AVC-760 - guides to setup E-mail, web-server and questions

[KRANKRAN 0]

I planned to make a PC-based home DVR system. However, when I first saw

the AVC-760 specifications, I thought "bingo!" That's the device I need,

out-of-the box, everything I seek for.

 

Well, it really does what is specified. But...in an Eastern way.

 

At work, I often have to deal with Indian, Chineese and Arabic programming

That's the worst programmers I ever saw. I think that's the mentallity and

laziness which makes them that bad. Outsourcing will kill the industry.

 

The firmware ( 2011-k8 ) is what makes the unit a piece of crap.

Same ****ty progging.

 

In the following lines I would try to giude through some tricky setup of the

Asian utilities. I also would rise some questions, which hopefully the community

will answer to.

 

Guide 1

How to setup E-mail notification?

 

That's not so tricky, but dumb. First, Chineese know nothing about DNS.

Second, they now nothing about non-standard ports. And last, they know

nothing about authorization.

To summarize, you _WON'T_ be able to use g-mail or any other decent free e-mail service.

You have to find some old pop3/smtp service provider. With standard ports.

 

So, the setup is the following:

Server: put the IP here!!! not the DNS.

Mail from: put the e-mail account, like from_dvr@mail.com

Verify password - Yes

User - the username of the account, usually without @mail.com

Password - the password to the account.

 

The mail account list is actually the list of recipients,

NOT THE ACCOUNTS of the dvr as normal, non-asian logic would suggest.

Put your recipients here.

 

Please make sure the the alarm is enabled and mail notification is on in

other menus.

 

Now the questions:

Q1: The freaking unit sends 320x200 jpeg images with multiplexer view.

That means tha the size of a single camera view is 1/4 part of 320x200.

That is ridiculous! How to set it up to send Fullscreen, single-camera jpegs?

so the resulting picture would be the resolution of the camera?

Q2: The emails get the time wrong. I guess the unit treats system time as GMT

and adds +4hours (the Chinese time). Is it built-in setup? How to override

it? I'm sick and tired of receiving e-mails from the future!

 

 

Guide 2

The Webserver

 

The webserver is another "great" feature of the unit. First, the buttons

you see in the Web server and in the PC utility, are almost actual physical

buttons on the device. That means, that the operation of would be very slow

as the init responds slowly to hardware buttons, and very uncomfortable,

as the menu has classic Asian logic and naming.

 

As for the Web server. The streaming video is based upon a Java-applet.

The java applet connects to the unit DIRECTLY. That's an Indian programming

classics. In practice, that means you won't be able to use web server from

work. Most organizations and public internet access places use proxies (http,socks, whatever) to protect local computers from internet abuse.

In AVC case, you see all the buttons and html, but you won't be able to see the streaming video if you're behind a proxy.

 

To override this, I ssh tunnel to my home router, enable client-side forwarding on my office machine, and use a specially-configured browser to use the web server. I'm actually in my home lan from office computer. Recently, I ditched the web-server and use the avc utility through a port-forward.

 

If your office firewall blocks tunneling, or you don't know how to setup them,you WON'T BE ABLE TO USE REMOTE MONITORING.

 

The picture on the web-utility is crappy, even in highest detail mode.

If you connect a monitor directly to the unit, it would be A LOT clearer.

 

AVC say it's a network DVR. Well, network, but in Asian way. The filesystem

is something awkward, and you cannot map the DVR drive as a network drive

for convenient donwloads. You have to use the ugly software. Even if you

remove the HDD (a lot of screws to unscrew), it won't be readable on a

plain PC.

 

AVC says it's MPEG4 dvr. Well, it is, but in Asian way. You won't receive

lovely .avi on the output. You'll get some stange vse, which need conversion

and will look ugly after it.

 

 

Q3:

Can I donwload video for a period 17:00 to 21:00? If now video exists for

17:00:00, nothing is dowloaded. I want to specify a period, and get everything

that falls into the period.

 

Q4:

Can I specify the downloaded video length in TIME, not in MEGABYTES??

 

 

Q5:

Which is the OFFICIAL (not scorpion) site for firmware updates?

Why there's NOTHING on the official one?

 

Wish list...

I think the only thing that could save the unit, is a good or open-source

firmware.

 

I would exchange the unit for a PC-based dvr if the possibility ever occur.

Or sell the unit and buy a PC and a card and use warez software.

To much Asia in AVC.

[Kiwi 0]

Well, it's a low-cost DVR.

 

I'm satisfied with my (similar) AVC782. It works reliably when I travel for months half-way around the world and does what I expect for the price.

 

Never had a problem accessing from anywhere including my workplace, and a few simple clicks gives me an acceptable picture of any individual camera.

 

I would like better factory support and firmware upgrades but also know I can buy something more expensive too.

[KRANKRAN 0]

That's exactly my point. The hardware is decent, but the firmware is ugly.

[Daryl733 0]

Well.. you pay peanuts, monkey's what will come.

 

Don't expect high end performance out of this machine.

 

It's cheap, value for $ for a Triplex Network DVR at under $200. So what you expect out of it ?

 

And stop emphasising on the ASIAN product. I don't think a product being good or bad has anything to do with races.

 

And yes, i also know the shortcoming of the DVR. I had feedback to them, and their reply is.. they also know.. but they are needed to come up with a product that has these improvement, their R&D and production cost will go up, the product has to sell for higher price.

 

Looking at the priceline that they are selling at, and the numbers of DVR that they are moving, i would say they are at the right direction, at the moment. Low price, more dvr move. Crappy features, but you get what you pay for. So why complain ? If you want a better performing DVR, be prepared to pay more. Else Compare a under $200 DVR, most you'll get even crappier one.

[scorpion 0]

Daryl733

 

You hit that one on the head!

 

I do not know how many budget crap DVRs I have tried! I seem to always go back to AVTech.

 

If someone thinks the AVTech is crap, then you have not really tried some other units!

 

I go back to the AVTech more so out of being familiar with the AVTech then anything else.