Toaster

I've learned from this... and I'll share to help others who may happen to read this. I mounted the camera on the left side of the building, as this is a 2 space building of which I have about a 1/3 and my neighbor has the other 2/3's. So I mounted it basically at the dividing point of our businesses... Not to be mean or anything just because. Well, under where I mounted the camera was some electrical wires in pipe, and what I'm guessing to be a natural gas feed pipe... It never dawned on me that someone would casually walk by and jack the camera! And you can see from the video - it was pretty darn easy for him too... Getting up there was not a problem for him.... So long story short: Mount camera's in the most REMOTE/UNACCESSIBLE PART OF YOUR STRUCTURES. When I replace the camera (which I have not done yet, because where we are we've had like 63-64 days & counting of 100+ heat and its just tooo damn hot!) I will mount it on the TOP of the roof (instead of the wall) the roof is about another 6 inches to maybe a foot higher (again, give or take - I'm not actually measuring, I'm eye balling it), I'm going to put it at the corner top edge where underneath is NOTHING BUT WALL AND SIDEWALK. So unless you've got a ladder, you aren't getting up there. My son said we should use DOME CAMERAS too... I've never used them or installed them so I have no idea what to expect... are they harder to pull down or something? From the looks of the video, I don't think it would have mattered what was mounted back there - he was all cracked up and just wanted to steal my freakin' camera.... Probably got 50¢ for it.

Curious from the pro's, is there a big quality difference between 2048k bit rate vs 1536k bit rate....?

I'm looking at a 4ch CCD security camera/dvr setup for my house. I recently bought one for my small business, which was a clover... Seems to work ok, didn't like that I couldn't record D1 (highest res 708x480) at 30FPS - instead I only get 8FPS at that res, or half d1 (708x240) at 15fps. I didnt want to use CIF 320x240 res at 30fps - seems too small. The Clover isn't very graphic, or pretty - but seems to work - but I have nothing to compare it to. SO: now I'm going to buy one for my house - there is a comparable Q-see model (about the same price) with 4 CCD day/night camera, about 40ft night vision, 24 IR LEDS, 500gb h264 dvr...... But the recording options are pre-set it seems like... one option is 1 ch D1 30fps, 2-4 ch 30fps at CIF only. The clover, I can configure any channel any resolution, but limited to 8FPS D1, 15FPS H/D1, 30FPS CIF. I can't return these, so I'm stuck when I buy.... Who is better? Q-see or Clover? or is there any other budget security cameras out there? I'm trying to spend $400 USD MAX.

Hello again guys....... I have a stupid question, that I'm sure most of you regulars will know the answer to. I currently have 2 CCTV systems, both Q-SEE, consumer grade... (I know - I know). One is a 30FPS D1 QT528 at my business, and the other is a 7.5FPS D1 QT428 (both 8ch). Ok, so both DVR's are actually made by TVT for what its worth. They have alarm inputs on them, but I'm not quite sure whats the advantage of using those alarm inputs...? I have both set to record 24/7 at max res, cbr 2048k........ There are all these options I really don't understand, and I'm sure features I dont understand either. One of the big ones is: I'd like to record 24/7 (to be safe) but I'd also like to be able to search through video and only see motion activated events, however because of the way I have them set up, to send email based motion event alerts during CLOSED hours, when I search motion events I'm not seeing anything that happens while we're open (ie: 9am to 5pm), so I'll see events upto 8:59am and after 5:01pm but nothing in between... and of course Q-see is ZERO help. I have an alarm at the store- but its a wireless alarm system......... and I don't think it integrates with this... should I maybe look into wired motion sensors or something??????

Wow that CNB monalisa camera (top right corner) looks amazing to me.

