Blueish

Nothing? We're stuck with just the app that comes with the DVR?

I have a Swann DVR08. Everything it's supposed to do is working - remote access via Internet Explorer and on my Android phone, motion detection, etc. Yeah, could benefit from better resolution, but it's doing the job. But the IE8 ActiveX plug-in is the only supported remote view on a computer... and there is no recorded video playback on the Android app. Are there any alternative programs that can access these DVRs and play the clips more robustly?

I've gotta agree with the poster who said that the pros trash the stuff without knowing it well. I got a Swann 8-channel 4-camera kit at Costco. I also have a variety of IP cameras and plenty of experience in similar fields... and I've played with contemporary high-end kits. Swann is better quality than Q-See, though not by much. Avoid Lorex. Getting everything working is a PITA. Once it's working, it can be stable. My first Swann had to be RMAd. The picture quality isn't great on a kit. That's partially the DVR - resolution - and much more the camera (cheap, cheap lens, low-def) and also the cables. Cables really do matter for long runs. High resolution is cool, but even the license plate won't buy you anything in most precincts. The cops just don't care. With the stock 480-line cameras, well-mounted, you can recognize people and actions. Mount at least one very visibly (like by your front door) and most other problems will vanish. What a more expensive install buys you starts with better alarm/alert tracking and filtering. This is HUGE. Double the price of the Costco units and you can record 24/7 (hard drive space is cheap) and yet still easily see motion-detected alerts on the timeline. It's cool and useful. And the expense buys you an easier set-up and higher resolution. The remote access on the lower-end units is flakey. It works... but for example the Swann's only runs in 32-bit Internet Explorer with ActiveX permissions and will crash the entire IE session if you high-speed past the end of a clip. No Mac support The Android (/iPhone) app seems pretty great, but it doesn't support playback of recorded images. What you may want to do is determine which of these you care about, set an arbitrary amount (e.g. double the Swann kit cost) and see if a dealer will sell you comparable kit with fewer trade-offs for that. Expertise costs money.