rory

2 hours by taxi is alot of change!

ok so it seems we are probably talking retail prices anyway so yall just ignore me yah hear .. (contact the admin he might let you guys in )

Now that you mentioned that, I wonder how well Wireless would work, ever tested that? Maybe slow though and then ofcourse penetration issues with steel etc, but man that would be good if it worked

Hi, glad it worked out. You will need to go to the actual camera to test its abilities first. Hook it to a monitor there (CCTV CRT or a TV) then adjust properly (can take some time to get it setup correctly). First, having Sony in the title does not mean it is a Sony Camera, as it is not. Sony does not make those type of cameras, they make Chips which other manufacturers use, some are cheaper than others, typically the more the camera costs then the more the chip costs, and it will in most cases also have more features and be better video overall. For example, there are many variations of the Sony Exview Chip, ranging from cheap to expensive. Quick google search came up with a no name OEM Color/IR camera, so if you were to spend a couple more dollars you could get a nice True Day/Night camera that would give you accurate color in the day and then BW at night with decent level of Infrared (approx up to 60' but if you need more you would have to pay double for a camera with alot more IR and then it would come with a 5-50mm lens). I would also ignore that 220' IR that they claim pertaining to that camera. Best cameras for Day Night and Long range Infrared is ofcourse the Extreme CCTV cameras, but they cost alot. I have added UF500's before and they will light it up like it is daylight out to a few hundred feet (even more with even more expensive IRs), but the cost is horrendous. EX82's light it up around 100' out from the camera, also not cheap (dual cameras). There are some no names that are similar (check out CNB cameras for example) though have never tested them, being in the biz we need something that we are 100% sure will work and Extreme CCTV is tried and tested. 100' IR will be a task for most no name cameras, while at the same time providing a decent day and nightime image, but your best bet would be to look for a True Day Night with IR and a 5-50mm lens (or similar), as that is designed for longer range and having the IR Cut Filter it will give you accurate colors in the day, and also more sensitive BW at night. Stay clear of cameras with DSS if at all possible, at least in this case; more headaches than it is worth. KT&C for a budget, CNB for midrange, Extreme CCTV for the high end. my 5 cents

If the screen has changed (eg. come out of sleep mode, resolution changed, etc) then that will be an issue. Have you restarted Geo yet? Windows Update should also be disabled, among many other services.

Isn't that a moderator's job ? "rory Moderator & Founding Member Posts: 13526 Joined: 10 Nov 2003 Location: Bahamas" Ok, please will you guys edit your posts with the retail pricing (or could start a new thread in the dealer section )

Also see this thread for more info on what others are building: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8059 BTW, new versions of Geo should have 2GB of DDR2 now, at least DDR2-667 but even better DDR2-800. 8.12 and the newer ones use ALOT of memory. CPU, go dual core if you want to also be able to playback without any issues. Yes, P4 with 1GB will work, but for only $100-150 more (approx) you can build a much faster machine, which, BTW, will be much cooler also - basically, if you are on a strict budget, then P4 with 1GB it is.

Best to use the APIs or SDK from the card manufacturer. If you dont have that, then you need to install generic drivers or something you can access. is this for a local DVR server or just to stream the video over the internet? VB6 really isnt the right tool for a local DVR server, would at the least need C++. Im a VB6 developer myself, its good enough for remote video, utilizing existing ActiveX Controls supplied by the manufacturer but not so great for what you want to do. Anyway, if you are still persistent in using Vb6 to do this, try: http://www.shrinkwrapvb.com/videocap.htm I also have lots of code related to that found elsewhere on the internet, but it is primarily for webcams (picture boxes, motion detection, etc), however using generic drivers you can get it to work for a DVR card also. Only issue is creating more than 1 window and then switching between ports, thats where the issues arise using either method. Rory

VU pricing that I can get for you is $30.00 for PAIR - $15.00 each! * psst * retail price? Want the admin to body slam me from around this forum hey

Im not picky, Pelco or AD, heck, even Everfocus. I dont mind

pretty far away

Down here wont get that with either ISP unless you pay extra (with Cable you can get as fast as you want though, if you pay for it), with DSL to get 512 upload for a business it is $490 a month, otherwise for the basic business package of $75 a month they get 128 upload, 256 down, Cable is 512 upload for the basic business package which is $99 a month (plus required $50 for TV). As a basic cable home user I average 400-500 upload and 3mb download. Another problem is our telco lines here are awful in many cases. DSL in the outislands is worse but getting a little better, was down all christmas though as nobody was at work! Our Government owned DSL Monopoly: http://www.batelnet.bs/packages.html Our Cable company is of Canadian origin.

