Soundy

You here in the GVRD, Hiro?

Hey, this post looks familiar

Check your PM inbox (see where it says "1 new message" at the top-right).

Tape...

Actually, that unit only does D1@30fps on four of the channels. For what Amazon claims as their sale price, you could have got one that does D1@30fps on all channels at once...

Of course, there's also a Linux version of Exacq server... you do have several options to run on Linux. But again, you get into licensing costs that way.

It's not going to be easy to attach to that... I'd recommend a female BNC connector that's designed to be soldered on:

Where the camera plugs into the DVR, add one of these: Then run another cable from there to the other monitor - that will let you display that one camera separately.

Really, the same distinctions apply to standalone vs. PC-based DVR as well. Initial simplicity of setup of a standalone, especially for smaller jobs, is attractive to many people - just unbox it and hook it up. Cost tends to be a factor - a standalone is usually cheaper than the PC itself, let alone the software (and additional hardware, for a DVR), particularly for smaller installations. Keep in mind that Linux isn't second nature for most people, so putting together a freeware system like ZoneMinder isn't an option for them. Most will be more familiar with Windows, which means either a very limited low-cost system, or a more expensive software package. Or a standalone. As buell points out, selecting the hardware and software and putting it all together can be daunting for a beginner, and time-consuming for an installer. Of course, PC-based systems do have their own advantages, especially in the way of expandability, upgradeablility, and especially options to add additional/external storage.

I'd start with one and see how it does with those cameras, then spec your installs appropriately.

DH-NVR3216:16 channel@D1, 8 channel@720P, 4 channel@1080P IP camera inputs, It can support HDMI, VGA, USB2.0 and 2 HDDs." 720p is 1280x720 pixels; 1080p is 1920x1080. 1.3MP is typically 1280x1024. Depending on how the system handles the resolution, you'll probably only be able to run six of those cameras on one recorder... maybe only four.

You'll want to check the specs on any standalone NVRs, because many limit the number of cameras vs. resolution - for example, one particular Dahua NVR will allow up to eight 720p cameras, but only four if they're 1080p. You can build your own NVR with a variety of software, but cost will depend largely on the features you want. You can also use Dahua's PSS software as a limited NVR.

Yeah, we've got a few dozen HIGHWIREs installed over the last couple years, don't recall a single one of them ever failing or not simply working like they're supposed to.

Short answer: No. You can't send two different views out the same output. You could display a single camera on the shop monitor by splitting that camera's feed into the DVR... or you could add a quad or multiplexer to generate a separate display for the shop. Or you could upgrade to a DVR that actually has a spot output.

Except in this case, if the connection goes down, all he's losing is the remote viewing. The DVR is still recording.

There's the standard Veracity HIGHWIREs, just straight ethernet-over-coax. Both ends need to be powered, but they support 12VDC/24VAC so you can just parallel the remote end off the camera power.

Wowowowowow.... what's everyone so afraid of here?? If dude wants to spend his own time trying a bunch of different NVRs and writing about his experiences, so what? Maybe NOT having extensive experience with a bunch of different ones is an advantage - someone new to installing and configuring one may find it more useful to see a review from someone in the same situation, than from someone who already knows all the tricks and tweaks. Yeah, like any of us are any more "qualified" to write down our own impressions of different NVR platforms? Go ahead and download some different VMSes you've never touched before and give it a shot. Yeah, took me about 5 minutes... and I never did actually get it to record my IQ511s. Does that mean I'm unqualified to review anything else as well? Bingo. Heck, look what's happened to him here - asks for some input, and gets slagged by all the knowier-than-thous... who apparently haven't even taken the time to actually look at the blog in question: Well, you could actually go there, and take a look at it - I see a pretty wide variety of brand names and no banner ads, as well as a couple of purely informational articles. The blog goes back nearly two years, so it's not like it's something he just decided to start doing by jumping into the deep end. Or you can just react and make all kinds of negative comments without ever looking at what you're reacting to. Buellwinkle, maybe you should start off by reviewing Avigilon... you know, to show you're "legit".

Funny, I was thinking the first cam had that same kinda washed-out look...

^Just installed my first Vivotek on Monday, and I must say, it does seem solidly built... as to longevity, well, that remains to be seen.

Yeah, you're probably talking about SDI (serial digital interface) cameras, some of which use the trade name "HDcctv". It's a new-ish implementation of an older broadcast standard, and yes, it requires a different type of recorder. Note that these cameras don't go beyond 1080p, which is 2MP - as Tom notes, your system will handle IP cams up to 5MP.

Axis has a good article on pixels required for recognition and identification: http://www.axis.com/edu/identification/resolution.htm In short, they say a face should be 17 pixels wide for recognition or 40 pixels for identification. Based on this calculator: http://cctvlenscalculator.com/: 4CIF/D1 resolution, 1/4" sensor, 4mm lens, camera mounted 3m high at 4m distance, faces will be about 20 pixels wide. To get to 40 pixels (identification), you'd need to go to an 8mm lens.

What capture card are you using? Looks like a big part of the blame lies with the card itself.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=poe+splitter Never assume anything - remember when we ASSUME, we make an ASS of U and ME http://lmgtfy.com/?q=vivotek+fd8361

That's using Vigil hybrid DVR.

Was looking for a good low-light, hopefully WDR replacement for a failed Arecont AV3100DN... wow, what a score! Found a Vivotek IP8162P... grabbed a bunch screenshots to compare it to the existing Areconts as well as a VSX 2MP cam on another site: Arecont AV3100DN opposite the Vivotek: 3xLogic VSX-2MP-VD on another site: About the only thing I don't like about this cam is the widescreen crop losing some of the vertical real estate, but the WDR sure makes a difference in the harsh lighting on this site! Just for reference, this is the old AV3100DN that the Vivotek replaced: