Wanting a basic wired camera to display on a TV

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Dynamic

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#304043 31-Mar-2023 08:16

I want to be able to see a live view of our entrance by glancing up at wall-mounted display. What I think I want is a very basic cable-connected camera that will output straight to a TV, ideally via HDMI so I can use a spare computer monitor or cheap modern TV. Ideally this would be USB powered, though powering from a wall brick is no trouble. Recording is definitely not needed and would not be used. The quality is almost irrelevant, as I simply want to see if a person is present, or a package is present. The cable run would be very short.

Our existing CCTV is wireless and app-based and does not have the ability to output to a TV or monitor. While we have a spare webcam and a retired computer, I'd prefer the simplicity of a lower-tech solution. It's handy to be able to set one of the Veon branded TVs to turn on and off on a schedule, which is a feature we utilise elsewhere.

Has anyone stumbled across a camera that would do the trick, or have one surplus to requirements, or have an alternative suggestion?

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3056927 31-Mar-2023 08:38

I've not come across any with HDMI output, but Hikvision has some such as the DS-2CD2185G0-IMS. Local availability unknown.

johno1234

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#3056945 31-Mar-2023 09:02

Seems overly limiting. You could get a regular ip webcam and hook it up to a cheap old RaspberryPi with HDMI output. If you subsequently wanted to store the footage or access remotely then that would also be possible at little or no extra cost?

Silvrav

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#3056972 31-Mar-2023 09:21

Dynamic:

I want to be able to see a live view of our entrance by glancing up at wall-mounted display. What I think I want is a very basic cable-connected camera that will output straight to a TV, ideally via HDMI so I can use a spare computer monitor or cheap modern TV. Ideally this would be USB powered, though powering from a wall brick is no trouble. Recording is definitely not needed and would not be used. The quality is almost irrelevant, as I simply want to see if a person is present, or a package is present. The cable run would be very short.

Our existing CCTV is wireless and app-based and does not have the ability to output to a TV or monitor. While we have a spare webcam and a retired computer, I'd prefer the simplicity of a lower-tech solution. It's handy to be able to set one of the Veon branded TVs to turn on and off on a schedule, which is a feature we utilise elsewhere.

Has anyone stumbled across a camera that would do the trick, or have one surplus to requirements, or have an alternative suggestion?

so its only app based? can you share what brand and app?

There are ways depending on camera spec and brand you can highjack the signal and access it through a webpage. Then you just maximise the webpage feed and you got your camera on a monitor (through a PC)

mdf

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#3056998 31-Mar-2023 09:54

Not exactly what you asked for, but a car reversing camera will possibly check the "simple video output", "short cable run", "quality irrelevant", and "basic" boxes. And dirt cheap even including a basic monitor, see e.g.: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/rear-view-cameras/listing/4060669919 but can move up the pricing menu with extra features/better monitor, se.g. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/rear-view-cameras/listing/4055295335 . Though I've never seen one with HDMI outputs.

richms

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#3057014 31-Mar-2023 10:15

If you get a car one, check that it has the jumpers to disable the parking lines and image mirroring.

Better option would be an analog HD security camera ($20 or so on aliexpress) and the cheapest AHD DVR you can find with HDMI output ($30 or so) - vastly better picture and always have the option of sticking a HDD in it later if you want to record it.

Otherwise there are security camera shaped USB cameras with a 5m cable on them - typical webcam quality but for some reason more expensive than a webcam and a security camera combined. You can extend a couple of times with active extension cables. Then plug that into a dinosaur windows 10 PC and just run the camera app and fullscreen it.

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#3057563 1-Apr-2023 15:19

SirHumphreyAppleby:

I've not come across any with HDMI output, but Hikvision has some such as the DS-2CD2185G0-IMS. Local availability unknown.

Thank you. Nice suggestion. Can't see it in NZ or Aus though.

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Dynamic

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#3057578 1-Apr-2023 15:21

johno1234:

Seems overly limiting. You could get a regular ip webcam and hook it up to a cheap old RaspberryPi with HDMI output. If you subsequently wanted to store the footage or access remotely then that would also be possible at little or no extra cost?

Thank you for the thought. While we do have a spare RPi, I'd rather this be an appliance like a toaster rather than something with an OS that could potentially misbehave.

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Dynamic

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#3057580 1-Apr-2023 15:24

Silvrav:

so its only app based? can you share what brand and app?

There are ways depending on camera spec and brand you can highjack the signal and access it through a webpage. Then you just maximise the webpage feed and you got your camera on a monitor (through a PC)

It's the TPLink Tapo gear, which is simple but has worked well for me so far. I didn't think it would be viewed on a computer, but you've prompted me to take another look. This FAQ suggests it could be done. How to view Tapo camera on PC through RTSP stream? | Tapo

I'm still not in love with the idea of a computer bring involved, but it's a useful fallback position.

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Dynamic

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#3057584 1-Apr-2023 15:27

mdf:

Not exactly what you asked for, but a car reversing camera will possibly check the "simple video output", "short cable run", "quality irrelevant", and "basic" boxes. And dirt cheap even including a basic monitor, see e.g.: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/rear-view-cameras/listing/4060669919 but can move up the pricing menu with extra features/better monitor, se.g. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/rear-view-cameras/listing/4055295335 . Though I've never seen one with HDMI outputs.

Thank you. Another useful suggestion. I'd like to be able to display on a larger screen though, so multiple people can see at a glance (which I did not mention earlier).

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams