HD-SDI Trade offs vs IP

[suzook 0]

Hey all

 

Well I made the jump from D1 to HD-SDI. At first I loved it and now maybe I hate it.

 

First some back story.

 

I was able to procure 16 HD-SDI cameras from a trade group out of China. I they are a combination of bullet and domes, all vari focal from 2.8 to 12mm. Each has 48 ir pieces so should be good for 80 or so feet. I was able to get them for a sample price of $85 for each camera which is certainly a very low price. Along with it, an HD-SDI dvrthat was capable of both live view AND recording @ 30fps.

 

Half my install was done this past week (buddy is a pro installer for 15 years and charges me $20 on the weekend for drinking money)

 

During the install I was immediately taken aback when each camera was lit because of the color and clarity. I mean really impressive. I thought D1 was good well this was great. Then the reality set in.

 

First off, the menus that come with the cameras are not easy to navigate and there is ZERO documentation so its been totally trial and error (and still much on the side of error as its stands right now)

 

second, and this might be the trade off, the night image on this cameras is horrible, to the point my D1's actually look better.

 

so now I am unsure of what to do. I didnt expect them to be 10x times better at night than my D1 but at least marginally better. We have checked all bnc and only used the highest grade wire and connector. Each line tones out with a tester as well.

 

Is this just the limitation of HD-SDI or am I expecting too much. I peek in the IP section from time to time and see a lot of pics with night shots that look WAY better than mine.

 

Frustrated doesn't even start to tell the story. Could adjustment in the menu help? I am open to all ideas and suggestions.

 

Link to camera included

 

http://sunivision.en.alibaba.com/product/730962258-218686411/_Factory_HD_SDI_Vandalproof_IR_Dome_Camera.html

http://sunivision.en.alibaba.com/product/699878722-218686411/1080P_HD_SDI_Camera.html

 

I have included some day time shots and will post up night shot later

 

[ak357 0]

Hey all

 

Well I made the jump from D1 to HD-SDI. At first I loved it and now maybe I hate it.

 

First some back story.

 

I was able to procure 16 HD-SDI cameras from a trade group out of China. I they are a combination of bullet and domes, all vari focal from 2.8 to 12mm. Each has 48 ir pieces so should be good for 80 or so feet. I was able to get them for a sample price of $85 for each camera which is certainly a very low price. Along with it, an HD-SDI dvrthat was capable of both live view AND recording @ 30fps.

 

Well

answer very simple

Do Not Buy HD-SDI from China

only from Korea

some of us had the same experience

here is sample for you

Edited October 8, 2013 by Guest

[suzook 0]

do you have some models you can suggest?

[ak357 0]

do you have some models you can suggest?

Where are u located ?

[suzook 0]

Orlando fl

[suzook 0]

Hey all

 

Well I made the jump from D1 to HD-SDI. At first I loved it and now maybe I hate it.

 

First some back story.

 

I was able to procure 16 HD-SDI cameras from a trade group out of China. I they are a combination of bullet and domes, all vari focal from 2.8 to 12mm. Each has 48 ir pieces so should be good for 80 or so feet. I was able to get them for a sample price of $85 for each camera which is certainly a very low price. Along with it, an HD-SDI dvrthat was capable of both live view AND recording @ 30fps.

 

Well

answer very simple

Do Not Buy HD-SDI from China

only from Korea

some of us had the same experience

here is sample for you

 

is that sample of a night shot????

[ak357 0]

 

is that sample of a night shot????

kinda more evening then night

[suzook 0]

Wow well that is bloody impressive..are they hd-sdi or IP? Would you share the brand?

[ak357 0]

Wow well that is bloody impressive..are they hd-sdi or IP? Would you share the brand?

HD-SDI

[shockwave199 0]

He's not gonna share the brand. It's a secret.

 

[suzook 0]

well I hope he does because thats a spectacular image

[shockwave199 0]

You're quite possibly comparing that image, one that is not total darkness in which the camera still has plenty of available light to produce an optimal image, to your cameras in true, total darkness. Not a fair comparison. Your day shots look great, but they seem a bit on the dark side. Was it a very overcast day? Really though, you need to post the night shots so they can be analyzed. We have nothing to go on otherwise. Also, adjusting menu settings without knowing what you're doing is like entering a forest without a compass or breadcrumbs to lead out back out. First let's see the night shots. Then it may be necessary to default the cameras back to factory default settings and start over, touching little to nothing. And if you do need to tweak a setting, you need to write down every starting point so you can get back if you need to. Menu tweaking very quickly leads you into a maze you can't get out of if you don't understand what you're doing. Been there, done that.

