scottj

at 32kb there is still going to be network congestion. We use on occasion A/V Webservers such as you describe (NVR). Some with local HDD which is genrally a 4 channel and the single channel units usually have no local storage. I can demonstrate for you what 32kb will achieve using one I have connected at our office presently. Pay no attention to the camera quality, especially at 32kb (drastically degrades). This is at 320x240 MPEG4. We can take it down to 176x144, but the picture is significantly worse. This is set for 0.9 FPS. Since there is no 1:1 relationship between bandwidth and frame rate, it is a good example of what you should expect. http://camtest.net-video.net not password required, install ActiveX using IE (not Mozilla) scottj

very true..When the earthquake comes I will be ready. I'm taking my motorcycle and cash, the girlfriend stays (too much luggage). haha Good to see all is well with you and your family Thomas.

My understanding is that the difference between RS-422 and RS-485 is that RS-422 does not allow for multiple drivers, only multiple receivers (multi-point). RS-485 on the other hand allows for up to 32 drivers/receivers can be present.(multi-drop). For you, the RS-422 to the Cyberdome situation will most likely require you to convert it to RS-485 using a KTD-312 Data Converter module. I may not be 100% on that part number, there are other models out now. I also have little knowledge on the Ademco unit, it may already allow for connectivity without the data conversion. One of these other guys in here will probably be able to complete this answer and correct me where I may be wrong. scottj

yeah come to think of it, that was Thomas...I knew it! But what was with him holding up that sign that said "Will do ANYTHING for Gas" scottj

200 DVR's Rory, not cameras.....800+ minimum cameras. The 32KB bandwidth is not going to cut it. You can barely get a AOL "Goodbye!" signal with that. haha.

Formosa21...a.k.a. Aegis Micro Forgot to mention that. scottj

formosa21 is VPON. They use embedded Linux Disk On Chip technology for their DVR's. I have a couple of them here collecting dust, but the VPON is a decent system. Effectively you are going to have a PC based system with Linux OS wihch will be your best best in my opinion for a project the magnitude of yours. Softwell (another DOM company) offers the samething. I'm not sure what you mean by "3-4 league" scale? scottj

or use a VIA (Gigabyte board) with an AMD64. It works. scottj

You should use XLR cable for the audio. And if it is over about 10 feet of a cable run (probably is), make sure the signal is unbalanced. scottj

Can your board use version 6.1 and above? I need to know which version to send you. Do you have a dongle with this board, or did it come wrapped in mylar with a sticker that says "Anti-Piracy Version"? scottj

Do you have a FTP site I can upload the software too? Im not in the office (Sunday), and I forgot the address to our servers that have the downloads. I do however have the latest version here at home and can upload it to you. scottj

NetZeye carries the GeoVision product, they just use a modified GUI. It is the Geo software, but just with a different view. You could always get ahold of the Geo original software and use it as well. scottj

Ed, We tested a few different cameras with audio onboard and got the exact same results as what you are experiencing using the web based clients. The reason it works locally on the machine is because the audio and video bitrates are not separated. When you attempt to stream over IP, the Multiview software does not separate the two signal types. Since the audio and video source is one in the same, the video will take priority using the Multiview client, thus resulting in a signal interference caused by the audio signal from the same source. The way to resolve this issue is to use a separate mic. One that is very cost effective and works excellent is the Crown PZM11LL Pressure Zone Mic. I hope this makes sense to you. Scottj

First of all, what type of mic are you using? The system is designed for Line Level audio, so verify that you in fact are using the correct mic as well as a decent mic. The Skipping is generally caused by network congestion over WAN, or you may need to tweak th gain settings for the audio setting under the Camera/Audio Install settings tab. Too much gain will give you the skipping sensation. Keep in mind that the sudio is 8-bit, so please don't expect CD quality. scottj.

haha, so true Rory. You should change your title from FOunding Member to something like "Permanent Fixture". scottj

Honestly with all opinions respected here....This forum to me personally is not a hunting ground for customers as much as it is a customers hunting grounds for Dealers...Right? Obviously most people that answer the technical questions in here are not hobbyist, mainly Dealers/Installers who base their opinions and expertise from experience. I really see no problem with phone numbers although I have never posted mine that I can recall. I like helping people with projects because it interest me, and if it turns out that I get some business from it...BONUS. I think in reality it is a pretty fair trade. scottj

Brian, The GV-1000 board will be eliminated over the next couple of months, the replacement is the GV-1480 Combo board with composite video output onboard and includes the 16 channels of audio. The price difference is minimal between the two. Having sold many systems specifically to daycares over the years, I would be more than happy to make some recommendations on cameras etc. The 20K "lease" and 5K a month service "maintenance" plan seems nuts to be honest. Even if they were hosting the webservers, providing the bandwidth, and visiting once a month to maintain equipment it would be steep. Believe it or not though, we see many of these places that are still under contracts (leases) that are paying these crazy fees. I think it is more of a case of someone wishing to take advantage of a vulnerable situation. After all, your kids typically are the most important thing to most people and it is easy to justify a high price when playing on people emotions. scottj

In his situation Extreme CCTV is out of the question. Hence the budget. Scottj

Jaybirdy, I have a camera that fits within your budget and it delivers a crisp video with good colors during the day, auto switch to B/W in low lux situation due to IR cut filter. It is an outdoor Sony DSP OEM model, made in Taiwan. For the money it is worth it. Viewable range is stated at 30 feet, but actually about 25 feet is more like it. 480 TVL, bullet style with 12 IR's. I can link you up to a online demo tomorrow in our office if you wish to see it over the web (may give you an idea). PM me if interested, price is within your budget. Scott

I think your best bet is to buy a single channel video server (very small, less than a pound) and use the intergrated Pelco PTZ protocols to control the camera. I am not familiar with your servo, but a controller for the lens and pan tilter that will accept Pelco P or D is very inexpensive. Is this something that is going to be in the field and needs to be mobile? Or is it that you would prefer to just be able to use your laptop versus a desktop to control the camera? In other words, if you use a video server you can assign it an IP on the network and use your laptop to save the video data and control the PTZ. You can even set the recording schedule to send video data FTP from the server to the laptop over the LAN and save it that way. There are many options, this one is a very cost effective soltuion and will give you better controls over your video.

It will work fine if you know how to properly configure the DVR side. Sounds like your bigest expense is going to be the cameras and mounting locations. Cheap cameras off of Ebay wont cut it, you would be very disappointed. If budget permits, checkout the ExtremeCCTV camera line. Basically it all depends on the installation and CCTV knowledge going into the project. Utilizing your own personal DSL to serve the other neighbors is probably not something you are going to be happy doing due to network congestion, you may wish to address the neighborhood to purchase a dedicated service (DSL, Cable, T1 etc) so you don't have to suffer at your end trying to surf the net. You will also achieve a much better video stream quality when viewing remotely. scottj

These cameras are made for the illusion that you have good cameras, they are basically "dummys". Very poor quality scottj

Huperlab DVR boards are "ok", depending on what you wish to accomplish. However, the audio and video are not sync'd together during recorded playback of save video data, so it could be an issue when trying to read lips on video. Unless you have built a DVR (correctly) before, I would recommend you have someone else do it. The price depends on their level of service, and most of the time you get what you pay for. scottj