Soundy

Not even close. 6mm on a 1/4" sensor will give you about a 33-degree horizontal field of view. Check any lens calculator (this one is quick and easy: http://www.sweeting.org/mark/lenses/cctv.php) The angle is the same on both axes. Or rather, the ratio is the same. A wider horizontal view will give a correspondingly wider vertical view as well.

You'll have to just live with missing the other 23GB... either that or downsize to a 120GB drive.

What size drive was in it before, and what size did you put in? This sounds like a common problem with older motherboards and Windows pre-XP/SP2. There's more info on how and why this happens here: http://www.48bitlba.com/ In the case of a standalone DVR, without a firmware update, there's probably no way to get around the problem... and since the unit has been orphaned by its manufacturer, the chances of a firmware update are slim to none.

I'd love to try the new Panny MP models... wanna send me one? Yeah, the IQ is an Pelco EH3508 housing and is using a 2.5-7mm lens, probably set around 3-3.5mm, so it catches the 3508's sun shield in the top (was no point in setting it wider, all it gets is more of the shield).

most manufacturers dont have that though, especially DVR manufacturers. I realize that... I said that it's not a big deal add it. SIP servers are NOT that difficult or costly to set up.

Your 484 is way out of focus or something terribly wrong with it or the DVR. I can get a better image from a $50 bullet. When I'm able to get a lift in there again with my new service monitor, I can fine-tune it. I had to rely on the ABF and a small monitor in dusk conditions to set it up. The difference should still be pretty obvious. Both cameras are recording to the same Vigil DVR using its MJPEG/Aztech codec.

FWIW, unless they specifically state otherwise, specs like that don't usually mean that the card WON'T work on any other chipsets, only that it's not GUARANTEED to work on them. The "approved" list is typically just a list of chipsets and boards that the system has been tested on and is known to work with... doesn't mean nothing else will work. And FYI, I've rebuilt Vigil systems on a wide variety of machines using Intel, AMD, SiS, VIA, and assorted other chipsets... haven't yet run into one that doesn't work.

How so? If a manufacturer has a setup that allows their IP cameras to connect in, and users to then access their cams via that website, then they've already "setup servers for people that buy their hardware". Adding another for SIP shouldn't be a big deal. For that matter, providing users of your equipment a SIP server shouldn't be that big a deal in the first place, really. Make it a value-added service, or make it a free service and tack a couple extra bucks on your price.

I've seen those, I'd love one... $$$$ tho! Looks pretty similar to mine, but with the signal-tracer wand... and a bigger screen on the main unit? More graphic mapping, or just more info display? The TP600 has tone-generator function as well, which I've used with my regular fox-and-hound kit's wand.

Yeah, the backbox doesn't seal watertight to the main part of the enclosure, but the main dome itself is sealed. And yes, that is the CW484 dome.

Anyone who has a central login setup for webcams would already have such a system in place.

Hah... Niiiiiice doggie... He is nice, sleeps strange: What, does he think he's a cat or something??

Okay, got a couple of my own. Recently added some cameras to a fuel cardlock. We put an IQ511 in an EH3508 housing watching a fenced compound, and a WV-CW484 dome watching about the same area (don't ask, it wasn't my idea). Here are the comparisons (you can see the dome in the IQ's frame). Note that the night shots were grabbed just after installation was complete, before any image/setup adjustments were done. 484s recorded at 704x480; IQ511s are 1.3MP so you'll have to click to view them full-size.

Wiring AND wireless range could be an issue in a house that size, especially if time is a factor (wiring can take plenty of it). In that case, you may want to consider cameras with built-in recording to SD card. Mobotix and IQEye make some great megapixel models, but they're hella pricey (that might not be a big concern to someone with a 7600sq. ft. house!). Another one I've dealt with is MemoCam - they make covert cameras built into things like motion detectors, clocks, etc. The big advantage to something like this, of course, is that it can be installed and start recording immediately, no DVR or wiring required.

^Those are great too. I have something similar for Cat5 testing. The terminator is just a quick and dirty way to check whether a cable is working or not, and 95% of the time it suffices for coax Come to think if it, the Cat5 tester IS a CCTV testing tool, for my purposes, since it's used almost entirely with IP camera wiring I have this one (the full TP607 kit, with 8 termination modules): http://www.jdsu.com/products/communications-test-measurement/products/a-z-product-list/lanroamerpro-cable-tester.html

They look like this: All it does is place a 75-ohm resistor across the pin and shield of the connector. Put that on one end, meter the other end - you should see ~75 ohms. See infinite - it's open (broken wire or connector). See 0 ohms, it's shorted.

BTW, have you considered something like this? http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/CarAudioVideo/InCarVideo/PRD~0352518P/3.5%252BBack-Up%252BCamera.jsp For CDN$150 (be around US$125) the package includes the monitor, transmits wirelessly, and best of all, you don't have to buy from a shady eBay seller. (If you're not in Canada, these guys will ship... but you can probably find a local retailer at most larger auto parts stores in the US... if not the likes of Walmart or Costco). Edit: in fact, Walmart lists a couple different cameras, including one starting at <$35: http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=camera&search_constraint=0&tc=0&ic=48_0&ref=+125875.126086&tab_value=1889_All

Personally, I'd go with a B&W camera and NO LEDs. 1. B&W *in general* gives better low-light imaging than color. 2. Obstacles will show up just well in B&W as in color. 3. You can buy a much better B&W camera for the same price as a cheap color cam. 4. If your backup lights are working, you shouldn't need extra illumination anyway.

Portable DVD player. $30 off Craigslist, works as both monitor and signal source. Multimeter and 75 ohm terminator is handy for testing some coax problems.

All I can say is, you get what you pay for. Nowhere is this as true as in the CCTV biz.

"LED" TVs still use LCD panels to create the display... they just use white LEDs for the backlight, instead of the standard fluorescent tubes. The "problem" that creates the "silvery" appearance still exists, but some designs get around it by turning off the LEDs where they're not needed. I don't know if that's something you'll find in any but the high-end HDTVs, though...

Nevermind folding knives, that would apply to pretty much any contractor's utility or carpet knife...

I was just questioning the implication that the RS-485 board was *required* for GV to control PTZs... that seemed rather bush-league to me. Good to hear it's not the case...

What a load of GARBAGE. That's kinda harsh - he DID specify, "that I know of".

Oh I know, but it's gotten beyond that and into "Oo, it would be nice if it did this and that..." I'm all for that, just saying it might be better served in its own thread. This one isn't for wish-fulfillment, this one is "what features ALREADY EXIST that you like?" Following that up, if the OP, as a manufacturer representative, were to actually start a "wish list" thread... and then have some of that feedback actually make it into the design and manufacturing chain... that would be a rare thing indeed! Not unheard-of, but rare... that would be a selling point in itself - a manufacturer that actually openly solicits public suggestions, and responds to them publicly. Many do say, "email us your ideas!" and then respond with a boilerplate "thanks, we'll keep it in mind", but actual open interaction with them would be a wonderful thing.