dmor

There is quite a bit of info here regarding the box cams in terms of opinions. Ex. there seems to be a good feel regarding the Panasonic CP-484 in box cams for an all around cam. Is there such a good feel for a certain brand/model bullet type cam that are proven in the field? Also, does WDR=wide dynamic range?

Funny... I guess my reply was before any attachment was available to view. rory, thanks for the focus guide, I will try it this weekend since my cam is easy to get to. What in your opinion is a good & reliable day&night bullet cam? I am going to start a thread for that since I can't find much on the subject.

I am using GV 8.2 for the main. IN the video setup one can select the AGC button and either manually set or choose auto. My question is can one access the AGC button/setup via Geovisions webcam access remotely? I know that remotely in multiview you can adjust Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Hue. Is there a way that I can adjust the gain remotely? thanks

My experience is by no means as extensive as most others on this forum, but I have this bullet camera and while it is the best of the 3 bullets that I have it suffers the "blurry sometimes" issue. I am an experienced photographer and know that even with the best of lenses, there is an f-stop or a range that produces the sharpest images. I expect (not sure) that it is also true of bullet/surveillance cams. I have not finished testing, but at the beginning I thought that the focus mechanism was creeping to what was an out of focus image. But then watching the image starting early in the morning throughout the day until night time I found out that there were times when the image was actually as much in focus on a subject as it was when I set it but that seemed to only cover 20% of the daylight span. Later I focused the camera just before it switched to B&W where in my assumption is when the lens is wide open. It seems to be better now, I would say maybe 50% vs. 20%. Next what I want to do is focus in midday light and see what impact that has on the focus and my last would be at a midpoint of available light. I do use a light meter for that. I should also mention that I do have the out of focus spot that happens occasionally but with a different cam. I have also played with the settings and for my setup and view the default was by far the best for day and night. I hope someone will chime in on this subject and method. I am all ears and willing to try and learn.

If it can be done, am I looking for a network megapixel box cam?

Yep, I spotted the problem with the system. You're not going to get a facial ID at 90' with wide angle lens. Thomas, Do you mean to say that it is not possible to do with megapixel cams?

I would say face id @ 30 to 40 yards using a relatively a wide angle lens. 4mm and lower.

Thomas, the fact of the matter is that I have a GV-800 setup. I have played with bullet cams and I am not happy with recorded quality. I have been considering boxcams, but after all the hours of reading on the forum all indications that it will not get me much better quality recording. This is where the megapixel cam comes in. I really don't know the right questions to ask, and don't know where to even start. I know they are expensive, and I know I do not need to stream to remote view. I just want to record good quality video...Maybe a simple guide to setting up a megapixel cam using a home PC would be a great start for me if doable... I have not been able to find such text anywhere. regards

rory, I am using gv 8.2, in Video source NTSC_M 720x480, In system configure, Camera record Settings is 720 x 480. In the webcam server dialog box, under video I have my pick at Max. Channels and Max Image size which is listed in Norm, Middle Large and actual size. The server tab has the port boxes and Enable SSK plus Run GeoHTTP Server check boxes. Sorry, but nowhere there is there any listing of resolutions.

Hi, once you set the webcam server to 640x480 or 720x480 it will allow you to select that on the remote side. Note its in the webcam server settings, which you can edit by manually stopping the webcam server then starting it again and changing the resolution size there before hitting ok. Hi rory and thanks for the reply, but here is what I am dealing with. In the advanced video attributes in the webcam tab window, I have tried all the Codec and settled on Mpeg4, I have tried all the others and regardless of what I select (in Codec) at the bottom the highest quality I can set is Medium and with the Quantizer at 2. Now with that said, disabling the webcam server and restarting, the only options I get in the Video tab for image size are Normal, Middle, Large, and actual size. And regardless of what setting I select there in SimpleVue Geo the res. does not go above 320x240. Anything that you can think off that I am doing wrong? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again. David

rory, Can one set the resolution to anything better than 320x240 in NTSC? That option is greyed out regardless of what I do on the server's end. regards

Thanks for the replies. I have placed an order for the gv-net card. What are the best cables to use for this? And what is the max run length? regards

I have a Geovision GV-800 card that I have used with bullet cameras. Simple BNC connection and nothing else. I have been looking into box cameras, they seem to be more flexible and more features. However, I am not sure what additional hardware I will be needing to make full use of the box cameras available. Ex. when the specs for a camera says "Supporting RS-485 remote control" what do I need there. That is not something I am familiar with or have used. I would appreciate any help and pointer as to what else I will need to make use of box cams. best regards

I guess none of you that have listed the fps from their tested PC's know where the numbers came from?

Looking at the GV-2004 & GV-2008, besides the cost & # of channels what do I get from the 2008 that the 2004 will not do assuming I will need it for no more than 4 cameras. I have read somewhere on this forum that using an 8 channel for 4 cameras (or fewer) than it was designed for gives better fps in remote viewing. Is this true? Thanks

Sorry... I guess I'm not sure where you've seen this posted here concerning the fps. If you want to see a pc's fps www.fraps.com shows you a recording software that will give you a display of your fps in the bottom right corner. I apologize but I felt that was what you are looking for can you show me where this was so I can point you in the best direction I can think of. God... I hope scorpion don't see that I have failed you! http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8059 Take a look at this post. Most replies are listing the FPS.

