AVCONSULTING

I haven't logged in for a very long time. I'd been retired from the industry for several years. When I checked the membership register it has over 16K members. 8 years ago when I first joined the group, then just starting up, I never dreamed it would get so large. My congratulations to the originators of this site and may you have many more years of success. Best of luck to everyone still in the CCTV industry. It sure has gotten to be a lot more complicated than it was when Vidicon tubes ruled the world.

I'm going to be doing a DVR seminar in July and wanted to present the PC vs Embedded pro's and con's. Anyone have favorite stories or theories that I can compile into a list? Has anyone seen documentation on the merits of both types?

Anyone heard of this company? They claim up to 64 camera 30 fps per camera DVD res (whatever that means). Just interested in any comments anyone might have. Here is a link to their site. www.usa-security.net

Check Cohu as one of the best pressurized cameras and also check out Pelco.

You should consult a local rep for one of the big suppliers like Pelco or Bosch. Just make sure they sign a confidentiality agreement since some reps are prone to talk about projects with other integrators and you could find someone else bidding on your project.

Sometimes you can confuse image quality or clearness with the inability to see detail when you use a very wide angle lens like you are using on the Pelco. It is tough to tell without actually seeing the image but in general the wider the area you try to see with one camera the less detail you will see. For example you might not be able to read labeling on a package with a wide angle lens but a narrow angle lens will bring out the lettering ok. The trade off of course is that you see a smaller area and might need more cameras to cover your store. Especially helpful are vari-focal lenses so if you can get one to try out do so. I think this is a lensing problem more than anything else.

NVT is considered to be the top quality in twisted pair video and they also have the largest selection. Under 1000 ft. you can use their passive units with CAT 5 cable, you might even get away with CAT 3 but if you are going to run new cable don't skimp. Over 1000 ft. you'll need to go with one active receiver. Also under 1000' you can use RG59U just fine as long as you stay away from aluminum braid. You must never use aluminum braid when doing CCTV. That type of cable is strictly for RF (TV/Cable) use.

http://www.spycentre.com/cctv_basics.htm http://www.atvideo.com/Support/training.asp http://www.toaelectronics.com/manuals/cctv/TOA_CCTV_Training_Text.pdf http://www.palmvid.com/templates/fpsdemo/frv.html

Rory, the distance is over 1000' from the gate back to the monitor. I do agree that twisted pair is the best. Again, never use aluminum, it is not designed for CCTV. I doubt if you will find detailed spec's on the camera since those are usually low cost Taiwanese cameras and have almost no engineering specifications.

You will certainly need an amplifier and the Pelco equalizing amplifier would be the best if you are going to use coax. You must use coaxial cable with copper braid and copper core. Do not use any coax that has aluminum or you will get a terrible signal even with an amplifier. Using twisted pair and converters would be the best. Here are some links to some information. http://www.pelco.com/products/en/contents/pelco%20ea2010%20equalizing%20amplifier_spec.pdf http://www.nvt.com/index.html

You should get a simple video distribution amplifier (VDA) very inexpensive. Vitek carries one that would work just fine. Splitting a signal with a T connector is iffy at best.

Yes, since Adler Video Systems was absorbed by Richardson, I'd have to say the top 2 distributors in the West are VSSI and Northern.

If the price difference is small then get the vari-focal since it gives you more flexibility in setting your scene width. Otherwise if you just want the widest angle stick with the 4mm.

They have been in business many years and the owners are very knowledgeable about CCTV. They also get incredible deals with factories when the factories need to move large deals and VSSI ends up with some really low prices on top notch equipment. Definitely one of the best independent distributors of CCTV.

Good advice Rapid, also love that Avatar.

It is highly doubtful that those wireless units will work in such a difficult situation. If the company will allow you to buy them with a money back guarantee then you might want to give them an in field test. You would be better off trying to use twisted pair baluns and if possible find unused pairs of wires already running in the building. Wireless video through several walls is extremely unreliable. Plus if it is very powerful and not scrambled, anyone with a compatible receiver will be able to see the cameras.

It doesn't say anything about ground loop protection, and I don't think it would address that problem. You should use the Pelco GIT-100 which is specifically designed for ground loops. http://www.pelco.com/support/videosecbasics/groundloops.aspx

What brand and model number? Are you sure those are 24vac? A lot of the bullet cameras are 12vdc and it sounds suspicious. I have rarely heard of 24vac cameras burning up, hard to screw that up but I sure have seen and smelled a lot of 12VDC cameras destroyed by AC transformers.

Rory has a good idea and yes you should have a portable monitor when doing the final positioning so you can tell what area is being covered. Also important when showing camera views to a customer. Here is another portable test monitor. http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=188

I think that these items will do what you want, the DVR comes with a remote IR. But to be sure check with the technical specialist since the items are new and I haven't see it in action yet. http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=248 http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=249 http://www.vitekcctv.com/ContactUs.asp

I don't know if this would fit what you are looking for but it does 30 fps recording per camera and is MPEG4. I think there are more and more standalones that will work in some of the lower cost applications for casino's. http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=248

There are a few DVRs now that will handle dynamic ip using software in the DVR and a server maintained by the DVR factory. Here is a link to one of them, but I'm sure there are several others out there. http://www.vitekcctv.com/Sections.asp?SectionID=1005#64

A customer is using a 17" Tatung (not sure about model number) and is unhappy with the quality of the picture. I've seen it and the pictures are not sharp and the contrast is iffy, lots of washed out pictures. We hooked up a standard 17" VGA CRT monitor and the pictures were great but the customer insists on LCD. Any input on what LCDs have been used with good success. The DVR has VGA output so we don't necessarily need a monitor with video input also. A 19" could also be used if there is something outstanding.

It is the new Vitek standalone with VGA output. The customer is adamant about using LCD even though we hooked it up to a Dell 17" VGA CRT that was in the office and it looked far better than on the Tatung. They hooked up another computer VGA LCD and it improved it somewhat but still not as good as a CRT. So is there an LCD that would be equivalent or close to a CRT? No need for a composite video.

Great examples, did you get them from the Panasonic site? If so do you have a link, could really use this to show a customer why he should spend the extra money on WDR.