Optimal settings for best image.

[jasauders 0]

I have a Vivotek IP8332, which is a 1280x800 outdoor rated camera. I have it wired via cat5e right now, and it does the job just fine. I have it hooked up to my Linux server running software known as Motion. Works beautifully. My only bit of confusion comes from the actual camera settings. I wasn't thinking my camera was as clear as it should be. See the image below:

 

http://i.imgur.com/4P3Uk.jpg

 

That to me looks quite poor for 1280x800. I would think I'd get better images than that. My server running Motion is a quad core and shows no signs of stress. I tinkered with some settings in the web GUI of the camera, but all of them fell short. The resolution is set to 1280x800 as I wanted. The FPS was set to 30fps and I have the "video quality" option set to the highest possible, listed as "excellent." In the PDF manual it says that the "video quality" option directly refers to the level of compression used with the video feed. As a result, I'm a little confused over this. I ended up dropping the FPS from 30 to 15 to see how things go, as I wasn't sure if the 1280x800 + 30fps was too much for the camera (?) to process, even though I doubt that would be the case.

 

That said, I'm curious if anybody knows of any tricks to getting better quality out of the Vivotek IP8332, or at the very least, have some tips on different settings that I can manually change...

[Soundy 1]

Looks like JPEG compression artifacts. What stream type are you using?

[jasauders 0]

Looks like JPEG compression artifacts. What stream type are you using?

 

I'm using MJPG. The camera supports MPEG4, H264, and MJPG. I'm not entirely sure if Motion (that program I use on my Linux server for motion based recording) supports H264 or not, but MJPG worked out of the box, so I just always stuck with that.

 

Someone else I spoke to also said that it looked like JPEG compression artifacts. What gets to me is I'm not sure how to clean it up. In the web GUI of my camera, I have stream 4 selected, which is the MJPG stream.

 

Resolution - 1280x800

Framerate - 30fps

Video Quality - "Excellent"

 

I read the PDF guide and it said Video Quality refers to the compression level. What I don't get is... why is it looking like that if it's set to excellent? Oddly, the guide confused me, saying this:

 

NOTE

► Video quality and fixed quality refers to the compression rate, so a lower value will produce higher

quality.

 

A lower value will produced higher quality?? I wasn't sure if that was referring to the "Average, Good, Detailed, Excellent" value or if that was referring to the "custom" field, where I can choose 2-97 in terms of quality. I assume that it would mean custom, as Excellent clearly suggests that you're opting for the best quality feed.

 

I know it's kind of a vague question as it simply suggests, oh hey, durp durp, set to excellent and you're good, etc., but I feel as though I'm doing that and it's just not making much sense to me.

 

I also tried tinkering with the actual video picture, brightness, contrast, saturation, etc... Everything is 0 right now, which I assume is a safe bet to toy with. Once I started messing with saturation I noticed it got noticably worse, so I set everything to 0 and I'm sitting tight there.

 

I wonder if Motion supports H264... hmm... if not, is there any way to get MJPG to look a bit more crisp?

 

EDIT - Motion's man page has this entry

netcam_url string

Values: Max 4095 characters / Default: Not defined

Specify an url to a downloadable jpeg file or raw mjpeg stream to use as input device. Such as an AXIS 2100 network camera.

which suggests to me H264 isn't available since it specifies jpeg file or mjpeg stream. At any rate, how can I clean up MJPEG? I just feel like I need to twist the end of it to focus it, sort of like how a ~800 dollar Nikon would be with a decent lens. On another note, it's a network camera, I wonder if I'd have better results if I would connect the camera cat5e line right to my system... that way I'm not hopping through the POE injector, through the Netgear switch, then through my router to see the live feed. It would at least be a way to isolate the additional network gear, but I feel as though there shouldn't be anywhere near "too much" traffic to alter the actual quality of the feed. *shrug*

 

EDIT II - So now I'm a little confused. Maybe I was tinkering with it too late in the evening that when night vision came up I couldn't really tell the difference in the quality settings.

 

Here's today's image: http://i.imgur.com/VuDUA.jpg Still a little fuzzy (having a little trouble reading the big text on the cardboard), but far, far better than the previous screenshot.