Great samples guys! THANKS! And to be specific what I wanted was to see some other analog cctv sample to compare against what I own. And maybe some samples of other analog cameras to make any upgrade decisions. THANKS

I'll chime in on a couple of computer things here... As far as HDDs go, depending on SECTOR size - that directly affects size as related to "pack" size. In as simple words as I can type. If a HDD has 1024k sectors (let's say), which 1024k is 1mb, and you write a file that is only 893 bytes (way less than 1mb), well it eats up a minimum of 1 sector, so 1024k (1mb) or if you write a file that is 1233k it would eat 2 sectors (2mb). That's how sector/block size works on HDD's... I have NO IDEA what the sector size is on CCTV stuff... I know on old school stand alone TiVo's (as an example) they used EXTRA LARGE sector/block sizes to minimize fragmentation on the disk since they knew all the files would be really large (30+ minutes of video) - My guess is CCTV writing logic works in the same sense... but I could be completely wrong. And going back to the 23 camera thing, if you're writing 5 minute packs across 23 cameras, that would seem to me there would be some wasted space -but maybe not enough to matter... I DON'T kNOW. I just thought I'd chime in with my $0.02 worth of nerdy knowledge.

Just giving this a bump... hoping someone will post some more samples for us to enjoy

I can say that on these dvr's I have (qt428/qt528) both made by tvt I have the ability to search for and download (either over the internet/lan/or direct from dvr) the SECTION I want (ie: 12:01:00 to 12:06:00 and get only those 5 minutes of video - not get the entire 30 minute pack) ... or I can download the whole pack if I so choose. These dvr's record is a pre-set 30 minute pack - not user changeable The motion control is not what I'd like on these, but from what I gathered from another thread, its about the same with other brands too.

Bumping bitrate down to 1536k from 2048k across all 5 cameras, D1 @ 30fps 24/7 gives me about 15 days recording on a 1TB HDD. at 2048k (all else the same) yields about 10 days recording time on the same system. Just FYI

I forgot about the .dav video file format on the QC444.... as I remember, isn't there another app that automatically save's them as .avi ?

That most recent deal your talking about were cmos cameras. My understanding is CMOS is not as high quality as CCD camera's. Don't judge q-see by your previous experience. As I understand it, all q-see really does i buy/contract hardware from other vendors and rebadge with their logo. The QC444 is actually a Dahua dvr which is one of the favorites by the pro's here. The QT528 and QT428 are made by TVT, which (again as I understand it) to be one of the better chinese manufactures (though not held in as high regard as the Dahua or others) I'm sure the DIY bundle deals are over now (from that reseller) until Christmas time again - though I could be wrong. There are several people HERE who sell CCTV equipment. Look at the PARTNERS section to the left of your screen.... You might end up being able to get true PROFESSIONAL GRADE stuff on the cheap from them....

(links are not allowed btw ) Is it worth it? That depends on the individual situation. I think getting 8x 1/4" ccd cameras with a 8ch dvr that records D1 at 7.5fps per channel, all for $400 is an amazing deal. My brother has this setup, and having all 8 cameras around his house gives him amazing coverage all the way around. At my store, for example, I don't need 8 cameras - I'm currently using 5 and don't need 5 however because the $600 bundle comes with 1/3" sensor cameras, those large sensor cameras have a wider field of view and are MUCH better for MY SPECIFIC APPLICATION... so for me it was easy - but I didn't NEED the extra 4 camera's.......... Plus I got 30fps D1 which just makes me happy......... as someone pointed out to me- this is surveillance not hollywood, you're not making a movie, your gathering evidence.... at 7.5 or 8 FPS is more than sufficient for that purpose. Personally I don't see how anyone can beat $400 for 8 cameras, 8 cables, an 8ch h.264 dvr which supports most popular smart phones for remote live viewing, and power supplies... about $54/camera after tax... C'mon man... " title="Applause" /> So I guess when it comes down to it, we are comparing apples to oranges. A cheaper 8 camera system ($400) to a more expensive 4 camera system ($600).

I'll post back in a week or so, at D1 30FPS 2048k bit rate recording 5 cameras 24/7 I get about 10 days recording on a 1TB HDD. I changed it back to what was the "default" 1536k bit rate on the 20th... so I'll see how many more days I get........

