scorpion

I always use a CRT monitor as it gives a crisper view. The majority of my customers are looking to save a buck where ever they can. Instead of selling a monitor I just send them to wally world or the big red bullseye, and I have them buy a 13 inch color TV with a composite (yellow) input. These can be bought in the $85.00 range, and cheaper when they are on sale. They are hard to find, but if you can get the 13 inch monitor with the built in VCR then this would be even better. When you want to give a tape to the police you can just pop in a tape, and hit record! They are getting harder to find as they are now putting built in DVD players nowadays. I have never hooked up a monitor to these DVRs as the video is not as crisp. CRT monitors can be hung from the ceiling, or they can be built in to a shelf system, or you can use a projector, and a screen. Most residential customers will want to use the TV they already have without having to buy another TV. You will just use a different input, or source to switch from cable/sat to DVR video. When I get a chance I will plug a computer monitor in just for giggles. I have a feeling it will not work. If I could find the DVR pinout, then I could find out if I could make a break out cable that would allow the monitor to work. The VGA converters pull power from the DVR so this is not a passive connection inside this converter. PS: The 760 is one of my best sellers! This is a very popular model in my area!

BEST http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/product_13_785.htm CD writer http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/product_13_785d.htm I highly recommend this DVR. You can add on more hard drives if you need to store your videos for a longer time. You can add 3 more hard drives with an add on option. There is a VGA adapter that you can order for flat screen monitors, although I recommend CRT monitors for a crisper view. I can sell you a DVR but you are better off buying from someone in NY. Not the google ads, but on the forum there are banner ads. Click on these, and see if you can find a dealer with the AV Tech DVRs. I highly recommend the AV Tech / CP Cam / Nubix DVR If no one can help you then let me know, and I will see what I can do for you. __________________________________________________________ Features MPEG-4 Compression format providing clear images with real time performance Backup Device: USB flash drive, network Alarm trigger recording will send alerts with images to designated e-mail and FTP addresses Supports pre-alarm recording (8MB) Advanced motion detection function and convenient search function. Allow live display, record, playback, backup, and network operations at the same time Support remote surveillance up to 5 online users simultaneously with licensed software AP and IE browser Support multi-language OSD 500GB can record more than 28 days (8CH, Frame Best Quality, 30IPS) Support covert screen for live display channels Support IR remote control, PTZ camera operations through RS-485, and PTZ Hot Point function Support PELCO-D protocol Ensure the authentication of recorded images with watermark function Support TCP/IP, PPPoE, DHCP and DDNS network connection

You will need the converter for the RGBHV. The output is digital. I do not have a pin out of the DVR. Here is the pin out for a monitor. http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_VGA_PinOuts.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector 15-pin SVGA Connector PinOut Pin # Pin Name Pin Description 1 RED Video Red Video 2 GREEN Video Green Video 3 BLUE Video Blue Video 4 NA [iD2] Reserved [Monitor ID, Bit #2] 5 GND Ground 6 RGND Red Ground 7 GGND Green Ground 8 BGND Blue Ground 9 Key No pin installed 10 SGND Sync Ground 11 ID0 Monitor ID Bit #0 12 SDA [iD1] DDC data Line [Monitor ID Bit #1] 13 HSYNC Horizontal Sync 14 VSYNC Vertical Sync 15 SCL [iD3] DDC Data Clock Line [Monitor ID Bit #3]

Sorry to ask, but why would you want some cameras recording in one format, and other cameras recording in the other? I cannot think of a scenerio where you would need this kind of a setup?

We would need to know more to make a recommendation. Is budget of the essence? Is security of the essence? Is this for a residential setup? Is this going into a server room for a corportate setup? What kind of cameras will you be using? Will you be viewing this DVR over the internet? How long will you be storing video on the hard drive? Who will be maintaining this system? Are they tech savy, or are they a nontech savy? If you have video, how will you be using this video? Will you need a cd burner, or will you transfer the video to VCR? ________________________________________________ Budget, and Security are at the opposite extremes for a selection. A residential setup would have different needs compared to a corporate setup. A server room setup will require the DVR to be rack mountable. We will want to match the cameras to the DVR. 380 lines of resolution can use any DVR. If you are remote viewing the video then we would want to know how many people will be viewing the video at the same time. You may need a triplex, or you may need a pentaplex system. Your internet connection is going to make a big impact on the setup. Will you be using a battery back up system if the power goes out?

