rory

Im looking for a board camera that is color & BW switching, and high quality, no cheap manufacturers, though id consider them also. Can be fixed lens if it comes like that, or varifocal.

Thanks

Rory

CCTV LCD Monitors in the US start at around $800 and go up, they have higher resolution than normal computer LCDs, but still not as good nor as cheap, as a CRT. However for spacesaving they can be neat.

Dell has some Ultra Crisp LCDs like 19-21", not sure if these will work with CCTV or not, havent checked the specs, they are not cheap neither, but the picture is the best I have seen on any LCD yet, and as good as any CRT computer monitor (limitations like screen resolution being an issue though, have to run small).

rory, you are in the wrong side of the business.

 

go ahead and work for GE as a international sales rep, I think that you would do pretty good.

no thanks, because I sell Extreme CCTV also, but noone has asked any questions about them yet! ))

by the way I just ran over one their domes in my jeep, and it did not break, and we used a sledge hammer over and over, and nothing, but it did scrape! Well worth buying the housing even if only that, then you can add your own board camera.

I also sell Provideo and push them over Eclipse, Everfocus, or other cheapos. There is a need for different brands, there is basic, moderate, and high end, prices I mean!

- a pitty i cant win a green card!

Data Sheet and Brochure on it should answer your questions.

[link removed by rory, reason dead link]

As for the back focus, not sure without trying one or emailing them, doesnt look so, but it has on screen settings, and also preset modes which is pretty cool. I've ordered one so should know by next week.

ill have that provideo in a couple days, should have been here by now, its the RTOS linux w/ CDRW, RM HDD, 120GB, etc. $1200-1500 wholesale.

Yes, a Geo Card plus a computer will cost the same or more as a StoreSafe once you purchase a PC, and add all the time required to build and test it ($150 per hour labour). Security doesnt need all those PC features right now, at least not in the bahamas.

Yes, DM is another big name here, was my original first choice, but its remote software is limited, only shows a quad at a time, no 16 way. There were some other reasons i picked Kalatel AV, lower price is one of them.

still much more stable and easier to use than a PCI card, and it looks more professional.

Made in the USA!

Firstly though, the StoreSafe is the low end Kalatel Unit, you should take a look at the DVMRe as it has a few more features, not grey, is charcoal black. If you got the StoreSafe advanced, you would have had PTZ, Audio, and POS/ATM support. I sell the StoreSafe because it is cheaper than similar products from other Manufacturers, and compact size, with all the features a CCTV application requires.

Remember that Network and PC support are secondary in a CCTV system, primary is local CCTV monitoring and control, high end monitors and controllers, multiplexing and much more, back up and evidence sharing.

14/ It crashes from time to time

you must have had a dud, they have never crashed on me. Send it back!

15/ There is no multicasting support

Do you mean multiple users at one time, they support 20 simultaneous users over the network.

16/ No Point of Sale Support

Yes, they have POS and ATM support in the version that has audio.

25/ No CPU throttling

It has bandwidth throttle over the network. Other than that you dont need to adjust anything as its not a PC.

27/ No 8 x zoom

Buy a PTZ

28/ Limited PTZ support

Full PTZ Support. Kalatel has been making top selling PTZ cameras for years so they have actual experience in this area not found with other DVR companies.

If another brand like Panasonic or Ultrack had the range and pricing of the Kalatel DVRs, I would sell theirs also, so far they dont.

GE doesnt just make 1 type of DVR. For a comparison between the different GE DVRs, check this out:

http://www.geindustrial.com/ge-interlogix/docs/digital_recording_matrix.pdf

But no, it will not have the amount of features found in PC software, most Embedded devices do not have the featured software as their competitors software based.

For example, I have 2 radio systems for the alarm monitoring, one does everything through DOS software, the radio comes in on COM 1, out on COM 2 to the monitoring computer using windows software. The software controls all the alarms etc and must be running all the time.

The 2nd radio system has a radio and the unit that does all the processing, embedded. It has 2 outputs, one to the monitoring PC and one to the DOs computer. The software though on this DOS computer has no where the features of the other one, but, we can rack mount the other and not even use the computer or monitor at all, saving space. The features lost are like turning off alarms after 2 minutes instead of them running until we manually push a ACK button, and a couple other minor features. Yeah I know, DOS, but thats how all these Alarm radio systems are.

