starblaster

.... then I must ask the retailer WHY he didn't know about this short fall.

My retail source is supposed to be a Geo specialist.

AGP

Gainward Geforce 4 powerpack

Model pro/600-8X TV

64MB DDR

BTW Did you say not to turn on Full Screen ?

For some reason I no longer have that option.

Problem was entirely to do with Direct X.

Uninstalled Geo software , formatted video storage partition, installed Direct X 9 , reinstalled Geo software and full ( glitch free ) steam ahead.

Thanks for the input guys.

BTW This Direct X thing wasn't mentioned in the manual.

Starting again.

Uninstalling software.Loading Direct x 9.....

Will let you know.

If this was my only option then I would have certainly considered it.

As it is however retailers are too easily prepared to sell a Geovision DVR card off the shelf with the 'inference' that all will be well.

I wasn't even asked about my PC configuration.

If this retailer thinks I will return to buy a ready made system then he is very sadly mistaken.

For the relatively miserable price of a motherboard it would make sense

to sell a compatible 'bundle' ( M'bd , Graphics Card & DVR card )

BTW

The AVI files must have become corrupted during 'normal' operation.

I had not used system restore yet ( and still haven't ).

The database repair utility seemed to do the trick with the video log.

I still get 2 frozen panels in the quad view.

Apologies Robert but this input may be of use to you later.

Steve6690...

This site mentions having ALL cameras connected to card before software installation. Says nothing about this in Version 6 Manual.

Do the cameras have to be powered on ????

Perhaps this is why my GV-600-4 is playing up.

To my glitch list I can now add :

Ghost video logs which have resisted all attempts at deletion.

Backup manager says 'no logs' yet Video log viewer is still showing

the files ( tick boxes are simply showing '?' and the files won't play ).

Tried deleting them directly from the separate drive partition but still no luck.

The FAQ section at the main Geovision site is not worth a squirt of piss.

To think that I was silly enough to believe that few questions=few problems.

Thank heavens for the XP restore points.

Looks like it's 'start from square 1' time.

I am very firmly of the view that manuals should be written for

people who DON'T know anything about computers or at the very least have

2 versions of manuals available .

Is there a Geovision DVR For Dummies ????

I am in Australia.

Short story.

Bought a Geovision card ( from retailer ) and some quality ( though dated ) CCTV cameras at Ebay.

Ready to move up to better cameras.

Have noticed that USA NTSC cameras are just so much cheaper ( more competition I suppose ).

Example:

The Ganz B&W Hi Res 11CH4 PAL version is $AUD300.00 in Oz

The USA sells NTSC version at around $AUD160.00

Is there any good reason why there is such a big difference ?

Am I better off going down the NTSC path ?

It may be of some help.

http://www.skywaysecurity.com/video_boards/gmax_4.cfm

In any case .... 16 port ??

On the surface it looks a good price.

Just remember 1 camera 30 fps , 2 cameras 15 fps etc.

I was tricked by the sites 'Version History' link although it should really be updated to reflect new mods in current versions.

The GV-600-4 card is just fine for my needs ( two cameras ).

The system comprises Intel board with clean XP , Celeron 2.4gig , 40gig HDD ( partitioned 10gig software / 30 gig video log ) and no extra programs.

The glitches don't impede function ( recording ) but are simply annoying.

The primary glitch is two 'frozen' panels in the quad view.

It also gets very messy in the 16 cam view ( frozen & fractionally splitting panes ).

Obviously , I don't need the 16 cam view but any kind of software messiness is of concern.

For all I know , the problem could be the cameras but this just doesn't sound like a reasonable cause.

I am in the process of selecting some new cameras.High resolution day/nighters. Any suggestions ( under $300 each...have good CS lenses in hand ) ?

Specifically the GV-600-4 with V6.0

Just bought one and installed it ( after Nvidia graphics card gforce4 mx440 ).

Clean machine XP OS , Intel mbd D865GLC , Celeron 2.4 .

Buggy in spots ( frozen image panels , lost video log info ).

QUESTIONS :

Is there a discussion board just for Geovision cards ?

The main .tw website aint worth a squirt ( the latest software version there is 5.4 !!)

Don't forget to keep any eye on them also.