Bright house in Florida is the same way. All of the channels are used even though you do not see video. The upper end of the 70 is used, as well as everything in the 80s, and the 90s. There are some houses that use multiple set ups with analog only TVs, and other TVs in the house that use digital boxes, and other TVs that are high definition TV. Regular cable feeds without boxes will have to be divide off, and then have the modulated signal injected in. You will have to take the seperate feed for the digital boxes, and inject the signal for this path. This will make balancing the cable feeds with the injected signals easier. If you do it as a single circuit you will have camera pictures on the analog sets, but you may crash the digital boxes. If you balance it for the digital boxes you will be mismatch with the analog signal. I have stopped modulating into cable, and now I have to educate the customer about source selection on their TVs. Now you will get those phone calls that the cameras have stopped working. Keep notes how they are up so that you can get them back up by reteaching them how to select the input that brings up the cameras.

Rory hit this one right on the head!

Get a 13 inch color tv with a composit input. You can use a wall wart power supply, and an extension cord. You can use a premade cable plugged in to the tv, and you can run the wire to a camera. Now stand on a ladder, and point the camera in the direction that you are looking for. Looking at the TV, what you see is what you get. No guessing involved! If you are using a TV that you have in your closet, and you are having problems getting the video from the yellow connector then try some of these tips here. Just scroll down to the TV part. http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=41

Are you an installer in the business? Are you just a home owner who loves to tinker? If you are a home owner who loves to tinker then I would say it is not worth the expense. I paid about $250 for mine. I have done so many installs that I can tell what lens size I need without using this device. I would rather take a 220X zoom camera, and hook it up to a monitor, and have the customer tell me what they want to see as we zoom in, and out. I would buy this before I buy the lens selector. In all honesty, I give the lens selector to the customer, and let them play around, and I am pretty close 9 out of ten times for what they wanted. When I am off it is usually the customer who missunderstands what they need. Some people want to see the whole yard left, to right. A wide angle lens distorts the distance. There is no way you can watch your mailbox at the street, and get facial recognition with a wide angle lens at 50 feet. We charge $100 to go out to a customers house to do a site survey. We give this value back when they buy a system. This covers our gas, and time. The lens selector helps in justifying the expense from the customers point of view. ______________________________________________________ To those that are reading this thread, and you are starting in the business go and buy a mini camera that is one inch by one inch. Now go and buy the various lens, 2.8mm 3.8mm, 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, and swap these back, and forth until you learn how these lens work. Watch the video. The wider the picture, the further something at 20 feet will look farther away in the video. A 6mm lens will not have this distortion, but you sacrifice the peripheral view. 9mm will get you close up on a sliding glass door if your customer is worried about young men sneaking in to meet your daughter!

Man peeps on neighbors with wireless camera, police say http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/082107/loc_20070821001.shtml

Reporter Caught in Mysterious Airport Lockdown http://www.privacydigest.com/2007/08/31/reporter+caught+mysterious+airport+lockdown

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/video/videocoax.html# Very interesting to read.

The CIA is to launch a social networking site to allow members of the intelligence community around the world to converse and swap ideas and information online. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/59868,cia-plans-social-networking-site-for-spies.aspx http://esenai.com/blog/intellipedia/2007/08/i_wonder_if_people_on_aspace_will_be_sending_blind_friend_requests_like_they_do_on_myspace_facebook_linkedin_or_name_your_favorite_social_network_or_move_over_intellipedia_here_comes_aspace.html FBI's Unknown Eavesdropping Network http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/29/1248212&from=rss http://www.privacydigest.com/2007/08/29/inside+dcsnet+fbis+nationwide+eavesdropping+network Transcript: Debate on the foreign intelligence surveillance act http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6685679 Role of Telecom Firms In Wiretaps Is Confirmed http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B12FA385E0C778EDDA10894DF404482 Spy Chief Reveals Classified Details http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/22/ap4045204.html

No it would not. The len has to be mounted to the camera. Then it has to be rotated to find the sweet spot that eliminates the glare, or the reflection. The Sun Glasses will not work. If you have a lens that will not allow you to attach the polarization filter then you will have to mount it using something such as silicone sealant. I believe your camera with a pair of sunglasses on it may look silly. LOL!

You might try polarization filters to get through the reflection on the glass cases. If you cannot afford alot of cameras, then give the impression that you have more cameras then a criminal would care for. I will send you a pm

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7369

You must have something unique if your tabs take up that much space?

Thanks Rory! I have tabbed browsing, so I can click back, and forth with ease. I have forgotten some people may be using IE6. This would be a little more difficult to bounce back, and forth. Hey people! If you do not have a browser with tabs, you will love it! IE7 has it, and Firefox has it! There are others as well.

