Birdman Adam

I'd say its a combination of a crappy sensor, DSP, and the absence of an IR cut filter. I have one super cheap camera that basically has little to no green, because the IR that it takes in changes the color...

How about like this? EDIT: Even better! More:

Hmmm... Maybe I'll take some time today to save a bunch of comparison pictures, and put text on them that shows what camera they are, who took the picture, and other details like whether they used an IR light, etc. Would that be OK? I don't want to go grabbing everyones pictures if they aren't OK with it. This may take a while...

What he is saying is actually pretty true. For example, in home electrical wiring, #8 SOLID wiring has a lower ampacity rating than #8 STRANDED wire. This is possible because of the skin effect of AC electricity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect Basically, the current will mainly flow on the surface of the wire, with flow on the surface increasing with frequency. This is due to the changing magnetic field created by AC. So the more surface area, the less resistance. CCA obviously uses this to its advantage, as copper conducts better than aluminum. Its not as good as pure copper though, because with 24VAC 60Hz, the skin depth is ~8.5mm. So the aluminum is contributing to increased resistance. What I wonder is why we aren't working on nano-stranded (and braided) cables! The resistance would be tiny - you could pull huge currents on smaller wires. That is the sort of idea that could make (and save) billions!

Would you be using the LDM-24VF outside? Eventually all kinds of bugs and other crap (spider webs ) will eventually get on the dome - attracted by the heat of the IR. May or may not be a problem where you live, but its annoying to have to keep cleaning your cams! I'd use a VCM-24VF and pair it with a separate IR illuminator. The other potential problem with IR LEDs inside the dome is that they can blur the camera's view if the rubber seal around the lens is not on just right. Plus, they may or may not be strong enough to illuminate the whole area your trying to view. The LDM-24VF's IR output would be better suited to light up a hallway or room, not a yard.

This place is watched from all angles... http://i53.tinypic.com/dp7580.jpg

Manually adjusting the shutter may eliminate the problem. Not sure how well because whatever is controlling the IR LEDs probably isn't perfect in terms of timing... IR is all around us. From lights to the sun, even your TV remote. I don't think that emission is dangerous in any way. However, a strong IR illuminator is a different story - I have a cheap chinese one that I can feel a bit of heat from if I put the back of my hand in front of it. Strong IR can't be good for the eyes!

Well that is a weird problem... I am thinking maybe the IR LEDs are flickering on the baby monitor. Does it transmit the audio with IR? That would make it more likely to show a 'flicker' effect when a camera looks at it. Live-view probably compresses video a lot more so the flickering makes it get all blurred. Not sure how you could go about fixing this...

Need more info! Like what FPS are you recording at, on how many channels, what resolution, what level and type of compression... As an example, you could extend your recording time by reducing FPS. I'd bet your probably doing like 15FPS now. Set it to somewhere above 6, your get a lot more time!

Sounds like a power problem to me. Does the DVR plug right into the wall, or does it have a separate power adapter (black box)? First measure voltage if possible to see if its correct. Even if it seems correct, continue with stuff below... I am betting that there are failed capacitors in the power supply, be it internal or external. Since you stated the problem slowly got worse - this makes it very likely that this is the problem. Caps usually slowly dry out (or wear out from too much heat) and fail. If you feel comfortable doing this, open up the DVR (specifically the PSU) and look for capacitors with (even slightly) bulged or popped heads. Mark all you see. If you want to repair this yourself, use a soldering iron and some solder wick to remove them, one at a time, replacing each one as you go with one of exact or near exact values. Voltage can be the same or higher. Capacitance should be the same, or similar (like within 50 units, be it uF or mF). Temperature rating should be the same or anything higher. Higher is better, the problem most likely arose from them using cheap lower-temp caps in the first place. This should fix the problem. I have done this with countless monitors and a few computers too - those darn caps are like the #1 problem... If you want to do this 'right', use an ESR (equivalent series resistance) meter to see if the caps are blown.

I can't see any reason why not - especially if its UL rated for direct-burial!

Yea...If you did not know this already, LP cams usually look like this: It uses a special lens, IR light, and a rather fast shutter speed to get good license plate pictures. If you also want details about the vehicle itself, your need a normal camera as well, probably a TDN camera, maybe even WDR as well (so bright head/tail lights don't blind it).

This is cool. I found another a normal camera: http://i53.tinypic.com/2vb34tw.png

Hmmm... It all depends on your CPU. Dual-core would be fairly good at this. What exactly is the model of it? I really don't have a time on how long it would take, I am downloading a sample mts file to see... I will test on a simlar computer. Of course converting this to mp4 may not even be necessary, maybe WMM 6.1 can use these files already. Will test when its done downloading... EDIT: Well I cant get anything to open my .MTS file, except for VLC media player. Handbrake or XviD4PSP should work, but the file I have is messed up or something...