Bit tricky coz we don't know the lay of the land ( so to speak ).

I would suggest a large diameter PVC pipewith a slow bend.

One end at the pool face with a window.

The other end above ground ( and hooded ).

Just feed your camera in ( you could use the wheel base off a toy car ).

Possible problem: Condensation caused by the camera warmth.

Solution: A heater ( aquarium tube type ) towards the top end of tube coupled with a feeder tube ( hooded ) to create a free flowing convention.

In any case you must consider possible complications caused by condensation and infiltration of water.

Make sure you put it at the deep end coz it's a danger zone and it's also where the mum's will hang out.

Let's face it , if mums are there you can let THEM watch the kids.

My aim is to have a motion triggered megapixel snapshot taken as people enter my store.

I have almost set up most of my normal cctv cameras and they will be fine for general surveillance.

I know there are some horribly expensive solutions for me but...

does anyone have any ideas about setting up a 1-2 megapixel digital camera ( cheap as chips now ) to 'snap' then store to a hard drive.

The IQeye system is a little too expensive for me ( and I am not Robinson Crusoe ).

It might also be a good add-on to offer your clients , as low cost hi-res image capture would certainly appeal to a store owner with a bad memory.

... when you tried to focus the lenses , just what exactly did you do ?

There is a back focusing adjustment on most cameras that has nothing to do with turning the lense itself.

It is done by turning a screw on the camera body itself.

In fact high end cameras generally.

As I have only just wet my feet , I am curious.

Do cameras follow the normal price rule ?

That is , will today's $AUD 2000.00 megapixel netcam

become 1/2 it's current price in 12 months time ?

General 'live' surveillance in my store will be OK but I look forward to an

affordable megapixel snapshot of each person entering my store.

Coz the seller says so ( chuckle ).

I loved the part about 120 fps.

Intel mbd , 256meg ram , 478 pin Celeron 2.4 gig , Win2000 & 40GIG HDD

PLUS a heap of installed software.

I think it best to build a new machine as the above was to be a replacement for my existing work machine.

Thanks for the advice.

May sound like a silly question I suppose.

Just installed a GV-600-4 and have noticed a few strange things.

1. Had a camera image 'lock' on me. That is , in certain viewing configurations I encountered a still frame while in most others viewing was live.

2. The GUI would go messy in spots.

Are these the indicaters of a crowded PC ( many other applications on hard drive doing housekeeping in the background ) AND do most problems disappear on a clean machine ( PC + OS + Geovision software only ) ??

This price includes GST. It's the 4 camera version.

As remote viewing AND high res. capture are my prime requisites and the money bag not overly full it looks like PC based for me just now.

I have come across much higher prices in Australia but would love to find any a little lower.

This little fellow showed up in my searching.

MINICOM CDT600DVR with 120gb HDD at $AUD704.00( incl GST )

http://www.cdt.com.au/prod.asp?prod=SYSM029

Cheap but nasty I guess.

Doesn't have any remote viewing or control feature but surely

it wouldn't cost that much more.

Problem is that the seller didn't see fit to mention any possible problems or even ask what my PC configuration was.

Perhaps the small FAQ section at www.geovision.com.tw would tend to indicate that there just aren't many problems with these cards.

Small amounts at Ebay I can write off to experience but $AUD940.00

is NOT an amount I wish to speculate with.

May I ask ... is this card stable and friendly ?

Hello good people.

I hope you are friendly enough to help me out.

After getting the initial idea and falling flat on my face ( yes.. I bought an Ebay card...Oz site ) I need a little advice.

Here is my wish list:

1. To watch and control 4 cameras from home ( and also instore while I am there )

2. To record at say 2 fps but also view at 25 fps at the same time

( at highest resolution possible )

3. To have an alert sent to a mobile phone ( vision not necessary , just a call to action to view via home computer ).

4. Instore I would need two monitors.

5. I would need a motion detection system that is in-camera ( video motion detection not a peripheral sensor ).

A PC set up seems like a minefield as I would need an exact hardware configuration to avoid conflicts.

A dedicated DVR seems the way to go.

I do not have a static IP address.

Can anyone suggest one at under $1500 Australian ?

( without cameras naturally )