Soundy

I don't know how many wires your Pano controller uses, but if indeed there is one unused pair in the run, then yes, you can use that for the monitor via baluns. Interference shouldn't be a problem.

Here's an idea: use an IP camera or two (megapixel, ideally), and load a laptop up with NVR software. Then when you get in the car, you just bring the laptop along and plug it in (wire a small switch with the cameras in the car), and record to that. Pictures can then be readily printed or exported from the laptop; if you add an internet stick, you could even email pictures and videos directly out. When the day is done, bring the laptop inside, and back it up to a big external drive. You could pull it off with any $400-$500 laptop or netbook, and probably get away with cheaper $300-$400 Acti or similar "bargain" megapixel cameras... the only other costs would be a bit for the wiring, the switch, and the hard drive. A good netbook will give you well over 4 hours of battery life (opt for high-capacity battery if possible) so you don't need to power it while in the car for a four-hour tour. Other ideas: instead of a switch, use an inexpensive N router, and just use the laptop wirelessly. Most of these have 5, 9, or 12VDC adapters, so it would be easy to rig a voltage regulator to power it directly off the car's system. Ditto the cameras, which are usually 12VDC-powered. For another $200-$300, you could add a "portable" inkjet printer, and print your photos on-the-spot.

Well, neither solution is 100%, obviously... Rain-X claims, I think 90 days between re-applications, but that's on a car windshield where it sees a lot more raid, as well as wipers, so it's being worn down a lot faster. You'd probably get a good 6 months before it would need to be "touched up" in this case. Ultimately though, if blowing rain is a major issue, you may need to look at either protecting the bubble better, say with some kind of shroud... or switch out the dome for an enclosure with its own wiper... something similar to this, for example: http://www.avexcctv.com/product_details.php?category_id=8&item_id=28

Hmmm... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=scanmail+10k+electronic+mail+scanner Leads us to: http://www.armedforces.co.uk/releases/raq407ea6e211c04

You could try creating a bead of silicone on the surface of the bubble, surrounding the lens area, so it will stop the water running down the bubble and force it to drip off sooner. I've also had success with domes in direct weather exposure, by giving them a treatment of Rain-X or similar product.

Sorry to sound dense, but what exactly is a "2 pin nylon line plug"? I'm sure it's something very common, I'm just not familiar with that term. Perhaps a picture of what you're dealing with?

Not just that, he's in Edmonton, where -30C is a balmy summer's day I've been testing one of these as well, not any measurement tests or anything, but it's been preforming well on my bench.

Welcome aboard! Nice to have someone else in the Pacific time zone here

Can you pull the RG6 back inside? Then you could just mount the HighWire indoors and run Cat5e from it to the camera. Frankly, there are no moving parts or anything mechanical to the HighWires, there's no good reason they shouldn't operate just fine at -30. They generate quite a bit of heat on their own, in fact. I think it was elsewhere on this board, someone noted that when a manufacturer lists a lower temperature limit for an all-electronic device, that number is based mainly on the fact that that's simply the lowest temperature they're capable of testing it at. Doesn't mean it won't survive lower, just means they don't have the facilities to test it at lower temps, and thus don't want to "guarantee" its operation.

If you're trying to output computer animations, the PROPER way to do it would be to create your animations in software that can render them to common video formats. What software are you using now to create your animations??

A 32-channel Vigil system would suit all those requirements as well. www.3xlogic.com - several options for cases and configurations, all hybrid-capable. Remote access is via a Windows client and camera view and control access can be controlled via user groups. As far as power-out runtime, anything you do is going to need a BIG-ASS UPS to maintain not just the DVR/NVR, but any outboard storage, the cameras themselves, and if you use any IP cameras, it will have keep the associated network running as well. Either way, that probably means all power for the system will need to be centralized, or you'll need multiple UPS units. One thing about "autotracking" PTZs: it sounds like a really neat idea, but without some highly advanced analytics driving it, it's only really effective if you only have one subject at a time to track. It's not possible for one camera to track two or more subjects moving on different paths, and it's damn near impossible for it to know which one to prioritize. For something like that, take a look instead at a wide-view (180-degree or 360-degree) panoramic high-megapixel camera, such as the Arecont AV8185/8365 models (Vigil supports panoramic de-warping, as well). The camera can then simply record the entire area, and you can "pan/tilt/zoom-in" the recorded video after the fact. As tomcctv suggests, a mixture of analog and IP would probably do well here: basic analog cameras in each client office (look at the CNB Monalisa line of domes - good wide view, excellent low-light performance, best camera for the price by far), panoramic megapixel IP for the outside coverage... general indoor coverage could be a combination of standard IP or analog cameras depending on the detail needed.

