Customer not satisfied!

[hidef1981 0]

Hi,

I have a customer who is not happy with the picture quality of the surveillance system I have supplied him with. I would have to agree with him as the picture is quite pixelated and blurry.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what I did wrong or how I can improve.

 

The dvr is Geovision 1240 v8.2

We supplied him with a LG 32inch lcd monitor

We used coax cable for cameras

We are using dvi input for monitor

We are using 16 Speco VL-648IR cameras

Camera specs:

3.6 mm lens

420 lines resolution

1/3 sony super HAD

0 lux

 

The question that frustrates me is whether it's the dvr or the cameras or the monitor. Which one is causing the bad picture quality?

I thought that Geovision was top of the line but now I am not so sure.

Any suggestions on how to improve the picture quality would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[kensplace 0]

Are you familiar with geovision, have you altered any of the settings, or is it using the out of the box low res settings?

 

Have you tried any troubleshooting at all?

 

What does the pic look like, are you familiar with what is normal quality?

[hidef1981 0]

I am familiar with Geovision. I believe that I have it set at the highest quality possible but I could be missing something. I have gone thru the a/v and video source settings and all seems to be set at the highest quality.

The problem I am having is that the picture looks great when your looking at 16 small multiview windows.

As soon as you make a single channel full screen it becomes very distorted and pixelated.

My question is it the settings within geovision or do I need to get a higher resolution camera or monitor?

I supplied him with 16 quality cameras that were expensive so I guess he is expecting a very hi quality image.

I am open for suggestions on better equipment cause money is no real issue so if you can suggest better please let me know.

[vin2install 0]

Its because of the LCD monitor. To get the best performance you must match the output resolution with the native resolution of the monitor. Or you must get an upconverting monitor. But those tend to be real expensive.

[hidef1981 0]

So I am pretty sure geovisions highest resolution is 720 x 480.

So I your saying I have to find a lcd monitor that matches this?

[Soundy 1]

No... you have to make sure the computer's display resolution matches the monitor's native (maximum) resolution. If your computer display is set to a 4:3 resolution (1024x768, 1280x1024, etc.) and you're running a widescreen monitor that supports a higher resolution (1680x1050, etc.), you'll end up with a fuzzy, distorted picture of EVERYTHING displayed on the computer.

[hidef1981 0]

Ok I see, thanks.

So my next question is do you have to match the resolution when viewing remotely as well?

[Soundy 1]

On ANY computer with an LCD monitor, you want the desktop display resolution to match the native resolution of that LCD. In Windows, that usually means installing the driver that's included with the monitor, or making sure the monitor type is set as "Plug and Play", and then maxing out the resolution setting. That will give the sharpest, clearest display that the computer and monitor are capable of... without that, it doesn't matter what you do with the remote view, it's not going to be at its best possible quality.

 

Beyond that, it really depends on the system and the remote client. Some will increase the compression of video streamed to the remote, which makes more efficient use of bandwidth while reducing the quality somewhat. Some will want to scale the video, others will default to showing it at its "real" resolution.

 

Anytime you blow up the video resolution beyond its actual recorded resolution, it will start to look fuzzier/blockier/pixelated. If you're recorded at CIF (352x240), for example, viewing at anything larger than that will show off just how low the resolution really is.

[hidef1981 0]

Thanks a lot for your help.

I am just kind of confused because I have three different options with this dvr.

1. Setting the windows resolution.

2. Setting the panel resolution option in geovision

3. The video source option in geovision

 

Does the windows resolution I choose effect what i see when using geovision?

 

Not sure if your familiar with geovision but I have always just played around with these options until the picture quality was good, but with this particular project nothing seems to be working.

[Erron S. 0]

Yes, these guys are correct. Having the correct monitor settings will make all the difference in the world, that's for sure.

 

Is Geovision really viewed as high end?

[hidef1981 0]

I only use Geovision, and now ICrealtime.

I have tried quite a few other systems and have found nothing better.

[vin2install 0]

What is the model number of the LCD. Because usually 32 inches will have a fairly high resolution, on top of that it is probably widescreen. You can not realistically expect good quality when you focus on a single channel. Especially for a monitor that big.

[alpine0000 0]

I supplied him with 16 quality cameras that were expensive so I guess he is expecting a very hi quality image.

 

Just as a side note, this camera is only 420 lines of res and can be had for between $71 and $150 easily online (which is not expensive at all for a high quality camera). Don't confuse this model speco with a high-quality camera.

 

Just so you don't pass on extremely high expectations to customers...

[Soundy 1]

What is the model number of the LCD. Because usually 32 inches will have a fairly high resolution, on top of that it is probably widescreen. You can not realistically expect good quality when you focus on a single channel. Especially for a monitor that big.

 

Actually, at that size, you're more likely to be getting into "TV" range, rather than "monitor"... and with that, the design parameters generally change, along with a reduced resolution. TVs that size are usually designed for 720p HDTV display, and so won't have a resolution over 1366x768. With a TV, higher resolution isn't necessary, and a LOT of cost is saved by keeping it low: around $600 at my regular retailer for a 32" 720p Viewsonic, vs. $3800(!!) for a Samsung 30" that does 2560x1600(!!!), or $4100-$4600(!!!!!) for a 30" LaCie with the same resolution.

 

Also, something that size, at TV resolutions, is not intended to be watched up close like a computer monitor. 1366x768, watched from 2-3 feet away, is going to look pixelated no matter what you do. Try this with a 20" LCD for about 1/10th the price and the customer will probably be a lot happier...

 

But of course, this is just guessing until we know the actual model of the display in question...

[hidef1981 0]

I supplied him with 16 quality cameras that were expensive so I guess he is expecting a very hi quality image.

 

Just as a side note, this camera is only 420 lines of res and can be had for between $71 and $150 easily online (which is not expensive at all for a high quality camera). Don't confuse this model speco with a high-quality camera.

 

Just so you don't pass on extremely high expectations to customers...

 

All I know is that the picture looks great when the camera is plugged directly into the monitor.As soon as you run it thru geovision it is distorted.

Just because the cameras are not $600 each doesn't mean there not high quality, and when you add up 16 of them it is expensive. I live in canada by the way and prices are not as cheap.

 

I think I am going to switch the dvr to icrealtime's 16 channel and take your advice and downgrade the monitor to a twenty inch.

 

Thanks

[Rebco 0]

I supplied him with 16 quality cameras that were expensive so I guess he is expecting a very hi quality image.

 

Just as a side note, this camera is only 420 lines of res and can be had for between $71 and $150 easily online (which is not expensive at all for a high quality camera). Don't confuse this model speco with a high-quality camera.

 

Just so you don't pass on extremely high expectations to customers...

 

All I know is that the picture looks great when the camera is plugged directly into the monitor.As soon as you run it thru geovision it is distorted.

Just because the cameras are not $600 each doesn't mean there not high quality, and when you add up 16 of them it is expensive. I live in canada by the way and prices are not as cheap.

 

I think I am going to switch the dvr to icrealtime's 16 channel and take your advice and downgrade the monitor to a twenty inch.

 

Thanks

I have to agree with Alpine0000

It does mean there not high-quality. If that was the case we would all be putting in 16 cameras systems for under $5000.00. Are you kidding? Your trying to compare apples and oranges...No matter what DVR you put in the image coming off the dvr to the monitor is compressed unless you can find a dvr that will give you a raw image.....

[hidef1981 0]

Problem solved, I guess the right video card does make all the difference.

[Rebco 0]

Problem solved, I guess the right video card does make all the difference.

Knowing the equipment's limits makes all the difference...