cglaeser

Agreed. Assuming, of course, the same low light performance, which is a challenge for the higher res smaller pixel sensors, but I agree, I'd rather have 3x pixels @ 1/3 fps. 10 fps is just fine for many security applications. Best, Christopher

Several months ago my security camera detected a burglary in progress. I called the police and they arrested three suspects. I gave the photos to the police, but when the prosecutor saw the photos, he decided not to proceed with the case due to the extreme barrel distortion. OK, I'm kidding about that last part. Minimizing barrel distortion in a digicam is a design objective. In security cameras at wide angle, no one cares. Best, Christopher

I'm not sure how to parse this statement. Who is nobody? Are you referring to codec developers? Best, Christopher

Adding to the list of video analytics, Axis has a Trip Wire analytic. http://www.axis.com/products/crossline/index.htm Best, Christopher

Panasonic WV-NW484 Panasonic WV-NW502 Panasonic WV-NP244 Best, Christopher

Yes, well, no matter how you slice it, video analytics is going to take some serious processing power. Either some heavy processing power at the camera or video server, or lots more power at the DVR if many cameras are simultaneously supported. The good news is that this problem is easily distributed as the decisions at each camera are relatively independent, but it still takes power. Here's another to add to the list at http://www.dvrusa.com/PT2300DV.asp Best, Christopher

Thanks! I'll pass this on to the Exacq technical writers so they can put something in the help file. Best, Christopher "Bandwidth Settings - See Bandwidth Settings."

What is the purpose of "Bandwidth Settings" in the System Setup of exacqVision? I've been getting a high number of "Socket buffer falling behind" warning messages when the camera's H.264 stream is set to 4Mb. I had to reduce the H.264 stream to 2Mb to eliminate the GOP restarts. Does the bandwidth setting in exacq have any affect on this socket buffer overflow? The help file for Bandwidth Settings simply states, ... "Bandwidth Settings". If exacq developers visit this forum, please consider expanding the documentation for this section. Best, Christopher

I'm interested in two analytics in particular. 1. Is a video motion alarm due to a car driving by or a person walking by? 2. Exceptionally good (i.e. human-like) PTZ that follows a person and zooms in and out to maximize facial recognition. ioimage has marketing videos that demonstrate both of these, but I'd be interested to know if real-world situations hold up to the marketing claims. Best, Christopher Edit: PS: Most DVRs/NVRs only record without any video analytics, but a few (Blue Iris ???) do some video analytics. Are there any others, and do they perform well?

Yes, I think you're right. "Refresh rate" is probably just the translation from Japanese. It's unfortunate the documentations uses descriptions like "Refresh rate - used to set the refresh rate". Doh! I'm guessing the implementation of the encoder is not very good. You can see pulsing when the scene is perfectly still, even during the day time when noise is at a minimum. Edit: I changed some of the bit rate and fps settings, and the blur pulse is much improved.

The budget is $500. Best, Christopher

If you want 24VAC to 12VDC distributed power, I think you can get those without an enclosure, but if you want line voltage to 12VDC distributed power, I think it will likely include an enclosure. Best, Christopher

I would reserve some of the budget for a couple of Crow Daredevil PIR outdoor motion sensors. (I'd rather have three cameras with motion detection vs four cameras). I'd use the Daredevils to trigger both the cameras and an indoor chime so that I know someone is in my yard or driveway. If you really want to nab a burglar, catch them during the prowl. If you hear your PIR chime at 2:30 in the morning, get up and review the DVR, and then call the police. As for analog cameras, I prefer really good low-light performance, which generally means 1/2" or 1/3" Exview sensors in a name brand camera. You can always add IR later if there is not sufficient lighting. As an alternative, you could get cameras with IR, but I would still select the cameras based on low-light performance (i.e. when the IR is off). With today's sub $1000 cameras, you can never have enough low-light performance outside the typical home. Best, Christopher

