rory

Also check out the GE Dvrs, embedded RTOS, they've been around for years and are solid work horses. See the GE (Kalatel) Gallery here for the Remote Software features. http://www.bahamassecurity.com/Gallery/Systems/Kalatel.htm http://www.bahamassecurity.com/get_datasheet.asp?id=901 http://www.bahamassecurity.com/get_datasheet.asp?id=902 Seriously though you need to see what kind of budget they have for the DVR alone, that would help as there are cheap DVRs, Mid Range, and High end .. low price to high price, less features to feature rich, less stable, to very stable. There's alot of choices. Here is another decent retail 4 channel DVR (i know not as many channels as you want but just an example). Less expensive than the GE but still loaded with features, not quite a GE but still nice for the price. http://www.bahamassecurity.com/get_datasheet.asp?id=408 Then here is the ultimate budget DVR .. very few features .. http://www.bahamassecurity.com/get_datasheet.asp?id=412

its going to slow it down when theyre transferring large files .. Better off with a cheap Via PC just for the file transfer .. like a 2.4Ghz 512RAM .. cheap video card .. then get a seperate PC for the DVR and use a KVM Switch.

Weird, its happened twice, a reset of all the power fixed it, but still, its on a UPS with AVR. Basically all the video is there, but there's little video loss boxes flashing ... any ideas? I figure I can just turn off the watchdog and that will fix that issue .. but still would be nice to know .. why ..

that said .. you can actually tie the ground to ground and video to video and dont need a connector to the cable from camera .. but dont let me confuse you on that .. thats something I only do if I dont have any other choice as you have to cut the cameras cable, looses warranty .. though it does work, and better than a connector Just not the right way to do it ... Twist on BNC Connectors are all you will need. If you run RCA dual Power/Video Cable like the 100' all in one cables then you may need RCA-BNC Adaptors also, though they normally come with the adaptors. If using RG59 Siamese you should be straight with Twist on BNCs. Rory

It requires some experience, whether using Twist Ons or Crimps, but its really not that difficult. But if the connector isnt on properly then you will experience issues.

perhaps .. like i said .. talk to the IT guys on that one I think Raid 5 is just a way of organising the HDDs .. still try to get the best HDDs you can .. and best PC Hardware .. When you are ready to tweak each one ..check this out .. http://www.bahamassecurity.com/uploads/XP-TWEAKING.pdf (50KB Adobe PDF)

Then you want RAID ... and the best HDDs that are out there .. thats not in any way a basic or even normal high end system .. type of Raid you will need to speak to the IT guys for that part. But I would think Raid Disk Arrays. Basic IDE systems wont cut it.

Well Systems with SATA drives are better than those with IDE .. for pro systems at least .. otherwise IDE is fine for basic systems, or testing.

ive used micro ATX without any issues .. cant speak for anything smaller than that though .. Give us more details please. Video Cable Type & Distance Power Cable Type & Distance Type/brand of Camera Is Video on Test Monitor okay? Also do you have any recorded video, as the remote video is not an option for troubleshooting quality. Thanks. Rory

If you really want to cut corners, so to speak, you could get some standard color bullet cameras, and a slower frame rate card, in the case of Geo something like the GV250. The GV250 would at least get you used to the Geo Software. Run the correct video and power cable now. Put it in conduit where applicable. This can cost though, so if you really want to save in this area, get 4 x 100' RCA Dual Power Video Cables for now, but make sure they are clear from any high voltage and lighting. With cheap OEM Bullet cameras it would be fine, for Pro cameras you would want to upgrade that cable to RG59 Siamese. Build the PC so it would be able to install a higher frame rate card in it later. Or you can always upgrade say the Video card, memory and hard Drive when you install the faster card later. Eg. Starting with GV250-GV800, Ending with GV1120-1480 Now - Intel ChipSet, P4 3Ghz, 128 Saphire Radeon Video Card, 120GB HDD, 512MB RAM. Later - 256 ATI Radeon Video Card, 500GB HDD, Add 512MB RAM. Make sure you use a UPS with AVR. Get a Multi Power Supply just for the amount of cameras you are installing now, you can always switch it out later on. If its cheap OEM bullet cameras you really dont need more than an OEM Power supply, just make sure its fused. When you upgrade to Pro cameras later, buy a Decent PS like Altronix or Pthree. Using the Color Cameras, you would get a better idea of what kind of lighting requirements there are at each location, before you go and buy a High Performance 200' Infrared Day Night Camera, you may already have enough light there for a Low Lux Color Camera. Since the cheap color bullets are high lux like 1.0 they would give you a good idea, and not cost much when you are ready to chuck them and switch over, if you switch over. Also, most entry level 4 channel cards from most brands, dont require much more than a Via Chipset.

Once the cable is run correctly and the cameras are connected and working properly, you can generally just plug and play. Just remember that The proper Power Cable and Power Supplies is also as important as anything else. Otherwise look for CCTV Video Meters, and if you really have a pocket to burn, check out the FM systems Camera Master. Ive never had to use either myself.

Ive seen that when using Telco Wire (big NO nO but anyway).. what type of cable is it, also what type of connectors .. what type of cable is the power cable ..?? Ive also seen it with Spliced Cables ..

If its standard Telco wire typically used with Alarms, then you could have issues anything over 20 feet or so. If its cat5 or twisted Pair then you can buy Baluns for short distances. If its a long distance look at amplified or even the passive TX and RXs from NVT. Ive used Telco here before at my appt and at 20' was okay, extra 5 feet was warped out .. i had another camera at 40' and had lines going through it, not that visible but still .. so its up to you.

