Recommend me a DVR (there are so many brands and options)

[securitymonster 0]

No opinion on that Clover from Sam's Club?

 

Would you buy your mom a heart pace monitor from walmart if they sold an inexpensive knockoff brand?

[rory 0]

Poor mumsy ..

 

I mean its inexpensive ... but I wouldnt recommend you buy it, there are other models. If they are close to you and its easy to get, and you have a couple dollars and you need something to record ASAP, then its up to you.

 

Are you looking for a 4 channel or higher?

[PHOENIX 0]

So is this particular model not good.

Or does Clover produce bad products?

 

What makes this a bad machine?

 

Opinions on this machine (whats it worth)?

http://www.monstermarketplace.com/Electronics/Landing88a226.html

Edited February 16, 2006 by Guest

[PHOENIX 0]

Would you buy your mom a heart pace monitor from walmart if they sold an inexpensive knockoff brand?

 

No, but my life doesn't depend on my dvr. I have real security for that.

If my mom needed a hearing aid battery I would pick a pack up at

Wal-Mart when I'm there.

[rory 0]

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=23643

[rory 0]

So is this particular model not good.

Or does Clover produce bad products?

 

What makes this a bad machine?

 

Opinions on this machine (whats it worth)?

http://www.monstermarketplace.com/Electronics/Landing88a226.html

 

around 1/4 of that price

[PHOENIX 0]

Well someone on this board tried to sell me one for $25 less.

Would you say I would have been getting ripped off?

[rory 0]

no, i imagine thats the retail price, i dont know the DVR/brand so i cant comment.

[PHOENIX 0]

Its Optiview, says right on it.

 

Seems like the complaints in that link were more about the cameras.

And some of the features they complained about the DVR are different

in this one. You dont have any expierence with Clover dvr's yourself?

[securitymonster 0]

That ECO4 isn't a bad machine, its just a barebone budget machine with a few "goodie" features. I have used this machine personally and I can comment that its not a bad little machine. The "goodie" features that are on this machine that isn't normally offered in a similar cost budget DVR are:

 

-Triplex Operation

-Motion Recording

-Built-in Web Server

[msecure 0]

That ECO4 isn't a bad machine? The "goodie" features that are on this machine that isn't normally offered in a similar cost budget DVR are:

 

-Triplex Operation

 

Pardon me but it's stated there that it's a simplex.

Triplex means that when you are playing back the recorded video, it's still recording! Not this model I think! Also, when you are remote viewing it does not change your local cameras position.

[securitymonster 0]

Pardon me but it's stated there that it's a simplex.

Triplex means that when you are playing back the recorded video, it's still recording! Not this model I think! Also, when you are remote viewing it does not change your local cameras position.

 

The ECO4 that I carry is a triplex machine. It has been upgraded from a simplex to triplex. That particular company must be either burning through old stock or just haven't updated their website.

 

Here is the updated version:

 

http://securitymonster.com/product_info.php/products_id/225

[rory 0]

Does it have true motion recording, or just the normal one in Budget DVRs that claim Motion but are really where you can search Motion events but its still recording continuous?

[Daryl733 0]

This is one I was looking at:

http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/product_13_777.htm

 

Is this junk?

 

Also do all cctv dvr use the same type of hard drive?

If so what type and where is the best place to buy?

If not what types are there and what are the differences?

Why should I choose one over another?

 

Well, you can get it for ard your budget with 80GB Harddisk.

But since I'm in singapore, you still gotta add on shipping cost.

So might not be worth it.

[KrCCTV 0]

Dear Mr. Monster - - If you're gonna borrow my line (which you're always more than welcomed to do) please get it right: It's "Would you buy your mother a discount pacemaker?" (short and sweet - remember it's all about the delivery ).

 

Dear Mr. Phoenix - - Nothing previously described is necessarily bad (though you do generally do get what you pay for and you're not looking to pay much)... but... there are so many factors to consider - - from resolution to quality to framerate to features and support, your needs and price, etc, etc. For your application, with what little I know about it, I suggest you buy the Clover. You can pick it up easily, probably figure it out pretty easily (or at least get factory direct support easily), and return it easily if necessary. All aspects designed for users like you who are kind of "newer" to this stuff, on a tight budget, and want to "do it yourself." The same source will also have some basic lower cost cameras too. The system will probably give you most of what you need for the price you want - view it kind of like a "starter system."

