shockwave199

Ditto the sentiment. Although the hard drive appears to be spinning, it could be a hard drive issue nonetheless. Do you have a hard drive that you can install temporarily to see if that's possibly the issue? Just want to mention that you may have voided the warranty by replacing the fan with a slower one (which you can always change back) and cutting "the fan grill out of the DVR case so the air will not be pushed through that grill." I'm just wondering if you need to RMA the DVR if they'll do anything once they see that modification. Forgot about that. My guess is you're SOL with warranty service because of that. Good idea to try a different hard drive if you want to salvage the dvr.

If the dvr channel 1 has default settings of Pelco-D Address- 1 Baud rate 2400 Data bit- 8 Stop Bit 1 Verify- ODD And your ptz happens to be set at those same settings by default and you hook it up to channel one in the dvr, you can have a default match by doing nothing and you're off to the races. I know, I was lucky enough. That's what I was trying to say. I'd change only the address setting in my second camera to whatever channel I hooked it up to, all else being equal- correct? I know you can tweak things deeper than that, but simply put is that not the case?

I'm new to ptz's too and I only have one so I'm no expert. I'm glad you asked this question about sharing the comm hookup. I would have asked that along the way too. Besides that, in the simplest terms I think you just need to set the address of the second camera to match the channel you're hooking it up to. You seem to have the settings right on the first one, either by changing the dvr to match the camera or they just matched by default- especially if you hooked it up to channel one in the dvr. I think all ptz's seem to be addressed 1, by default. If the ptz's are the same model, just look how you change the address of the second ptz to match the channel you hook it up to in the dvr and you should be all set. Then it's just a matter of clicking on the video window for the ptz you want to control to make either one the active one. I could be wrong...but I think.

Ouy- sorry to hear that. You restarted the dvr and nothing? They usually get back to you via email in a day. But if you need to go through the RMA process- my guess is 3- 4 weeks down time waiting for a replacement. Let us know, and good luck.

I don't know for sure but I'm gonna guess the remote software can't tweak every setting that you may need to adjust. Some you need to be at the dvr, so plan on hooking up a monitor- even a 15" lcd monitor or something you may have sitting around would be fine. Have the dvr tucked away, but make it accessible with a monitor & mouse attached. You'll most likley need to work in the dvr sometimes- at least until everything is fully tweaked. After that, less so. No one will recommend the premade cables for the cameras. But I'm using them right now, mostly because I was a dope and figured I'd change them out if they went bad. A year in, they haven't gone bad and all is well and looks well. But if you have anything but the easiest of cable runs to where your cameras will be, consider running good RG59 right from the start. It's a little more of a pain to install the end connectors yourself, but it's not hard to do and you may save yourself having to swap out cheap cable down the line. Swapping out a dvr or the cameras is one thing. Redoing cable runs sucks. Avoid it with good cable. Far as cameras- read up here. There's so many and the good ones are easy to find out about with a search here. Good luck.

My camera is a 27x optical zoom, however it has a digital zoom setting that you can turn on/off. When I put it on, I don't see any difference- such as zoom range increasing or whatever. Not even sure what it does. Only to say I've always heard it said- digital zoom sucks compared to optical, so I leave it off. Could digital be a more precise zoom? Such as optical at 12x zoomed can be slightly fudgy but digital at 12x is right on exact? Not sure what a digital zoom setting does in an optical zoom camera. Puzzled.

Maybe that's it. I'll try that. I've only had it on once and didn't really mess with it that much- I don't need to zoom to the next town, especially if the image breaks up.

