Mavrik 0 Posted January 29, 2012 What are some brand names of analog CCD's that have good picture quality that is priced lower to midrange? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted January 29, 2012 Don't go JUST on brand names - many brands have their own range of quality as well. For example, I've been using CNB's "Monalisa" line of cameras for some time now and been very happy with them for the price... many of their other models aren't as good though (not terrible, but not as good). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mavrik 0 Posted January 29, 2012 I'm having a real hard time shopping for cameras, everyone claims "high quality" and specs don't seem to mean a thing. I realize that the lens and sensor is the most important part, but there is never any specs on these. Higher prices doesn't always mean higher quality. So asking end users is the only way to tell. Do you have any demo shots of the Monalisa cams? Like straight object 10 feet away? I'm concerned with pixcelating (straight lines looking blocky). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted January 29, 2012 Pixelation is a result of digitization and compression... in general, it has very little to do with the camera itself. This one is a Panasonic WV-CW504 camera (lists around $800): These are CNB VCM-24VFs (can be found online <$200): Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mavrik 0 Posted January 29, 2012 "digitization and compression", hmm, so what I'm monitoring the cameras from are more important? I'm using an HDTV or capture card, they both look kinda similar to the demo shots (thanks for the shots). The HDTV is reporting 480i (704x480) for incoming (RCA input) and the camera is 811x508 (600TVL). I have a conflict in resolutions causing distortion? I also noticed that I get less pixcel blocking with more light. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted January 29, 2012 The TV will always report 480i, for any camera, because all analog cameras use existing analog video standards for transmission - 480i for NTSC (North America), 576i for PAL (most of the rest of the world). In your case, if you're viewing the camera directly on the TV, the artifacts you're seeing are because the TV up-scales the image to fit the full screen (720 lines or 1080 lines, depending on the TV). Not only that, it's also stretching the image horizontally - NTSC/PAL video are 4:3 aspect ratios, while your TV is 16:9. If you change the display setting to 4:3 (some TVs also call this "Normal"), you should see a much cleaner picture. With "digitization and compression" I'm talking about recording the cameras on a DVR: the analog video signal has to be digitized and then compressed for storage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mavrik 0 Posted January 29, 2012 I have two other 600TVL camera's that don't show artifacts when the TV is on 16:9, they are B/W though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shockwave199 0 Posted January 30, 2012 Maybe you should show us some snapshots directly from some dvr footage Mavrik. Two different things- the quality of the picture a camera will give you as opposed to the quality of what you're viewing with, and what that may be doing to an otherwise fine picture. I can post a bunch of shots for you as well, but maybe that's not the issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites