Video camera connection

[Dan550]

I bought a Omen desktop at Best Buy, this was to be used to replace an old xp pc at work, we need to connect three new Sony cameras to it. I was told by the sales staff and the resident guru, that the 4 video connections were input and output. And this will work with the cameras. Well trying to set up the computer will not even recognize the camera, and the camera connections are HDMI mini, which I have also supplied HDMI mini to HDMI and used an adapter at the back. 

Is it possible to connect even one camera, yet alone 2 more? Thanks in advance for all of your thoughts.

Dan550 

[Photoray002]

Hello @Dan550

Could you be be more specific please? 
What is the full model number of the Omen you purchased?
What Sony cameras are you referring to?

After that....
What 4 Video Connections do you mean?
If you are refering to the monitor ports on the back of the tower, those are output only. No matter if its VGA, DVI, HDMI, Display port or other.

The only inputs that I know of are your USB ports.
I need better details of what you have before I can say what it will do.

[Dan550]

Thank you for your response. Yes, I am light on details. 

The computer is an Omen 870-244. The cameras are Sony HDR-CX405.

This is supposed to be a replacement of the current set up in our church to capture, broadcast and stream for Sunday services.  The current system is old, maybe close to ten years old, windows xp, the current computer is slow and the cpu get overloaded easily.

The store was all over the one they suggested. I have three cameras, that HDMI mini plugs into the camera, we have tried using the display ports and it does not work, which I was told these slots were input and output. Now I know that is not the case. Just wonder if there is a card I can add to this Omen computer. Even with an adapter on the HDMI to USB, the computer does not recognize the camera.

[Photoray002]

OK that helps a little.

You want to connect multiple camcorders for live streaming online or to a projector from a PC.

I don’t know what you had going with the XP machine and its capture system, but multi camera setups are going to be for a whole different forum.

The Omen 870-244 gaming pc does not have a capture card as you know. Yes, if you want an internal card solution, you would have to research a PCIe x1 type card as the motherboard has one PCIe x1 slot available. Hauppauge might have a card that would do it.

As far as your HDMI adapter goes, there are two kinds.

You have a USB to HDMI video output adapter that sends a signal from the USB port of the PC to the HDMI port on a monitor, like this one… Best Buy link.

That will not work for your camcorder.

You would need an HDMI to USB video capture dongle like this example… Magewell link.

Then you would need a separate software solution to grab the capture and let you mix/edit the camera streams. Set ups can get elaborate with external mixers that the cameras would connect to. This would be better solution.

Also, a camcorders USB plug is usually setup for charging and file transfer of recorded videos, not live streaming. There's a setting you have to turn on in the camera to allow USB connection to do file transfers, provided you installed the latest drivers from Sony's website.

Hope it helps. Let me know if you have other questions about the Omen.