GarethOnline

Really basic question. All I need is a stand alone unit, with time lapse capability, and a start/stop timer (0700 to 1900). On a tight budget... what do I want? I've no idea where to even start the search. Thank you for taking the time, Gareth Webb

The correct flavour of geekery is certainly the order of the day, and here's my thinking so far: 1) Periodic camera capture = good. No scheduling capability = bad. Hence, requires editing to cut out night time = bad. 2) PC DVR flexibility = good. Scheduling start/stop before and after people are around = bad (requires 0% off or standby time) 3) Direct stream = double bad. A/ The moment by moment ups and downs of a project are none of a clients' business; B/ Would be streaming clients if they visit the workshop (they like their privacy); C/ The point is YouTube, and a punchy attractive 2.4 minute clip that shows a flurry of activity hits all the right buttons. We are indeed looking at an in house gig. A small company trying to achieve more customer/community/social network involvement than other companies in our sector even begin to consider. Points 1) and 2) are what led me to look at standalone DVRs from the sphere of cctv. To my mind it can be set up, ignored and independent, and the DVD (or whatever) can be uploaded once a week. Low fuss, tidy result. And if it costs a few hundred for the hardware it is a single cost for an ongoing boost to our presence. But that is still based on a bunch of presuppositions. If standalone DVR hardware is a dumb way to proceed... ?

Well, I have come to the cctv community to solve a non-security related video problem. I'll answer your questions first, then the rest will become clear. How many channels do you need? 1 to 4 What resolution do you need? best we can afford What framerates? ideally 25 fps PAL How long do you need to store video for? not long, maybe a month at a time Do you need remote viewing? no Do you need to export to flash or CD/DVD? yes Believe it or not, we are a bespoke furniture company in the process of improving our web presence. What we need to end up with is a 2 to 4 minute video file of the week's activity in the workshop for regular upload. If an excess of time is required to edit etc the project loses its financial viability. Hence: solution. = Hands off scheduled recording unit, standalone not PC. = Time lapse capture. = Ask cctv experts what our best option might be. I'm not sure how often you get asked questions that relate to a marketing drive, but it comes down to a fundamental hardware question. Can the available hardware serve the purpose of the business. As for cameras and wiring (or wireless), it's the output format that matters here, and we'll look at getting whatever is most compatible with the DVR unit. I hope that makes the question easier to answer, not more confusing. Kind regards, Gareth.

Looking further I can find time lapse standalone DVRs, and I can find scheduled standalone DVRs... But both in one? Not yet.

Yes, constant time lapse digital capture. What would be an entry level 'no frills' brand to look at? Or what keywords, in a google search, should I use to identify the basic/low-budget models? Thanks again, Gareth.