Choosing a DVR .!!

[barrameh 0]

Hi there,

 

Can anyone please tell me how can I know what type of DVR to choose; PC-based or Embedded DVR?

 

I'm very new to all of this.. so can you please give me the ground rules if any..

 

 

Thanks..

[Thomas 0]

What kind of application are you doing? Retail, home or small bussiness? 4,8, or 16 cameras?

[barrameh 0]

Well we are in the process of forming our security applications department in our company, so we need it for demos and proof of concept. So we were thinking of getting 4 and 8 channels devices, would that help us in our testing or no need for many devices?

 

Thanks

[Thomas 0]

You didn't really answer my question. What is the focus of the system going to be? Will there be live monitoring? Is it retail? Is it a wharehouse? External or internal thief? Large objects or small objects?

[barrameh 0]

Ooh sorry for that.

 

Well, it'll be focusing on live monitoring + taking snap shots and images for moving object especially cars entering parking area.

 

did that help.?

 

Thanks

[KrCCTV 0]

Not to be answering for Thomas but "No, not really" (though it's a step in the right direction). Lots of different considerations, features (and potential drawbacks) to both approaches - dependent entirely upon what you're doing. In fact far too many to list so since you're lookin' for some help (which we all want to give you)... SPILL YOUR GUTS (I mean if it ain't top secret tell us exactly what you are looking to do, why, where, when and for whom - - everythng you can think of - - even trivial details. It will help us help you!). Otherwise well be going back and forth for the next week or two trying to squeeze details outta ya and that's not real productive.

[Thomas 0]

It helps a little bit. With live monitoring are we talking about 24/7 Security guards or periodic checks? Are you aiming more for physical security or anti-thieft monitoring?

 

Ideally if you could write up six or seven paragraphs with your goals, needs and wants it really would help alot.

[KrCCTV 0]

Yeah... like is this for your one business with your own parking lot, or are you a company looking to offer parking payment collection and/or monitoring services to many potential buyers? Totally different animals "product-choice" wise.

 

You want general pictures of vehicles or detailed license plate capture... and what happens with these snapshots? How many points of entry and exit? How many vehicles per hour/day? Want to tie these snapshots together with any other access control information / data? Storage for how long, by whom, and why? Retrieval by whom and how?

 

Who's doing the monitoring - is it local or in another location, by the property owner or by some for-hire group or someone else ? Again... monitoring a single location or many? How many doing the monitoring at once? All the cameras within about 750' cabling distance of a centralized recorder or spread all over the place few and far between? What is the environment like where the recorder(s) will be. Nice and clean and cool and dry or not? Will the recorder(s) be readily accessible locally or in a difficult hard-to-get-to location? Network / Internet access? Available updload speeds in your location(s)? What is the power like? Would you say number of images per second or image quality is most important in your application. Thinking about printing any of these snapshots? Or offloading, ideally on to what and for whom? How often? If reselling this solution do you want your name all over it? Can you make money on a service contract if you need to go out there often? Like I said lots of questions... one leading to the next with different answers to different questions taking us down different paths in different directions - - ultimately leading to a recommendation one way or another. Could go on and on.... but won't.

 

Your turn.

[rory 0]

1-Are you or anyone supporting the DVR's Computer Literate?

[this means simply, can you change out PC hardware?]

 

2-Are your target clients PC Literate?

[can they at least check email?]

 

3-Are your target clients broke, mid range, or rich?

[ghetto or gated community? or Both?]

 

Once these 3 questions are answered then an answer to the original question will be easier to obtain - no essays required [just yet].

 

The actual features of the DVR you sell and maintain means little, if you cant support it or the clients cant afford it.

 

Both PC and Embedded DVRs come in varying price ranges and features, the most common factors with both types is the more you spend, the more features you get, and the more stable the system typically will be.

 

Rory

[Doug 0]

A gated ghetto??

 

 

 

3-Are your target clients broke, mid range, or rich?

[ghetto or gated community? or Both?]

 

Rory

[rory 0]

A gated ghetto??

 

 

 

3-Are your target clients broke, mid range, or rich?

[ghetto or gated community? or Both?]

 

Rory

 

no silly

 

ghetto clients or gated community client types .. or a lil of both ..

[barrameh 0]

Hey there..

 

Thanks a lot for your responses.. I didn’t know I have to provide this amount of info.. Actually I still don’t have all the info you asked for but I think what I have is sufficient.

