Remote Control Video

I am interested in a Remote Control Video option for my Hitachi GX5020A. Are there any options available off-the-shelf? Or online at a reasonable cost in both dollars and expertise?

I am not sure what you are after in terms of remote control? doesn't the camera come with an infra red remote? or are you after a broadcast style remote? if you are after an infra red one, contact hitachi to find out their nearest spare parts distrubutor to you and you should be able to order one. I really don't think that camera would support a broadcast remote.

What I'm looking for is a system that I can control remotely which allows me to track a target - like my niece at her ballet recital. I found a system that uses sound but I was concerned about its effectiveness. Is there such a system?

there is, but really only for broadcast cameras, as the camera needs the inputs to support the system. hmm in theory if you had a radio operated pan mechanism you could combine that with the infra red remote that conrols zoom. The downside would be that you can't see the screen so framing would be hit and miss. I am not sure but I think the sound based system might be a video conferencing thing, so it would get confused by music and multiple sound sources (such as the pa system in the hall)

Thanks. I'll stew on what I have gotten so far and see what develops. I wonder if I could take so off-the-shelf pieces at "radio-shack" and make something work.

In a noisy office environment, it’s best to look for video conferencing equipment with advanced noise-canceling and echo reduction features. High-quality systems, like those offered by https://videocentric.co.uk/equipment/ , often have microphone arrays that focus on voices while filtering out background sounds. For best results, choose equipment with directional or beamforming microphones that target speakers specifically.