Soundy

Well, it's mostly just the "wakka wakka" intro... the rest just sounds like the droning trip-hop stuff they play all night in the restaurants we work in. I don't have a problem with the yakking as such, I just think it makes the video a little long for a noob to sit through... we all sat through the whole thing (I assume) because we were interested in seeing what you're doing, but for someone who's interested in learning about FOV, they might find their attention wandering. Little post-editing would fix that right up... maybe see if you can sync it all up to some Pink Floyd instrumental or something Just some constructive criticism

Pretty good work, very useful for explaining FOV vs. detail... could probably be trimmed down a bit with not as much chatter, and definitely lose the porno soundtrack Drivers going by are probably wondering who this crazy guy is wandering through the intersection staring at his laptop

Nada. Other than higher TVL (pretty much irrelevant over 500), it's nowhere near the spec. The CNB has a higher weatherproof rating (IP66 vs IP65 for the EB), which will be important if you're putting it outside, especially near the ocean. There are no actual lux numbers listed for the ES, but I'd be willing to bet that the CNB also has far better low-light performance, which WILL matter at night as the IR won't do you any good looking out at the water. The ES also has a slightly longer max focal length (12mm vs. 10.5mm), but for this purpose, one expects you'd be going with the widest shot possible, for which both cameras are the same (2.8mm). Oh yeah, and the CNB is dual-voltage and handles a pretty wide range of supply voltages, which will be important when you're running its power 1000'

You'll have to put that camera on a 1000'-high tower to get that view with it

This idea is discussed here pretty regularly... whether it's POSSIBLE is dependent on the DVR... whether it's FEASIBLE is dependent on your internet connection. 16 channels' worth of video is going to be substantial data, requiring not just enough bandwidth, but enough of a bandwidth limit: most ISPs will have monthly limits on your data usage, and it will be very easy to exceed that doing this. A better idea is to hide the DVR somewhere and access it remotely or via KVM extender, or to use external storage (USB/network/etc.) and hide that somewhere.

That is strange indeed... offhand I don't know what else to suggest, all I can think of is that the camera is putting out a low signal level that the TV is accepting but not the DVR. That manual isn't downloading for me, so I can't check, but... I assume this DVR only has the one composite input, or if there are more, you've tried them all...

Silly question, but is the DVR NTSC as well? All I could find on it was from UK and European sites, which would make it PAL and thus incompatible. Assuming it's NTSC though... have you tried plugging the camera directly into the TV to make you're getting signal out of it? Have you tried plugging another source into the DVR's input to make sure the input is working?

Is this the camera you have? http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Vision-Infrared-Security-Outdoor/dp/B001U8VL9K How are you connecting it to the DVR - what input are you using?

I know others will suggest Exacq and Avigilon... I'd recommend giving Vigil a look: www.3xlogic.com

I'm not saying a manufacturer needs to continually support every browser/OS/etc. in all perpetuity... but when a year-old DVR model isn't being updated to support a year-old browser, that's a really bad sign. Maybe it would be a better idea for those manufacturers to clue in and start supporting browsers besides just IE. Something Java-based, for example, will not only work on IE, but on just about any browser on any platform, including many mobile platforms. Look at VideoInsight's DVR and NVR systems - their web-based client (I think using DHTML, but don't quote me on that) works on every browser I've ever tried it on, including my older Windows Mobile phones (www.demovi.com, give it a shot). They've been doing this for over six years, too... why are all the manufacturers stuck on using ActiveX in the first place??

It's not a big deal... unless you happen to be the Average Home User (who these products are aimed at), happily plunking away watching your DVR from your laptop's browser, until one day Microsoft essentially shoves this update down your throat, and suddenly you can't connect to your DVR anymore. To make matters worse, what if the manufacturer won't respond to your questions (unless you pay), and the re-seller is some shady online eBay store who won't respond or has just up and vanished? Or even Costco, for that matter, who will simply refer your questions back to the manufacturer? Maybe half of your "average home users" will figure out to Google the problem (and might even stumble on some search terms that won't link them to porn sites), and perhaps be lucky enough to come across the solution... the rest will be hooped, potentially having to pay a Geek Squad member or some other $100/hr. rent-a-nerd who is just as proficient at Google-fu, to fix a problem... THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE WITH A RESPONSIVE MANUFACTURER. In the end, that's the real issue: IE9 has been available to developers for over two years, and in public release for 13+ months now. The affected manufacturers KNOW (or certainly SHOULD know) that they have a problem... and as yet don't appear willing or able to fix it. Almost all computers BUILT in the last 12 months should now come with IE9 standard, so that negates the ability to backlevel to IE8. Not everyone wants the hassle of installing the thick client; they just want to pull up a browser (maybe on a relative's computer when they're visiting somewhere out of town, or in an internet cafe), plug in their DDNS address, and have it work they way they've always known it to work. Things change, people get confused, then frustrated. It's indicative of a larger issue, too: if a manufacturer can't or WON'T address a well-known issue like this, what will they do (or not do) with other problems that arise? How will they be with delivering updates for improved functionality? What if you want to replace your 250GB drive with a 1TB drive, but you can't, because the last firmware available for your machine doesn't support anything over 500GB?

