techie996

Okay, so I was playing around with the settings as my cameras would not display across the entire screen in 5MP@15/20 fps. It's a 1080p TV and just yesterday, it was displaying fine. Anyway, I started experimenting with a few settings - went into the PTZ menu that you access from the camera's main screen (not the DVR's main menu) - and I changed it from AHD or TVI to CVBS. Now both my cameras (as I changed both their default CVI setting to CVBS to check the aspect ratio) - are stuck in CVBS/ultra low resolution mode or SD. I can no longer access the PTZ menu. When I click on the main interface - nothing happens. I also noticed in the DVR's main menu PTZ settings (under "camera") that the Control Mode option is now greyed out. I can't even access that. This is driving me absolutely nuts - my CCTV camera feed looks like it's more than 20 years old! I'm not even getting colour on one of the cams now. It's just stuck in CVBS mode. How do I restore it to TVI, AHD or CVI? I've literally tried experimenting with every single option in the menu. Please HELP!! I have the Dahua dh-xvr5104hs-x1 with a Dahua camera and Pogo camera, both 5MP@20fps capable and 1080p@30 fps capable.

Would it be possible to discuss this on a FB messenger or WhatsApp call?

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The video output setting is only accessible from the cameras' OSD menu. The xvr only allows me to select channel type and resolution. As you already know the camera OSD is no longer accessible as it is stuck in cvbs mode. Maybe dahua do s not reset cameras but that is the only way to restore them to factory setting. Hie can I set the recorde out of range? I haven't done anything that would cause it to do that. Already did the factory reset twice. Once with cameras disconnected and then connected. All the available resolutions came back but when cameras got connected, it said "resolution will adjust automatically". And guess what? Defaulted back to cvbs @960h resolution. It's the only resolution and mode my cams are picking up. The cameras have locked me out of the OSD menu and that is the only way to adjust video output. You seen to be having a hard time accepting that - don't know why you wrote it off as "bull". I simply explained the options that are available to me now as a result of setting video output from CVI to CVBS - from the internal menu and not the dahua recorder menu. I've mentioned the model number at the start of the thread I think.

Thanks for the response. Catch 22 indeed! Finally managed to track down the CCTV guy who installed it. He said the same without hesitation: that the cameras will be dismantled and taken to the manufacturer's service center to do a manual/hardware reset or factory reset, whatever they call it. Don't know why this is even a thing .... If CVBS locks you out of the OSD menu and you can't change back to the HD modes, then why even have it as an option to begin with? Makes no sense ?? If only I knew, would have never tinkered with it in the first place.

I've given up at this point and really require your expertise.tried the following again: 1. Set channels to Auto 2. Switched off DVR 3. Turned on DVR only and wait for bootup 4. Then connect camera power supply - sure enough, both screens indicated "loading"... But they show cvbs. All 4 channels in Settings indicate a max Res of 960x480. I don't understand.. what happened to the other resolutions? *Irrespective of whether I choose AHD, CVI or Auto* Instead of Auto, I also set the channels to AHD and CVI, then booted up the DVR, and then connected the cameras. No picture. It seems the camera can only pick up a signal via cvbs. This is beyond strange...

