audio/video recording on a pc

[Rick DuVall <R_C_DUVALL@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello everybody,

      We currently capture audio and video of 5 of our auction lanes
      and send it out over the internet for simulcast buyer
      participation. We also capture those feeds with 5 dvr/dvd
      burners for conflict resolution. This is cumbersome and eats up
      a lot of space, and will become more cumbersome as we extend the
      lanes we capture.

      We tried a computer based av capture board with 4 inputs, but
      the captured image wasn't clear enough for our purposes (we need
      to be able to recognize faces and hopefully read big numbers on
      the vehicles) and the file format was proprietary and difficult
      to deal with.

      Ideally, we want a solution that is computer based and compact,
      that can record full video and audio at a pretty high resolution
      and allow scrutiny (playback) of the file(s) while still
      recording (preferably through the network). Finally it should be
      a standard file format that is easy to burn off to dvd and
      archive for possible later replay. And if that's not enough, we
      want it to be cheap! ;)

      Ok, having said that, does anyone know of a solution that comes
      pretty close to the above without paying for an entire recording
      studio? ;) Any suggestions are welcome... Thanks!