chr1z 0 Posted September 8, 2008 I recently bought a cheap oem dvr that only does 720x240 max and it looks really crappy. If I plug my cameras into a bnc to rca out to my tv the pic is very good but anything the dvr records looks like crap...it's not good enough to identify someone if needed. So... is there an 8 channel dvr for $1000.00 or less that will look good and has where I can connect to it from a pc (I don't plan on having a dedicated monitor) Thanks... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ak357 0 Posted September 8, 2008 I recently bought a cheap oem dvr that only does 720x240 max and it looks really crappy. If I plug my cameras into a bnc to rca out to my tv the pic is very good but anything the dvr records looks like crap...it's not good enough to identify someone if needed. So... is there an 8 channel dvr for $1000.00 or less that will look good and has where I can connect to it from a pc (I don't plan on having a dedicated monitor) Thanks... Max u will find 720x480 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Won't that be a whole lot better than 720x240 though? Or not much difference? Max u will find 720x480 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ak357 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Won't that be a whole lot better than 720x240 though? Or not much difference? Max u will find 720x480 yes and no depend on lots of factors keep reading forum search for resolution,compression D1 ,CIF and so on good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Are they any in particular that you recommend? Won't that be a whole lot better than 720x240 though? Or not much difference? Max u will find 720x480 yes and no depend on lots of factors keep reading forum search for resolution,compression D1 ,CIF and so on good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ak357 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Are they any in particular that you recommend? Nop just keep reading plus google and u will be miles ahead of those who just ask without doing any home work just my opinon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cctv_down_under 0 Posted September 8, 2008 AK has a point, a lot of defining factors that affect recorded quality..not just resolution, vertical resolution is much more noticable to the human eye than horizontal, so you may not see a marked increase..the following all affect the recording appearance so you may need to learn more. Compression Type Amount of Comression Display Chip of your DVR Screen of the Display on your DVR Interlacing Resolution Etc Etc...many more too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Got an ok from the wife to up the budget lol. Ok.. $1350 delivered or less... 8-channel standalone dvr... Come on guys... what's the best I can do for that amount? I greatly appreciate any advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BurstElement 0 Posted September 10, 2008 You should be able to get a reasonable consumer grade dvr for that figure... try to find something that uses Techwell encoder IC's Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Such as? Point me in the right direction... I was thinking about doing a Nuvico DV3 8-channel.. is that ok or no? Thanks!! You should be able to get a reasonable consumer grade dvr for that figure... try to find something that uses Techwell encoder IC's Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Such as? Point me in the right direction...I was thinking about doing a Nuvico DV3 8-channel.. is that ok or no? Thanks!! You should be able to get a reasonable consumer grade dvr for that figure... try to find something that uses Techwell encoder IC's chr1z, I got a Nuvico EV-8000 series one of Nuvico's new models and it's not at all clear yet if there might be an inherent issue with the composite out. The edges are cut off and it's not my monitor! My old DVR did not have this problem. Even with a quality VGA monitor on a 4 cam display the two cams to the left are horizontally a bit larger then the cams to the right. I am waiting on a replacement DVR hopefully will arrive today. I will post the results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Please do post the results.... I'm hoping it was just a bad dvr... And actually... now that I'm looking at specs of the EV8000 and the DV3.. what's the difference between the 2? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Please do post the results.... I'm hoping it was just a bad dvr... Thanks I will do that. I like the DVR otherwise for the most part. The remote viewer software could use some improvement in particular with playback. I have also tried the DV3 remote viewer software which works with the EV-8000 series and it's better but again still the playback functionality could use some improvement. The playback functionality using the infrared remote works well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 10, 2008 It'd have to be an improvement over the crappy dvr I have now. It only does 720x240 at like 15 images per second and the quality of the images it records are not good enough to identify someone. Cameras straight to a tv.. good picture... through the dvr it's terrible. I was hoping a Nuvico DV3 would help me out with the quality... How is the image quality other than the issue you were having? