Soundy

That power supply is rated 4.2A *total*, not per channel. The spec sheet for those domes lists them as 300mA nominal draw, 600mA with IRs on, so even with all four of them *and* the PTZ, you're only looking at a maximum 3.5A or so. The only potential problem I'd see is the fuse rating on each channel - if it's less than 1.25A you'll pop the fuse that the PTZ is on, but I'd expect they're probably 2A fuses on each channel. If not, you can bump the one for the PTZ up to a 2-3A version.

Frankly, I don't think you're going to find all that for the budget you've specified. The record specs you're looking for alone (D1, 30fps @ 16 channels) will probably break the bank, nevermind all the other things you want... unless you want to end up with something cheap and unreliable. Just for the record, there's nothing inherently wrong with PC-based systems. Regular updates are rarely required, particularly if you're behind a firewall or router, and don't surf the web on the thing. An at least with Windows systems, updates don't cause downtime - just as with any desktop systems, the updates can be downloaded and installed in the background with a quick reboot all that's necessary to complete the job. PC-based DVRs also make adding more storage a lot more conventient - more room internally for additional drives, or any externals with any common connection method: USB, Firewire, eSATA, iSCSI, SAS, etc. If resolution is that important, however, you might want to look at some megapixel IP cameras. They'll cost more, but you'll get AT LEAST four times the resolution of D1 (1.3MP is 1280x1024, vs. 704x480 for D1), which in some cases lets one camera do the job of two, three, or even four standard cameras. If you go pure-IP, you also bypass the need for capture hardware. Some cameras also support recording direct to network-attached storage devices, which bypasses the whole DVR part too. And for remote access, pretty much all IP cameras allow you to view and configure them directly via web browser; many also allow RTSP streaming to any supported software. Finally, you might consider that 30fps REALLY ISN'T necessary 99% of the time... very few people can tell the difference with even 15fps, and most would be hard-pressed to tell the difference at 7.5-10fps for anything short of watching auto racing. Once you reduce those requirements, your options within your price range open up substantially.

Just as a side note, we've had no problems (so far - touch wood) with IQEye and warranty support. We had a series of cameras go down due to bad wiring (caused by the electricians that pulled the wire), IQ swapped the cameras for us without question.

Most PPPoE ISPs require a login to access the network. The login isn't normally configured in the modem itself, but is done on the device connected to it, whether that's a computer or a router - most home broadband routers have a PPPoE section for this purpose. I would expect it's in the DVR for the same reason: so it can be connected directly to the modem from an ISP that uses PPPoE.

Only catch I see here is that this thing is really only particularly useful if you're powering your IP cameras through PoE. While I try to use PoE when possible, it's usually a hard time selling customers on the extra cost of the PoE switch or injectors, especially if the IP camera is replacing an existing analog camera and there's already power available at the camera's location. So far, all the IP cameras I've used will work on 12VDC, so even when we're using PoE, I find it quick and easy to just temporarily power the camera with my 12V gel-cel battery.

There are several tricks you can use that MIGHT clear it up enough to be readable - adjusting brightness/contrast, convert to greyscale (if it's in color), adjusting color curves, sharpening/softening... if it's out of focus, you could try something like Focus Magic. Unfortunately, if it's that far away, chances are it's simply too small, and the data required simply isn't there. You might be able to interpolate a bit, but no software can create data that doesn't exist, regardless of what they show in the movies.

Assuming this is an above-ground structure, I'd think you'd still have better light in the daytime than at night... backlighting would be more of an issue in the day and could make the shaded area SEEM darker.

ALL coax is shielded; that's the definition of "coaxial" - two conductors on one axis. If the shield and center conductor were shorted, you'd have no signal at all. Assuming all power and video connections are solid, I'm at a loss. Then again, I've been working long days in the heat, so my brain isn't running at full capacity right now

I suspect these are related. Are these cameras all powered by 12VDC? If so, it's likely that the "other 3" cameras are getting their power ground through the one camera's coax, since move 12VDC cameras use a shared ground between power and video. In other words, the three cameras may have a "+12V" connection but not a solid ground connection, so the power is grounding via their coax runs, to the DVR, and back to the power ground on the fire-exit camera, through its coax run. Disconnect that camera, and all of them lose their ground. This kind of situation also leads to ground loops and similar such issues, which can lead to the ghosting problem you're seeing.

