Dear All,
I have installed in my work place CCTV system with 1/3 Sony cameras and I have Standalone DVR but the quality is really bad, it the people are little bit far always you can not recognize their face. Is there any way that I can improve that? especially during the night..
Thank you,
Tomislav

Part numbers would help.

Thank you for a reply, part numbers are below.
YK 210 Z, YK-2E00, YK-476ZM3, YK-2J15, YK-2G49L, YK-2G57VF3.

Quite a mixture of cameras, part of them are 1/4" ccd and 1/3" ccd with zoom camera and PTZ camera, IR camera and space dome. Looks to be all Yoko cameras. Have not used any of these, but the ones I have used have been good.

I havent used these models but have sold & installed Yoko cameras in the past and they were excellent performers.
Have you tried connecting the cameras directly to the monitor to see if it is the cameras or the DVR. What kind of cables are you using, plug & play, RG59 siamese or ?
Do you have adequate lighting? Have you tried adjusting the lenses?
Wide angle lenses will have less detail unless what you are watching is close. If you use tighter lenses you will get better detail but your coverage area will be decreased. Does your DVR have camera adjustments? What kind of DVR do you have?
Some of the budget mpeg4 DVR'S I've tested have had terrible video from live and worse from playback.

One way or another, you pay for what you get.

Dear All, thanks for your reply but I gave up for now.

I have one another question?
Is there is a software which can change the image and make it much better, that it can also magnify the details in that image. It is a professional software but I can not find it anywhere? Many people say it is not possible but I am sure there is something like this. Also I heard that it is used by military or governments.

Do you know maybe anything about it?

Thanks a lot,
Tomislav

There are several products and services offered in this market check out VF Pro 3.0 www.salientstills.com/products/index.html Many of these products are out of the reach of most DIY or resi-system builders by design or cost however you must consider that preservation of the original file (footage) is very important in the legal aspects of evidence. Even a program such as Photoshop CS3 allows for non-destructive editing with the implication of smart filters and enhancement for example working with shadow/highlights etc.....for the most part I would consider that the original install- system build- one should strive for the best overall quality before having to rely on forensic editing after the fact although the gap is shrinking for sure between science and fiction in the technology markets with the new products and software being developed. Many of the software programs today (DVR-PC etc) have differnt levels of pic enhancement and control already to a certain degree.

For what that type of software costs, you'd be better off to go with megapixel IP cameras and just get better quality right from the start. Advanced software may be able to do impressive things with the image, but they're still generating data that doesn't exist in the image - better to simply get all that data in the first place.

The main part of your problem is likely that your DVR is recording at low resolution, such as 320x240; some even default to 160x120. Bump that up to the maximum, likely 640x480 or 720x480, and it will help a lot.

Please be aware that the gain from such software is extremely limited. You will never achieve what you see on CSI. Generally the software does one of two things. It applies a sharpening filter. It's a way of tricking the eye to make it easier to discriminate among objects. The other method is to compare pixels and attempt to use small differences in pixels to create a slightly better image. The downside to this method is that it doesn't work with MPEG-4 codecs at all.

Hello Thomas, I Agree to your comment however my response was directed to the original poster as to the existence of such "forensic" type products and I stated to the poster in my respose:"I would consider that the original install- system build- one should strive for the best overall quality before having to rely on forensic editing" Regards

I clicked on the wrong post for quoting. I wasn't disagreeing. My apologizes.

Thank you sir, regards.

Thanks for all comments Wolf, Soundy and Thomas . The problem with using better equipment is/was in budget so I am stuck with what I have but when I need to pull out some image with more details I am stuck. I am not able to provide them to my organization due to low resolution.

I tried to download VF Pro but when they send me the user and pass it didn't work. I will try to contact them again.
Wolf did you try it?

I had to have 1 month recording and I think the cameras are the main issue here that is also one reason why the resolution is not good I tried to increase it but I do not achieve the recording that I need.

Also I started with CCTV a year ago so I still have a long way to go.

You simply may not be able to do what you want with the equipment/budget you have... that's a problem we all run into, the people paying for it want the kind of things they see in the movies and on TV, and they think they can get it all for next to nothing... and then they get upset when you tell them they'll have to spend more money just to get something marginally acceptable.

You didn't list the make/model of your DVR - have you looked into upgrading its storage space to allow you to increase your recording quality and still keep the desired 30 days? What other adjustments have you made to the record settings? You may be able to reduce the framerates, or go from constant to motion-detect recording, to save some space while increasing resolution. More details on your complete record settings would help as well.

Thanks Soundy, I have a PM 16 channel DVR PMR 16, I am not sure which brand it is also I will for sure check the storage as well.

Is it the one pictured about 1/3 of the way down this page?
http://www.global-view.com.tw/dvr.html

Hello Tomislav, I havent used the software - only read about the product from a past issue of Security magazine http://www.securitymagazine.com/ seems the UTAH SD (Sheriff’s Office) has has success with the product as well a design consult I know involved with the TA back east told me about the program. At this point I deal mostly with consult for wire management/infrastructure - electrical design pertaining to custom entry and building facilities - freelance design oversite related to the construction industry. Perhaps others here on the forum can help you attain better quality with your exsisting hardware. I can tell you that often quality issues can be overcome or improved even with lower quality devices by revisiting the actual layout and build - smart distribution systems and wire management with special attention applied with all communication connectivity interfaces. Regards

Yes Soundy, this is the one, I have to say I am a bit disappointed because to take the 1 -2 h footage from the DVR (front USB) it takes 5-6 hours...that is really bad and most of the time it gets stuck so I have to repeat. It is better to take 30 minutes few times.

Wolf thanks a lot for info, in my current company I had to find contractors who did an installation of CCTV system. Problem was that we had few installations so we were all the time adding additional cameras and sometimes I was not there to supervise so I have a bit mess. We also have (addition to DVR) a PC based system with 16 channels (2 cards) as well, and I noticed that each company had different clue of how to put in the connectors and pull the wires (near the electrical cables which degrades the quality as well).

Do you guys have any good company to have CCTV trainings or even online videos. I am kind of new but still have some experience, basic at least.

Hello Tomislav, its always good to think future with smart design, thus allowing for simplified access later to support updated technology or expansion. Dependent on the actual detail/spec of the walls floors and ceiling type at your locations there are many distribution and wire management systems that can be researched for your applications. New construction or retro-fit, careful attention should be detailed regarding wire management - as well codes, building requirements etc. In general maintaining the bending requirements of cabling and cable paths ensure noise reduction integrity and overall performance. Devices will only perform to rated spec with proper install methods. Even the application of "high quality" products are dependent on the actual mechanical building of a system. Ive found that most quality issues arise from poor design. Older facilites often need to be revisited due to systems that are trapped by conventional behind the wall wiring or sloppy add-ons that are very difficult to gain access to correct - trace or have been stepped on by other trades. Your reference to connectors is a prime example of the weakest link....poorly constructed terminations often lead to call backs and failure to observe Power Quality issues ( device power specs often not followed or tested, circuits etc) From the DIY and even some "professional installs there often is a "plug and Play" attitude that can be problematic whereas the time is not taken to measure and scope out all the details that are key to attain a quality result. My comments are not only directed to this specialized field (CCTV-related) but general construction/build in general. Its a good idea to always have your contractor submit you with a design-plan with not only cost/material but actual layout that you can approve or have examined by a qualified source before you accept and proceed. Good Luck Regards

Do your cameras by themselves look good if hooked up directly to a TV? If not then there's not much you can do as that's your source image. You may be able to get better night time performance by removing the infrared filter under the lens, though.

Otherwise if they do look good, you may want upgrade your image capture device. As I was suggesting another folk on this forum, the Avigilon networked video encoder is thus far the best I've found. It's a little box that turns 4 analog cameras into IP cameras which you can access on a PC. This allows you to transmit images over longer distances in digital format to avoid signal loss, too. From my experience it makes all analog cameras look very sharp on monitors. You will need a PC and a single-camera software license though, but with the encoder it's still cheaper than a standalone DVR. Hope that helps getting the most out of it!