Hardware

Laptop

I use Toshiba, Dell or Samsung. There are many other fine brands, but these give the most bang for the buck. CARE software is tested on Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10. See more laptops

You can buy a cheap used laptop here: http://www.dellauction.com/wl/dell/used-dell-latops.html

You can compare the laptop ranking here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sorting-by-processor.2675.0.html or

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

If you are buying a new laptop, ask for "i5" or "i7" processor Windows laptop. intel "i3" processor laptops are good for 1 camera system. i5 processors are High End CPUs with 3,000+ points. i7 processors have 5000+ points. For best results, you need a fast dual-core CPU with minimum speed of 3Ghz. A quad-core CPU should at least have 2.5Ghz of speed. Please spend the money and get the processor with greater than 3,000 points in PassMark test see: www.cpubenchmark.net

Video rendering is processor intensive. Go ahead and spend the money, and get i7 processor laptop. Less emphasis is given on memory or disk space.

Webcams

When capturing in High Definition with multiple cameras, you will run into USB bandwidth starvation issue. You can't just buy two high-definition cameras, and pump them up to the best resolution and hope that everything works. They never do. These are the top 3 that worked the best for judo CARE purpose.

Do not use two of same make/model webcams. Windows OS's video gets confused time to time. The best resolution for Judo CARE use is 800 x 448 px. You can go higher resolution, but you use more disk space, and processor struggles to keep up. You can use lower resolution, but you get grainy quality.

Logitech C920

This camera is connected to the USB port on the RIGHT side of the laptop.

This camera has a strong tendency to go out of focus when something moves within it's field of view. You have to disable auto-focus an set it for maximum depth of field.

Microsoft LifeCam Studio 1080p

Daniel's note: This camera is connected to the USB port on the LEFT side of the laptop. Lifecam has tendency to crash requiring reboots.

Can I use HD Camcorder instead of webcam? Yes

Please see camcorder page.

Cables

Sabrent USB 2.0 65 ft Active Extension Cable

The manual say you can daisy chain. If you must daisy chain, no more than two. When combining active and passive cables, make sure that connection order is correct (computer->active cable->passive cable->camera).

1) The spec say these cables can be daisy chained. But... don't daisy chain!!! Every new connection is a potential failure point. And you get increased latency.

2) Make sure to attach one camera to the left side, and another camera to the right side of laptop. The multiple USB ports on same side laptop is actually 1 usb port split to many.

2) The cables are "consumables." They will go bad over time. Please stock up on a spare. You will need one at worst possible time.

External monitor

Larger the better without blocking the mat action. The price fluctuates so much... Cheap monitors under $100

Tripods

The webcams are super light so almost any tripod will do. Inexpensive 40- or 50-inch tripods should be fine. It is recommended to place at least one of the cameras reasonably high (3-4 feet high) Ravelli APLT2 49" Light Weight Aluminum Tripod With Bag

Mouse

You will need USB mouse and mouse pad

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 - Graphite

Stickers

You can easily print your own. Download the following images, and print to a reusable sticker paper. (Click on the image to view a large format then print to Avery removable multipurpose labels 6465)

Ultimate Graphics

A DESKTOP with a dedicated graphics card will perform better than a laptop. Some graphics manipulation relies on GPU for calculations. Therefore, it is recommended to use a fast GPU for processing recorded videos. As a minimum, you need a Shader Model 4.0-compatible (DirectX 10-compatible) GPU. Intel integrated graphics is not supported

Please be aware that desktop GPUs are dramatically faster than notebook GPUs (due to apparent thermal constraints in notebook PCs).To give you an idea of potential performance for various GPU models below are some benchmark results: