SEANHAWG

All the multiplexers are either GVI or Ultraks. My main recorder is a samsung but also have some GVI's and Ultrak's as well. There was actually a tape inside one of the VCR's that I got from this retailer and I played it and as you said, it looked like a bunch of cameras switched rapidly. It obviously needs to be de-muxed. I have to sit down with a cup of coffee or 2 and try to get it figured out one morning.

Hi Jerome, Is the stuff you buy outdoor rated? If so could you please PM me your source? The place I buy from on Ebay has no customer service whatsoever meaning they never answer my emails but they do ship it out quick which is good. It would be nice to have some service though.

Okay I gotcha. According to the manual, I think these multiplexers can do a triplex operation but in order to record and play at the same time you have to have 2 VCR's in the system. One for recording, one for playback. You have to admit though, windows 95 was the best version! LOL.

Yes you are correct. I am simply recording what is on the screen via the video out. Their is a "VCR out" on the multiplexer, although I thought it was just for when you can play back the video and use it to digitally zoom in on a box when the tape was recorded in 16 camera view. I will have to mess around with them both to see what I can find out as far a muxing and demuxing. I have the manuals but they really arent very descriptive when it comes to stuff like this. I am sure that the recorder I have will be able to demux the video as both the multiplexer and VCR came from the same retailers security system. Will post questions along the way. But here is one to begin with, please tell me what the "triplex" term means in layman.

Hi, As some of you may know I sell used equipment and I have a good grasp on how to wire a basic system and such. I am thinking about installing a few systems here and there for some homes and businesses to see how that goes. What I do not have a good grasp on are the basic tips on how to run wire through a house/business and connecting mounts to different materials and what not. I know this seems like pretty basic stuff but I know that the best installers are the ones who can conceal the cable as much as possible and make everything just nice and neat. This is what I need some help on. I just want to make sure I am as equipped with as much knowledge as possible before going out in the field. Can anyone recommend any type of reading material and/or website? Thanks, Sean

yeah my DVR views in real time but my 16 channel MUX multiplexer does not. As you said, the higher the view count, the slower the video.

Hi, I just bought a Vitek 4 channel DVR: http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=582 I love it so far but I have noticed that on playback the video doesnt seem to be full stream. I have it set on 30 fps (highest it will go) and the highest quality recording possible yet it still seems to be slightly "lapsy". For example the video quality looks a ton better when just monitoring the cameras as opposed to playing back the video. I am sure this is to conserve recording time but I figure there would be a way to get it to record at full stream but with just less recording time. Is this pretty normal for DVR's? Its nothing that will impede me from seeing what I need to see but still I can get a better recording out of my analog Samsung VCR recorder set at normal 6 hour recording speed if I wanted to, thats the only thing that kind of ticks me off. Please let me know.

Thats a doozy. But I bet alot of things are over-priced there do to its semi-remote location. But I am sure the beautiful tropical surroundings makes it a little bearable.

I learn something every day. So that explains why my 16 channel multiplexers are advertised as 30 fps but when I switch to multiple screens, their is more time in between frames. For example, when I had one camera up, the video was at full 30 fps, at 4 camera view the video is a little less "streaming", at 9 camera view the views look a little more "lapsing" and at 16 camera view, it is very "lapsing". The whole unit is set at 30 fps but the more cameras shown the less fps per square. Very interesting indeed. Thanks for the info guys. I love learning new stuff in this fascinating field.

I hear ya. I bought some cheap cable one time and I was amazed at how much the picture quality was diminished, it was the cheap kind that had the connectors pre-installed on it. The cable just looked flimsy to begin with. Never again on that. This cable that I buy works as good as any normal priced cable I have bought. Before I started buying the $125 cable. I was paying $198 from a reputable commercial CCTV distributor here in my home town. I notice no difference in the 2 as far as build and quality. So I have continued to purchase these spools on an ongoing basis. I have used it on runs as long as 500' and no picture quality is lost. I also have several feet of it exposed bare outside my warehouse. I have them hooked up to my Samsung, Ultrak, and Costar cameras.

Okay, yes you are correct. I just looked at the specifications on the front of the manual and sure enough it says up to 120 IPS recording. Oh well, I'm not dissatisfied whatsoever. Just wondering about the video quality. It still looks pretty good so I'm happy. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the info. The only thing is the recordings are measured by Fps as opposed to Ips on this DVR. For example, when I go into the menu it has a place where you can toggle the fps. I set this to 30. Even though it says Fps, is it really Ips? It doesnt really say anything about IPS anywhere. And just out of curiosity, why couldn't a DVR record in 30 fps? I know this is a bad comparison but a Tivo, Dish Network, and Direct TV can record in full video speed, why cant a security DVR? It pretty much has the same concept as a VCR and DVD recorder, it just saves to a hard drive, why the loss of video quality?

If I am not mistaken, 30 fps is the fastest video stream correct? If so, then its definetely not showing 30 fps because the difference between the "monitoring" view and the "recording" view is noticeable. Not a great deal or anything but as said before I get more "streaming" video with my analog VCR set at standard 6 hour time. Is this pretty normal for DVR's I'll compare it to a dish network DVR, whenever you record a tv show, you can play it back and it will look exactly like you did the first time it was live. This is not so with the Vitek DVR, the picture looks like a very fast time lapse video.

The recordings are set at 30 fps which is the highest it will go.

I know this is a fairly basic question but I am the type of person who likes to know about all of the little things that can save me time. I sell RG59 siamese cable to my customers at their specified lengths. If I need to get say a 50' length off of my 1000' spool, do they make some sort of reel that will unwind that 50' into a perfect circle? Right now I am doing it by hand and I have to go slow in order to get a good round circle of cable. I know this sounds like a basic question but when you have several orders to fill and then you have lengths like 300' to unwind, the cable can start to get in a mess if I get in a hurry. Can anyone make any suggestions on some good reels?

Was that you survtech? LOL

Sweet contraption. Thanks!

Thanks for all your recommendations and help!

I have a customer who insists on getting the least expensive stand alone DVR that can be found. He is looking for a single channel or 4 channel. What are the cheapest ones you have found in your travels? Cant use DVR card, it must be a unit.

I dont think quality is an issue with him. I will not be selling this to him or installing it to him, rather, I will just be showing him where to buy it, as I made it clear to him that he really needs a decent quality DVR and that I really wont support a junky one. Apparently he just wants to use it at his work to monitor his employees.

I sell used surveillance equipment and I have one customer who buys my Ultrak and Costar box cameras and somehow converts them to a "UV wide spectrum" camera. Normally these cameras cannot really see well in real dark or pitch black conditions with a typical manual iris lens, the lux is 1.2. But he somehow takes them apart and does something to the internal parts which makes them able to view in the wide spectrum UV range. The cameras are able to see in conditions where almost no illumination is needed at all. He does not use or install infrared LED's, yet he makes these things to see in dark really well. I am well aware that anyone can take the small Infrared Filter out of a camera which makes it able to see IR. But he is doing something more than this because IR illuminators are not needed with these cameras. Is there any idea as to what he is doing?

I'm sorry, I dont have any screen pics of the converted cameras, but here are the listings to my ebay ads of the 2 cameras: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250609241824&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230469257797&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT They are my Ultrak KC552BCN and Costar CCC3400 that I carry. You probably wont find too much info on the internet for them as they are mostly commercial grade. I could be mistaken but I think he does more than just remove the IR filter and replace it with something else. He says that he sometimes "fries" the cameras in the process, so I am not sure exactly what he is pushing the camera to do. Thanks for all your help and info.

I have been running my 24VAC cameras on a 28 Volt power supply for a little over a year now with no problems.