Unless a dj shows up with a full array of lights, a large flat screen hoisted up on overheads for the inevitable slide show of what's actually happening right before your eyes anyway, boxes of giveaways, and dancers...2k is too much for a file player on an ipad or laptop behind a baffle. The art of knowing how to properly run such an event rested, and for the most part still rests in the hands of the band MC. There are good dj's who know how to work a party right, but in my experience they are rare- but a good find when you find one. And all the dj schtick originally came from band MC's- it's just that simple. Keep in mind a dj can play most anything, but what YOU want to hear the whole time may not be what's best for the party. We've been 'playlist dictated' so badly [mostly because of the dj phenomenon] that the bride & groom lose sight of the fact that they know zip about how a party should be run and they cut off the legs of the professional who's done it for years, perfecting it. What you want to hear playing all the time doesn't always make a good party. We've catered to that and had the worst affairs- where no one dances or has fun because of the 'must play' music selections. It's your day, yes. But consider your guests too. Outside of what you absolutely don't want played, consider the scope of all your guests and let them all have something to make it fun. And if possible, hire a professional. It's more than music selection that makes a wedding run right, and they know how to balance all the songs and concerns of the day. At least the good ones do. Congratulations, and good luck.

Easy- Dahua entry level 8 channel DVR The PSS software for remote viewing has a mac version. I'd say get the four channel for even less, but it's ALWAYS best to get more channels than you think you need. And since this falls well within your price range and you have your own HD, bingo. You didn't mention anything about cameras and that budget...

The two most important things that make or break a wedding- 1- the music 2- the music In that order. The food can suck but if the entertainment was great, your wedding is a hit. If the entertainment sucks but the food is great, your wedding still goes down as sucking. Why people dick around with such an important thing themselves escapes me, but in the name of saving a buck, it's done often. And it usually sucks. They spend big money on dresses, tuxes, flowers, limos, the hall, the photographer, the video guy, and the food. But they cheap out on literally THE most important part- the music. The thing that carries the whole event along while you're all there stuck together for four hours or more. Forget your home stereo. Forget renting or buying some setup. Forget handling this yourself on your own wedding day. Forget letting uncle Pauly, cousin John, or friend Barry handle it. Hire a professional for christ sake. If you haven't guessed by now, my third job to make ends meet and pay for hobbies such as my cctv system is a professional musician. We need to eat- you need a professional to handle the fun. Hire a professional band or dj. Preferably- a band.

Good to know for future reference. If it went that way, I was gonna check into it here to get more info- such as that. You mentioned the right tool for the job. Agreed. Right now this camera is the right tool for me. But I do have a tendency to move on to better things in time. Ya never know.

Ummmm- roughly 1,600. Sweat equity- priceless. I think that arecont is cool too, btw. We had a rep come in where I work to show us them. I can't remember the prices, but they were at least 5k or more just for the camera...if I remember right. I think we were looking at a 4 camera surround. I thought they were awesome and I was licking my chops at the thought of maybe getting to play with THAT overnight! My employer however, shot it down because of the cost, and initial investment in a whole analog system just recently installed. Expensive is that arecont. Average as in what- the average homeowner who's dabbling in their own system? The average homeowner- I think there would be very few typical residential installs that could really take advantage of a surround fixture like that. Unless of course if you're- Or- Those guys have the money, the residences, and the need.

That may be the understatement of the year. The cost is without question prohibitive for the average homeowner.

Oh I'd love that too, but then I have a mortgage to pay. Talk about a specialized application! DOH!

Just thinking out loud, but... what if the camera is about to zoom in on you and your wife getting an ass whooping across the street, but then locks in on a kid riding past on the near side of the street and follows him down and around the corner, completely missing the assault? This is the big problem with auto-track: it has no way of prioritizing the actual IMPORTANCE of what it sees. What if it was looking the other way and never caught a glimpse at all? Of course it can happen as you suggest- and that's a valid point. How do you try and deal with that? With this camera, I can set auto tracking while it's doing a preset tour of the entire surrounding area. So if it gets distracted from something important, it'll at least return to a previous position and have a shot at grabbing the action again. I think of it in terms of 'tilting' the odds in my favor, that's all really. And that's when it's on. When it isn't, it's on a tour or scan and the odds slip further. When it's stationary, it becomes just another fixed camera unless I happen to be watching it and then I'm the auto tracker. This thing is beating the hell out of my previous fixed camera in that spot when trying to cover that whole area out there, that's for damn sure. In the end it's just a camera- fun, cool, and maybe more useful if you need it. You're killin me man!

