buellwinkle 0 Posted June 26, 2012 New firmware just came out for the TCM-7811 that allows you to now use an SD card for storage. ACTi introduced SD card slots a while ago but finally has released the firmware to take adavantage of it. There's a new setup menu option called Local Storage. It expands out to Status, Utilities, Setup and File Management. In File Management you can search for events by time. In event configuration, you can select local storage as an option. If was able to write the video to SD and it shows up under File Management but does not play from there. It allows you to download the video to your PC and then play or convert it using their software. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted June 26, 2012 There a handful of cameras on the Acti site labeled "local storage". Are you saying that some of those don't actually allow local storage because the firmware did not allow it, or is this "now it really works" feature is just for the 7811? Just to clarify, you cannot view locally stored (aka on the SD card) video directly, you have to d/l it first? Do all ACTi cameras (with local storage) work like this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akelley 0 Posted June 26, 2012 buellwinkle, if you get a chance to test this out, that would be great. In my experience, it's a mixed bag from manufacturer to manufacturer (and even between camera lines within manufacturers) in terms of quality and what can be recorded. Axis p series cameras do an excellent job at recording to an SD card in terms of image quality and stated frame rates. I've found on their lower end (consumer line) M series, the quality isn't quite as good, and doesn't always keep up with specified frame rates at highest resolutions. The realtime streaming from the P series is excellent, while the M series is so so (I've had M5014s crash after streaming recorded clips). Hopefully, firmware updates will improve the quality of streaming recorded clips for the Axis M series. Samsung recording to SD card is really bad. Can't seem to record more than 5 fps at any resolution. Of course, the quality and type of SD card is also important (wouldn't use anything less than a type 4 - I use type 10 in all of my cameras, even though it's probably overkill, but I'm assured the throughput these higher MP cameras produce can be handled by the SD card). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted June 26, 2012 ACTi release a few cameras with SD card slots but no firmware to support it. The 7811 is one of them. So now they support it, although it the first version so there could be issues. I'll play around more with when I have time. I just did a quick test and it worked, but no real life day to day recordings. It's a pain because you have a list of files that were recorded, but the ony way to view them is to download them off the camera and play them with their viewer utility. So certainly not a replacement for an NVR, at least not in this release. Axis does have it's Camera Companion software that gives you an NVR solution using the video recorded on the SD card. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Thanks for posting this. I was eyeing ACTi for some single camera "stand alone" installs, but the prospect of having to D/L videos just to do a quick review puts a damper on that idea. I guess I'm back to looking at Vivotek. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted June 26, 2012 The only company I know of that do that well, if you want to be able to do on camera recording or NAS recording and have it be like an NVR where you can look at a timeline or thumbnails and click and play video directly from the camera is Mobotix. Axis has free software called Camera Companion that works with certain models allows you have the camera record to SD and then use their IOS, Android or PC app to act like an NVR viewer. So the cameras do all the work, but the software makes viewing the cameras and recorded video easy like any NVR. This is their answer to Mobotix and their MXControlCenter. Since the software is more like a viewer, you only need to run it when you want to look at the cameras or recording, it's not a traditional NVR that has to run 24/7. Axis folk gave me a nice demo, and it does work very nicely and they want me to do a review but none of my Axis cameras I have are supportted and I'm on vacation a good part of July but I'll do a review in August when their new P33 dome comes out with the IR leds. Vivotek would be similar to ACTi in how it works. You can see my review on one of them in my blog and I have screen shots of the menus related to this. Being able to record to SD or a networked mount point does not mean that it will be easy to manage like Mobotix, Axis Camera Companion or decent NVR software. Both Vivotek and ACTi provide free NVR software. I use the ACTi software and their latest version is amazingly good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Vivotek would be similar to ACTi in how it works. You can see my review on one of them in my blog and I have screen shots of the menus related to this. Being able to record to SD or a networked mount point does not mean that it will be easy to manage like Mobotix, Axis Camera Companion or decent NVR software. Both Vivotek and ACTi provide free NVR software. I use the ACTi software and their latest version is amazingly good. Actually, with the Vivotek you can view in the browser a low res vesrion to see if the video is intersting, before you D/L the ful res version. Like I said, ths is a special case of essentially single camera installs - no NVR software, no long term storage. Just a camera recording to SD until you need to go look for something specifc. I will always have a mix of brands, and my understanding of manufacturer specific software is that it is tied-in to the brand, so that's not useful for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted June 27, 2012 Sure, but still, you are looking at a bunch of file names, so it's semantics as to wether you save it first and then play or just play it on your PC using the browser, it still has to come to your PC to play. A simple 20 second video can be 20-40MB file, takes time to start playing that video. You still have no easy way to look at thumbnails or timelines to see what was recorded. Wait until you are staring a list of hundreds of file names and you spend hours of looking at videos of squirrels, birds and shadows looking for that one nugget you want. