best 4 channel standalone DVR under $500?

[gilpda 0]

What do you think is the best standalone 4 channel DVR under $500?

[securitymonster 0]

You won't get much hard drive with a 4 channel unit but the Argus JPEG2000 unit is nice, check out j2ksupport.com for more info and if you need prices, let me know.

 

Its a good unit, dvd backup, usb backup, audio/video recording, remote access, JPEG2000 compression, 5 year warranty!

[videobruce 0]

How about one that comes without a HDD?

[securitymonster 0]

I can see why you would want a DVR w/o a hard drive to save money, but there are a few issues. Most DVR's use a specific hard drive, so if you do buy one w/o a HD, make sure you get a list of qualified HD's that will work with the unit. But most importantly, if you open the case and put your own hard drive in, it will often times void the warranty on the machine! Thats the biggest reason I get customers to buy a DVR with a hard drive!

[videobruce 0]

If it is sold without a HDD, how would/could adding a drive yourself void a warrenty?

 

Which decks require 'different' (non standard) HDDs'?

[Gracef 0]

hi,i suggest you adopt the 4 channel pc-dvr,and you can add the professional dvr motherboard,which is more cheaper than standalone 4 channel DVR. the cost performance is wonderful.

 

Grace feng

[cachecreekcctv 0]

Avermedia

[Gracef 0]

netvision

[Walteryubo 0]

4ch PCI DVRcard will be a good choice.

[Daryl733 0]

What do you think is the best standalone 4 channel DVR under $500?

 

AVTech/CPCam.

AVC-760/CPD-560.

[SPYSHOP2000 0]

If it is sold without a HDD, how would/could adding a drive yourself void a warrenty?

 

Which decks require 'different' (non standard) HDDs'?

 

I agree...

 

Obviously if a seller is selling the DVR without a hard drive and with a warranty the can't void the warranty just because you put in your own hard drive.

 

The only reason I can think they would even try to do this is so they can force you into buying the hard drigve at a higher price then you can get it for on your own. I have no problem with sellers making a few extra dollars on the hard drive but if they are going to void the warreanty I certianlly would find somone else to buy it from. That's just crazy.

 

I have lot of experance with the JPEG2000 DVR's they I can tell you that Hitachi brand is the way to go.

 

What ever you do don't put Western Digital hard drives in these unless they are a model specifically approved by the manufacturer.

 

PM me if you need the list.

 

SS2K...

[rory 0]

What do you think is the best standalone 4 channel DVR under $500?

 

AVTech/CPCam.

AVC-760/CPD-560.

 

I agree on this one, these have to be the least expensive on the North American side of the Globe .. they come under various OEM names now, and have improved significantly from their earlier counterparts. You will find the AVTech 760 branded under different names, basically its the one without the USB, VGA or IR Remote, but it still has LAN. They have removable Hard Drive bays.

[SPYSHOP2000 0]

What do you think is the best standalone 4 channel DVR under $500?

 

AVTech/CPCam.

AVC-760/CPD-560.

 

I agree on this one, these have to be the least expensive on the North American side of the Globe .. they come under various OEM names now, and have improved significantly from their earlier counterparts. You will find the AVTech 760 branded under different names, basically its the one without the USB, VGA or IR Remote, but it still has LAN. They have removable Hard Drive bays.

 

Very Interesting AV... I have a question for you. Lets say you record video on the hard drive. Can you pull that hard drive out then lets say a month later put it back in and review the video that was stored on it? I know some DVR's require you to "clear" the hard drive before its accessible. Even if it came out of that same DVR. Let me know...

 

SS2K...

 

SS2K...

[hzoskiers2001 0]

hard to fault avc 760 used quite a few no problems

[scorpion 0]

With the AV tech 776 and the 777 branded under another name; I have pulled HD and reinserted them with no problem. I wish they were hot swapable.

 

In the rare case that a DVR has to go back to the distributor for warranty work, then I can put their hard drive in to a loaner, and they can keep their video.

 

There are some DVRs that want the hard drive to be formatted before they wil operate. I got caught off guard with the SEC Cam Dir DVR4002. I had a customer that wanted to upgrade to network. I put his old drive in to the 4002 and lost all of his old video. Luckly for me he did not need any of the video. I has asked him about it in advance, so that saved my butt.

[SPYSHOP2000 0]

Quote:

 

(1) With the AV tech 776 and the 777 branded under another name; I have pulled HD and reinserted them with no problem.

