Overview of the players in the CCTV field?

[hijakk 0]

Hi all, a coworker of mine has asked me to help him install a CCTV setup at a bar he runs. I am in the US. He is looking for an 8-16 channel DVR, that can be accessed online, with the capability to use NV cameras, cameras with servos, and audio capability.

 

I have the feeling the setups you can get at Costco aren't really the best way to invest money in something like this, so I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to let me know the major players in the field, producing quality stuff? Is there anyone that hits the magical "cheap" and "good" marks, or is this a case of "you get what you pay for"?

 

Thanks!

[bpzle 0]

what's a NV camera? What do you mean by a camera with servos? You mean a ptz camera?

[hijakk 0]

Sorry, I mean night vision/IR by NV, and yes, it looks like PTZ is the term I need - learning already!

[Mark Farr 0]

high end - http://computarganz.com/

 

cheap - ebay

 

You do get what you pay for, but it will also depend on budget and what the system is required for.

 

Draw up a list of what it needs to do, you may find that you can mix and match

 

I.e. high end DVR with a couple of good PTZ's then add in a few cheaper cameras for less importent areas.

[bpzle 0]

Ganz is good, I have countless sites I service with their cameras. I didn't pick them though... waste of money IMO. I can buy 4 cameras for the price of 1 Ganz, with better picture and just as reliable too.

 

I think PTZs would be a waste for this application too... You could buy 8 good quality cameras for the price of 1 good quality PTZ.

 

And one more thing... unless you REALLY know what you're looking for.... NEVER buy CCTV from Ebay. You'll regret it, I promise. Cheap Chinese CCTV gear is worthless junk. So what you can buy a camera for $30... doesn't mean anyone should.

[hijakk 0]

We've been looking at an Eyemax setup. Ideally we'd like to have something that doesn't rely on ActiveX - so we don't need Internet Explorer, but in my research I haven't found any stand alone DVRs that use, say, flash or something, instead of the ActiveX control.

 

Currently it is looking like we'll probably just have to emulate Internet Explorer on my friend's macbook pro - is that the most feasible thing to do?

 

And I hadn't realized PTZs were that expensive before looking in to them some more. Our previous implementation was a couple IP stand alone network PTZ cameras that cost ~$150 each. He doesn't like the data archival solution, though, and wants to upgrade.

 

Thanks for the info!

[dino_squirrel 0]

And I hadn't realized PTZs were that expensive before looking in to them some more. Our previous implementation was a couple IP stand alone network PTZ cameras that cost ~$150 each. He doesn't like the data archival solution, though, and wants to upgrade.

 

 

Ohhohoho... I'm still a noob in this realm, but I think I can speak for the guys when saying $150 for an IP camera is crap, and $150 for a PTZ is even scarier. Add about 4 to 5 times that price for a decent one.

 

Funny story, i bought this camera at a garage sales YEARS ago, $20. so I looked it up. It was an IP PTZ - LOW quality, but it was cool to use. Set it up in my room just to see what it would do, took some pics of it, put it on ebay, I got $250 for the old, used, IP PTZ.

 

I don't speak for them, but when they hit you back with some numbers you better be prepared.

[Soundy 1]

You're missing a key factor from your specs: budget. If we know how much your customer expects (hopes) to pay, it gives us a better starting point for recommending something.

 

Now offhand, I can suggest (and many here will agree) CNB's VCM-24vf or VBM-24vf cameras for excellent low-cost, low-light, day/night cameras.

 

The others are right, PTZs aren't a good choice here - aside from the cost, they're only really useful when you're monitoring them live; for recording, they can only record what they're pointed at.

 

And I would just forget about audio - first, the laws in most places are stricter about recording audio, and second, in a bar setting, you're not likely to get much useful from it anyway, as you'll be picking up all that background noise - music, chatter (read: yelling), etc. To give yourself a sample, just sit in the middle of the room on a busy night and try to pick out any one conversation more than two feet away... that's what the mics will pick up, and without any inherent ability to concentrate attention on specific conversation(s).

[hijakk 0]

His budget is in the ~$1500 range, it looks like. Are the eyemax cameras worth it? I'm seeing about $110 a piece for the Eyemax ID 5635V.

 

We've pretty much forgotten PTZs at this point.

[Soundy 1]

They look mediocre at best, from the specs I've found. They aren't true day/night; they have the IR LEDs to compensate for poor low-light performance. Most listings I've found put them in about the $200 range, though, so if you can get them for $100, you're probably not TOO bad off. $1500 should be your minimum budget for *cameras* in this case - you're in a dark environment, something that's not up to snuff won't do anyone any good.

[rory 0]

What kind of lighting is in the bar?

If the camera will always be in BW mode then could just get a BW camera, we use BW bullets in the clubs here, many do in the US also. Simple, cheap, does the job. Otherwise if enough light, just get a color high res camera, as mentioned perhaps the CNBs, or even just plain old color only bullet if the budget is tight. If its too dark in a certain area THEN you may need IR.

 

For example one of the clubs I work on we use various cameras, mostly BW bullets, but in a couple cases color only bullets and domes as those bars have enough light and they needed something installed right away so used what I could find locally, then BW Vandal Domes for one area as its always low light (hard to find though, could make your own using a mini cube BW camera and a dummy vandal dome housing), color at the entrances and car park, and a BW IR bullet by an office door as its too dark.

 

KT&C has alot of the mini color and bw cameras, if using BW then get the 420tvl lower res model as it is more sensitive in low light then the 600TVL models. For day night, as mentioned CNB seems to work well, but make sure it is a True Day Night (ICR) not just color IR, at least in important areas.