Even the highest res CCTV cameras don't have that much resolution. IP cameras offering one to several megapixels are commonly available. That said, quality CCTV cameras can provide good low-light capability due to the larger pixels, so the system design must take this into account. Did you get a hybrid DVR that supports both analog and IP cameras? Also, be aware that a good IP camera (e.g. Panasonic 502) can easily cost $1,000. What you need to do (before selecting a DVR) is first determine the requirements, budget, and system design. Let me give you an example. I know someone who had cameras at the front and back doors and many rooms around the house. Three burglars broke into the house in the middle of the day and took many personal items. During the theft, the burglars discovered the DVR and set the house on fire. The DVR was not destroyed in the fire, and the homeowner had many well-lit day-time photos of the three suspects to give to the police, but the case remains unsolved. You might get lucky, but an ID can be really challenging. Night images are considerably more problematic, because most current generation cameras do not have the necessary sensitivity, and increasing the pixel count of IP cameras exacerbates this problem. Sure, you can add IR, but the unusual reflectivity of IR makes ID even more difficult. These are just a few of the issues to consider. Think total, integrated system design, that includes other features such as motion detectors, alarms, etc. You might want to consult with a CCTV security specialist in your area, but if you decide to DIY, this forum is a good resource. Best, Christopher

$1000 for everything? If it's an acquaintance you might get an ID, but if it's an out-of-town burglar odds are you'll only get an accurate time stamp. When the cops ask what time your TV was stolen, you'll be able to tell them 2:18 am. Precisely. Best, Christopher

Why? Why are you installing cameras? For example, is this a nanny cam to make sure the kids are well treated? Do you need to ID a burglar if your home is burglarized at night? Start with the requirements and budget, and then proceed from there. Best, Christopher

It's the same in a TV department. The sales staff will crank up the saturation on the models they want to move, and it works. Yes, look for detail. Best, Christopher

The majority of home security camera systems are essentially just high-tech time stamps. The home owner wakes up in the morning, determines that their car has been burglarized, reviews the security video, and sure enough, at precisely 2:27 in the morning, the video shows someone breaking into their car. Looks like a male, but could be a female, wearing a hat, sweatshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Not too many people with that description in the city. Should be an easy bust. They review the video a few more times, and sure enough, the burglary started at 18 seconds after 2:27 in the morning. In the end, that's all they really get, just the time. Building more than an expensive burglary time-stamp can be a design challange. For example, you could add other devices that alert you at the time your vehicle is potentially being vandalized. Being on the street is particularly tough compared to, say, a driveway where virtually any movement would be suspect. Street lights help with lighting, but there is seldom enough light at night for a good ID, so you may have to add IR. You'll probably need multiple cameras, some wide and some tight. With luck, the tight shots actually get something actionable. You could use a PTZ with sophisticated video analytics (e.g. ioimage), but that's getting pricing. Just some things to consider before starting this project. Best, Christopher

1. What digicam did you use? Many digicams have sensors that are huge compared to typical CCTV sensors. 2. What shutter speed did you use? Setting a very low shutter speed can produce night images with good detail, but anyone walking across the field of view will be a blur. Best, Christopher

Agreed. If the distance is too far or too difficult to run to the existing power supply, you can replace the three transformers with an Altronix (or similar) for modest cost. Best, Christopher

Anyone have any experience or information regarding ioimage plug-ins that support such features as auto-tracking ptz and tripwires? Best, Christopher

I have tested 400KB/s and 800KB/s (which is, um, I think 3.2Mb/s and 6.4Mb/s). Did not see much difference is image quality, but the demo of exacqVision DVR software indicated many GOP restarts for the higher speed due to lack of bandwidth. On a related topic, what is "Refresh Rate" in the H.264 settings? I've tried various settings less than and greater than one second, but it keeps resetting to 1 second. I am playing with the Panasonic WV-NW502S IP dome, and although the image quality is quite good, I do notice a 1Hz blur-to-sharp cycle. The image is slightly blurred for a fraction of a second, and then comes into sharp focus, and repeats, at about a 1Hz rate. Is this related to refresh rate? Best, Christopher

I checked the Microsoft website; it is limited to Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate. Best, Christopher

Have you seen a Surefire LED flashlight? The Surefire Lumamax puts out 200 lumens; the Surefire M6 Guardian is 250 lumens. See Also see http://www.surefire.com/lightLX2 Best, Christopher

Doesn't Virtual Windows with XP Mode run on all versions of Windows 7? Best, Christopher