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 And actually... now that I'm looking at specs of the EV8000 and the DV3.. what's the difference between the 2? Some differences I know between the DV3 8 cam unit and the EV-8000 are: DV3 has all 8 cams audio in and the EV has first 4 cams audio in. DV3 is a quadplex and the EV is a tri-plex meaning you can also backup using the built in DVD either manually or auto schedule on the DV3 but on the EV the recording must stop before manual backup to DVD and has no auto backup function to DVD. DV3 can expand up to 1.3 terabytes the EV maxes out at 700gig DV3 also has svideo output the EV has composite and VGA only. The recording and playback is the same on both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 It'd have to be an improvement over the crappy dvr I have now. It only does 720x240 at like 15 images per second and the quality of the images it records are not good enough to identify someone. Cameras straight to a tv.. good picture... through the dvr it's terrible. I was hoping a Nuvico DV3 would help me out with the quality... How is the image quality other than the issue you were having? On both the DV3 8 cam unit and the EV-8000 recording with playback max out at 720x480 at 4 images per second (when using more then 4 cameras). The quality is decent (I have the quality setting on Ultra which looks to me the quality settings simply affect amount of space being used and of course the quality of the image). If you go down to 720x240 you can get 7 images per second. Both are decent but the 720x480 is better. At 4 images per second playback is decent. Of course it's not like watching a movie. I really don't notice much of a difference between 4 images and 7 images so 720x480 with 4 images per second a better option IMO. With 720x480 and Ultra image quality setting going to get about 30-45 days recording on a 500 gig drive with 5 cams. The Mpeg-4 compression does seem efficient. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Thanks... Are you happy with the image quality or does the problem you were having prevent you from knowing yet? And actually... now that I'm looking at specs of the EV8000 and the DV3.. what's the difference between the 2? Some differences I know between the DV3 8 cam unit and the EV-8000 are: DV3 has all 8 cams audio in and the EV has first 4 cams audio in. DV3 is a quadplex and the EV is a tri-plex meaning you can also backup using the built in DVD either manually or auto schedule on the DV3 but on the EV the recording must stop before manual backup to DVD and has no auto backup function to DVD. DV3 can expand up to 1.3 terabytes the EV maxes out at 700gig DV3 also has svideo output the EV has composite and VGA only. The recording and playback is the same on both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 Thanks...Are you happy with the image quality or does the problem you were having prevent you from knowing yet? And actually... now that I'm looking at specs of the EV8000 and the DV3.. what's the difference between the 2? Some differences I know between the DV3 8 cam unit and the EV-8000 are: DV3 has all 8 cams audio in and the EV has first 4 cams audio in. DV3 is a quadplex and the EV is a tri-plex meaning you can also backup using the built in DVD either manually or auto schedule on the DV3 but on the EV the recording must stop before manual backup to DVD and has no auto backup function to DVD. DV3 can expand up to 1.3 terabytes the EV maxes out at 700gig DV3 also has svideo output the EV has composite and VGA only. The recording and playback is the same on both. I am happy with the recording and playback quality. The problem I am having is on my CRT display and even on a VGA monitor as I said. I tried two different CRT displays. What are you using for a display? Any problems with your current DVR as far as the image not showing in entirety or different size cams? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chr1z 0 Posted September 10, 2008 I was using a regular pc lcd monitor but have since removed it and not even using a monitor... The picture was good when it was connected though.. no problems that I recall. I'm viewing and playing everything from my pc (dvr is connected to my lan) That seems to work fine as well plus I don't have to have a standalone monitor.... I am happy with the recording and playback quality. The problem I am having is on my CRT display and even on a VGA monitor as I said. I tried two different CRT displays. What are you using for a display? Any problems with your current DVR as far as the image not showing in entirety or different size cams? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RickA 0 Posted September 10, 2008 If you use either of the Nuvico units and they are networked you can download your image files and use the computer to burn them, and that way keep it in record. The ev8000 will do 1terrebyte HDD, Nuvico is just reluctant to back that up due to testing yet. Have a good one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captnet 0 Posted September 10, 2008 If you use either of the Nuvico units and they are networked you can download your image files and use the computer to burn them, and that way keep it in record. The ev8000 will do 1terrebyte HDD, Nuvico is just reluctant to back that up due to testing yet. Have a good one. Thanks for the info. Yes, I had tried the remote download and save and worked ok. Problem with upgrading the drive yourself Nuvico said the Warranty would be void. Still waiting on my replacement DVR. UPS came and went today and no replacement which was ordered on Monday and should have been here at the latest today Share this post Link to post Share on other sites