Ok, so someone send me some Pelco and AD PTZs, some Baluns, Cat5 (that expensive stuff now), and oh, well, okay a couple DVRs too .. then I will test it in a Bahamian scenario for yah (oh yeah, need to pay Customs Duty too cause they will eat me alive!!)

Ouch, the Dog House Sounds like fun, but I just checked the map earlier and you are on the next side of Florida!!!

Huh? what? Who? Where?

USB is still pretty slow though, wonder if that wont cause a problem with the recordings at some point. Maybe try E-Sata if it is a PC based using a mobo that has that feature? For example, my approx. readings on the PC here: IDE HDD Access Time = 8ms Linear Read = 58 mb/s Random Read = 3.4 mb/s USB HDD Access Time = 12ms Linear Read = 28 mb/s Random Read = 2.4 mb/s DiskSpeed is the program I use, doesn't test the writes, but from copying back and forth between drives, the writes are much slower on the USB.

Hi, try this http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/13/

Power goes down, Cable and DSL goes down, thats if DSL was even working to begin with. Seeing as a security system SHOULD record locally, the network cannot be a priority anyway. If their prime concern is remote video, then they have to spend big bucks and get dedicated equipment from an ISP, or just deal with the offs and ons.

Yeap but the whole idea is to use existing cable, at least in many cases ..

Problem is down here DSL is not only much slower (upload speeds of around 128 for similar priced package as Cable) but it is down all the time. So essentially, Cable is our only valid choice here.

maybe it was the cat5 cable I used then? Cable was just whatever blue cat5 cable they had at the local electrical store, same stuff we use for networking. Is that $30 retail, cause if it is (and should be wink wink) then darn that is cheap

Great... However, if your are paying the above price, you are paying too much.. thats cheap for retail

Yeah but sounds like you're talking about cheap IP systems, using cheap network gear. You need much more expensive gear for high quality MP systems. Same with CCTV systems, cheap gear typically means low quality among other issues like stability; a professional system is going to cost, and dont forget this is a security system we are talking about. As for quality, I still stick to what I already said before, all IP (Non MP) systems I have seen so far have been lower quality than professional CCTV systems, perhaps mostly due to the excessive compression required for the network. At the least, the quality was no more, as the image pixels are the same in general, then add in the compression for the network. Then there are the wire issues, cat5 is flimsy cable, especially compared to RG59 Siamese coax. When you were viewing that Hybrid system I hope you were actually at the DVR and you were not looking at them over the network? Also, could have just been bad a crappy system, plenty of those out there in both industries (I separate them as CCTV and IP Surveillance are somewhat different, the Security pros -typically with much more experience with Surveillance, Cameras, Remote Video, and also things such as Burglar Alarms, etc) started off in the CCTV industry while there are alot of beginners swamping the IP industry now). One thing that does make me chuckle though, all the so called experts on IP Video Surveillance (google searches bring up a few) and their Myths about how bad CCTV is compared to IP surveillance, yet they fail to show any comparisons what so ever, and still expect us to fall for their marketing hype The only thing I can agree with them on is that MegaPixel is higher quality, but they also fail to mention all the other issues that come with that, such as much lower frames, and a very high cost per camera. Also, POE is very limited, that cant push high end Day Night Infrared Cameras, which is most of my applications. PS. what cameras were on that DVR or hybrid system? Makes a huge difference, plus the installers may not have know how to setup the cameras properly, the perfect image is not plug and play like many think, and just for others reading this, most bullet cameras these days actually come unfocused, so if the quality looks bad, most likely it is either low res camera (511x pixels - 380TVL-420TVL) or its simply not focused properly (or other setting such as AI, BLC etc).

I have used square poles a few times in the past, painted black, they come out nice and easy to mount to - except the drilling part as they are aluminum (I think) but feel like titanium!

If you are willing to test something, CNB has a 16 channel that is inexpensive but also "looks" good. Mpeg4, USB, CDRW, CMS software, etc. I would like to test it myself but have no jobs for it right now, cant find any reviews anywhere as it is new. Its less expensive than Everfocus, Provideo, and even AvTech. I looked at the CMS software briefly and used their online demo also and seems like that part works fine. It uses DDNS also. Only thing is it says max 500Gb but then says max 2 HDDs, so unsure whether that is max 500 GB total or 2x 500GB, would need to check. I dont know if you buy as a dealer or an end user though, but it is this model: http://www.cnbtec.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=425 (their site can hang sometimes, if it does, just refresh the web page) Its available at various online retailers and distributors.