So no, embedded never have PC features like a PC system.

changing the subject...

http://www.crowelec.com/crowjetusb.html

check this out, im using it now actually, for remote video, not bad, a little technical to use, but ok for remote video. 15pps so recording over 4 cameras is slow and glitchy, especially as its going through a USB port. But in all, cheap and dont have to open up the PC. Doesnt work great with all OSs though, and i noticed some computers we loaded it on such as XP, it wont work at all! Win 2000 worked but gave a ton of errors.

Still might sell it as an alternative with some cheap bullet cameras You know, in the ghetto!

Yo man, stop bickering about PC and Stand alone, at the end, they are all the same ****.

 

Remeber that the only thing that stand alones have going is that they look more profesional than a pc. But in the end, with the all pros and cons, they all are basically the same, it takes the user to decide what they want to PAY for.

Actually, Stand Alones are easier to install, simpler to use, more stable, more secure, better local video quality , longer recording/archiving. PC DVRs have better PC/Remote software, Faster Recordings, better remote/pc video quality, and are cheaper.

. besides.. what is the cost onthe Kalatel 50FPS machine???

Its 60pps, and its the same price as the StoreSafe 30pps. Only difference is the StoreSafe is a compact unit with some less features, but compact and thats the pro.

(not via a network or PC, direct to CCTV monitor), and security, come first in my applications

 

Good point... but lets just run a scenario... you get brocken into and someone steals your DVr or smashes it.... thats not real good if you want o cacth them.. geo can transmit the video on motion to anohter location.. hell you can even listen in...then you have the video stored elsewhere...does the kalatel do that?

 

Absolultely - email or message to cellphone or other. Yes you can listen in but not using the DVR direclty, but then you can do that with any PC, even a Web cam! You can simply add a Louroe Audio Remote Phone Device, or the Kalatel 8 channel Streaming Video/Audio Server.

But noones going to smash my DVR once its locked up and secure, where your PC is not Unless you are going to git that PC in a filtered and cooled lockbox somehow, and secure it in a ceiling or similar.

Ofcourse first they have to get through the outdoor beams, door contacts, glass breaks, and motion sensors.

That is garbage about reliable name brand.. you can buy Polo Ralph Lauren Jeans or Levi's both are awesome quality.. one is a higher name brand.. that does not make it better and it contradicts the components... Your kalatel is not made in the US only assembled there, you have compnents made in Korea and Taiwan in that machine so essentialy it is an Asian DVr, I bet moneyt hat the whole mainbord comes from Asia.

No not garbage, it makes a difference. You would agree that a Ganz Camera is better than a similar COP USA camera?? You are really stuck on this thing being made in Asia arent you! Maybe you should email them and ask them cause I dont care once its 'built' in the USA. Id rather a nice looking quality unit than some cheap looking unit. Yes, the Asians can build their chips and boards, but they make some ugly DVRs and Ugly DVR software. At least where these DVRs are made.

I like the G.E gear I had the Kalatel guy here today, he picked up his unit.. it is nice but it is also very overpriced.. which is a big issue when you get to the higher end units and is always an issue when dealing with big companies...

Umm, where do you get that it is over priced? Yes it is not cheap, you pay for what you get. BTW, Kalatel DVRs are cheaper than Dedicated Micros, Phillips, Ultrack, Panasonic, Pelco, and others. So in that league it is not over priced, though I wish it was much cheaper. But you cant compare Asian DVRs to these quality units.

The point is G.E sell direct now.. the reason is that they do not sell these high end machines enough and the PCI cards are better and people are waking up to it, this is why they had to can their distributors in order to sell to more people... look I dont hat standalones, but at this point for me they are not as functional as the Geo... not even close and the cost 3 times as much.. so why would you use one... only for extreeme cases where a PC is not suitable... look at the posts for DVR cards and look at the posts for Standalones...which has the most?

They do sell their products alot, most businesses buy high end Stand alones over a PC card, as they realize how stable a PC card is running windows Granted, most people dont just run the one DVR program on their PC, they will inevetably run email and other crashing software. As for the number of posts for PCI cards on here, most people on the forum here are looking for DIY home applications, not professional, they dont mind the time and patience required for a PCI DVR card installation and maintenance. Selling the unit to non computer geeks is a different story, and that is what we deal with here, they dont want much at all to do with a computer if they can.

