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So what are the "Hikvision generic cameras" you purchased?

I don't think I have never seen a standalone with 64ch. There are some 24 and 32ch units, but they are hard to find, and expensive (siunce they are the higher end models). But if you are looking for 64ch in HD, whatever system you go for I think your best bet is to use 4x16ch units. Unless budget is not a problem, in which case you would probably be replacing all the cable with UTP and going for a IP based system/cameras.

If the coax cabling is good quality and set up correctly, I would stick to one of the solutions of HD video over coax: HDTVI, HDCVI or AHD. If the current installation is good, you could just switch DVRs and cameras, and change everything to a 1920x1080 system.

I think this might not be so easy with iVMS-4200. I kinda remember that iVMS-4200 doesn't like to have two devices added with the exact same serial number, but different IPs (lan/wan).

DVR itself.

Your router does not support NAT loopback, that's why you can not connect to your dyndns domain from inside the network. Just use the LAN IP.

You can not use HDCVI camera on a HDTVI DVR.

And what bothers you? Dahua is sold under different names, many companies just buy Dahua and stick their brand on it.

I can see that there is a car in the picture. I think.

There are many kinds of coaxial cable, that doesn't say much.

Making UTP cables and crimping RJ45 connectors is not that hard, really. I am sure there are tons of youtube videos that can perfectly show you how it is done. I am from Spain, so I really can not point you anywhere to buy good equipment in USA/Canada, but I am sure plenty of people here in the forum will be able to do so. With a good cable (copper, good thickness, etc) you should be fine with normal cable length you can find in a home. I have even tried to use a 300m (that's a full roll, 1000 feet?) pull with POE and IP camera and it has worked. I do not find any problems with POE IP cameras up to 150-200m when using good wire. Can't say anything about FLIR and Lorex, I think those brands only exist in USA/Canada. Surely not in Spain. About Hikvision, I have been using Hikvision products since about 2007, in fact our company used to import Hikvision from China when they were not that big (and their products were not that good). When I joined this forum back in 2009 noone here cared about Hikvision or Dahua, and everyone was talking about brands I knew by name, but most of them I had never used. But with the years both have been growing at a rate of 50% every year, they have become the #1 and #2 CCTV manufacturers, and now everyone loves them. I wouldn't have a problem recommending either one of them to anyone, it is just a matter of taste. I can say things that are better on Hikvision, but I can also say things that are better on Dahua. But they both offer great quality for the price you pay.

Sometimes on these installations it would good to get pictures on what equipment is being used. Not just so it is easier to help, but also for the lols. 5 cameras, and they are away 320 meters from the DVR/monitor? Really? And now you are going to use crimp connectors, the ones you have already tried are "normal" connectors. Makes me wonder what you consider normal. Analog video? You need to provide more information on how you have done the installation, but I would guess that a "video booster" is not the solution to your problem.

Do your TV service, broadband telephone, or blu-ray players use/need shielded network? I think the answer will be no, and in that case, the fact that you use shielded or unshielded cable makes no difference at all. This is a random switch, notice the metal plating on the front, and a shielded RJ45 connector like what you can find on routers, switches, etc: Now here is a typical Hikvision camera, look at the RJ45 connector. Notice that it is all plastic, it doesn't give a damn about your cable being shielded or not, it won't use the shielding. Shielded cables and connectors are more expensive, and the connectors are a bit more difficult to install. The cable is also a bit thicker, but I think that the size difference might be ignored unless you have to pull a ton of cables toguether. It is harder to twist, which makes it harder to go around corners. I have even seen STP installed with normal RJ45 (unshielded) connectors. The person that installed it thought that with that cable everything would be better. Yup, with normal connectors, you bet it will! For the shielding to make effect you have to use shielded cable, shielded connectors, and have equipment that makes use of the shielding on both ends of the network cable, so the shield is grounded. If whatever is connected on both ends of that cable does not have a metal RJ45 connector, the shielding does nothing. In fact some reading even suggests that FTP/STP cable without a proper installation/grounding is actually worse that normal UTP cable.

It is not that hard to use the RJ45 connectors. It is way better to have the cables the exact length you want them, than to have the spare cable just laying around. And also it is easier to pull cable without the connectors, than with the connectors already in place. You do not need shielded cable/connectors, it will make the job more difficult without any added benefits.

Hikvision is known for having new features introduced step by step. You might get a cool option on iVMS-4500 and find out it can not be used at all since the firmware on your unit will not support it for months to come, or the other way around, get a cool option on your DVR/NVR/IPC that can not be used from iVMS-4200/4500 since it is not there at all. So, if the option is already on the HDTVI DVR, it hopefully will be sometime in the future on a iVMS-4500 update. But don't hold your breath, it might take a while.

It is a 960H unit, that is, analog. Maximum recording resolution would be 960x576. n fact from your screenshots it seems you might have been given a AHD unit, which might also be able to record at 1280x720, but the cameras that came with the kit are likely analog. The fact that the video output can be 1920x1080 does not mean that it records at 1920x1080. It doesn't seem false advertising, the specs on the system are pretty well detailed.

Nowhere in that add will you see that the equipment is full HD. That is an analog unit with analog cameras, so the maximum resolution you can record at is 960x576. From my point of view, no, that is not HD; but the fact that it says HD on the title might just mean that the unit comes with hard disk installed. The unit might be able to output 1920x1080 on the HDMI or VGA ports, who knows.

It will depend on the bitrate, but at 1.2MP you should not have a problem unless you go to crazy bitrates.

That is a normal camera with an array led for night vision. Not a thermal camera... Yes, I also wonder who the paranoid is in the neighbourhood (just kidding, no offense meant!)

Don't know the specifics of your camera. If it doesn't allow you to have different configuration on normal and event, then I guess you might be out of luck

You can lower the bitrate to a minimum for normal, and make it higher for when there is motion. But the NVR needs to be connected to the camera at all times.

When using the integrated POE switch the cameras do not have internet access, so they will not be able to send emails.

Are your cameras connected to POE ports on your NVR? Or your NVR is without POE ports?

The converter is also a splitter, it also has HDCVI output.

http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/tp2105-670.html With HDCVI to VGA/HDMI converter.