jtsuttle

I've been shopping around for a DVR and noticed that some record in m-jpeg format and others record in mpeg4 format. Which is better? I've tried researching it but the more I read the more confused I become.

I have my dvr card set up to only record when there is motion. Lately when there is no motion sometimes the image will start to jerk and the software detects it as motion and starts recording unnecessarily for hours on end. Simply turning off or on lights will settle down the jerky video and all will be normal for a while. I have tried 3 different cameras and they all do the same. It seems to be a problem with the card or some kind of electrical interference but I have not been able to track down the culprit. Any ideas?

Well, after many hours of relocating equipment, trying other equipment, checking grounds, and unplugging various items around the house trying to find the culprit, I finally found the problem. I had an X-10 remote transceiver in my attic and another in my basement that I haven't used in a long time and pretty much forgot they existed. Unplugged the one in the basement and the problem got much better. Crawled up in the attic and removed the other and the problem went away all together. It's been running trouble free for several days now. Duhh...Now, looking back, I don't know why I didn't think about that first. The way the X-10 stuff works is by sending a signal (noise) through the household wiring. I thought it only sent a signal once it received a command from the remote but apparently it puts out some noise most, if not all of the time. Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions!

I've already tried different cables when I tried the other 2 cameras. Last night I ran a drop cord to power the unit from another circuit in the breaker box but still had the same problem all through the night. Tonight I will try actually relocating the pc to eliminate the possibility of it being too close to the possible interference you mention. I tried to upload two small clips but couldn't. I can email them to anyone interested. One is functioning properly and the other is the shaky video detected as false motion. Thanks very much for your input. Hopefully we'll solve this soon.

The card is 4 channel and I usually only use one. Just one cable straight from the card to the camera with nothing else split off. The other 3 inputs can actually be disabled within the software. The video will actually be jerky on any of the 4 ports if I move the cable from one input to the next and so on. Are you saying that I should terminate the un-used inputs with a 75 ohm terminator like the one pictured?

One of the other cameras that I tried with it was plugged in the same outlet. The third camera I tried actually was running on a battery. The crazy thing actually made it all the way through yesterday without a problem. It is very un-predictable as to when it will malfunction. The next time I catch it I will post a small clip of it.