But, in the end, use what you know and are happy with. I know once i unwrap that Kalatel DVR, plug it in and all the camera cables, in under 5-10 minutes from start to finish, im walking out the door and dont have to come back for another couple of years, if that! I just made $5000+ profit ) Hmmmm.

They have a DVR locked away in a lock box, hidden with fan and filter, or a neat compact unit in their home entertainment center, and I can change all settings of the DVR remotely, and alot more.

So it works for me.

#1 - Web Cams are not made for 24/7 Video Surveillance.

IP cameras normally are if you buy a good brand like a Panasonic or similar.

BTW, thats alot of locations to obtain for your first CCTV job! )

Should be a pro after all that!

yes, the one thing I agree with is when there is a problem, you have to send back the entire stand alone unit. But 60pps is normal in security recording, for now, but as they try to compete with the cheaper units they will get higher such as 100+. If it were slow, then so many banks, and other high end applications would not be using it.

I wouldnt say people that are into stand alones, you have to look at it from the security side of it, a stand alone DVR, that can be placed in a DVR lockbox, no PC, no monitor, no windows OS, and the speed is not so much an issue as is stability and security of the DVR. PC systems were primarily used by computer companies that got into the business using PCI capture cards.

See a stand alone DVR is generally a multiplexer, which is needed in CCTV, Local quality video (not via a network or PC, direct to CCTV monitor), and security, come first in my applications, remote video is 2nd, and if it has it, then I want it plain and simple to use, just want to play back or view live, that makes everyones life easier. Sure I can set up a highly secure PC system, with all kinds of fault proof stuff and watch dog this and that, but for the price and work involved, its not worth it. For that I might as well just go into the computer industry.

At the end of the day, I like the professional looking product of the brand name stand alone I bought, the stability of a machine like DVR versus PC, and the long warranty I get with a name brand, and guarantee they will still be around in 5-10 years. I also like the fact that the OS is in non volitile Eprom, rather than on a hard disk and running on a PC.

Besides the Kodicom Units, I havent seen any other professional looking DVRs from Asia to date, they all look like cheap PCs or Cheap quads/switchers. Different regions of the world, different styles/colors. So either Stand Alone or PC bases, Im buying from the USA for now.

By the way, you can very easily upgrade the firmware and remote software for the stand alones, only drawback is the hardware updates, and hardware repairs. Though the firmware is updated more than the hardware.

Anyway, after saying all of that, we have a StoreSafe we have to send back now, they moved (dropped it) and or fried it!! Basically they had some electricians move it without calling us. Compression board is shot so it wont record, I imagine it was dropped as all the cables were loose also and the record button is not working (flashing red light)! Ill have a replacement in a couple days, which really isnt any different of time than if I used a PC based here in the Bahamas, we still have to wait, as there is not always stock locally. Eventually though it would be nice to have one of each on hand for warranty purposes. It wasnt one of my jobs, I sell them with Lockboxes in businesses at least so this wouldnt have happened.

Hey, ill be testing that Provideo Linus standalone in few days, will let you know, cost us $1200 first cost, 16 channel, 120GB.

Also, the new DVR from Kalatel will have 120pps and a CDRW and be much the same as the DVMRe in features and the StoreSafe in shape. What I dont understand is if they can get Nucleus to do 60 or 120pps, why cant they get it to do 480pps?? OR why not just switch the StoreSafe to a linux RTOS?

Stand Alones have acceptable speeds for secuity recording, with old VCRs having approx. 3.2 fps total speeds, and stand alones with either 30-60pps. These are not slow in security standards, maybe in PC video processing but then what are you using the DVR for?

60pps is a standard in high end stand alones, while cheaper Linux Stand Alones can range to 120 or more fps, and alot of cheap PC cards have come out with low cost 480pps cards, claiming they are better because of the recording speed, while they are much less stable, more confusing remote / local software, harder to set up, crash, and alot more cons than pros, especially in a security application where stability is one of the main requirements. If i was to go cheap, id buy a linux stand alone over a PC card any day though.