 

But first...all your bad night shots please. And if you could, please embed the pics in your post so we don't have to fetch them manually.

[Securame 0]

But first...all your bad night shots please. And if you could, please embed the pics in your post so we don't have to fetch them manually.

 

I think that with only 6 posts he can not post links and/or embed images.

[suzook 0]

I will post some but for now I only have one.

 

keep in mind I am at the hobby level trying to become intelligent and really appreciate all of your comments and patience with my learning curve.

 

http://i1316.photobucket.com/albums/t604/galeic1/IMG_20131008_203255_zps0a4890de.jpg

[suzook 0]

incidentally how many posts are needed so I can embed images.

 

Here is another lovely bi-product of the Chinese cameras.... endless clicking........... oh why me

happens with dome on or off

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaL5cvWI0KI&feature=c4-overview&list=UUODzke-nasleGtETboV1NqA

[shockwave199 0]

Are there fans in these cameras and if so, is there a menu item to turn them off? Seems like a noisy fan sound. Is the picture okay on that camera when it's chattering like that? Maybe a cut filter mechanism doing that? I've never heard that chatter before! New one on me. As for your night shot, what if anything did you tweak in settings? It looks like you may have tried too strong a focus for starters. White balance might have been tweaked instead of auto. I don't see any problem with IR reflection in the dome, which is good. Unless it's in day mode and the IR is off?

[suzook 0]

no fan what so ever. and the odd thing is all the domes do it so there must be some common denominator I am not thinking of.

 

What do you mean by "too strong a focus"

 

I didnt touch anything and did a reset to all of them.

[shockwave199 0]

Sometimes in the quest for a great picture you can make it too sharp and that can cause image noise at night. It's a shame you have no doc for the menu choices you have. You can try noise reduction if you have it, but only apply it modestly if you have the option to do so, as that can cause motion blur if it's too strong. Any chance you can take the time to list the picture menu settings and what they're set at currently? And in that shot specifically, the IR is on or off?

 

As far as the noise, I have no idea. If all the cameras are doing it maybe it's a power issue. But that I don't know- never heard domes making a ticking noise like that before.

[suzook 0]

thanks again for all the comments.

 

What I am going to do is document with pics every menu option and setting.

 

Maybe that will help me get out of the woods a little.

 

The camera shot your looking at, the IR is on.

 

I am searching for a previous shot of my swann D1 camera which had a fixed 3.3 lens for comparison.

[shockwave199 0]

Actually if every camera is ticking like that, I wouldn't bother worrying about picture at the moment. I'd try and solve that and if you can't, hopefully your seller can be helpful for service/exchanges. I hate to point out the obvious, but saving money can often come to this if you buy internationally. You don't know what you're getting and you don't have anyone on the other end when there's problems. Hope you can sort it, but that ticking....sounds like a ticking time bomb of trouble if you ask me. I'd be packing it up and sending it all back- if that's even an option. But if you can solve the ticking, THEN you can get into the picture side of things.

[suzook 0]

fortunately (depending on how you look at it) this issue has affected 3 out of my six domes.

I tested them all and 3 of the 6 do make that clicking noise. It seems to happen when a person

is standing close to the camera.

 

That said, I have 10 bullets that function ok but the night time image is sorely lacking.

 

I think its enough for me to post up the menu system with the hopes of making some improvement.

 

Day time is very good.........night time is where things get messy.

 

Returning isnt an option at this point and all 16 cameras were just under $1500 shipped.

 

It would be an expensive mistake to go through but I am going to remain hopeful that with some expert guidance here I can get

them to a reasonable point for night time viewing.

[shockwave199 0]

Almost sounds like something is knocking into the metal case wall or something. You can't get any sense of where that sound is coming from in there? I ask again- is the picture doing anything weird while that is happening?

[suzook 0]

I am not noticing any change in the picture when it happens. I am starting to feel its got something to do with the IR's during daylight hours

It seems that the clicking is when the IR turns on and off. Still experimenting

[suzook 0]

here is an overview of the menu system

 

I will add more shortly

[shockwave199 0]

Is that night shot you posted just a picture of the image on your monitor? If so, it would be better to take an actual snap shot from within your dvr system. I can't get a real read of the white balance with a picture of the monitor. Every camera will need something different depending on what it's looking at. But if you take that camera for instance. What don't you like about the picture? Too noisy? You can try the NR setting on low to start and see if the image clears up. If it gives you a number scale from 1-5 or more, try increasing it step by step until it clears up a bit. If you use it too high the image will look excellent but you'll have motion blur because of it. Generally, you should just keep most all settings default. But NR can help clean up the night image when used modestly- if that's what you don't like about the night shot. What's in special and adjust menu?