EDIT III = Potential facepalm moment...

 

So I couldn't figure out why my images were looking so bad. Here I was messing around with the wrong setting. My camera can do 3 streams, however there's 4 options in the menu (two for H264, one for MPEG4, one for MJPG) and I can customize them accordingly. I didn't realize that the feed I was pulling from the web GUI (where I can see the current view from the camera's perspective) was one of the H264 feeds, which of course I altered to the point of having a terrible view... so even though I had adjusted my MJPG feeds to be of excellent quality, of course my quality I was seeing was terrible because I was viewing the current feed (aka stream 1 feed) when stream 4 (what I use with Motion) was set to max quality. I only realized this when I right clicked on the video, went to "open with totem movie player", and saw the address was an rtsp://ip.of.camera/live.sdp address... which told me that was the other stream, as the MJPG stream of course ends like: video4.mjpg... two different things. I just didn't know that the default video feed I was seeing in the web interface was rtsp... Oh well...

 

I also found if I get the sharpness setting from 0 to +1 (I have a range of -3 to +3) it sharpens it up a bit better too. If I go to +3 it looks sharp but it has a super grainy look to it, so I figured +1 was a happy median since it was a bit clearer and it looked like a very natural shot. I'll check in with it tonight and see how that setting works in bw/night mode. I also adjusted the "white balance" to be set to auto.

 

I think it looks a bit better. What do you guys think?

http://i.imgur.com/Z5fES.jpg

Edited July 3, 2012 by Guest

[Soundy 1]

A lower value will produced higher quality?? I wasn't sure if that was referring to the "Average, Good, Detailed, Excellent" value or if that was referring to the "custom" field, where I can choose 2-97 in terms of quality. I assume that it would mean custom, as Excellent clearly suggests that you're opting for the best quality feed.

The higher the compression, the lower the quality, so it could be referring to compression level rather than video quality (despite the name). Have you tried it at both ends of the scale? Same with the "Custom" option?

 

On another note, it's a network camera, I wonder if I'd have better results if I would connect the camera cat5e line right to my system... that way I'm not hopping through the POE injector, through the Netgear switch, then through my router to see the live feed. It would at least be a way to isolate the additional network gear, but I feel as though there shouldn't be anywhere near "too much" traffic to alter the actual quality of the feed. *shrug*

That would make NO difference. It's not like analog video, where adding electronics in-line can directly effect video quality.

 

EDIT II - So now I'm a little confused. Maybe I was tinkering with it too late in the evening that when night vision came up I couldn't really tell the difference in the quality settings.

 

Here's today's image: http://i.imgur.com/VuDUA.jpg Still a little fuzzy (having a little trouble reading the big text on the cardboard), but far, far better than the previous screenshot.

That looks more like it's just out of focus.

[jasauders 0]

That looks more like it's just out of focus.

 

I agree. I'm just not sure how to focus it. It's a solid bullet camera, no lens to twist to adjust the focus like a Nikon or Canon camera with a nice lens would have... The best I have, as I mentioned above (I posted an edit above at the same time you posted) is the "sharpen" feature, but to be honest, it doesn't feel quite spot on yet. I wonder how else I can focus this gizmo...

 

EDIT - Well, here seems to be some directions (PDF):

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CGEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forum.use-ip.co.uk%2Fattachments%2Fhow-to-re-focus-the-lens-vivotek-ip8332-pdf.15%2F&ei=FTXzT8DHLOSo6wH0wNGqCA&usg=AFQjCNFVIAXBTTWCZdkpaV7b69i0sLrZGw&sig2=vsUOkHI2S9X7dNJnfX-JwQ

 

Kind of offputting that I have to disassemble it like that, but I suppose that's what comes with the territory of IP66 enclosed cameras that are built to be outside in all weather conditions... eh?

[Soundy 1]

*click* that's what that first image looks like: excessive compression plus excessive sharpening.

[jasauders 0]

Well, I went through the motions of taking the camera apart twice to refocus it. I'm a little confused at something. Each time I get it focused, another area of the image gets unfocused. For example, with refocusing it, I seem to have to pick and choose which area I want clear. Before, everything was clear, everything... and things only got blurry far away. Now, it's far different. First I had things set pretty good, but I noticed on the right side things were blurry, yet the center/left was fine. I redid everything and checked it again, and now things on the left are blurry, but center/right are clear.