Standalones (most, at least the more expensive ones) also have CCTV multiplexers and full high quality local video monitoring, which PCs cannot match.

If you want a PC, then buy one, then again you can get 30fps from a quickCam also

You will have to pay for greater stability, and or greater application features.

In other words, the cheaper it is, no matter whether it is PC or Stand Alone, will not be as good as the more expensive ones.

what is your budget, and do you mean using your existing PC DVR cards?

Or any other way ..

for digital, you only have the choice of automatic to tape or RAID. But tape is not much so you still manually have to replace them. 4GB SanDisk USB Flash also, but not that big.

If you are using PC DVR card, you can always use scheduled tasks to auto run a back up program every day.

If you were using a device such as what I sell, Kalatel, they also have a digital video storage (DVSe) add on, specifically for archiving via SCSI, cheaper than RAID, but in all more expensive than PC DVR card. The DVSe holds up to 2000GB (2TB) and can be rackmounted with additional ones to give you as long a reecording as you require.

thats true, I never though of that, different colors. Our licence plates are blue.

this is an interesting company I found, their products are used world wide.

they also provide the DLL file so you can make your own custom application.

http://www.htsol.com/

They have a product called C3 that is a stand alone system which stores up to 500 authorised plate numbers, when the car pulls up, it checks to see if it is authorised, if so it opens the gate. Data can be remotely viewed or downloaded.

Anyone heard of this company, they are basedout of israel, but have majpr installations all over the world.

Im thinking i could push that C3 product down here with all the gated comminuties, and the fact that I know most of the people in charge of them, directly or indirectly.

from what I could tell, that thing you just bought is for a dome.

what are you going to do with that thing??

I found this one, not bad:

http://www.security2020.com/sec2020_sc2040od.htm

or this cheaper one, but doesnt look as much like a normal outdoor camera as the above one.

http://www.spytechs.com/equipment_other/dummy_p3.htm

that other link you posted only has a telephone number, no pricing or email.

Rory

yep, ive looked around at PT scanners, they run from $700 and up, Ill just put up more cameras.

thanks, ill check the link.

Rory

Im looking for a outdoor dummy camera, with built in scanning, any ideas, i have seen 2 that will work, but dont have the scanning option, i have seen an indoor version with the scanner, with motion scanning, but i need outdoor as its by the ocean.

Yes the clients requested 20 dummy cameras with blinking lights, and scanning if they can get it, along with a couple PTZs and a couple IR cameras, they are more interested in deterrent than capture in this case.

Thanks

Rory

If you dont want to spend 'that much', Provideo has a 16 channel 120GB with IP, 60pps, that is much cheaper. Its a stand alone linux embedded, CDRW, and removable standard HDD. Howver their remote software is not great, but it works and is not a PC card

There are also a number of online CCTV stores that can sell you kalatel, Provideo, or others, just do a search, or email me.

Rory

Check out these guys. You can just set up an account without credit terms.

http://www.sdepot.com/about/branches/nc.html

Get a price on a Kalatel DVMRe-CT Digital Video Recorder, they come in 10 and 16 channels, 60pps, simple setup, you can add archiving to it when you want from their DVSe Digital Storage Rackmountable Devices, which come in 40-2000GB storage each unit. You can also use Raid for archiving, or DAT. The remote software is simple to use.

Here is the link to a spec sheet.

http://www.geindustrial.com/products/specs/dvmre_triplex_2hdd_prd.pdf

And the manual:

http://www.geindustrial.com/products/manuals/dvmre_triplex_man.pdf

You can install one of these in just a few minutes, fully programmed, as there is really no programming to do other than basic stuff like camera titles, record speeds, etc. They have other features you can use if you want to, but most times you wont need to, though they are there if you want it.

The DVMRe-CT is the high end Kalatel Unit, they also have a cheaper one, less features, 30pps, called the StoreSafe. If you want to put the recorded in a lock box, then you will need the StoreSafe, size of a regular VCR.

There is a new DVMRe PRO coming out probably in the Summer, 120pps, built in CDRW, and similar size to the StoreSafe, but features of the DVMRe-CT and then some, not until the summer though probably.

Rory

geo doesnt have automatic archiving...hmmm.

no, actually good video.

They are pink florsecent lights.

Just posting them for grin and giggles