Thanks for the site and the reply, however my question was not regarding the def. of fps, I just want to know were is it that you guys go to to read the fps numbers where they are later used to gauge how well the computer set up is doing. For example, when I (remotely)use Multiview, and based on the resolution I use for viewing a camera I can see on the lower bottom right hand corner the live info that includes kbs/s, fps and others. This to me is on a remote system, do the numbers I am looking at reflect what the server system is capable off? Is this how you gauge the system or is there another way? In addition, the folks that have listed the pc's they are using in that post also list their FPS. Where does that number come from and where do you find it? regards

I have the American Dynamics Speed Dome Optima LT PTZ. I know the dome accommodates RS-422, Manchester and SensorNet protocols. My question is, can this be used with the Geovision DVR card. I know GV does not support the protocols, but this is all new to me and maybe way over my head. Just want to know if there is a way to make it work, and what it will take as in a controller card if such a beast exists.

I would like to know the answer to this also. Surely someone out there has messed with them that knows what they are doing.

Okay, where I have access to a router to open at least the 4550 & 5550 ports, I have no problems getting the DmMultiview working. My question is, if you were at a location where they had wireless with the above ports blocked, is there a service or host that you can log onto were you can do the remote view thing without having to worry about port forwarding/unblocking?? Any workaround to this problem would be very much appreciated. regards

Sinbad, As with other posters to my topic, you have provided great guidance for me and I am very grateful for all of you that have helped me out. Everything is working as it is supposed to. Now I just have to find something else I can do with all this and I am sure I will be back.

Where in the software do you assign the IP address to a specific camera or All?

Thomas, Thanks again for taking the time to read and reply to my post. At this point I have to resign to the fact that I do not have much experience in networking, actually it is so little that quite a bit of what you write about goes over my head. Don't get me wrong, I am an expert at many things but this is not one. Having said that, I have downloaded some basic networking guides that deal with the cctv setup. I think that once I start understanding some of the terminologies and what they mean I could start serving my needs a bit better, but most importantly it should allow me to ask precise question. If you know of any guides or links to them let me know.

Maybe I need to break down what I have done in an effort to get more specific help. I just have the feeling that I am not even close to having this setup properly. I have a Vista PC with Geovision GV-800 installed and running 2 cameras. The GV system software comes on and I can monitor, view the log and do the little I have learned so far without any issues. Now I want to be able to view live video using A web browser so my understanding is that webcam server has to be configured & started then I could use Multiview on my pc or elsewere to log on using my IP address and my login name and pw. So I set it up according to the manual starting on p.243. Now with the main system on I start the webcam server, and then tried to start Multiview and it would not connect untill I oppened/unblocked the 4550 & 5550 ports on my router. Now all this is happening on the Main PC so now Main GV system is on with 2 live cam views, Multiview console is on (smaller though) with same live views. Really cool. Next to me my wife with her laptop, I install Multiview (stand alone)and she runs the program, types my IP, name and pw and viola... Multiview is working as a stand alone and she can see both cam views live. Same laptop at my other house where I have a wireless cable modem router, we try to run multiview with no luck. I have not attempted to open or port forward the 4550 & 5550 yet and I know using (canuseeme.org) that both ports are blocked. What I do not understand is that I have been for some time now enjoying watching other live cams and feeds whether it is at home work relatives location, it did not matter. You go to a site, sometimes you make use of an IP address sometimes not, some places the login is very similar to Multiview, others the cam view is there, but they all worked and unblocking ports have never been an issue or changing anything for that matter. This is what I want to be able to do with my camera views, same simple thing others are doing that I can access anywhere there is a connection. Could someone point me in the right direction in case I am doing it all wrong or maybe not using the right software. If you think that I am set up incorrectly, then is there a simple guide to doing it the right way. The manual is for the experienced (definitely more than I). I am willing to try things one at a time. Just need some help.

Thomas, Again thanks for the reply. I am by no means trying to hack into a network. I am not that smart. As a mater of fact this is my first surveillance system and it is basically one that I have outdoors to monitor my babies (dogs). Sometimes after lunch when the weather is not too hot we let them out in a fenced area and they stay there. Since me and my wife both are not there at such times we thought it would be wonderful to be able to remotely watch them (make sure they are okay). Last night I got the webcam at home configured where it works on the monitoring PC. The wife's laptop running WiFi of the same router was able to use DmMultiview without any problems. Today at work, I could not get the connection with Mutiview and I know the necessary ports are blocked here. I have talked to the IT guy and it will be fixed no issues here. However, I would like to be able to use the laptop, as in cases when we visit relatives for a day where we can use their internet service without having to go through all the port forwarding unlocking business. And that is where I thought that there might be a host as there are many for photos, but one that would be a substitute for the Geo remote viewer that I (even if I have to pay for) could log onto and remotely watch my kids. I again was not asking for a hack or a trick, nor was I intending on intruding on anything. Just looking for a solution to something I find very limiting & restrictive when it can be of much use and benefit to us. regards