 

WE need to develop a surveillance application for large businesses,the application should do the following:

 

• Real time monitoring for specific zones 24/7, it should have motion detection.

• Save the recorded material into a mother sever or storage area, in order to access all info from the same place and do any needed processes on that data. (ex. search)

• Garage access control; it takes a snapshot of the license plate and compares it with data in the DB for authorization.

• The whole system should be accessed through the internet.

• Gives the ability to configure each camera’s settings; mainly the resolution and the recording frame rate.

• Playback functionality.

 

Regarding some of the questions you asked ..

 

 

What kind of application are you doing? Large business 16, 32 and above

With live monitoring are we talking about 24/7 Security guards or periodic checks? Live monitoring 24/7

Are you aiming more for physical security or anti-theft monitoring? Physical security

 

 

You want general pictures of vehicles or detailed license plate capture... Detailed license plate.

 

what happens with these snapshots? They are processed and matched with the person’s license in the DB to make sure he is authorized to enter.

Storage for how long, by whom, and why? Storage needed for up to 30 days. External storage preferred.

 

Who's doing the monitoring ? the guards in the company who are computer illiterate.

Monitoring a single location or many? Many locations in one company

 

How many doing the monitoring at once? Up to 3 guards.

Network / Internet access? Yes definitely and we need remote access from different countries to about 3-4 users at almost the same time.

 

Available upload speeds in your location(s)? 512kbps max

 

Are you or anyone supporting the DVR's Computer Literate? Yes

 

Are your target clients broke, mid range, or rich? Mid range

 

Are your target clients PC Literate? [can they at least check email?]

 

The ones dealing directly with the DVRs are PC Literate but the guards who will monitor aren’t.

 

 

Hope i helped this time..

 

Thanks a lot..

 

I really appreciate it ..

[jmason 0]

As far as capturing plates, and camera control you'll have almost no problem with anymain stream MFG. However comparing plate in a data base may prove difficult. Only with using it to allow or deny entry. You would need a high speed custom app for that. There is stuff out there for facial recognition and Plate #'s. I am sceptical you'll be able to use these products to do what your asking though. You more than likley lokking at hiring a programmer to build a custom app. I have been down this road it's not cheap and there are a lot of bugs. Why not allow entry with prox cards and use a reader that has an alarm output into you recording device that will get you a snap shot of the individual attempting to gain entry. You could take that as far as a pop-up to show the gaurds the picture real time of the event. If they aren't supposed to gain entry you can use a intercom feature to allow the gaurds and the person trying to get in to communicate and record the conversation along with the video from the event. Anyone else have some Ideas?

[tomeb 0]

I agree with the previouos post - for a client who has a "mid-range" budget, license plate capture and retreival from a database is going to be above their price range for the custom apps or whatever would be involved. Why not use a well thought out and planned access control system, there are one's out there that incorporate video - Keyscan for instance http://www.keyscan.ca/English/Main_E.htm

[esource 0]

Hi there,

 

Can anyone please tell me how can I know what type of DVR to choose; PC-based or Embedded DVR?

 

I'm very new to all of this.. so can you please give me the ground rules if any..

 

 

Thanks..

 

When considering standalone DVR options, you should look for manufacturers that provide tech support for networking/getting started and also a comprehensive product warranty. ECLIPSE brand offers a one year warranty on all products including DVRs. They also have in-house tech support to help you out. The pricing is very competitive and there are a number of dealers that you can find online. If you want the best bang for your buck, look for a NUBIX4LT model that has all the features that you require.

http://www.eclipsecctv.com/nubixMPEG4DVR.html ... as found on google.

[esource 0]

I agree with the previouos post - for a client who has a "mid-range" budget, license plate capture and retreival from a database is going to be above their price range for the custom apps or whatever would be involved. Why not use a well thought out and planned access control system, there are one's out there that incorporate video - Keyscan for instance http://www.keyscan.ca/English/Main_E.htm

 

You can find a moderately priced Eclipse camera kit that includes a Day/Night camera, zoom lens, and infrared illuminators built into an outdoor housing with a bracket included. This is as easy as it gets - just plug and play. Something like this can cost you a few hundred dollars and is available from any Eclipse dealers. With a variety of lenses to choose from, you can customize your order to work best for your particular situation. A license plate can easily be identified from over 50 feet away with an autoiris, varifocal lens. This comes complete with a one year warranty. If you buy all the components separately, your total cost can increase by as much as $50 more. This kit is well worth the price.