Soundy

All true, too. It's really too vague a question with too many variables - size of the project, scope of existing network, etc.

Depends on how they use the RAM I suppose. I'm mostly just familiar with the Vigil systems, and I know the main requirement for them is that they have enough RAM to fully load their MSSQL database. The settings for the database allow you to allocate a portion of the RAM to database use, and requirements are generally that you have at least 256MB unallocated. So with 1GB RAM, you leave 256MB free, and allocate the the remaining 768MB to database use. That then allows up to a 768MB database to be loaded without slowdown. Probably the "busiest" system I have in use is a 32-channel system with 23 analog (D1) cameras and five 1.3MP IP cameras, all averaging about 4fps, with 9.5TB of total storage for around 90 days' retention. In that case, the database is currently a little under 640MB. Framerate and resolution don't have a direct effect - the database tracks video files, so the more files you have, the larger the database. One trick we've used when the database outgrows the free RAM, if upgrading the RAM isn't an immediate option, is to increase the framerate and/or resolution on a couple cameras, so that the video takes more space, thus reducing the number of video clips, and thereby reducing the database size. Since MSSQL is limited to 2GB for a single database, anything more than 2GB RAM available to the database would be pointless on these systems, so 3GB RAM on these systems is more than enough. Now all that said, again, the need for more RAM is really dependent on how the particular system uses the RAM. In normal PCs, large amounts of RAM are mostly good for loading large files, like super-large photos in Photoshop, or large video clips (or giant maps and textures in games, if that's your thing). If your DVR limits the individual file sizes, that shouldn't be an issue. I tend to take "system requirements" with a grain of salt.... most cases, they're somewhat exaggerated because people would complain about the performance they'd get from "bare minimum requirements".

Not a lot of "network design" required, really, if you put your system on its own switch. Just run all your cables to one place and plug them into an appropriate switch, along with the DVR, and configure the IPs appropriately.

Embedding pictures is easy - put the to close the tag.

I like to create a separate network whenever possible. One new site, they'd already created a VLAN for the cameras in their switch, so we used that. On sites where they want remote access, I've found it usually suffices to plug my switch into their network, and create an "alternate" IP on the DVR that corresponds to their network (so the adapter has both 192.168.2.* address for the cameras, and a 10.* address for their LAN/WAN). One or two sites, I've added a second NIC for the company LAN, but I haven't had any problems doing it the other way. The whole point of a switch, rather than a hub, is that the traffic for one network shouldn't affect the traffic for the other, since the switch routes the data direct to its destination, rather than blasting it out to everyone who's connected.

Any particular reason you're run it on Windows Server rather than 2000 or XP?

Image uploads are broken, have been for a long time. Imageshack, Tinypic, Flikr, Photobucket, are all good...

Oh yes, I think we all carry a good supply of those... plus RCA->BNC, BNC->F, F->BNC, BNC T-adapters of various types... just about anything imaginable, you'll probably find a use for at least once in your career

It's not the BEST option, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it. A pendant mount is preferable to help keep rain off the bubble, but it's not the end of the world if you have to mount the dome directly to the wall. Giving it a good application of Rain-X before it goes into service, will help a lot (I do this all the time with cameras inside car washes, helps IMMENSELY).

Agreed here! "Decent" megapixel cams these days start at <$400. A quality PTZ (one that's even capable of tracking and focusing at the required speed, nevermind one with sufficient image quality) will be three times that. The cost of the AI system to DRIVE the tracking is on top of that. There's your key: a tracking system can pick AN object to lock onto and track... but not necessarily THE object that needs to be tracked. Get two cars leaving the area at the same time, going in opposite directions... which one do you follow? A human watching the screen might have a good idea (like, the one screeching his tires); the computer would have little or no way of knowing which one to follow, and could just as likely follow the WRONG one. Bingo. Get the whole area with BOTH cars leaving, and you don't have to worry about which one to track! Keep in mind that if the PTZ is moving and tracking objects constantly, it will also be recording constantly, even on motion-record. With the MP camera, motion detection can be set up, masked and tweaked to minimize unnecessary recording... so the difference in storage requirements isn't as great as you might think.

Is there any particular reason you NEED to use a 64-bit OS? The only real benefit I could see to it, without the software being optimized for it, would be the ability to use more then 3.5GB of installed RAM... but I have yet to come across a DVR that will even come close to using all of that.

What you're paying for, ultimately, is reliability... not just of the equipment, but of the service, and of the sale itself. When you're buying online, unless it's from a know reputable source, you can never quite be sure of what you'll get until you open the box. Sometimes you can score a good deal (someone else here recently got a great price on some very good Panasonic domes) but you never know if you're getting factory seconds, open-box items, scratch-and-dent returns, something non-functioning, or the wrong thing altogether (see the PSP picture above!) Online stores can provide low prices because they have minimal overhead, but that can also mean they have limited stock on-hand to deal with replacements. And if you do need replacements, you can't just walk in and do it - you have to deal with shipping both ways, and watch out for having to pay your own return shipping costs.

