AVCONSULTING
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Everything posted by AVCONSULTING
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Couple of things can be happening. First, if you are using the CAT 5, you have to use it with a balun. There are many available, a couple that you might look into are NVT and Vitek. I'll post links for you. Running just CAT 5 will result in a serious degradation of signal loss. If you are running straight coax from camera to whatever device then you should be using BNC connectors on both ends, presuming the camera has a BNC on it. Power should be within 20' or you will need to get a higher amp power supply. Generally what is happening in most cases is that the signal strength at the device end (quad, mux, dvr) is way too low for that device to properly process the video. Also make sure that whatever device you are using is set to terminate at the connector unless you are going to loop through to another device. I'd lay odds on the fact that either the current at the camera is too low or you are seriously degrading the signal by not matching it properly using baluns or the wrong type of coax. Make sure any coax you use is copper braid (not aluminum of any kind) with copper core or copper clad core. http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=167 http://www.nvt.com/
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Check out these links. Should help you get started. On the main page you can also find distributors in your area. They may not sell direct to end users but they can guide you to a local supplier. http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=175 (This is for your dedicated digital video recorder) http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=36 (These are color cameras with night time illumination to about 20')
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What type of camera are you using? Is it one of the ones that came in a kit with modular plugs, or does the camera have a BNC connector on it? Also what is the distance you are running from camera back to source and power supply and what is the amperage of your supply?
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Sounds like a termination problem. Can you be more specific as to the cable run, where it goes, etc.
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Rory, how many audio channels can the StoreSafe record? Also what type of files are backed to the CD/RW and do they play back audio? I think the StoreSafe is a great idea, just wish someone would come out with the exact same thing at a reduced price.
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That is a good question of which I have no answer. For places such as liquor stores, etc. you can have audio recordings if you post signs saying "Audio Surveillance on these Premises" so the same may hold true. If what you are seeking is evidence of someone robbing your house generally the video alone will stand up and audio would really not be needed. Remember, if you do decide on audio, make sure the DVR can record enough channels of audio to cover the number of microphones you will be using. Many of the DVRs out there will only record 1 channel of audio.
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Make sure whatever DVR you decide to get can record more than 1 channel of audio (that is if you will be using more than 1 camera with audio). Not all DVRs have multiple audio recording ability. Also cameras with built in microphones may not always give you the best audio since they may not be near the audio source and usually the microphones they use are not of the highest quality. You may want to consider using separate microphones. One other thing about audio to keep in mind, most audio recording without the knowledge of the people involved are illegal and considered eavesdropping and have many laws protecting right to privacy. The same is not true with video. Covert video is much more liberal than covert audio. You may be getting yourself into a lot of trouble with audio.
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Don't forget to sign up and go to the ISC show in March in Las Vegas. Should be a great show this year. http://www.iscwest.com/
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Cat 5, and absolutely best baluns made and variety is NVT. Nothing but good results with these guys and a very informative web site. www.nvt.com
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Consumers Guide to CCTV
AVCONSULTING replied to cctv_down_under's topic in General Analog CCTV Discussion
Best I've ever seen that is consumer oriented is Supercircuits. Get on their mailing list. They may even be able to set you up as an offshore outlet. www.supercircuits.com Incredible marketing for our business. -
Consumers Guide to CCTV
AVCONSULTING replied to cctv_down_under's topic in General Analog CCTV Discussion
I have to agree with Mr. Z. Most companies that have brochures make them in house and promote their own products. If at all possible you don't want someone to know model numbers and brand names. Some companies go to the trouble of putting their own model numbers on the equipment so you can't shop them. The huge amount on the internet for CCTV does complicate things from the dealers point of view but luckily many CCTV projects are still too complicated for the average consumer to install and since it is usually a one time project they would rather pay someone else to do it rather than learn a whole new set of skills just for one job. -
http://www.wrenassociates.com/
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Try this company in the Los Angeles area. Ask for Paul Ramos and tell him you got the information from my company. I'm pretty sure he'll be able to help you out on just about anything you will need. Here is a link to his web site. http://www.at-fairfax.com/SurveillanceCameras.htm Alan Adler AV Consulting
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http://www.wizkidoptotech.com/products/index.cfm
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I don't know if these are inexpensive but they certainly seem to meet the specifications that you desire. At least you can check them out and get some ideas. Here is the link. http://www.pulnix.com/Imaging/i-prods_pscan.htm
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Here is a link to a very good source in the Burbank area which is near most of the studios. They have a showroom, but I don't know how many Extreme's they actually have on display, although Extreme does have a showroom display board with many of their cameras. The link will have their address and also a list of the people there in case you want a name to contact before going over. Let them know it is for use in a movie. They also carry all the Panasonic cameras in case you decide to go that route. www.vsscctv.com Rory - the guys in NY must be laughing right now about your weather being cold but I completely understand from the Los Angeles point of view. If it isn't in the 70's I don't even want to go out. Come to Los Angeles and do CCTV installations out here, but brush up on your Spanish and Korean first.