With most systems, ANY network access will be via standard Internet Protocol (IP). That includes LAN (internal business network), remote, and mobile. Usually if a DVR has separate "mobile" support, it provides for things like higher compression, resized images to fit phone displays, and a reformatted interface, also to accommodate the smaller display. In the end though, it's all via the same network ports using the same network protocols. Of those systems that DO recompress video for remote viewing, some will actually measure the bandwidth available and adjust the compression accordingly, many will allow the user to select a bandwidth level, but most simply recompress a pre-determined amount and send that out to all remote clients, whether LAN, WAN, or mobile.

The DVR is probably recompressing the video and possibly reducing the color depth as well, specifically for the remote feed. Many DVRs do this to reduce bandwidth requirements. Nothing weird about it, and yes, it is somewhat dependent on brand.

If they won't go for the $1000 price of the NP502, I doubt they'd be willing to shell out for Avigilon.

What kind of battery does it use? Most DVRs and PCs I've seen use a standard CR2032 lithium button cell, which can be had anywhere from $8 each at "specialty" outlets, to a card of 5 for $1 at a dollar store.

Pretty sure that's wrong. All of my 484S domes came with a standard varifocal lens: PLZ 29/27, which is a 2.9-8mm. They can take a 2.2mm wide-angle, and a 15-50 also, but those are not the normal stock lens. Agreed there, I've installed a dozen of these cameras, they all come with the 2.9-8mm. From http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=100037&catGroupId=14474&surfModel=WV-CW484S&displayTab=F "Lens: 2x variable focal lens" (2.9-8mm is actually 2.75x) The marketing brochure actually lists it as a 3.8-8mm (ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/cctv/SpecSheets/WV-CW484_Series_10_06.pdf) which would be closer to 2x. Anyway, all the material I could find on Panasonic's site lists a fairly standard varifocal lens as shipping with the camera...

Of course it is, but sometimes people need someone else to come up with the proper search terms

Or just go straight for the Panasonic WV-CW484 SuperDynamic III - not megapixel, but still pretty much the best you can get for severe backlighting conditions... and looking at your pictures, unless you have really bright lights in the lobby, you'll have some pretty SEVERE backlighting.

If the core of the "problem" IS the DVR, then "fixing" it by boosting the signal is just throwing good money after bad. You'll probably end up replacing the DVR eventually anyway as other channels flake out; better to do it NOW and not waste money trying to simply kludge around the issue.

Or just replace the "crappy" DVR with a half-decent one...

Some DVRs will display a frozen image when they lose signal. Some will freeze if the feed is noisy. If the cameras display fine on a monitor, then the cameras are not the problem. It's possible that the DVR is simply failing, or that just those inputs are failing. Try swapping inputs of one of the "problem" cameras with one of the stable ones... see if the freezing moves with the camera, or stays with its original channel. For example: if camera 1 is good and 2 freezes, switch them, and see if 1 now freezes, or if it's still 2. That will help narrow down whether the problem is with the DVR itself.

Keep in mind that the traffic lights ARE their own light sources, and in theory should be the same brightness regardless of the ambient light. In fact, for this to work, you'll probably have to use a fixed- or manual-iris lens and turn off the camera's AGC, specifically to prevent the camera changing exposure to match the surrounding conditions. Once you have the proper exposure for the traffic lights, that shouldn't ever change.

I think this pretty much cuts to the heart of the issue. I understand why some people here don't want to let the cat out of the bag on new technologies they're working with, especially if it's something new that can give them an edge over the competition... but WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THIS THREAD, you're right, it's sort of counter-productive to post camera images and then not provide any info about the camera. If I made the rules, I'd decree that if you're going to post pictures in this thread, you must also post details of the setup used to create them (camera make and model, lens make and model, focal length if possible, codec, DVR, etc. etc.). There's NO point in making comparisons without all this information available. If you don't want to share the details, then I think it's fair to ask you not show the pictures either - it defeats the entire purpose of the thread. Unfortunately, I don't make the rules, so consider all this to be just "food for thought".

(Click picture to enlarge )

I have an older DynaColor DynaGuard 208 sitting on my bench that I pulled out of a site, I haven't had a chance to use it in a production environment, but I've played with it on my bench, and I was fairly impressed with the feature set and the ease of use and configuration. We replaced it because it was locking up after a minute or so of operation... turned out to just be a bad hard drive.