"Plugs directly into a SATA connector on a mainboard. " - that's pretty slick! That would be perfect for a system/OS drive. Most of my builds, I only slice off a 10GB-15GB system partition as it is.

More important than simply adding more fans, is that the fans be laid out to create proper airflow. Typically, you want fresh air into the front of the box, hot air out the back. One common mistake I see is a fan blowing inward, mounted on the back panel right under the power supply - all this does is pull in cool air, where the CPU's fan can take it and blow it right back out, leaving the rest of the air in the box sitting stagnant and hot. Leaving a bunch of slot-blanks open (the punch-outs in the back where cards go) can adversely affect airflow as well, reducing the amount that's pulled in from the front and across the hard drives. It's funny, the "good" brand seems to change every few years... Seagate currently (or until just recently, anyway) has been quite infamous for a series of firmware problems in their 1TB drives. We've been using mostly WDs lately with few problems... meantime there are a bunch of older systems we support out in the field using those thin 40GB Maxtor drives for the system drives, and we had a TON of those die within about a 2-year timespan... yet larger Maxtor data drives (mostly 250s and 320s) have been rock-solid. It's not a matter of features, so much as robustness - higher-quality components, tighter manufacturing tolerances, etc. It's certainly not a marketing ploy, although it may be more than what's required for DVR use. The fact that most have three-to-five-year warranties speaks volumes, compared to one-to-two years on most "desktop" drives these days. Drives don't typically need MASSIVE cooling... just keeping fresh air moving across them is usually enough to keep them happy. Again, the real trick with that is creating proper airflow throughout the case. Depends on the setup. Use an array with hot-swap support, and all you have to do is pop out the old drive, swap the new drive into the sled, plug it in, and be on your way, no need to even shut down the unit. RAID 5/6 rebuilding doesn't require constant monitoring (especially since it can take several hours). This is true, mechanical drives are the last, weakest link in computers. SSD is getting there, but doesn't have a very good price point YET. Well, do keep us posted! I don't think the issue is that nobody's sharing, so much as that nobody's really using them for that yet. Consider: the capacity is still limited and the cost/GB is still relatively high... the main place they'll be usable as data drives is in smaller, low-cost DVRs... which most people buy BECAUSE they're low-cost; adding a low-capacity drive that could possibly cost more than the DVR itself would be a hard sell in most circumstances.

Depends on the DVR. I've found that although they look the same, GeoVision's 8-channel octopus cable is wired differently than the Vigil and VideoInsight's. They're ALMOST compatible, but not quite. Offhand, I'd say the manufacturer is the best bet...

PCIexpress, as the name suggests, supports far higher bandwidth than PCI. The PCI buss maxes out at 133MB/s., whereas PCIe's LOWEST spec is 250MB/s, up to 16GB/s for the highest current spec. That makes for far greater and faster data transfer to and from the card, which could potentially mean larger (more channels) capture cards, or coupled with cheap drive space, could mean lower compression or even no compression of analog video.

If you're talking about a computer monitor with the 15-pin VGA input, you'll need a composite-to-VGA converter. Try here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=composite+to+vga+converter If you're dealing with flat-panel TVs, most should have A/V inputs (the set of yellow/white/red jacks)... just use a BNC-to-RCA adapter and plug into the yellow jack.

We've been using IQEye cameras for several years now and been pretty happy with them. Recently had Areconts foisted upon us by client demands and been finding them frustrating at best - the cameras themselves perform alright, but the software and interface are horrible. Never tried Mobotix, but I've heard lots of good things about them, would love to check some out.

I'm not familiar with a lot of wireless gear, but I do know that what you're asking for will NOT be cheap if you want any sort of quality and reliability. Your distances are too far for standard ethernet or WiFi... you might almost need a broadband internet connection at each location, and pipe the cameras in via VPN.

Only if you get a cheap junky one. The ANTEC in my PC has been working great for years. 550W, cost me about $45. Switching-mode supply, tightly regulated, up to 15A on the 12VDC rails. No, it's not the "proper" or "ideal" solution or even designed for that purpose, but there's no reason it can't work just fine.

Take a look at CNB's offerings - we use their domes regularly for lower-budget jobs and they measure up nicely to most of their pricier counterparts.

The blue wire would short to any of the black ones. The yellow wires will all provide 12VDC, including those on the HDD power connectors. As to why... I guess "just because". I regularly see guys on various other forums asking about doing this to power their car subwoofer amps for their home theater setups, too. One thing, at least you know it's highly-regulated 12VDC. Looking at a 300W PSU I have sitting here, it says it provides up to 11A at +12VDC... that's enough to run a good number of cameras.

ATX pinout listing is here: http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml Note pin 14 (Green wire): "Power Supply On (active low). Short this pin to GND to switch power supply ON, disconnect from GND to switch OFF."

Failing camera. Expect the intermittent to become permanent before long.

If you use the type of DVR that uses an 8- or 16-connector breakout cable from a VGA or DVI-I connector, like the GeoVisions, VideoInsights and Vigils (among others), you could use a wall-plate-mounted VGA or DVI pass-through, connect the breakout to that inside the wall, and then just use a regular VGA or DVI cable from the wall to your DVR.