j4str 0 Posted January 5, 2011 i've been trying to do my research on cheap dvr's. Id like to stay away from direct from china type ebay ones because i want to be able to get some support if it isn't working correctly. A few low end models ive found avs atom-4 http://www.avsipcctv.com/products/dvr/standalone/atom-4 Found this in a "sale" brochure sent to a guy i work with. It says its on sale for 199 from 400. I havn't been able to find them for sale on the internet at all. * 4 Channel (BNC) * H.264 Codec * 120 fps Display, 120 fps Recording @ CIF * Mouse Control * Includes 500GB HDD (Customizable) * 1 HDD Bay * Supports up to 2TB (SATA) * Triplex Function * Simultaneous Record / Playback / Network * Auto Port Forwarding by uPNP * Audio Play Synchronized with Video * Multi-Hour Panorama Search * Archive with USB Device or via Network * Emergency Internal HDD Archive Support * Selectable Border Colors * S.M.A.R.T. Alarm (Auto-Monitoring of HDD status) * Compact size for covert applications * 2 3/8" X 11 1/4" X 9 1/4" 4Kgs another option, in this thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=23393&p=139980&hilit=atom+dvr#p139980 rory recommends a 4 channel recorder for $130 without a hard drive. A dahua, but i can't find anything only about them. any other recommendations or advise? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted January 5, 2011 That DVR you posted records in low resolution CIF only. The Atom in my post refers to the Intel Atom CPU not a DVR. That $130 is more like over $200 retail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j4str 0 Posted January 6, 2011 That DVR you posted records in low resolution CIF only.The Atom in my post refers to the Intel Atom CPU not a DVR. That $130 is more like over $200 retail. right, thats how i found your post was searching for atom dvr. But your post said dahau standalone dvr. I found no references to the avs atom dvr on this website (or any other website, other than the manufacturer) Would the dahau be a better dvr? What resolution is low resolution. I can't find any resolution specs anywhere. What i want from a dvr: record 4 cameras for at least a week (could be motion only) have enough clarity to be able to identify what im looking at (doesn't have to be perfect) id like to be able to remotely view cameras from the web, but its not an absolute must I plan to use a vga monitor i don't need any other fancy features, but id like to keep the price at less than 200 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted January 6, 2011 See my post about the QR414 I recently reviewed, its a very basic DVR but gets the job done for the budget consumer, has D1 recording, net viewing capabilties, etc: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23787&p=142635&hilit=qr414#p142635 Feel free to PM me if you are interested in purchasing, I am thinking about carrying these full time and I have a few here to sell for a decent price, below your budget. Just be sure to get some good cameras to go with it, I dont recommend the Q-see cameras, but some of their DVR's are fairly decent if you are needing basic recording capabilities, this one is an example. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birdman Adam 0 Posted January 6, 2011 Looks like that DVR can only do 30FPS at 4CIF, can't even do D1 at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted January 6, 2011 Dont know which DVR you were referring to but I assume you were talking about the Atom because the Q-see records in D1 But with that being said, I would bet that it would be extremely hard to tell the difference between 4CIF and D1. I would go on to say that its probably not noticeable to the human eye at all. The only reason I say this is I wouldnt kick a good DVR to the curb if it recorded in 4CIF. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D.V.S. 0 Posted January 6, 2011 Isn't 4cif and D1 the same? edt: ok I got it. D1 is 720x480 and 4CIF is 704x480. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted January 6, 2011 4CIF is just cropped D1 as 8 pixels on either side are sometimes not used anyway. Some manufacturers call 4CIF D1 anyway, guess it just sounds better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j4str 0 Posted January 6, 2011 See my post about the QR414 I recently reviewed, its a very basic DVR but gets the job done for the budget consumer, has D1 recording, net viewing capabilties, etc:viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23787&p=142635&hilit=qr414#p142635 Feel free to PM me if you are interested in purchasing, I am thinking about carrying these full time and I have a few here to sell for a decent price, below your budget. Just be sure to get some good cameras to go with it, I dont recommend the Q-see cameras, but some of their DVR's are fairly decent if you are needing basic recording capabilities, this one is an example. I tried looking them up and i found people saying they didn't have a VGA port. This true? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted January 6, 2011 Your right, no VGA port, guess they left that out to keep the cost down. It does have a BNC out and it comes with a RCA/BNC adapter to plug into a TV. If you really wanted to plug it into a computer monitor, you could always buy an RCA to VGA converter on eBay for $20-30, but my recommendation would be just to use a 13"-24" tube tv as that seems to look best on Analog cameras anyways. It will look better on a tube tv than it will on an LCD computer monitor or LCD TV. The only advantage to using an LCD TV or computer monitor is they are slimmer and take up less space. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j4str 0 Posted January 6, 2011 Your right, no VGA port, guess they left that out to keep the cost down. It does have a BNC out and it comes with a RCA/BNC adapter to plug into a TV. If you really wanted to plug it into a computer monitor, you could always buy an RCA to VGA converter on eBay for $20-30, but my recommendation would be just to use a 13"-24" tube tv as that seems to look best on Analog cameras anyways. It will look better on a tube tv than it will on an LCD computer monitor or LCD TV. The only advantage to using an LCD TV or computer monitor is they are slimmer and take up less space. i was wanting to use a tube monitor, but i have a 19" tube tv that would probably work just fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted January 6, 2011 I think thats the best thing you could use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted January 6, 2011 Just make sure it has an RCA video connection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j4str 0 Posted January 22, 2011 i think ive decided i want to go with an 8 channel dvr. Can anyone recommend a cheap no frills unit that works as it should? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bcarusi 0 Posted February 21, 2011 Cheap DVRs... Well, I just ordered one from China - a company called Bessky. Prices were VERY cheap but shipping was high. I should receive in the next week or so and I'll post a short review. In the meantime, the one I have in my home is the aposonic R22 - it is an 8 channel. Definitely a Chinese model, but they have distributors here in the US that provide tech support. I bought it because I wanted full remote setup (via browser) and access from my android phone. There are others that do that, but this one was pretty flawless. The place I bought it actually offered a setup service - I let them log into my home computer and they took over and set the whole thing up for me. I don't recall exactly but I think I paid about $250 from some outfit in Houston - I would have to look it up if you wanted to find them. BC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NOWIN 0 Posted February 24, 2011 Did you get a dvr yet? I have a ge 4 camera cs unit slightly used for $500, all paper work and wave reader disk. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted February 25, 2011 I have had a few problems with my cheap DVR, it doesdn't pay to save too much because it appears that the old saying "you get what you pay for". I can't even stand the VGA monitor ion top of it unless I want to hum God Save The Queen all the time. I had to make a shroud in 1/2'" ply to place over the DVR and support the monitor without humming or bending the case Mine is as light as a feather and it repeatedly vibrates, and the BNC inputs are so close together that if I didn't already have a pr of needle nose pliers to twist the BNC I most certainly would have had to do so. Until today, I have only used two cameras out of the four my DVR will support. I was testing another camera which I am soon to install and my DVR started flickering that channel, but it wasn't the camera I had attached to that channel but one of the existing cameras? It has a three year warranty, but if it's going to spend most of the time getting repaired then I'd have been better spending more on a sturdier one. Spend a few more $ £ etc, you'll have fewer issues and it will probably record better. You may not realize it now but buy cheap and these warnings will ring in your ears..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
