Soundy

You might be able to run the video through a post-processor that will stretch it proportionately - not stretched in the middle, stretched more toward the sides - but that probably won't work any better (I tried watching a hockey game on a TV that did that once, it was like watching it through a water bottle). So, your only options are stretched video, pillarboxed video (black bars on the sides)... or zoomed, so the top and bottom extend past the edge of the screen. Check out this link: http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5140690-3.html

It's playing for me in Windows Media Player Classic... but that was installed along with K-Lite Codec Pack, so the codec that's working was probably in there. Oddly, it won't play in VLC. Windows Media Player 10 shows it as "Indeo® video 5.10 Decompression Filter"

You can always feed the output of the DVR into the modulator and watch that on the TVs...

Got any specs on this setup?

You only need to post a question once. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=17644

How are they being modulated? Do they run via the cablevision system to the TVs so they're tuned on a channel? Do they flip from one to the next? Or are they displayed on a split screen? If they're being modulated onto a cable channel, I don't think you'll find a DVR that will work with that - it would have to have a TV tuner built in in that case... and you'd then either have it flipping camera-to-camera, which would negate the purpose of motion, or you'd be recording the split-screen, which would greatly reduce the quality of the individual cameras. Frankly, no matter which way you look at it, you're probably better off just putting the DVR where the four cameras come in. Get one that has daisy-chained outputs so you can just "insert" it in the existing camera lines and they can then still feed the modulator system.

.asf is a Windows Media format. .avi stands for "audio-video interleave" and is a generic wrapper... the file format itself could be encoded with any number of codecs.

letssled, can you post some clips to a file-sharing service, or a few stills to something like Photobucket? We can take a look and maybe someone can clean things up for you...

As far as connector types, I personally like compression connectors. They're one piece (well, most of them are), lock on solid, and most designs are weatherproof. I've used several different styles, some I like, some I don't... mostly using GEM brand and find they work really well. I tried some that actually had a separate crimp-on center pin, which I found really stupid, since I have to carry two crimpers there (or no doubt, buy their custom crimper). Our ADI/Burtek carries another brand (the name escapes me) that were really nice - the center pin is pushed up inside the barrel so you don't have to "hope" that the center conductor hits it, and then you push it into place along with the wire... those are good but they come in a really stupid plastic tube that you're supposed to use to "squeeze" them out. I've had problems with most standard one- and two-piece crimp designs I've tried... although it could just be that most didn't properly fit the crimper dies I have. I've mostly used the three-piece type (body, barrel and sleeve) and found them fairly reliable. Twist-ons I don't like - partly because they don't hold if you don't strip the cable just right, but mostly because your wrist gets really f'n sore if you have more than a half-dozen or so cameras (remember, each camera is two connectors!)

I posted all the clips captainjack sent me, for anyone who wants to take a look: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii207/soundy106/CCTV%20Stills/captainjack05/ That cameray ou listed is a PTZ... probably not worth the extra expense in this case. The ability to move the camera and zoom in is handy in realtime, but unless you use some kind of motion-tracking software to allow the camera to do it automatically, it won't improve your recorded images.

Well, "consumer" is your key word there. We're dealing with "professional" and even "industrial-grade" cameras; a consumer-grade recording system is going to have problems keeping up.

Unfortunately most megapixel cameras likely won't handle the lighting in this case (he sent me a few still captures), unless you get into some of the very high-end ones.

IP Video System Design Tool

I don't think you'll find a *new* PTZ for that price, short of resorting to eBay. Might find a mid-quality used one in that range. FYI, BNC connections in CCTV cameras DO carry composite video. You'll find BNC far more common than RCA connectors in CCTV, because they lock on for a more solid connection.

My coworker uses an Archos 5 as his test monitor. Takes stills AND records video. Can also play videos and operate as a signal source. He just records to the internal hard drive, but I believe it also has an SD slot.

Correct. Check your information sources - you state initially, for example, that the domes require 1A each, which doesn't match what the manufacturer spec sheets say. The spec sheet on the PSU is also different (4.2A) than what you stated. As you see, having the right numbers does make a difference! Hey, everyone's a noob at some point The idea with a fuse (and a circuit breaker) is that it will pop and cut the circuit if more than the designated amount of current is flowing. This is done primarily to protect against fire: a short in the wiring, or a failure in the equipment that causes excessive current draw, can cause the wiring to overheat and potentially start a fire. A fuse also provides some protection for the equipment: it can partially protect the camera from power spikes and surges, and it can protect the power supply from burning out if there's too much demand placed on it. Really, you could put a 20A fuse on each channel and they'd still perform their primary purpose, but there's no NEED to do that. Most power supplies of this type, the fuses will be some nominal rating such as 2A or 3A, allowing for flexibility in layout. You can bump any one of them up a bit without concern. Mainly, the higher voltage means less current is required for the same power requirements (roughly, 12W would be 0.5A at 24V vs. 1A at 12V). By extension, you get less voltage drop over the wire run. Also, most (cheap) 12V cameras use a common ground between the power and signal lines, which in some instances can introduce ground loops and noise problems, especially when using a central power supply.

