How can I record video from two sources at once?

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Right now I'd like to try making some 3D red/cyan videos. My main problem is how to record video from two sources at the same time. I have two mini spy cameras that both output to a composite RCA jack and I need them to be saved in a digital format for later editing. How can this be done? Is there a cheap way to do this?

[ROBOTRON]

Right now I'd like to try making some 3D red/cyan videos. My main problem is how to record video from two sources at the same time. I have two mini spy cameras that both output to a composite RCA jack and I need them to be saved in a digital format for later editing. How can this be done? Is there a cheap way to do this?

Radio shack has composite splitters that are fairly cheap....I've even seen them at dollar stores. 2 cheap dvd recorders with the splitters I just mentioned? I've seen dvd recorder units under $100 in places like Big Lots and Ebay-ski.

Dual DVR? Don't buy one rent it from someplace like RAC and then take it back when you complete your project.

buy this thing?

[ZOM]

Is there a cheap way to do this?

Depending on footage lenght & quality, what our robotic friend suggested is a convenient way of doing things. The only other unexpensive way that springs to mind is a cheap pc with a capture card, will suffice if you're not planning on recording HD quality. Otherwise you'd need a good HD capture card like BMD's products and a fast raid-system.

On a sidenote, I think going the professional way is out of question since you'll easily land in the $10,000 ballpark (at least).

As for the 3D, that's easily done with just a few mouse-clicks once you have the footage.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Thanks, I guess the only real way to do this cheaply is to have two computers. Even then syncing becomes a problem...

[ZOM]

^^If you could have a little (networked)app that controls when to record on both PCs... not sure how feasible this idea is.

[Ed Oscuro]

There are two ways to do this:

1.) The guide you're looking for is here, it's not free, though you already have some of the equipment. Production-wise, I would go with the two HD cameras since they're only like $47 each, and it should be easier to just capture to memory cards on two video cameras and sync it up later, versus trying to capture from two different webcams (excuse me, "spycams") and having to sync it up later anyway.

or

2.) Ditch the red/blue thing (I don't think the current 3D trend hardware allows for easy red / blue conversion) and buy one of these. No personal experience. Cheapest I could find quickly.

[ED-057]

In theory, you can get a pair of USB TV/video-capture dongles and run two instances of virtualdub (or whatever) and record two streams at once. In practice, well... I have seen a lot of blue screens over the years when trying to do video captures of any sort. Two at once might be problematic. But I just tried it and by some miracle, it worked!

I plugged a Sabrent USB 2.0 A/V dongle and an EVGA inDtube dongle both into my laptop running XP. Started two instances of Virtualdub and selected each device. I couldn't see the video overlay from both at the same time but I did successfully record two AVIs, one with whitenoise (since I didn't feel like bringing something in here to hook to it) and the other showing the Dreamcast's BIOS screen. It can be done!