Madriver

I appreciate any help you guys can give. I've been reading dozens of forum topics and have a bunch of questions and need a little advice. A bought a few different types of fixed lense cameras with auto-iris (inexpensive cameras but rated 480 or 540 lines) and noticed that the focus is always a tiny bit off. Is that typical of auto-iris? Am I better off spending a little more for varifocal cameras? I'm going to try out the monalisas, they seem to be the favorite here. What about a similar quality bullet camera, any suggestions? What is the best format to record in? Is it a tradeoff between quality and hard drive size? What do you think of a camera like this: Features: Varifocal 3.5 to 8mm lens 1/3 inch Sony Super HAD CCD Sensor 540 TV Lines 36 Infrared LEDs 80 ft. IR view distance Metal armor housing May be used indoors or outdoors Ceiling or wall mount 3 Axis Exterior adjustments for focus & zoom (no need to remove housing) Specifications: TV System: NTSC Image Sensor: 1/3-inch Sony Super HAD CCD sensor Resolution: 540 lines Video Output: 1.0 Vp-p 75 Ohms Min. Illumination: 0 lux with IR On Shutter Speed: 1/50~1/12,000 sec. Backlight compensation: Auto White balance: Auto Gamma correction: > 0.45 S/N Ratio: Over 50dB at AGC Off Waterproof rating: IP55 Recommended Operating Temperature: -20°C ~ 50°C (-4°F ~ 122°F) Dimensions: 120mm (diameter) X 90mm (height) [4.72in (D) X 3.55in (H)] Weight: 850g (1.9 lbs.) Power Supply: 12V DC (not included) Power Consumption: 1 Amp

I'm more interested in the software associated with the various cards and how easy it is to remotely configure them to have cameras from multiple DVR's on the same screen. In other words, bump for any advice.

I was hoping I could get a little advice here about what DVR card I should use for my situation. I have several retail stores that currently have 4 camera DVR systems built by a local company using Safeland DVR cards and software. In a few of the stores I would like to upgrade to more than 4 cameras (possibly more than but was thinking of upgrading the DVR myself. I'm decent at building and upgrading computers so building or upgrading a DVR doesn't seem that difficult, my problem is picking the right card and software. Although it might seem trivial the software that the capture cards use is important to me. Currently I can sit at home and view multiple DVR's and cameras from different stores on the same screen at the same time through the same remote software tool. This feature is too convenient to not have in a new system. Do both Geovision and Avermedia allow the remote user to configure their client to view multiple DVR's and cameras at the same time? The Avermedia CMS3000 seems interesting, how easy is it to use and configure? Any advice or comments are appreciated.