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UF100's require at least 5.6 amp, 12.6 VAC, not 24 VAC. It is a rather difficult power supply to find so you should just pony up for the official one from Extreme. As Rory says it also has the photoelectric cell for night time only operation. They use a bulb, not LEDs with about 8000 hours life so if you ran 24 hrs a day you would have some big problems. Also if a red glow isn't going to be a problem in the neighborhood (not super bright like conventional lights but you will see it) then get the 730 nm filter since it is more efficient. If you have to have a more semi-covert model then get the 830 nm filter.
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I used to sell cameras to local movie companies that wanted to use them in actual scenes. A very popular brand was Extreme CCTV since they looked very futuristic. You might want to check out some of the items they carry. Are you in the Los Angeles area? If so I can give you a couple of places to go to check them out. www.extremecctv.com
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You have b/w cameras right? If they are color you could have a problem with IR. Just wanted to make sure since the images are b/w.
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IR is very expensive. You would be much better off putting in conventional lighting unless there is some specific reason not to have it such as local CCR's etc. If you do want IR then check out www.extremecctv.com which has about the best IRs around. The pictures do look better. I would take off the AGC and BLC if you haven't already.
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5 FPS is normal on a card like that, in fact on almost all DVRs since each processing chip (there are 4 in your system) has a maximum of 20 FPS when more than 1 camera is hooked up. It is a little confusing, it is not advertised but a 30 FPS processing chip slows down to 20 FPS as soon as two or more cameras are run. So 20 FPS per chip x 4 chips gives 80 FPS total or 5 FPS per camera. Some card vendors will put this information in their specifications but most do not since it doesn't make for good marketing. Sneaky marketing is a better word for it.
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Go into your setup on the DVR and make sure you are in the 640x480 mode and at the highest resolution setting. It will eat up more hard drive space but will give you the best quality picture. It is a common misconception that you get better quality pictures on a DVR than you do direct viewing on a monitor. Unfortunately due to the compression of the video signal necessary to record large amounts of information onto a hard drive you will lose quality of picture and this is what you are seeing. It is still far superior than recording to a time lapse using a multiplexer. Looks like the 4 th camera could use more illumination.
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The Panasonic would be fine. I guess they aren't using it for video assist since there is no way that camera would fit on a Panavision film camera. Must be some other use.
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They are pretty expensive, if I remember correctly the color was in the $600 range. I'd only use them for special applications such as video assist. The resolution isn't better than a good hi res conventional camera, it is their size that counted since these had to be mounted on a movie camera. The camera would have a prism inside that split the image and was picked up by the video camera and then wirelessed back to the directors chair so he could see what the camera was seeing while it was being filmed.
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It is called video assist. I used to have a distributing company in Glendale, CA and we helped many of the local video assist companies with their product requirements. The best source for these cameras is Watec and here is a link to their web site. They are very high quality, extremely small, and work on 12 vdc. You'll also need an appropriate lens and that may take some experimenting so try and find a dealer close to you that carries the product. http://www.lclusa.com/