 

The alternatives...

 

Contact one or more local professionals to come out and meet with you to discuss your needs and get a quote or quotes for the best products recommended by them to meet those needs. In other words start with your needs (not a list of product features) get a few quotes from local folks who'll stand behind their solutions, and then compare those quotes all things considered. You should expect to pay significantly more for it, but as a result also expect to get a quality system that will "do the job" the first time, (whatever that is, at least as it stands today as users needs often change as they gain experience with this stuff, learn what these systems do and don't do for you - they're merely tools you know - anyway another reason to consult personally with paid professionals who'll help to guide you), a system with the potential to provide you with years of service and the local support to back it up.

 

Or... ... ask each of these very knowledgable professionals here in the forum to contribute their hourly wage for all the time they are currently so kindly contributing (in free advise) to your cause (and, in my opinion, we're still in the early stages), plus the cost of your time... and you can go buy a Cadillac of a DVR tomorrow (but be warned... you may not be any happier than if you'd bought the cheapy from the get-go - especially if you weren't at least to buy the "Cadi" from a supporting dealer who would help you first "choose the right one for your needs" and then later "figure it out").

 

Bottom line in my opinion - this stuff is a bit more complex than first meets the eye and is often quite "application dependant" (and we know little about yours - your problems, why you need it, etc). In addition DVR preferences are very much "in the eye of the beholder" (many think my favorite DVR is junk, I think many of theirs are junk); are very dependant upon the cameras, lensing, lighting and their proper application (which has not been at all covered in any detail - even the best DVR is worthless when coupled with lousy and/or mis-applied cameras, etc). Additionally by-the-way, the motion detection, which has come up so much, may not even apply or properly work in your application which, again, hasn't even been broached. Buy the Clover! Just my opinion...

[Joe Bal 0]

I think what KRCCTV is trying to say that your recording is only as good as the quality of a picture your cameras are getting. it does not matter VCR or DVR. There is an old saying in the CCTV world, Garbage in garbage out.

[KrCCTV 0]

Well thanks joe - - but I hope that wasn't all that I was saying. If so I used way too many words!

[HipsterDoofus 0]

 

What makes this a bad machine?

 

Opinions on this machine (whats it worth)?

 

I made the mistake of buying a Clover cdr-4070, 4 channels with web access.

 

The on-screen interface is very clunky.

 

The dvr has a Compact Flash card slot. It takes 30 minutes to save about 5 minutes of video to their propietary file format. Then it takes another hour to export that 5 minutes out to a standard format like avi. After a week the dvr just stopped exporting video to the flash card.

 

Still images are exported from the video files exported to the CF card. You can't save still images straight from the dvr. I wound up taking pictures of my TV screen instead of going through the extremely painful export process (that quit after a week anyway).

 

Web access requires software on the client computer. The software is unusable. All of the play control functions don't really work. The interface is even clunkier than the on-screen interface.

 

Think of a couple Taiwanese teenagers and I think you'd have a good picture of Clover's software development team.

 

Clover's web site has been down for over a month.

 

Do not waste your time with this POS.

 

Thankfully SamsClub has a very liberal return policy.

[KrCCTV 0]

Of course while you're avoiding that you might want to avoid their Wisecom product too.

 

Oh... and while I'm at it I'd like to rescind my earlier comment that nothing Mr. Phoenix was looking at was necessarily bad - - I recently demo'd an AVTECH unit and it was not only necessarily bad… it was, in my opinion, unnecessarily bad - - what a piece. Not even worth what little they charge for it – again “in my opinionâ€

[pengguna 0]

These more depends whether you need network access or not .. I don't think you can get it if that features is including...

[deicidal 0]

You could try here

 

http://www.sovereigncctv.co.uk/cat--Multi-Channel-Digital-Video-Recorders--2.10.4.html