Ak, if you really want to get detailed, here is more information. http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/750 Rory

Reason why I posted Pixels also, as if you look at some Cheaper Brands or models, for example the Speco CVC-646HR Mini Dome, which claims 550TVL, they actually give the Pixels in the Specs and they are only 542 (H) x 492 (V), while it should be at least 811 (H) x 508 (V) at 480TVL, let alone 550TVL. So basically it is more like 380TVL (approx). Having used it I can clearly tell it is not even close to 480TVL.

Make sure the code or law in your area doesnt require explosion proof .. if so then you will want to look at the Extreme CCTV line of Explosion Proof cameras.

Think we got it .. DVR on UPS, Cameras not ....

hmmm, they seem like they need a job .. that or they reaally dont have much else to worry about in life .. well i just watched it .. they'e blowing smoke and most of their research is from Wikpedia which anyone can add to (human edited). they took almost everything out of context and speculated on just about everything, the last part about the planes was just plain ignorant ... the kids need to go back to school and let the grown ups take care of business, i mean they really dont think anyone is going to take that crap serious, not to mention they are missing out a ton of actual facts which are common knowledge but they chose to leave while out on their google and wikpedia search ..

I can vouch for the cards, as I know who makes them, and also from using them, they are high quality. Like i mentioned before, Digiflower is a cheaper brand that you can also simply switch the logo on, or more depending if you get the SDK. Others that OEM and are similar in price and quality to Geo are Comart and Chance-I, but they typically require programming knowledge to work their SDKs. With the SDks though you would really want to get a cocuple programmers on staff at that point as it is a lot of work. Just depends how far you want to go with it .. As for support, they arent a factory as they are a software company, and I cant vouch for support as I have never had to contact them. If you want direct factory contact though, you would need to get into the programming side with the SDKs and deal with the card manufacturers direct. Rory

Typically you would be a distributor and get the software from the Geo rep. PM me regarding that. The cards are the same, it is the software that is different but only in certain aspects such as installation. Also remember the real power of OEM is in buying the SDK, but for the simple stuff you want to do, that can be done with the OEM software. Difference is with the OEM software, there is no real programming involved, with the SDK there is, if you wanted to make any serious changes (goes for all cards). So first question is where are you located? Are you a CCTV/DVR Reseller/Dealer? Price will differ depending on who you buy it from, but if you are a reseller/dealer then you can get a good price and they can normally supply the OEM software. Rory

Sorry forgot to mention, yes they aren't cheap. If you are looking to OEM a budget card then Digiflower is it, at least for minor modifications. You can easily change the Logo and other minor things, but Geo has more power in that area. They aslo provide an sdk last i checked, but that requires programming knowledge. Once again though, it doesnt compare to the Geo Softare and Cards they use.

You Can OEM geo, as a dealer/distributor you can get the OEM software. If you wanted to go even further you could buy the Geo SDK from them, but thats not needed for the basic stuff you want to do. Anykeeper and Digiflower use cheap hardware and their software doesnt compare to Geo for stability and features. They are fine for very budget jobs. GeoVision uses very high quality cards from S. Korea. GeoVision is a software company, thats why they have the features they do. They also do some hardware S&D especially for copyright protection. Anykeeper and Kodicom are by far the most Cloned Cards on the Market. Also if you buy any cards out of Hong For any DVR card you can be certain they are cloned/pirated. No Cards use Geo Technology, GeoVision is software and works for the cards that have been certified by them, and which also have Geo Serial Numbers installed. There are however illegal copies as I mentioned before, but they do not compare to the real thing in anyway, other than they use cracked versions of the older software, with lower resolution and less stability, along with unstable drivers. See the Geo related 3rd Party Custom Software on my site for some of the most basic Changes you can make to the software (legally) Rory

Hi, without doing any serious programming the GEO is easy to custimize with logos, GUI and then some. There are also other DVRs that allow simple replacement of the logo, including the Digiflower, and others. With Geo though you can totally customise the entire Installation CD, the browser based web page, the GUI itself, and basically do a whole ton of other things. Let me know by PM what exactly you are looking to do. Rory

Typically High Res Color is 450-480TVL [Effective Pixels - Picture Elements] 811 H x 508 V (NTSC) 795 H x 596 V (PAL) Typically High Res B/W is 570-600TVL [Effective Pixels - Picture Elements] 811 H x 508 V (EIA)(NTSC) 795 H x 596 V (CCIR)(PAL) Typically True Day Night is 450-480TVL Color / 570-600TVL B/W [Effective Pixels - Picture Elements] 811 H x 508 V (NTSC) 795 H x 596 V (PAL) Typicall Low-mid Res Color 380TVL Color [Effective Pixels - Picture Elements] 542 H x 492 V (NTSC) 542 H x 582 V (PAL) lately more and more companies have been producing 520-540TVL color cameras. Typically these are digitally enhanced to that resolution so it will differ from one to the next as far as quality goes. Sanyo has had the 520TVL cameras now for several years, so essentially it is nothing new. Its just cheaper to do the processing now then it was back then. Personally I dont find much of a difference in the quality from the 480 to 540 cameras, but remember quality of the camera's image will also depend on the lighting/glare capabilities, Backlighting (somewhat related) capabilities, Lens/Focus, and overall effective pixels (actual clarity of image). With the Sanyo's I always disable the 520TVL feature anyway. Most of the 540TVL cameras come out of S korea Now from a couple main manufacturers. Look for the Effective/Pixels in the camera's specs though, as thats what really matters. If its a cheap OEM camera its highly unlikely that you will find those specs and more chance that they will not have the effective pixels of a more expensive camera. It will differ. Rory

i been trying to get in to live there for years .. legally ofcourse .. (gave up on the lottery thing - last year was the last time id waste my time on that), you can only get to live in the US if you go there illegally though - and speaking spanish helps ..