I posted a couple short video samples in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=25383

I have a QT428 at my house, and DID have a QT428 at my store, but I upgraded the one at the store to the QT528 which does D1 @ 30FPS and came with 1/3" CCD sensor DSP cameras which are much larger than the 1/4" CCD cameras that came with the 428 setup. The QT528 can hold 2 sata drives, and comes in a HUGE enclosure - unnecessarily large My brother also bought the 8ch QT428 setup with all 8 cameras (1/4") and is extremely happy with it. The QT428 8ch DVR with 4 smaller 1/4" ccd camera's was like $400, and the QT528 8ch DVR with 4 larger 1/3" ccd cameras was about $600... Honestly I think it's worth the extra $200. the 528 DVR comes with a 1TB HDD but records 30FPS, so the storage is about the same (10 days or so at maximum settings)... the 1/3" cameras are considerably larger, but I think give better quality images, and a much larger field of view. Oh and realize that images and image quality from these albeit older technology do not hold a candle to the newer IP camera's available out there... but a single IP camera can cost as much as my entire system --- So at some point you have to find a balance of quality and affordability. I do like my set up's, and would recommend them to anyone - especially for the price. Google around and you'll find the prices I'm talking about... OH and there is a 4ch setup (QC444) with 4 camera's for around $250 -- so these are what they are, inexpensive surveillance systems for the DIY'er... and my opinion, great systems to get you "in to it" without breaking the bank.......... I hope that answers your questions

What are good outdoor PIR motion detectors? Since I got all security camera crazy, my family has started now too - my brother just installed an 8ch dvr setup at his house... really impressive, but because of all the tree's and stuff around his house - his dvr motion detection goes off *ALL THE TIME* seriously, we've tried adjusting it, and its either so low that it never goes off, and the very next level higher make's it go off ALL THE TIME. Gmail has already disabled 2 email accounts in less than 24 hours automatically because of the insane amount of alert notifications going out. He most certainly needs better motion detection. At my store, not so much. The only time I get false alarms is birds or rain pretty much... about 95%+ of the alerts I get ARE in fact MOTION... car's pulling in/out of the parking lot, people going to toss stuff in the dumpster, etc... At the store - I couldn't be happier with my setup.

I showed you mine, now you show me yours

Plug plug plug

Here's another one from the back of the store as a car passes by, 30fps d1 - 330 line color ccd camera true/day night - el cheapo camera.......... I think its 1/4 ccd (brand?) if I remember right, this is a clover bundle camera. View My Video

Here's a quick sample from my parking lot camera, night time... camera is a Q-see QSC1352W 1/3 sony ccd w/dsp. 520 lines, D1 @ 30fps. 3.6mm lens View My Video It was a traffic stop... well them leaving anyway.........

I'll chime in one more time, only because I struggled through this too These are the settings for Gmail - which is what I use on 3 DVR's with 100% success, note your dvr must support SSL connection to use gmail though... smtp.gmail.com SSL on port 465 username: yourdvr@gmail.com (you make this obviously) password: yourpw (obviously, this is what you make it) These settings will be an account you create for the DVR to log in and SEND out emails to where you want.

Best advice I can offer is get a free gmail account, then set up your dvr for SSL and use port 465 That has worked on 5 DVR's for us so far. And if you want to send the alerts to multiple people - I use a second gmail account to receive the emailed alerts, then set up filters to forward anything from "mydvr@gmail.com" or whatever, to "nextrecipient@yahoo.com" or whatever email address you like. That way once you get the DVR working, you'll have more control using filters in gmail. Oh and another trick is you can even sent it up to SMS or MMS a phone... by sending to 18175551212@tmomail.net or 12145551212@mms.att.net or whatever... And yep - it works.

No - I have NO ASS FRIENDS ... but sure I'll TALK to you by email - but thats as far as things are going -I'll warn you in advance... and I can hold my liquor so don't even try it.

Ok.. at home I'm a q-see QT428 which is made by TVT - I think its a 2308se if I remember correctly... anyway - we had some lightning the other night and the DVR just kept resetting it self about 30 seconds after we got video. In a keep your fingers crossed moment, I upgraded the firmware to whatever the latest was (3.1.81p I think) which added uPnP and IE9 support (plus the last firmware added full mac-os safari support so I needed the update anyway)... well that solved the issue and now its working again the way it should... but it added upnp and I'm clueless. Now on to my question: What does having uPnP on a dvr do exactly? I should probably know but I'm not up to date on all the cool stuff like DLNA? uPnP? and alike... so what gives??????????