This is the last demo of the auto tracking for now. All things considered, I like it still. I'd love it to zoom for tighter shots but it behaves best the way I have it set for now. I will probably schedule it to come on during the wee hours of the morning, and when I go out during the day. Two things unrelated- I'm getting some needed exercise, and I'm pretty impressed with how far my WAN covers out there! I know everyone has weighed in on their thoughts about auto tracking. I figured I'd post the night vid on the subject and call it a day...or night. t5twk206J0s

Haven't used that one, but my gads are still going strong after a year of every kind of weather thrown at them. You might consider the GS830SM for the smart IR control.

You can try a GS831SM from gadspot. The best thing the camera offers is smart IR, so when someone approaches the camera it won't wash them out in white- it will adjust to keep that from happening. It may be a larger bullet than what's there now. However your client needs to understand that IR throw will not be as effective 100' out, nor will a clear ID image. What he will get out of a camera like this is indeed a full view of the 100' driveway with the fov set at it's widest 3.8. But ID of anyone won't be possible at more than approx 8' out, and IR effectiveness will drop off the further out you go. You can't properly cover 100' with only one camera. In that instance, you can only get the whole 100' in the shot and have smart IR for a better picture when someone approaches the front door at night. This is something that may work for a quick switch of what's there already, which you mention you're looking for. A better solution will involve more installation adjustments. Good luck.

Yeah- maybe so I guess. It's probably that huge difference that makes it tough. I know last year when you did the analog only comparisons I wasn't as struck by it. But then I couldn't see what was actually showing like you can with the mp camera. Had I been there at setup, I would have thought ALL of them were odd in color. It looks super sunny and I know red is tough anyway for the truck and building, but the pavement is what's throwing me I think. But one thing is for sure- and I'll let you have this catch phrase for media even though I'm gonna say it; The difference is clear

It's interesting because I don't get that kind of color change with any of my analog cameras. It's obvious the analog images aren't as sharp as the mp is, but completely different color reads seems weird. I have tweaked my colors per channel some, just to make them as good as I can, but even at default settings all they are is a bit more washed out- not flat out wrong colors. Even my cams with no ir cut don't do that. Once in a while I'll study each channel for a bit and compare what it looks like on screen to what my eye is actually seeing. They're all as close as you can get to what you'd see standing outside in those positions. Never that odd orange/yellow haze. Hum.

Well stop the presses- we may just agree on something! Sean- the vids are great. Thanks for doing those comparisons. Very helpful to see that DM1 in action!

But the only time the cnb looked good is when there is so little light it goes to b&w. In low light when it stayed in color- yuck.

I watched all the vids you've done thus far comparing the mp to the cnb camera. I'm not sure what stands out more for me- the cnb looking mostly lousy or the mp cam looking that much better. I'm not sure I could give a nod to the cnb even without the comparison. It only looked decent in b&w at night. Not a good showing for cnb's regardless of comparison!

Ok, I did this one for fun and a laugh! njVK3teNe_g

That is a lot of it, although that's a lousy thing to have happen. It's typical with boxed systems that the cameras are crap. You can say the cables or the dvr might be crap too, but cables can last a long while and dvr's can be just fine too. The cameras though, out there taking a beating will be the first to go, ime. And they're sometimes older discontinued or the cheaper cameras included. So, lesson learned. But if the dvr is doing well for you and everything else is ok, consider getting a better camera for a replacement. Read up here- it's no secret who carries what and where you can buy them. What will happen is you'll put a better camera in place and then one by one you'll want change them all out. No matter what drives you with this, we are all used to good pictures. We don't tolerate crumby video feeds for long- it just stinks to look at, let alone what it's recording. So if all else is working, the upgrades will be the cameras anyway. And that may be the lesson- building an analog system piece by piece with good gear is better than a crap shoot in a boxed deal. I did the same thing and what remains of my boxed q-see system is the dvr and cables. All cameras were switched out pretty quickly. The only thing you should try if you can is a different cable. Just make sure it's really the camera and not something else. Try a different cable, a different channel in the dvr, and a different power supply just to make sure it's actually the camera that's the problem. Good luck.