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted June 27, 2012 Sure, but still, you are looking at a bunch of file names, so it's semantics as to wether you save it first and then play or just play it on your PC using the browser, it still has to come to your PC to play. A simple 20 second video can be 20-40MB file, takes time to start playing that video. You still have no easy way to look at thumbnails or timelines to see what was recorded. Wait until you are staring a list of hundreds of file names and you spend hours of looking at videos of squirrels, birds and shadows looking for that one nugget you want. I hear what you are saying, but for my use case it would be a targeted time window review, access would be remote, so bandwidth is an issue. As far as I can tell, based on the manual, you can only d/l one file at a time. Is that right? If you could batch D/L a set that would mitigate the issue. I don't know for sure, but not being able to review via the browser might be a deal breaker. It's a silly little thing to be missing, so maybe they will add it in a future firmware. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawbones 0 Posted July 3, 2012 So Acti SD-card recording isn't vaporware anymore? It's about time... I've had one of their KCM-5311's for >6 months now, waiting for that updated firmware. Will have to see if it actually works. (I still think Mobotix sets the standard for on-board recording) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Nobody does it as good as Mobotix, they are the king, but Axis comes pretty darn close with it's Axis free Camera Companion software. It's PC software that manages the recordings the camera makes either to SD or to a NAS. So the cameras do the recording, but the software makes it look like you have an NVR. Not through the web browser like Mobotix allows, more like Mobotix MX ControlCenter software if you are familiar with that but easier to use. I'm going to do a review on that when the new P33 dome comes out next month. Sort of kill two birds with one stone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawbones 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Well... it appears the SD-card recording is NOT enabled yet for the KCM-5311's... So it's back to vaporware. I have an application in mind for the camera that requires on-board recording. Good thing it's largely experimental, and not any sort of rush-job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ando 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Well... it appears the SD-card recording is NOT enabled yet for the KCM-5311's... So it's back to vaporware. I have an application in mind for the camera that requires on-board recording. Good thing it's largely experimental, and not any sort of rush-job. Dear sawbones, The local storage capability will be available in KCM-series firmware version 5.08 (expected release date is the end of this month or beginning of August). For urgent requests, please contact our tech support at www.acti.com/chd Sorry for the inconvenience! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Wait a second. You mean that even though the 5311 clearly says "local storage" on the Web site, it doesn't actually work?! Does anyone have a list of Acti cameras that actually have this features working today? Vaporware is one thing. Lying about a feature is something else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Actually the spec sheet does not say that, but they should clean up their website. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted July 5, 2012 Actually the spec sheet does not say that, but they should clean up their website. Correction, the data sheet says exactly that. "MicroSD / MicroSDHC memory card slot (card not included)" and "Save video or snapshot to local storage" The web page also has the logo for Local Storage. So, does anyone have a list where this feature actually works? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted July 5, 2012 If you are starting a list, I know for a fact it works on the TCM-7811. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawbones 0 Posted July 8, 2012 It does NOT work yet on the KCM-7111 and KCM-7211... I have one of each installed, and neither of them support local storage. The release notes for the most current firmware clearly state: "Remark 1. SD Card Storage reserved for support in future firmware versions." Just FYI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawbones 0 Posted August 10, 2012 And the latest firmware published for the KCM-5311E (at the end of July) STILL doesn't have SD-card local recording enabled. I should point out that this camera came out at the beginning of the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bike_rider 0 Posted August 10, 2012 And the latest firmware published for the KCM-5311E (at the end of July) STILL doesn't have SD-card local recording enabled. I should point out that this camera came out at the beginning of the year. 1. SD Card Storage reserved for support in future firmware versions The future isn't what it used to be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted August 10, 2012 And the latest firmware published for the KCM-5311E (at the end of July) STILL doesn't have SD-card local recording enabled. I should point out that this camera came out at the beginning of the year. Haha, and it's already "discontinued". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawbones 0 Posted August 11, 2012 And the latest firmware published for the KCM-5311E (at the end of July) STILL doesn't have SD-card local recording enabled. I should point out that this camera came out at the beginning of the year. Haha, and it's already "discontinued". Yeah. Isn't that great? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