Thanks a lot for those tips. I have already tried that - the 'auto' settings makes the camera default to cvbs. I've tried restarting and switching off and on too. I don't have a separate power supply for the cameras. When I turn on mains from the wall, the DVR and cameras turn on themselves. I will try this step once again just to make sure. For some reason, the system is blocking me out of the PTZ menu where you get to select output format, make picture enhancements, white balance, etc. I saw one video where the guy said that setting it to cvbs or SD will no longer make the PTZ menu accessible and that you have to change settings manually. But with channels set to auto, the only available resolutions are the cvbs ones, with the setting above the channel protocol greyed out - it should say hdcvi, but it's completely greyed out. It's as if the cameras are now locked in cvbs mode and there's nothing in the DVR menu that lets me switch I back to CVI, TVI or AHD, for example. If I manually set the channels to CVI or AHD, then I get the full resolution settings in the menu that the DVR can do - e.g. 1080p and 5mp, but then the camera screens are black with a question mark at the bottom. It's as if the cameras are now just stuck in cvbs. I hope I don't have to get them reset or replaced. Sorry for the long post, but I'm really distraught over this. Got both cameras and DVR very recently! I'd attach photos but there is a 1.2mb limit! Edit: the small power supply units are attached to the DVR, they're not independent. Do when they are both hooked up to the DVR, that's when they get juice. I also tried powering up the DVR first waited for it to initialize and boot up, then hooked up cameras to even different ports. Same issue: they just default to cvbs. I should mention that I have the latest firmware. If it helps, I can email you screen shots of everything to help you better understand the setup and what could be causing the issue. Thanks so much for providing prompt help! Edit #2: sorry, you were right - there is a separate power plug for the DVR and cameras. I did what you said,but the only available resolutions are the SD ones no whatever what I set the channels to. Oddly, at bootup the DVR does switch to a 1080p Res like it always does. But the cameras are not picking up this Res. 960 x 480 is the highest res I'm seeing in the menu, even though last night I could see all the higher resolution and max bit rate of 6144, when the cameras were disconnected from the back of the unit.

There's no option in my DVR to change the format. It's only available through the PTZ menu. Which is no longer popping up to allow me to change it from cvbs to any of the HD formats like AHD or CVI, TVI. No joystick. Mouse. There's not option on the bottom left of the screen to alter format. It's only accessible from the PTZ menu on the main camera screen. But that's just not displaying anymore for some odd reason. Camera is outputting an analogue/standard definition signal only. Looks dreadful. If I change all the channels format from DVR menu to cvbs or auto, only then it displays the cameras in cvbs/SD resolution. Setting it to TVI or ahd, or CVI gives me a blank screen with the dahua logo. Protocol is set to hdcvi3.0 but the control mode is greyed out. I can no longer change that.

Anyone, please? This is an emergency. I hope I won't have to manually reset stuff. I can't understand why it won't let me access the PTZ menu so I can go into "video output" to change it back to CVI or AHD/TVI.

Hi, new here. Hope I'm posting in the right forum. I have a Dahua DVR which supports up to 4, I think maybe its 6, 5MP cameras. The model number is dh-xvr5104hs-x1. I was very pleased with the first camera install and remote viewing/recording experience - I was getting 30 fps @1080p live and a smooth and seamless 30fps when viewing remotely through my smartphone or viewing recorded footage. Now, I've installed a second camera but this is one is only giving me a maximum of 7 fps while remote viewing and recording! Uhh.. what?! This makes absolutely zero sense. The guy who installed the second camera, swapped camera 1 (channel 1) and tried it on channel 2 and 3 - and sure enough the original camera was also displaying 7 fps @1080p while remote viewing/streaming and recording. Is this a very common "thing" in Dahua DVRs? Both cameras are high-quality 5MP with fantastic live viewing output - one is Polo and the other one is Dahua. Why am I getting a full 30 fps @1080p while streaming/recording on channel #1 only? I've read the online instruction manual and specs sheet - there's no mention of this! Really irked - feels like I wasted the second camera investment and should have just stuck to one camera. I need 30fps on both cameras while away from my premises! There's no setting on the DVR or my smartphone which I can use to up the frames. Is this how it is supposed to be?

No, streaming and recording are both affected. I was playing around with some settings and it seems the best I can get on streaming and recording is 15fps per camera at full HD 1080p. It's fine on live viewing - looks crystal clear at 30 fps, 6144kbps bit rate on cam 1 and 30 fps 4068kbps on cam 2. But streaming and recording can only be 30 fps channel/cam 1, on cam 2 it's just 7 fps! The best compromise is 15/15 fps on both cams for streaming and recording @1080p. If I lower the resolution on both cams to 960 * 1080, THEN I get 30 fps streaming and recording on both cams. But err....quality isn't all that 'super-duper' when viewing on my smartphone remotely, lol.