I've used HighWires several times, and they work great. We service a couple of Canada's larger gas station chains, and we're finding as they move to IP, they want megapixel cameras at the pumps, which currently only have analog cameras over coax. The conduit for the wiring is all sealed before the site goes online, so pulling new wire is next to impossible... the HighWires MAKE it possible

You have a couple options for "going digital"... you could pull coax AND Cat5 and have the Cat5 there for future use. Or if it's analog now, you can use HighWires in the future to run ethernet over coax. However, good-quality baluns should work fine with the Cat5; the whole balanced-line concept inherently "cancels" any induced noise in the line.

Yeah, this isn't an issue with the card, but with the software. Hard to give exact directions without either being familiar with that software, or being able to look up the manual, but I think Jamac is on the right track.

Umm... you know there's no such thing as an analog megapixel camera, right? Megapixel resolution (anything higher than NTSC spec) requires a different transmission method, and currently that means IP. I would assume these cameras are currently running over coax, so to use IP cameras, you either need to replace the wiring, or use something like Veracity HighWires. I've used these, and they work GREAT, but they are a bit pricey ($300-$400 per pair). They'll run on 12VDC or 24VAC, so they can be powered off the existing power runs to the cameras. What it comes down to, IF you really need to go MP with these cameras, is whether it's worth it to avoid pulling new wire. The other option, of course, is simply to replace the B&W with regular analog cameras...

I don't think your customer is going to be happy with the results of this exercise: unless the monitors are very high-end with high-quality up-converting, the pictures you get on it feeding it composite video will be grainy and distorted (stretched to fit the wide-screen format). The only way to really make it work PROPERLY is to feed the VGA or DVI output of a computer display into the monitors, set them up as multiple desktops (can be done with multiple video cards) and let the computers scale and display the images properly.

Unfortunately most megapixel cameras don't support auto-iris lenses, which limits their ability to handle a wide range of lighting conditions. If you're finding bright scenes are washed out, you may need to dial down the iris on your lens a bit (most will be labeled "O" for open, to "C" for closed - move it more towards C). Keep in mind that a cheap MP camera ("cheap" being relative to the MP price range) will not compare to an expensive analog camera, the same way a cheap analog camera won't compare to an expensive one. MP cameras start at a higher price because you get more resolution, but if you also want the low-light performance, wider dynamic range, and other things that cost more in an analog camera, well... they'll cost more in an MP camera as well.

Only (cost-effective) way to do it is to find someone with a PAL camera who needs an NTSC camera, and trade with him.

Are we still talking about CCTV use here, or have we shifted to SLRs? I have the EF-50 f/1.8 for my 40D, that's a nice little lens. I've had a few instances where the 1.2 would be even better (for the extra stop of light) although the razor-thin DOF would start getting kinda tricky. Wondering how useful IS would be in a CCTV application like this... I know on an SLR/DSLR body, it's generally recommended to turn IS off when you're using a tripod. I suppose if you camera was on a particularly shaky mount...

Thanks! I have a few jobs that those could be really useful for...

Got a link for these?? Canon L-series lenses are among the best in pro photography... also priced accordingly.

Despite the similarities in technology, photography is really quite a different beast from CCTV. I've been playing and working in photography for probably 27-28 years now, with all varieties of film and digital cameras. Perhaps some more specific questions than, "what am I doing here??" would be a good place to start. When I get home later, I can point you to some good online tutorials as well.

That's the point: SOME, but not ALL. An auto-iris lens simply won't work on a camera that doesn't have the driver for it - the iris will remain closed and you get a lovely black scene. So before choosing auto or manual iris, make sure of what your camera of choice supports.

I would never trust a camera that's NOT focused in the field, once it's in place and adjusted to its desired view. I assume when you set these up on the bench, you've measured out the exact distance from the planned mounting point to the intended target, and you then set up a target on your bench at that exact distance, so you can get the proper focal distance? And of course, you never run into instances where you have to change the mounting location after the fact? Never have clients decide at the last minute that they want to view changed?

Before you get an auto-iris lens, make sure your camera supports it. While it's almost universal on analog cameras, not all megapixel cameras have support for it yet.

I dunno about any others, but the nice thing I find with the IQ cameras is that they all support 12VDC (most also do 24VAC, although a couple models do 24VDC rather than AC), so I just power them off my little 12V gel-cel battery for aiming and focusing.

Unfortunately, 2.4Ghz is the most common band for all manner of wireless consumer electronics. In theory, these devices should be designed so as to not interfere with each other, but that's never entirely the case. Not only is WiFi in the 2.4GHz band, but most other wireless devices, as well as many cordless phones. I've seen a wireless mouse cause a WiFi signal to drop out, and 2.4GHz cordless phones are well-known to cause problems with WiFi signals.