wpb15999 0 Posted August 30, 2012 I am installing my first cctv system for my small office. I purchased this camera for the rear of the building. http://www.active-vision.com/700-Res-Long-Range-Camera-p/acc-p29n-ehvd.htm I also purchased a $50 usb dvr to run the camera to my computer. The video quality is terrible. Any movement pixelates the screen and also frames skip. I wanted to ask if a better dvr would increase the video quality significantly. I was trying to keep the costs down because I'm only using 2 cameras one in the front and one in the back. Any suggestions to improve video quality would be appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakesoundels 0 Posted August 31, 2012 There is no doubt a better DVR will improve the image. If you are on a budget you might want to check out Dahua DVRs. I use a basic 4 channel Dahua DVR and have no comlpaints. Check this out so you can find where to buy: products are often recommended here mostly because they are reasonably priced, reliable and they work well. Unfortunately, it is Dahua's policy that all products sold in North America be re-branded and not carry the Dahua name plate. That makes them very difficult to find. Here is a list of resellers of Dahua products I compiled through searching the forum posts and using Google. It is not a complete list and the forum is not endorsing these companies in any way; nor do I, or the forum, get compensated in any way by these companies. Companies/Brands are displayed in no particular order and this list will probably be removed in time. www.securitycameraking.com retail - all dvr's Dahua www.cctvsecuritypros.com retail - all dvr's Dahua www.4netonline.com/on/index.php retail - look for dvr's starting with dz- as model number genivtechnology.com distributor www.xtsvideo.com distributor www.mace.com/security/ distributor - can be found retail - pricy www.techprosecurity.com/ distribution arm of securitycameraking?? www.worldeyecam.com retail, distributor?? pricy imaxcampro brand is Dahua www.aliexpress.com wild wild west (or east actually) - high risk, high reward?? www.qvissecurity.com distributor - can be found retail - resent thread mentioned not Dahua?? www.icrealtime.com distributor www.dh-vision.com/ distributor?? relatively new domain If you see an error or an omission. Just post it in this thread and I will update this list. I will regularly recheck these sites to verify they still carry these products. I just wanted to give some insight in regards to purchasing from aliexpress.com. I bought 2 different dvrs from 2 different companies on there. The 1st seller, bought a 32 channel dahua (rebranded) and it came in 3 days from Shanghai. I purchased a smaller 16 channel from another seller (official dahua label on the machine) in the HK region and it took 2 weeks to get (they said it was in stock but I think they only order it when you place an order). It took 1 week to acquire the unit for me and another week to get it. If you have an option to pick shipping courier, go with either EMS, DHL or Fedex. I got the unit from shipping to me in 3 business days. The 1st machine works great, no issues with it and the company provides basic tech support but for the second place, they sent me a machine that is only PAL and won't work with the cameras here in the US. I'm currently trying to find a firmware update, either from Dahua themselves, the seller, or someone here in the forums. I just bought the machine 2 weeks ago and got it the other day. Just make sure the machine your buying, if from aliexpress.com works with NTSC or dual mode for video output. The VGA connection works fine but when you plug the cameras into the machine, it just has a garbled picture in black and white. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites