I have a client that wants a casino quality DVR system. Can anyone tell me what the major and not so major casinos are using to capture and store video .
Thanks.....Mark

We use the Honeywell Enterprise system: http://www.honeywellvideo.com/products/accessories/ip/index.html


Other casinos use competing systems, including:

Dallmeier: http://www.dallmeier-electronic.com/en/products-electronic/recorders/mpeg-recordersdecoders.html

American Dynamics Intellex: http://www.tycovideo.com/products/intellex_home.aspx

Synectics Systems: http://www.synx.com/

Cisco Sypix: http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/ps/products.html

NiceVision: http://www.nice.com/products/video/index.php

Pelco Endura: http://www.pelco.com/products/endura/productline.aspx

IndigoVision: http://www.indigovision.com/


And others, including the now-discontinued Sanyo DSR-series Casino DVR's, etc.

Most DVR/NVR manufacturers would love to get a casino client but relatively few have. We have also talked to a few recently who are interested in selling us systems but don't have any major casino installations in the U.S.. These include Genetec, Milestone Systems, Instek Digital, Steelbox Networks, DVTel, Airship, Geutebruck, Petards, March Networks, Virage and others...

In Washington state, there are a number using Pelco Endura, as well as several using various Honeywell and IBM based systems.

The requirement in WA is 30fps at 4cif.

Casino's are a bit different, they tend to standardise on MPEG2 as it is the Best compression, they also thend to run a front end matrix...quite oftne analogue controlled that works by interfacing to controls of Indivisual 1 camera DVR's

IE 1 DVR per camera.......you heard right 300 cams = 300 DVR's, the reasoning is that if a single dvr fails, you only loose 1 x camera until replacement..and spare untis can be matrixed into play instantly

Actually, the one "DVR per camera" systems are falling by the wayside. This will be especially true as Sanyo discontinues the DSR-Mxx "Casino DVR" systems. That leaves Dallmeier as the only major manufacturer of one-for-one DVR's.

And yes, many of us use MPEG2 compression but there is now a distinct shift away from that codec in favor of MPEG4 and h.264; primarily due to the storage savings approaching 50%. Despite the ever-decreasing cost of storage per gigabyte, it is still a substantial part of the cost of any system.

In our system, using MPEG2, we have approximately 300TB (one terrabyte = 1024 gigabytes) of storage for 1000 cameras. If the h.264 DVR/NVR manufacturers' claims of 50% storage savings using the newer codec are true, the savings for our system would have been approximately 150TB or more than $150,000 at approximately $1000 per TB. While I know that $1000/TB sounds steep, remember this is in RAID storage and the RAID boxes are not cheap.

I know our product has been used is quite a few casinos. The product is sold and installed through integrators though .. not sure who they are at the moment. Anyone here perhaps?

We wrote an app (Vigil Gatekeeper) that integrates the DVR with the Pelco™ CM9740/60/70/80 series matrix switch. It uses a touch screen monitor with maps of the building to control analog and IP based cameras through the switch.

We also have made the switch from MPEG 2 to H.264. We are using hardware encoding with 16 channel / box at 4CIF/30fps. It's a hybrid so they are using 5mp (megapixel) cams in key areas.

Dave