 

(2) I wish they were hot swappable.

 

(3) In the rare case that a DVR has to go back to the distributor for warranty work, then I can put their hard drive in to a loaner, and they can keep their video.

---------

 

 

HI Scorpion,

 

I'm a little confused.

 

In line (1) above you say that it can be done with no problem. (I like the sound of that)

In line (2) above you say "wish they were hot swappable". I'm not sure but to me that means you can pull the HD while the power is on with out damage or data loss.

In line (3) above you seem to indicate that the customer can't keep / move their video if you move to HD to a loaner DVR while the original DVR is out for repair and this is where I got confused.

 

I guess that's what I was trying to ask in my last post is: Can you move the HD from DVR to DVR or from the DVR to storage (put the HD on a shelf) then come back later and put it back in the DVR so you view the video from that time period on that HD or is the data lost when you put in back in?

 

It would be nice to be able to put the HD back in the DVR and see the video that is stored on that hard drive.

 

When you get a chance please clarify that for me if you could...

 

Thanks,

SS2K...

[scorpion 0]

I apologize for the confusion.

 

This is DVR dependant, and the ones that I use I can put the DVR on a shelve for storage.

 

JAN HD, FEB HD, ........DEC HD. ONE YEAR HISTORY!!!!!!

 

Hot swap is correct, you can pull the drive, and place another one in.

 

With the ones that I identified I have to shut down the machine, and then pull the HD, then I have to repower the DVR.

 

In more upper level DVRs you can hot swap. If i were doing a casino, I would not use the ones that I listed. I mostly do entry level residential, and entry level commercial, and I wait for the few giant jobs that come around put the gravy money in my pocket. I do not do 32 camera systems on a daily basis. I do about 20 4 camera installs a month. Some are VCR/multiplexor units (2 a month) most are 4 channel, and some are 9 or 16. These are quick in and out jobs.

 

I can save the video data. I pull the hard drive out of a machine and I put it in to the same type DVR. When I turn it back on you still have the old video footage.

 

The thing that I have to be careful about is that a company stopped selling brand x DVR and replaced it with the same brand of DVR but it is not the same electronically. The outside case looks identical. This is how I lost the footage on a HD. The newer style DVR needs to be formatted. I found out the hard way.

 

This is ok. I will just keep the hard drive on a shelf until the DVR comes back from the distributor. Then I can put the HD back in to the original machine.

 

I learned that the 16 channel DVR is not hot swapable the hard way. I fried a 250 GB hard drive. OOOOPS FAUX PAUX!

 

Thank god it did not damage the DVR!!!!!

 

I hope I clarified myself some.

[rory 0]

an AvTech Sales Rep from taiwan use to be on this forum, he still comes by every so often as far as I know .. wonder if he will stop by this thread .. as I would like to know when they will be upgrading the remote video software for them .. its okay and all but when you change a camera on the remote viewer, it changes it on the DVR, same with multi views, and the quality in 16 channel is not great at all .. single camera is fine though. Also it does do FTP and email on event, which is great for such an inexpensive DVR ... we have a review or a couple of them on the forum Re: AvTech DVRs ... mostly to do with the Remote Video Software though which interests me greatly. For the price though its such a great buy.

[scorpion 0]

I remember an incident that I had with the 9 channel after I installed it in a bar.

 

The owner calls up begging for help. "The red light comes on, a siren comes on my lap top at home, and it keeps me up when I go to bed.

My desk top is full of icons!!!! Help"!

 

I had no idea what he was taking about. The next day I went to the bar, and he brought his lap top, and sure enough the desk top is full of film strip icons. It was filling the screen faster than I could delete them. I went threw every setting for motion and recording and I could not figure it out. After calling tech support, and I could not get help through them, I tried one last time.

I happen to go in to the remote viewer and found the system config button at the top right of the video server S. I clicked on alarm, and I unchecked alarm trigger.

 

Ever since then I have loved this feature!

 

Did you know that you can use video server E to look at a machine that uses video server S?

 

I hope the rep is still lurking! I want him to know that I love his machines!!

 

I just wished that Ecps in south Fl carried the network versions of the 9 channel, and the 16 channel!!!!!!

[scorpion 0]

I have to agree with you on the changing the remote video camera view.

 

I have customers that I check in once in a blue moon just to make sure the system are still up, and running, and that they still have remote view capabilities.

 

I really hate to start pushing camera buttons because I know that they are going to have to watch what I select. I always leave the view up as I found it before I exit.