iMac have a built in iSight camera? Even if not, perhaps you can just set QuickTime (or similiar) to record audio. Audio Hijack is indeed useful as you can schedule recordings.
Perhaps something that allows you to view the waveform of recorded audio would be useful as you would then be able to quickly visually skim over the recording to see if any audio is recorded rather than having to listen to it.

Keeping the recording whole seems like it would be important to establish a continous time reference, I.e if it only records when audio is detected, then you may not know when the sounds occurred.

Sometimes apps will freak out if they are left recording for hour after hour, but I've successfully recorded video overnight using PhotoBooth on my work iMac.

Also is the iMac close enough to the source? You could always use an external mic.

Cheers,
Joseph.