If you have ever watched an action movie, you may have seen a scene where someone is standing by a column of a building. At the next column down there is another person standing there. It looks like they are standing right next to each other, one back behind the other. When the camera angle changes to the front of the courthouse, you then see that the columns are very far apart, and that the people are seperated far to the left, and far to the right. The camera angle moves back to the original view, and now they are close together again. This is a hollywood trick that is used quite often. Have you ever seen where an object falls on a guy? It looks like it lands on him, but if you saw it from the side view the falling object, and the guy are far apart! Wide angle cameras have their own problems. You can see far to the right, and far to the left. What happens is your distance is distorted! Next time you look at the video of a 3.8mm or smaller look at something 20 feet from the camera in real life, then look at the video. In the video the object looks farther away! This is why cameras at Sams clubs, and similiar places are not good to install. If you were watching your mailbox it would look farther away in the video. How are you going to see who is messing with your mail? You will need a 9mm lens probably for this job. This is why so many DIY get mad at the video systems, and call them junk. They are not junk they are just missed matched! I hope the readers of this post have learned a little about proper lens selection.

squished up??? That is exactly what I am trying to do. With out a zoom lens, then I can only watch the front area, or the back area. Moving the camera back, and zooming in lets me watch the whole area.

I do not know what kind of cameras you are using. Here are some notes I can give you. I use clay to hold cone pinholes/mini's with lens cameras. This lets me get the right angle with out them tipping over. Tape will usually undo itself, and I end up loosing my camera angle. I would run the cameras on a table over night, and see how hot they are the next day prior to installation. If they are buried within insullation, they may over heat, and burn out. Not right away, but you are putting some nails in its coffin, and the life span will be shorten. You can mount them in A/C ducts. Make sure you tape up the hole where you puctured in to run your wires. If you have to hide the DVR in the ceiling PM me, and I will give you some notes.

This is for the readers who have read the following posts.... I should call my local newspaper. I would love for them to run a story on how I did a site survey in Houston Texas with out leaving my easy chair in Melbourne Florida! LOL! I love the map features. You have to admit it is a wonderful tool for what I am trying to accomplish. I like to get my customers involved with it. I can see my customers point of view. I can match the installation to their view, or I can educate them to how I would prefer to install it. This saves me from mounting cameras then having a disappointed customer. Some customers have a false idea of what cameras can do. They have seen too many hollywood movies!

Camera 5. You will need a camera with 20 times optical, and you will need 10 time digital zoom. The zoom cameras are marked 220X. You will need this camera to get across the lake. You may prefer a PTZ. A PTZ will be argued by various installers. Cons: You do not need it. Expensive. You will have to monitor it 24/7 for it to be effective. Pros Your weather changes, and wood ect expands, and contracts. A zoom lens that is moved by an 1/8 of an inch will be way off the object it was looking at. A PTZ will allow you to make minor adjustments as flex goes from contraction to expansion. You can have presets and create a tour. You can have it watch to the left a little bit, then have it go a little to the right. If something is going on you can then have someone manipulate the camera to get a facial shot, or to get the group fight or what have you. If at night you are anticipating an event (halloween pranksters?) you can move the camera from remote viewing from you own home. If your security needs change you can sacrifice this view, to watch another area. When this momentary security issue is over then you can move it back to the park benches. Now your system is flexible as different needs pop up. You will want to mount the PTZ in a way that allow you to watch various parts of the whole property. It's main focus is to watch the picnic areas, and then supplement the other camera as well for multiangle recording.

Those who are reading this post; Click on the camera icon. Information will pop up about the placement of these cameras, and where they are looking. You can left click on the map, and you can move the map around. Camera 2 that is pointing to the left, is that watching only the road? It does not appear to be looking at any of the travel trailers? The purple area is to close to the pole to use a zoom lens to compress this area. You may have to move the camera to the right then use a zoom len to get back up on this area. You will then have good visual from the front of this purple rectagle all the way to the back of the purple rectangle. Camera 1 looking down on the area between the two lakes. This is easy as pie. I would use a 5-100mm lens. You will be in the 60 to 80mm for this video. Camera 3, and 4 looking down road on the right hand side of the map. I would use a 5-100mm lens, and it would be set around the 80mm mark. For a narrow, but deep view you will have to move the cameras farther back from the area being viewed. You need to take camera 4, and move it to the left. Mount this all the way down to the start of the road. Camera 3 will need to be move to the right. Now the map should have the two colored purple rectangles with the cameras on the either end. The camera on the left is watching the right rectangle, and the right camera is watching the left rectagle. The above is only for reference. I would have to do an onsite survey to determine the right kind of cameras, and for the right lens selection. I would recommend 1/3 cameras instead of 1/4.

Updated map http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&msa=0&msid=112640594629260770661.000438e2d2fc740314126&ll=29.471561,-95.372449&spn=0.001765,0.003272&z=18