AstroVideo enables you to use a low-cost,low-light video camera to capture astronomical images.

AstroVideo uses any Windows-compatible video capture device tocreate an effect similar to long exposure photography, byautomatically integrating a large number of video frames.Astrovideo captures and superimposes hundreds of video frames toacheive far greater sensitivity than is normally possible with alow-cost video camera.

AstroVideo has provision for assembling an even greatereffective exposure time by co-adding a number of multi-frameimages. Astrovideo can automatically align the images, even ifthe telescope tracking is not perfect.

For planetary imaging, AstroVideo allows you to capture alarge number of individual frames, to select those with the beststability and then to combine them, with automatic registration,to make a composite image.

If you have a camera modified for extended exposure times (eg Steve Chambers-modified web cam) AstroVideo can control the camera to achieve even better results.

AstroVideo gives you a chance to sample astro-imaging at afraction of the cost of an astronomical CCD camera.

Low-cost surveillance, monitoring and web cameras are readilyavailable and, applied to a suitable telescope, can givesatisfying views of the brighter astronomical subjects such asplanets and the moon. Now, AstroVideo allows you to imagesubjects that are much fainter than was previously possible withsuch cameras.

Features

AstroVideo provides a number of features to make astro imagingsimpler. The following is a list of features and a history list. For comprehensive documentation, consult the context-sensitive help file.

Requirements

Download

AstroVideo can be downloaded freely and comes in a self-extracting ZIP file which automatically installs itself. The file size is 1.4Mb. There is now one multipurpose version which supports general video capture devices, SACIV, SAC7 and SAC8 cameras, and web cams including the SC-mod Vesta cameras as well as the SAC8 camera and the 1004-JG-USB modification described on the QCUIAG web site.

Registration

Astrovideo can be downloaded and used freely for 21 days. After that time it must be registered. Registration can be done swiftly and securely on-line and costs only Euro €25.00 plus VAT for EU residents. We recommend that you satisfy yourself that AstroVideo performs to your satisfaction before registering.

Information about registration

For information only and not as part of any contract, it is our current policy (subject to change without notice) that payment of the registration fee (or receipt of a licence explicitly bundled with a camera) includes, at our discretion, the provision of registration numbers for installation on two machines (eg a desktop and a laptop) provided they are used by the same person and also includes access to free upgrades to subsequent versions of AstroVideo.

QCUIAG

AstroVideo was suggested by Dr. Steve Wainwright, the founder of QCUIAG, the QuickCam and Unconventional Imaging Astronomy Group. Steve kindly tested early versions of AstroVideo on a many different cameras and drivers.

* Compatibility

To run AstroVideo under Vista or Win7, after installation right click on the icon, select Properties, select the Compatibility tab and choose XP compatibility mode.

Contact us: help@coaa.co.uk

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