Brands to look into, brands to avoid... Any insight?

[ronp 0]

To chime in with a completely non-technical but very practical issue... If you go with outdoor IR cameras instead of separate IR floods or highly sensitive night-vision cams prepare to invest in a pole and feather duster. Here in NC, from May through October, I have to clear off the spider webs EVERY night. When I'm out of town (when I really need the cameras) I'm SOL. The IR is a spider magnet.

[bike_rider 0]

My vivotek devices show video in Chrome and FF. You can configure what protocol is used for each video steam. If there is a prompt for a plugin, it is probably RTSP asking for Quicktime. I don't use IE, so it certainly is not required.

 

I buy from B&H usually. If I'm buying through Amazon, I never buy from anyone with less than 95% approval rating.

 

The 8332 seems popular, but did have some firmware issues recently. I don't have one, so I can't comment on the image quality. My next box camera will likely be a Vivotek.

[jasauders 0]

Good deal. The Vivotek 8332 is looking pretty attractive in my opinion. 1mpx with all of the other options I want... The 8330 on the other hand has lower resolution (640x480) but it has 60 fps... I'm not sure which way I'd lean. Do you guys have any comment on that? They seem to be nearly identical otherwise, so I guess the deciding factor would be 640x480/60fps or 1mpx/30fps.

 

The only thing that semi scares me is the fact that I can't find any online retailers except TheNerds.net. I have no idea who they are... They look a little more legit than camcorder.co.uk, which I read some bad reviews over.

[groovyman 0]

The only thing that semi scares me is the fact that I can't find any online retailers except TheNerds.net. I have no idea who they are... They look a little more legit than camcorder.co.uk, which I read some bad reviews over.

Try searching for Vivotek IP8332. Other sellers will appear.

Also, you may want to contact Vivotek directly and ask where to buy.

[jasauders 0]

The only thing that semi scares me is the fact that I can't find any online retailers except TheNerds.net. I have no idea who they are... They look a little more legit than camcorder.co.uk, which I read some bad reviews over.

Try searching for Vivotek IP8332. Other sellers will appear.

Also, you may want to contact Vivotek directly and ask where to buy.

 

Thanks. That's what I did. I got a hold of a rep from 4XEM after I emailed Vivotek sales directly. They gave me an attractive quote on the 8332, so I think I'm going to move forward with it. There were quite a few other cameras from Vivotek I was considering, but I really don't "need" PTZ (like, yes, need, no... for the cost, no ). On top of that, I was heavily considering the 60fps 8330 @ VGA resolution, thinking maybe the camera speed would be that much faster like some other high end cameras I've seen. However, I've seen video footage of 30fps cameras that are remarkable, so I have to wonder if more goes into a camera being smooth flowing than just the fps alone, which makes me think that much higher of the 8332 into thinking it'd be a good fit. On top of that, I see ZoneMinder's hardware support list is very good with Vivotek, which makes me dig it even more, since I'd love to just dump ZM on top of my Linux server and run the video feed there.

 

I'm going to email the rep back and put in an order. Thanks guys!

[Soundy 1]

I was heavily considering the 60fps 8330 @ VGA resolution, thinking maybe the camera speed would be that much faster like some other high end cameras I've seen. However, I've seen video footage of 30fps cameras that are remarkable, so I have to wonder if more goes into a camera being smooth flowing than just the fps alone...

Regular NTSC video (like watching TV) is 30fps. As far as surveillance, you usually won't even notice a difference at 15fps. Remember that the higher the framerate, the more storage space it's going to take and the more bandwidth it uses.

 

http://www.panasonic.com/business/security/demos/PSS-recording-rates.html

[jasauders 0]

I was heavily considering the 60fps 8330 @ VGA resolution, thinking maybe the camera speed would be that much faster like some other high end cameras I've seen. However, I've seen video footage of 30fps cameras that are remarkable, so I have to wonder if more goes into a camera being smooth flowing than just the fps alone...

Regular NTSC video (like watching TV) is 30fps. As far as surveillance, you usually won't even notice a difference at 15fps. Remember that the higher the framerate, the more storage space it's going to take and the more bandwidth it uses.

 

http://www.panasonic.com/business/security/demos/PSS-recording-rates.html

 

Ah good deal, I was not aware of that. As of a few minutes ago while I was still waiting to hear back via email from the Vivotek rep, I was still up in the air between which one to go with. While the 8134V is a fixed dome (which I'm not sure if I prefer or not for outdoor use), and looks like it has less IR sensors (possibly leading to a little bit less visibility at night), I was semi leaning towards it in the event it was cheaper. However, once I saw the outdoor operational temp ratings, my mind was made up.

 

FD8134V = 32*F to 122*F

IP8332 = -4*F to 122*F

 

I live in Pennsylvania, so it's rather common to dip into the teens at some point throughout the winter, with the average being in the 20s.

 

IP8332 without a doubt it is! For what it's worth, I also checked out some IP8332 footage on YouTube and was rather impressed.

[Soundy 1]

Don't get too hung up on the temp specs - remember that electronics generate their own heat and tend to keep the cameras themselves pretty warm inside, especially if you're powering them over PoE (most cameras, the step-down process throws off a LOT of extra heat)... so as long as they're running, the cameras tend to stay nice and toasty on their own.

[Soundy 1]

BTW, just installed a Vivotek IP8162P yesterday... pretty impressed with the results:

 

[jasauders 0]

Don't get too hung up on the temp specs - remember that electronics generate their own heat and tend to keep the cameras themselves pretty warm inside, especially if you're powering them over PoE (most cameras, the step-down process throws off a LOT of extra heat)... so as long as they're running, the cameras tend to stay nice and toasty on their own.

 

Oh I'm sure. The problem is, I was pretty much exactly 50/50 on which one to go for. At first I thought the 8134V had PTZ, because "ePTZ" was listed on one spec sheet I found on it (I assumed it meant electronic PTZ??), however everything else says it's fixed. So, fixed dome vs bullet... well... I really don't have a preference. If the dome was PTZ, the +1 would go there. I haven't heard anybody comment on the build quality of the 8134V, but the 8332 has gotten repeatedly good reviews about the build quality, which made me think that's something worth considering. Couple that with a better "rated" operating temp range and the decision making was over. I'm sure the 8134V would realistically be fine, but if the camera that I'm already beginning to lean towards had better rated operating temp, then why look further? After all, we've had our fair share of ice storms and crazy cold winters, so I figure it's at least SOME food for thought.

 

About your 8162P, that shot looks nice! What software/DVR are you using with that?

[Soundy 1]

That's using Vigil hybrid DVR.