 

Now, what the... When I bought the camera, EVERYTHING was clear. Something got out of whack and it unfocused itself, and now that I went through the instructions to refocus it, it's being picky in terms of which area it wants to focus?

[Soundy 1]

I take it this camera uses an M12 or M13 thread board lens? I've seen instances where the threads on those (usually on the camera itself) are a bit loose and allow the lens to wobble side-to-side - that sort of movement could definitely account for what you're seeing.

[jasauders 0]

I take it this camera uses an M12 or M13 thread board lens? I've seen instances where the threads on those (usually on the camera itself) are a bit loose and allow the lens to wobble side-to-side - that sort of movement could definitely account for what you're seeing.

 

I can't see that being a possibility. The threads are covered in a thick liquid... it sort of feels like a weird hybrid between superglue and syrup. It actually makes it quite difficult to twist the lens to focus, but it makes me confident it's not getting knocked out of whack in the process of me re-mounting the camera.

 

Is what I'm explaining typical behavior of a lens that's out of focus? I just want to get it back to where everything except things super far away was clear. This right side vs left side (oh, and forget everything far away, that's all blurry anyway) thing is a little frustrating... but if it's something that's typical of lenses out of focus, I'll just take it down again and try to do a better job focusing it.

 

I appreciate the insight and quick responses, Soundy!

[Soundy 1]

Actually, if it's always left/right (no up/down), I would more suspect the lens mount was loose. Your average board cam design basically just has a threaded plastic tube situated over the sensor, and the lens focuses by threading up and down in that tube... if the tube's mount to the board is loose, it could allow it to be holding the lens on an angle to the sensor, which could also account for the focus always being off left or right.

 

The other possibility would be something actually ON the lens glass (fingerprint smudge or something), but then the out-of-focus area would move around the outside of the FOV, not just left or right.

[jasauders 0]

I'm not entirely sure it's loose. I have it taken apart now, and the lens feels very attached to the rest of the unit. I can only twist the lens to focus... otherwise it literally has 0 play elsewhere. Quite honestly, it feels like a very well built camera. Granted, I'm not in expert in the CCTV field, but I work with electronics and this board just seems solid to me. I may be entirely wrong, but just trying to explain it best I can.

 

For what it's worth, I hooked the camera up to my laptop out here and took 2 screenshots while streaming the RTSP stream through Totem movie player. It's far from perfect, but I hope it at least gives you an indication as to what I'm seeing. In particular, look at the tall bush... When it's centered, it's clearer, when it's off to the left, the detail is a bit more blurry. On top of that, when the bush is in the center, check out how blurry the cardboard box is. I am within 3 feet (less than a yard stick away - oh yes, I measured) of the cardboard box yet its text is unreadable...

 

http://i.imgur.com/I23xj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nvJdY.jpg

 

Or... maybe... just maybe... I'm a complete fail at focusing? After all with a 3-4 second delay in the active stream, it IS a bit more difficult, but dangit I thought I had it...

[Soundy 1]

I'm not entirely sure it's loose. I have it taken apart now, and the lens feels very attached to the rest of the unit. I can only twist the lens to focus... otherwise it literally has 0 play elsewhere.

I'm talking about where the lens mount itself attaches to the board - make sure that it's snug all the way around, no gaps between it and the board. If it slipped position, it may still feel solid, but still not be right.

 

Quite honestly, it feels like a very well built camera. Granted, I'm not in expert in the CCTV field, but I work with electronics and this board just seems solid to me. I may be entirely wrong, but just trying to explain it best I can.

I've installed a couple Vivotek box cams and a dome now, and I agree, they're pretty solid. Not saying that the lens mount IS the problem... just that that's what your description makes it sound like.

 

 

Wow, that's pretty bad - the tree and car are near the same plane and if one is in focus, both should be.

 

I dunno what else to suggest... try another lens, if you have one, just for the sake of testing?

[jasauders 0]

I don't have any spare parts on hand to try. I'm only getting into this field so I'm not sure what parts I can interchange, which ones I can't, where to buy them, etc. I work in IT so I get the whole part swapping thing from one system to another, but cameras I'm still reading Greek just yet.

