Questions about CCTV CCD cameras...

[Wigwam Jones]

I'm interested in a new project - I was looking at the cover of Donald Fagen's album "The Nightfly" and thinking hmmm:



First, I was thinking, I wonder how hard it would be to recreate this photo? I mean, it's pretty simple and evocative. B&W photo. Old 'studio acoustic' tiles on the wall, turntable, old microphone, an ashtray and a pack of smokes. Seems like something like that could be done again for fun.

Then I was thinking about that whole era - I.G.Y. and so on. A bit before my time - I was born in 1961 - but still a cool era. I was thinking, how cool would it be to do a podcast from a 'studio' like that, spinning old disks and dj'ing it just like they would have back in that timeframe?

Then I thought, hey, wait a minute, hold the phone - what about a VIDEO podcast? Put a video camera on that scene and do the podcast as if the camera was not there. Play it straight like a real late night jazz/talk show host of that time period, ignoring the camera, which just happens to be there.

Then - I'm getting to the point! - I was thinking why not make the video podcast with an old B&W TV camera?

So...to the point...

I have a Linux server which has a Happauge video capture card. It can capture analog NTSC TV and has cable coax, RCA, and S-Video inputs.

I see older B&W CCTV cameras on eBay (CCD, not the even older video-tube based units) for very little money. They seem to all have a BNC connector on the backs of them.

So I'm wondering if I could just get a BNC-RCA converter plug and bring the signal right into my video capture card. That would let me mount an old B&W CCTV camera on a tripod and capture intentionally-vintage quality video for a video podcast that had that vintage feel to it. Mix in the music and the mike, and you've got a show.

Is it possible to do this with a simple converter plug to go from BNC to RCA, or is there something else that needs to be in the path to convert the signal electronically? Is there an easier/cheaper way to do this? I have USB webcams, I didn't really want to go that direction; I was really thinking in terms of that vintage 1960's broadcast TV look.

Thanks!