Well you can use a program called Handbrake to convert the .mts file to mp4 or mkv. This file can them go into most any video editing program. I love Windows Movie Maker 6.1. It was made for Vista, but I downloaded and use it great on Windows 7. Surprisingly it seems this version is not on many Vista systems, instead you probably got some super stripped-down version. http://members.shaw.ca/wmm6/wmm6.html The maker that comes with 7 is horrible, so going back to this version is great, plus it supports full 1080p HD without any messing-around.

Stay away from the package setups. They sound good, but the cameras will be bad at night-vision, and most comes with silly pre-made cables. Plus, the DVRs are cheap and clunky to use. Putting something together is really the way to go, everything can be done just how you want it. In terms of cables, I would probably mount your camera where you want it, then run the cable straight up to the ceiling. All cables can be run to a sort of 'home-run' raceway that goes to the briefing room. If you feel like you may want to stream video at some point, then a DVR is definitely the way to go. Others can suggest good DVRs with nice live view and streaming features, because I have no idea.

If money is no issue, skip the analog... GO IP!! You will love the quality. Plus, you are ready-to-go for the future.

Gotta love airsoft - I play all the time! Choosing cameras depends on how much detail of what they are doing that you want. If you want a good view of "Four people have reached Room #2", you can spend as little as $50 per camera, and still get a pretty decent picture. If you need to see in the dark (like completely dark rooms), you will need to use cameras that have IR (light we can't see) to illuminate the area. Indoor domes from CNB could be a good choice for you all around. Just Google the model names, you'll find prices online. Many of these cams have vari-focal lenses, so they can be used to get a nice wide view of a room, or tight shot down corridors or entrances. http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_list.php?maxx=1&midx=4 On getting this to TVs, can't think of an easy way to split TVs into 2 or maybe 4 cameras each, other than to use a DVR. Plus, you may feel like recording in the future. In case you need any ideas on design of the room - check out this channel. They help out the local law too. http://www.youtube.com/user/MilsimJunkie1 Wish I had a place like that around me. Would love to do some CQB...

What cameras other than the VCM-24VFH and the VCB-24VFH have heaters? Can't find any more. I wouldn't put one of their indoor domes outdoors, I bet it'll gonna die pretty quick. Don't think a heater is really necessary for those temps.

Now that I read the review that DVR seems fairly good. Here's a better youtube video of the vandal-proof testing. More realistic i think:

A TDN camera switches from color during the day to B/W at night. It also has an infrared filter that moves out of the way of the sensor at night to help it see better. Your cameras dont seem to have an IR filter at all - they can obviously see the IR they are putting out, but colors are off during the day because the IR is still coming in. I think your problem is these cameras are not very sensitive at night. This would do you better: http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=1077 There are many 'shapes' of this same model here: http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_search.php?searchstr=24VF For example the DBM-24VF is the same, just with a cheaper indoor-only housing. If you need a better view of the cars I would put a camera in with similar viewpoint as 'Driveway' camera, but zoom all the way in.

Many DVRs sold have 9 inputs. If you were to open up the DVR you would probably see traces for a 9th input. Its probably disabled in software though.

I wouldn't get the Q-See. May live up to the specs, but other aspects of quality such as compression may not be the same. Another reason I like vandal-dome cameras: You can cover her yard fine with one of those cameras. Adjust the zoom until the whole yard is barely within view. Walk around in the yard to see if identification is good. Test your lights too! For a front-door shot, make sure camera is near eye-level, and have lens at its widest. That way you can get face shots better.

I won't comment on DVRs other than make sure it can record all channels at D1 resolution (720x480), at least 5FPS each. This is the best in terms of resolution for analog. Compressions and bit-rate are other factors in picture quality, but others are better at recommending DVRs. Starting number of channels is 4 usually. I think $500 for a DVR and 2 cameras is too small. A good analog camera will be start $100 and above (generally). VBM-24VF will be great, especially at night. It will make good use of your lights. Motion-sensing lights are good, because they usually make the snoops look at the light when it turns on. This is your chance to get a good facial! These cameras have vari-focal lenses, which means you can zoom in on your cars. This way anyone that messes with the car will be in perfect sight of the camera. On the other end, you can zoom it out to cover a wide area. This could work for watching a yard. Detail with people farther away won't be as good however.

Have you tried shining lights into it at all angles? A few LEDs at the right angle may light it up nicely.