 

I positioned the cardboard box in our car port to use as the focal point since it has a few different sizes of text on it. I also made a point to aim the camera so the text was positioned in different areas of the field of view, so that way I could see the text clarity in the upper right, upper left, center, etc... Once done, I put the camera back on the mount, and here's what I got: (excuse the clutter, we're remodeling the upstairs)

 

http://i.imgur.com/xdA5g.jpg

 

I still feel as though the lower right corner is still a little soft. That said, I feel like it's better than it was before... Maybe I'm on the right track?

[Soundy 1]

That looks quite a bit better. Still a little soft, but better.

 

BTW, you can embed images by using the "http://i.imgur.com/xdA5g.jpg' alt='xdA5g.jpg'>

[jasauders 0]

Yeah, I know - I thought it resized them too far down, though.

 

Soundy, since you seem to have done this far more than I have, have you ever ran into frustration with focusing like this? I mean, if I can get it BETTER like that, I wonder if with a little more time I can focus it dead on. Have you ran into that before where the focus is a bit lopsided?

[Soundy 1]

Yeah, I know - I thought it resized them too far down, though.

It only displays them small - if you click a picture, it will open larger in a new window, and I believe if it's larger than your screen size, there will be another Zoom button to go full-size.

 

Soundy, since you seem to have done this far more than I have, have you ever ran into frustration with focusing like this? I mean, if I can get it BETTER like that, I wonder if with a little more time I can focus it dead on. Have you ran into that before where the focus is a bit lopsided?

Oh yeah, many times... as noted above, I've found it caused by a variety of reasons: crooked/loose lens mount, faulty lens, dirty lens... user error...

[jasauders 0]

Well, I took down my other IP8332 and did some comparisons. Visually speaking, they look identical. Everything is solid and everything is lined up the way I'd expect. I unscrewed the lens from each and switched them, but the issue persisted. Since I am more concerned about the back of the property than the front, I put the front camera in the back, and I figured I'd individually troubleshoot the other one.

 

Soundy, do you have any recommendations on what to do now? I assume I'd have to replace the entire lens assembly at the front of the board, but I'm not sure. I'm kind of at a loss right now. The camera is all but brand new too (few months old) so I assume I could check in with the Vivotek warranty department and go from there, but if I can do my own 10-20 dollar fix (if that's even remotely possible) I'd like to. But if any replacement parts needed start to hike up, ehh...

 

I figured I'd see what's on Ebay to get an idea and I found some things out there. Most are probably junk, sure, but from one auction to another I wasn't really seeing compatible models in the listing. Is that to say that a 3.6mm CCTV lens is the same form factor/mount size as another 3.6mm CCTV lens? If I'd order one, I'd of course want to make sure I'm ordering the right one... Likewise, if I get a new lens, would it even matter? After all, I switched the lens (just unscrewed it to move it to the other camera) and the issue persisted... unless if I get a new lens it comes with more "stuff" that may be a game changer for getting this camera working?

 

Any further insight?

 

Thanks for the help!

[jasauders 0]

Well I decided to give Vivotek a call and see what they had to say. The tech specialist I spoke to said he's heard of my issue before, but said it's rare, citing they hear of it once every few months at best. He said sometimes it's the actual lens or lens mount that's bad, or often times all of the parts are fine but the alignment of the mount is out of whack, which is causing the uneven focusing. If I had to guess, it sounded like he was leaning more towards that issue, but cited it very well could be the lens or lens mount itself. He said this issue is one that wouldn't be developed as time passes, but one that comes from the factory like this.

 

I was looking at some previous feeds, and while I did not notice any heavy blurriness in the right side of the screen, I did notice that what was often in the lower right side was scrap wood/insulation/cardboard boxes/etc... things that my eyes wouldn't be particularly drawn to. On top of that, looking at the feeds now I feel like it was a little unfocused from the beginning... not by much, but it wasn't quite "20-20".... that coupled with the lack of interesting items on the right side of the view and perhaps that's why I hadn't noticed things being uneven.

 

At any rate, an RMA is set up, and we'll be in good shape shortly.