Soundy

So where in Canuckistan are you located?

Welcome, from Raincouver!

Any computers store will have cables, from a Best Buy to your little hole-in-the-wall shops... just check through them for the non-keyed types (the small shops are more likely to have something). I've simply drilled out the blocked hole at times (granted, that was for motherboards without the missing pin, so it may not work if your loop-through uses that pin).

Seconded for the CNB - a little over $200 but well worth the extra.

Second the recommendation on those CNB cameras; they're not IR, but really, built-in IR on perimeter cameras like that will be of limited usefulness at the range and field-of-view you're probably looking at. The CNBs are fantastic with minimal existing light.

Was it really necessary to create two different threads? viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20816&p=123972#p123972

In the days of film cameras, there was a physical shutter blocking light from reaching the film; the shutter speed was the amount of time the shutter remained open to expose the film to light. The faster the speed (1/100s is twice as fast, or half the time, of 1/50s), the less light hit the film, and the darker the photo. In terms of CCTV cameras, the "shutter" is electronic (ie. the amount of time the sensor collects data), but the concept is the same. Fast shutter = less light.

Have you checked the power consumption of a dedicated unit as well, for comparison? I doubt you'll find they use that much less than the PC. Stick with energy-efficient components when you build the PC and you should be good. Make sure to set it to turn off the monitor after a set time, and you can probably set it to spin down the hard drive after a while as well.

What sort of "VGA to composite converter" are you using? Something like an AverKey may do the job, as they're designed to display computer graphics on TVs for presentation purposes, and will take higher input resolutions.

It's all kind of a moot question without knowing what that number on the right side refers to. Is it a time count? Is it a reference or watermark? Is it a CRC or other sort of authentication mark? Does it maybe indicate other image factors like motion detection, image brightness, etc? Without knowing this, your concerns are baseless, and everyone else's answers (except kensplace's) are just speculation.

Any handy lens calculator will do - sensor size factors into it as well. There's a simple but effective one here: http://www.sweeting.org/mark/lenses/cctv.php Assuming a 1/4" sensor, looking at horizontal field of view: 2.8mm = 65º 3.5mm = 54º 8mm = 25º On a 1/3" sensor: 2.8mm = 81º 3.5mm = 68º 8mm = 33º

Welcome!

Welcome!

See if the DVR has a switch or software setting for "termination" on the BNC output - options would likely be "75Ω" and/or "Hi-Z".

Interesting... cost-wise, a iPad would make as effective a display device as a large LCD monitor/TV... only problem is, I think they'll want something significantly bigger that an iPad. In their newer stores, they have extensive centrally-managed A/V systems that we may be able to tie into as well, so a self-contained setup wouldn't really work in this instance (unless the iPad can output HDMI/DVI/VGA).

Yes, but I'm not talking about PoE. I'm talking about using a few switches in a distributed layout, rather than a ton of Outreach boxes to home-run each camera. You noted that the switches then each need power... I pointed out that the cameras in such a layout also each need power, so it's not like you need to run power JUST for the switch. Take my five-camera example above with three $35 switches. Assume it costs $100 to install a power outlet (figuring that electricians are pricey; this also assumes there isn't power already convenient to any of the switch locations). Assume, for the sake of simplicity, that the cameras come with their own wall-wart supplies, so there's not an extra cost there. There's $105 for switches, and $300 for outlets, for $405. Now in your design, you wouldn't need an Outreach box for the first camera... you'd need one each for the middle pair of cameras, and two each for the farthest cameras. So there's six Outreach boxes, at $150 each, for a total of $900. In the above example specifically, there was actually power convenient to one switch location already, so only two outlets were required to be installed.

There's one consideration nobody has addressed yet, and it's sort of the answer to the question, "What is the distance ______ lens can cover?" The DISTANCE a lens can cover, is right up to the first opaque object. It doesn't matter how wide the view is, you won't see any FARTHER than the first shelf, display, hanging sign, or other obstruction. How many cameras are needed will be directly affected by this, regardless of the store size. A 12,000 sq. ft. store with low racks will be less of a problem than a 2,000 sq. ft. store with shelves that approach the ceiling; in the former, a single camera can often cover several aisles, whereas in the latter instance, if you want all aisles covered, each will need its own camera.

No, because of PoE on IP cameras. Try to follow the conversation....

Each camera that plugs into it needs power as well, no? $300 extra per gets a little extreme after more than a couple cameras... cheaper to get an electrician in to add a couple outlets at the switch locations to power switch AND cameras.

I can't say specifically for the NW484S, as I've not used the network model, but if it's the same guts as its analog brethren, then it's a kick-ass camera for any sort of dynamic lighting conditions.

Do you have make and model info for the existing cameras and DVR? They may be just fine for this purpose, and merely need to be set up properly.

Depends on the site/system layout, you might be cheaper with switches anyway. I did one like this recently... From server room, 70m run to a 5-port switch... that switch fed one camera, and another 80m run to a second 5-port switch. That switch directly fed two cameras, and another 80m run down to a third switch, which in turn fed two more cameras, one of them about 95m away. Three DSS-5+ 10/100 5-port switches = $35x3 = $105.

Next thing you know, you'll be using twist-on connectors on steel-core, aluminum-shielded RG6 to connect up your HDcctv cameras to your eBay DVRs!