CONFUSED about data storage

[halam 0]

hi

i am setting up a cctv system and i wanted to know how many hours i can record with a 1tb hard drive, once the hard drive is full what will happen? will it start to record over the saved footage or will it not record at all and i have to reset it myself, finally i also wanted to know if i can schedule the dvr to record from eg 9oclock to 5oclock .

 

thanks

[tomcctv 190]

hi

i am setting up a cctv system and i wanted to know how many hours i can record with a 1tb hard drive, once the hard drive is full what will happen? will it start to record over the saved footage or will it not record at all and i have to reset it myself, finally i also wanted to know if i can schedule the dvr to record from eg 9oclock to 5oclock .

 

thanks

 

it depends on how you set it up. and the number of cameras. you can set your dvr to record over when full.

but i would not use schedule recording. it will always be off when you need it most

[Soundy 1]

It also depends on the DVR - all of them SHOULD automatically do "recycle" recording, where it just overwrites the oldest video, but a few do default to just stopping once the disk is full.

 

How much you can get on 1TB varies widely as well - it could be anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on the number of cameras, the types of cameras, the resolutions used, the framerates used, the codec used, the quality level it's set for, the amount of movement, whether you use constant or motion recording, pre/post-motion settings, whether you use alarm/triggered recording, whether you record in color or B&W... and on and on and on.

 

Some, but not all, support scheduled recording. I agree with tom, you don't usually want it to ONLY record during the scheduled times, but more advanced scheduling can be useful at times (for example, I have the paypoint camera in one store set to record constantly during business hours, but only on motion outside those times).

 

Without knowing exactly what make and model of DVR you have, it's impossible to give any more than generic advice.

[halam 0]

thanks for the help guys.having set times then having motion detection after sounds like a really good idea, the dvr that im going to buy is the one tom reccomended (AVTECH KPD 674 H.264.) it looks pretty good on paper, im going to use four 540 tlv camera on the dvr. so how many days will the hdd last for then and will it automatically record over the last data?

 

thanks

[tomcctv 190]

thanks for the help guys.having set times then having motion detection after sounds like a really good idea, the dvr that im going to buy is the one tom reccomended (AVTECH KPD 674 H.264.) it looks pretty good on paper, im going to use four 540 tlv camera on the dvr. so how many days will the hdd last for then and will it automatically record over the last data?

 

thanks

 

 

for around a home with 1 tb about 15 days and it will keep deleting the last day for a new day cycle. the avtech is a budget dvr but it will do the job. other unbranded names would have given you problems

[halam 0]

so what type and brand of hdd shall i get i need 1tb, i was looking at hitatchi, seagate, or samsung which is better?

[tomcctv 190]

so what type and brand of hdd shall i get i need 1tb, i was looking at hitatchi, seagate, or samsung which is better?

 

 

most uk suppliers sell the avtech with a 500gb H/D fitted. so i would see how you get on with how many days you get then if needed upgrade the H/D.

[Soundy 1]

^Agree with tom, see how the included drive does. Remember if you're on motion detect, it's only going to record when something happens, so if you have cameras watching low-traffic areas, they'll use very little drive space. You also don't need to run full framerate - standard video is 30fps, but for security purposes, the difference with 15fps is almost indistinguishable, and even 7.5fps will give fairly smooth motion.

[halam 0]

thanks for all your help guys much appreciated!

[Kablooie 0]

so what type and brand of hdd shall i get i need 1tb, i was looking at hitatchi, seagate, or samsung which is better?

Which is on sale? I'm serious. I typically go with Seagate or Western Digital though. Widely available at decent prices.

[Soundy 1]

so what type and brand of hdd shall i get i need 1tb, i was looking at hitatchi, seagate, or samsung which is better?

Which is on sale? I'm serious. I typically go with Seagate or Western Digital though. Widely available at decent prices.

One important thing: don't use "cheap" drives, or "green" drives. These aren't typically designed for prolonged 24/7 operation or sustained read/write cycles and often don't have the performance necessary for DVR usage. We've been using Western Digital Caviar "Black" drives and found them very solid in DVRs and RAID storage arrays.