That power supply is rated 4.2A *total*, not per channel. The spec sheet for those domes lists them as 300mA nominal draw, 600mA with IRs on, so even with all four of them *and* the PTZ, you're only looking at a maximum 3.5A or so. The only potential problem I'd see is the fuse rating on each channel - if it's less than 1.25A you'll pop the fuse that the PTZ is on, but I'd expect they're probably 2A fuses on each channel. If not, you can bump the one for the PTZ up to a 2-3A version.

Frankly, I don't think you're going to find all that for the budget you've specified. The record specs you're looking for alone (D1, 30fps @ 16 channels) will probably break the bank, nevermind all the other things you want... unless you want to end up with something cheap and unreliable. Just for the record, there's nothing inherently wrong with PC-based systems. Regular updates are rarely required, particularly if you're behind a firewall or router, and don't surf the web on the thing. An at least with Windows systems, updates don't cause downtime - just as with any desktop systems, the updates can be downloaded and installed in the background with a quick reboot all that's necessary to complete the job. PC-based DVRs also make adding more storage a lot more conventient - more room internally for additional drives, or any externals with any common connection method: USB, Firewire, eSATA, iSCSI, SAS, etc. If resolution is that important, however, you might want to look at some megapixel IP cameras. They'll cost more, but you'll get AT LEAST four times the resolution of D1 (1.3MP is 1280x1024, vs. 704x480 for D1), which in some cases lets one camera do the job of two, three, or even four standard cameras. If you go pure-IP, you also bypass the need for capture hardware. Some cameras also support recording direct to network-attached storage devices, which bypasses the whole DVR part too. And for remote access, pretty much all IP cameras allow you to view and configure them directly via web browser; many also allow RTSP streaming to any supported software. Finally, you might consider that 30fps REALLY ISN'T necessary 99% of the time... very few people can tell the difference with even 15fps, and most would be hard-pressed to tell the difference at 7.5-10fps for anything short of watching auto racing. Once you reduce those requirements, your options within your price range open up substantially.

Just as a side note, we've had no problems (so far - touch wood) with IQEye and warranty support. We had a series of cameras go down due to bad wiring (caused by the electricians that pulled the wire), IQ swapped the cameras for us without question.

Most PPPoE ISPs require a login to access the network. The login isn't normally configured in the modem itself, but is done on the device connected to it, whether that's a computer or a router - most home broadband routers have a PPPoE section for this purpose. I would expect it's in the DVR for the same reason: so it can be connected directly to the modem from an ISP that uses PPPoE.

Only catch I see here is that this thing is really only particularly useful if you're powering your IP cameras through PoE. While I try to use PoE when possible, it's usually a hard time selling customers on the extra cost of the PoE switch or injectors, especially if the IP camera is replacing an existing analog camera and there's already power available at the camera's location. So far, all the IP cameras I've used will work on 12VDC, so even when we're using PoE, I find it quick and easy to just temporarily power the camera with my 12V gel-cel battery.

There are several tricks you can use that MIGHT clear it up enough to be readable - adjusting brightness/contrast, convert to greyscale (if it's in color), adjusting color curves, sharpening/softening... if it's out of focus, you could try something like Focus Magic. Unfortunately, if it's that far away, chances are it's simply too small, and the data required simply isn't there. You might be able to interpolate a bit, but no software can create data that doesn't exist, regardless of what they show in the movies.

Assuming this is an above-ground structure, I'd think you'd still have better light in the daytime than at night... backlighting would be more of an issue in the day and could make the shaded area SEEM darker.

ALL coax is shielded; that's the definition of "coaxial" - two conductors on one axis. If the shield and center conductor were shorted, you'd have no signal at all. Assuming all power and video connections are solid, I'm at a loss. Then again, I've been working long days in the heat, so my brain isn't running at full capacity right now

I suspect these are related. Are these cameras all powered by 12VDC? If so, it's likely that the "other 3" cameras are getting their power ground through the one camera's coax, since move 12VDC cameras use a shared ground between power and video. In other words, the three cameras may have a "+12V" connection but not a solid ground connection, so the power is grounding via their coax runs, to the DVR, and back to the power ground on the fire-exit camera, through its coax run. Disconnect that camera, and all of them lose their ground. This kind of situation also leads to ground loops and similar such issues, which can lead to the ghosting problem you're seeing.