The most commonly used cameras in visual radio, for price and performance, are the high-end USB type cameras, for example Logitech C920 or C930 and similar. These cameras do not require video capture cards to input the signal to CLOSE RadioTV, and can be configured directly as an input source.

Each camera should be connected to a USB 3.0 port. If the computer does not have a sufficient number of USB 3.0 ports, USB 2.0 can be used, although this is not ideal.

The total number of cameras should never exceed 6. Up to 3 cameras can be connected directly to the USB ports on the motherboard. Other cameras require a 'PCIe to USB 3.0' expansion board as a second USB controller is necessary to handle the required USB bandwidth. Correct operation has been certified using 'PCIe to USB' boards with μPD720202 chipset (Renesas Electronics Corporation).

The use of USB HUBs is not recommended. In case of using one, it should be a USB 3.0 HUB, connected to the PC to a 3.0 port with a 3.0 cable. Additionally it is good that the HUB has an auxiliary power supply (if more than one camera will be connected to the HUB). Do not share the HUB with other devices (such as pen drives or USB hard disks).

In case the USB cable of a camera needs to be extended, active type USB extensions (with built-in repeater) can be used. These extensions come in various lengths. MONOPRICE extensions up to 20 meters have been successfully certified. An active extension must be used for each camera. A single active extension can NOT be used up to a HUB where the cameras are connected.

It is recommended to first install the official drivers provided with the cameras, then connect the cameras, and finally start CLOSE RadioTV and select the cameras in the VideoEncoder Video Inputs configuration. When configuring the cameras, choose in the input sources a resolution of 1280x720. The video format should be I420. This allows reducing the bandwidth consumption of the USB ports by 50% without degrading the image.

LABELING CAMERAS AND PORTS

Once installed and configured, it is convenient to label each camera and port to which they are connected, so that in case of disconnecting one, it will be reconnected to the same port. This prevents Windows, when recognizing it on another port, from altering the order of the original configuration.