Are BNC Video Input Ports better Built-In or in Pigtails?

[yanieh 0]

There are various reasons why we have these 2 different BNC port standards. Some installers prefer the built-in type due to durability concerns. They find the video cables easy to wear and tear over the months which will apparently call for replacement and they consider it costly. Another issue is the labeling on the video cables. Video cables that are poorly labeled may cause confusion should the labels be erased over their use. They may re-label them but it will look unprofessional and it's unacceptable. So their last resort is again to replace the video cables.

 

Others, however, consider the pigtail-type more advantageous. For the DVR Cards, they believe that replacing the video cables is better and a lot easier than having to remove the entire DVR Card from the system to check the issue on the BNC ports. They will need to repair the hardware which will most probably leave unnecessary marks on the affected portion in the board. All the worse, the unit will be called for RMA. Now with the Standalone Systems, the ones that make use of video cables are obviuosly more compact. They are smaller in size since the supposed space for built-in BNC ports has been saved leaving a single DB25 port. Smaller size means lighter weight; and lighter weight means lower shipping cost per unit.

 

What do you think? Which is better?

[Soundy 1]

I've very, very rarely had to replace an "octopus" cable for broken connectors. A DVR should be tucked in its place and almost never moved, so there's no reason for any "wear and tear" on the connectors.

 

That said, neither is a particularly ideal solution IMHO. The octopus CAN be a pain the arse to sift through if you need to find a particular connector in a mess of incoming cables, especially once you start getting into 32-channel systems. On the other hand, most backplane connectors tend to be pretty tightly packed and while it's easy to tell which channel you're going for, actually reaching it and disconnecting the cable can be a major challenge unless you either have a special tool for it, or really thin fingers.

 

One thing I do like about the octopus cable, if I have to remove a DVR for upgrade or repair, I don't have to disconnect 16-32 cables, keep track of which is which, and then reconnect them all to the new system - I just have to unplug the octopus, take out the old box, put in the new box, and reconnect the octopus. This is especially handy if I want to drop in a loaner DVR while I have the other one out for repair.

[scorpion 0]

I just had a customer ask where to get a replacement pigtail for an 8 channel DVR.

 

Can you recommend a source?

 

Thanks!

[Soundy 1]

Depends on the DVR. I've found that although they look the same, GeoVision's 8-channel octopus cable is wired differently than the Vigil and VideoInsight's. They're ALMOST compatible, but not quite.

 

Offhand, I'd say the manufacturer is the best bet...