[rory 0]

yeah stay away from ANY green drive, AV or not. I switched one problematic green WD AV drive to a basic blue drive (only thing available here at the time) and it fixed the problems I was having. As mentioned get the blacks if you can. The AV drive did not seem to be an issue for general PC tests but after a few weeks of trying to find out why my recordings were skipping I tried an external USB 5400rpm drive and the problem did not exist anymore, so thats when I ditched that AV drive and got whatever I could get my hands on, and problem was fixed.

 

BTW the green AV drive was 90mb/s max read and the blue was 135mb/s max read, not that it matters so much with recording, the 5400rpm USB drive for example was much less, I think around 45mb/s.

[halam 0]

how about this hdd, is this suitable? Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATAII 64MB Cache 3.5-inch Green Internal Hard Drive OEM

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002U1N95K/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=computers&psc=1

[rory 0]

No its green, I would stay clear of them completely.

[tomcctv 190]

how about this hdd, is this suitable? Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATAII 64MB Cache 3.5-inch Green Internal Hard Drive OEM

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002U1N95K/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=computers&psc=1

 

 

your best option is where you buy the dvr from you state what size H/drive you want. and it will be cheaper than what you could buy it for anyway.

[halam 0]

how about a SEAGATE SV35 1tb

[tomcctv 190]

how about a SEAGATE SV35 1tb

 

 

halam. you need to talk to the company you are buying your dvr from. they will tell you which is best. also for warranty issues it is best to order it with the drive installed.

[coolspot 0]

One important thing: don't use "cheap" drives, or "green" drives. These aren't typically designed for prolonged 24/7 operation or sustained read/write cycles and often don't have the performance necessary for DVR usage. We've been using Western Digital Caviar "Black" drives and found them very solid in DVRs and RAID storage arrays.

 

Green drives are plenty fast and give off less heat (about 20% cooler) making them more suited for the confined spaces of a DVR. However, Black Drives do have a 5 year limited warranty vs 3 years for the Green drives.

 

In the end, I think it's just the luck of the draw

Edited October 29, 2010 by Guest

[tomcctv 190]

One important thing: don't use "cheap" drives, or "green" drives. These aren't typically designed for prolonged 24/7 operation or sustained read/write cycles and often don't have the performance necessary for DVR usage. We've been using Western Digital Caviar "Black" drives and found them very solid in DVRs and RAID storage arrays.

 

Green drives are plenty fast and give off less heat making them more suited for the confined spaces of a DVR.

 

 

it depends on which type of system .............green drives dont work in pc systems ........ give western digital tech a call they will tell you the same thing.

[coolspot 0]

it depends on which type of system .............green drives dont work in pc systems ........ give western digital tech a call they will tell you the same thing.

 

Green, Blue, and Black drives are only rated for RAID 0/1 and work equally as well. Were you having trouble with a Green drive?

 

For enterprise RAID, WD only supports their RE line... which are much more expensive and supposedly more reliable.

[Soundy 1]

Many RAID manufacturers specifically recommend against "green" drives, or limit them to "home" use. Comments on many forums indicate that they don't have sufficient sustained throughput for CCTV use.

 

QNAP, for example, in their Drive Compatibility list (http://www.qnap.com/pro_compatibility.asp), states outright:

 

Not Recommended Hard Drives

Manufacturer Model Number Size (GB) Remark

WD All WD20EADS except WD20EADS-00R6B0 2000 Slow Performance or Unstable

WD All WD15EADS except WD15EADS-00R6B0 1500 Slow Performance or Unstable

WD All WD10EADS except WD10EADS-00R6B0 1000 Slow Performance or Unstable

 

You don't gain one thing (cooler operation, for example) without a trade-off somewhere else.

[rory 0]

Green drives are plenty fast and give off less heat (about 20% cooler) making them more suited for the confined spaces of a DVR. However, Black Drives do have a 5 year limited warranty vs 3 years for the Green drives.

 

In the end, I think it's just the luck of the draw

I tested the speed of the WD AV drive, and a WD Blue Drive.

The AV drive was 90 max, the Blue was 130 max.

Although 90 is not slow, considering most were around 55 max a year ago, but there is still a difference there.

Not to mention I had stuttering video on the DVR I used the AV drive with, had to change it for a blue drive. And yes the AV drive tested good in all tests I ran, and was brand new, and otherwise was fine on the OS in general.