DiasTech

hell all! i am new to cctv and i just found this forum on the net and i hope to be learning a lot here. my question is that i have a few friends looking for inexpensive solutions for cctv systems. they are looking for small cctv systems that require no more than 4 cameras. i have walked into some businesses and looked at thier systems and notice that they have time lapse vcr's and a small-large sized video moniters. this does the job for them and they said it wasnt that expensive. my problem lies when i try to find a dealer on the net that sells this stuff. everything now is dvr and i havent found any ecommerce site that offers this equipment. i also noticed that the cables for the cameras plug directly into the moniters and they do not use siamese cable, but a cable with a special plug that has many very small connections within the plug. the cameras are also using this type of connection. all the sites i have visited that sell cctv cameras dont have this type of connection, but only BNC connections. my main questions are: 1. what is the name of those connectors that the moniter is using and the cameras. 2. where is a reputable online business that sells this type of equipment at a great prices. i am not a pro installer, but i do want to learn more and hopefully install these systems or DVR systems for a profit some time in the future. thanks in advanced for your help/advice.

what is the recommended fps on a dvr card if i wanted to record and preview like it was in live motion? a while back i helped out a friend install a digtial pc based dvr system and it was a inexpensive solution, but we didnt know anything about resolution at the time. no matter what we changed the fps on each camera setting we could not get the preview/recorded video to look like live video. he had a pro installer install new cards that were unbranded and i have no idea who makes the software because there is no label on it. but he can preview it in live motion with 12 cameras viewing everything in live motion. i dont know anything about the installation, but he said it only cost him $400.00 for the 12 camera dvr cards. thanks,

i got it now, thanks few more questions: 1. when reading specs from the spec sheet on a dvr card. the fps is the total fps on the card right? so if i have a 4 channel card and 30 fps then i have to devide 30 by 4 right? 2. what is a good overall resolution? 640 X 480? anything higher would be perfect quality? and what kind of quality is the 640 X 480? is it a DVD qualith or VHS quality?

thanks for the info. the reason why i noted on the din connectors because i saw a few people who had businesses who had recent installs of security systems that had that din setup. in that case then with the dvr setup, what is better for the value, PC based dvr or standalone? and if PC based cards are a better value, what are some good brand names to look for? something for the small mom and pop places who would like good (not excellent) quality video and good pricing. and what type of frame rates should i be looking for?