Do keep in mind, you need to consider the current requirements of the switch, and make sure the regulator is sized appropriately. The one I linked there will only provide up to 3A; if the switch needs more than that, you'll have to find another option.

It doesn't matter what camera or DVR you use or how much you spend, from the vantage point in your picture, 90% of what you see will be the tops of people's heads. Unless you can get people to look up in the direction of the camera, you'll never record their faces from that angle. Also, with the varying locations, simply re-aiming the camera won't help; you need to adjust the zoom to the area the car is it, and subsequently adjust the focus. That will mean a lot of tweaking on a nightly basis unless you go to a PTZ camera, and that's going to kill your budget right there. And... you'll still only see the tops of people's heads.

Why not just put a 7Ah battery in there, run the fan directly, and use a voltage regulator for the switch? This unit will take whatever AC or DC input you provide, give you 6/12/24 or adjustable DC output, keep the battery charged, and automatically switch over to battery on power failure: http://www.electronicproductonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=85&products_id=1770&osCsid=8a03cf580a819292c1d4a8f99e75cbc3 We get them off-the-shelf at ADI; the link above is the only place I've ever found them listed online.

I believe the Dahua DVR will let you pull an RTSP stream; if so, you could run VLC in a window to display the feed you want. It can be configured to run with no toolbars, no frame, floating on top, and start up with whatever size you define.

Whole buncha others, too: https://www.google.com/search?q=free+dynamic+dns

How much are you willing to spend? A Pelco Esprit will kick ass on most domes... they're not cheap though.

Oh, yay, IR. Here's a better idea: replace the whole thing with a VCM-24VF and you won't have to worry about the IR at all

Another option is cameras with internal recording - several can record to internal SD cards, or there are options like VideoIQ that have internal hard drives. They can take the DVR, but you should have a great recording of the DVR going out the door stored in the camera.

The benefit of buying it WITH a drive is that the drive SHOULD then be covered by the seller's own warranty, which saves you having to deal with the manufacturer's return policies (some of which make you jump through a lot of hoops).

No you don't - you can just order it with a hard drive. The ECONO-8 lists at $159 without drive; adding a 500GB drive adds $100, or go to 1TB for an extra $150.

Yep... this is part of why I just don't do IR cameras AT ALL. Better to use a camera simply works with low light, rather than trying to "fix" the problem with a handful of cheap LEDs.

Private Message. At the top-right of the page you should see "1 New Message" - click there.

So the NUUO is recording fine, he's just upset that he can't record full quality off-site? Sorry, but it doesn't matter how much he spends on cameras or recorders if the connection won't handle the traffic. In fact, with DSL he'd probably have better luck with CIF cameras. Solution is simple: if he wants to record off-site, he needs a sufficient internet connection.

Hi, and thanks for this post. I just ordered the Costco system with the QT426 and the same cameras as yours. I've been reading more about this 'ground loop' issue and want to know more before I get the who install underway. Did you use the supplied 'siamese' power/coax wire that came with your system, or did you use Cat5 with baluns? With regards to the ground looping issue... I was going to installed a dedicated power supply box, but I've read that using the supplied transformers eliminates the ground looping problem. Apparently, that was not the case in your setup. So by simply getting a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter for the power cord of the power supply, that eliminated the ground loop problem? I'm a bit confused, but I'll take any input I can get on this. Thanks! The ground loop issue he's talking about is the one caused by mounting the camera to an earth-grounded metal surface. It sounds like there may have also been a problem between the power can's earth ground and the DVR's earth ground. Neither of these should be related to the balun/common-ground issue.