Soundy

As opposed to the cost of a "dedicated video server" with the requisite hardware and software? None that REQUIRE it, so none that are using it currently. I have played with the function in the IQEye cameras, but don't have any sites that are interested in making use of it. Well, what I'd recommend, you probably don't want to pay for. I have one owner with three stores, all of which we've equipped with Vigil DVRs. He views them all remotely on the single client application. These will do email alarm notification as well, but it's not something that he makes use of either. In that case, you're probably looking at $4000-$5000 retail for a 16-channel hybrid DVR. No worse than having the motion detection happening in the DVR - it's only as accurate as you configure it to be. Unless, of course, you start getting into Video Analytics, which the latest Vigil systems include. Several IQeye models DO have realtime composite output. But then you still have to wire network to them. Of what? DVR or camera? Again, most of IQEye's model line will do it. What resolution do you want? What form factor? "Box"? Dome? Your original post is somewhat unclear: do you already have cameras? A DVR? Is this something you're looking to add to an existing system? If you're already running a PC-based DVR, it may simply be a matter of changing the software it's using. It certainly doesn't require a dedicated $30,000 machine.

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=16962&highlight=lorex

I can't say for sure, but my suspicion is that these are like most cheap systems and will only work with their own cameras.... at least, without a lot of hacking on your part. The problem with self-contained package systems like this has always been that, for simplicity's sake, they put video, power and audio all into one connector (usually a mini-DIN) and run them all to each camera through a single long cable. In order to attach a "third party" camera to them, you'd have to have the connectors (not hard to find), and know the pinouts (probably much harder to find). Most "real" CCTV cameras you find will use BNC connectors with RG59 or RG6 cable (RG58 will work for shorter runs, but it's not recommended). Assuming this DVR does have BNC inputs available, your crimpers will PROBABLY work with most commercially-available crimp-on BNCs. I'd be surprised if anything Costco sells uses BNC or RCA camera inputs, though.

Those are functions built-in to a number of IP cameras... no separate hardware or software required.

Ahhh, got it... okay, so they're using a slightly non-standard (as far as "DB9 serial" goes) pin configuration - pin 1 would normally be Carrier Detect and pin 9 would be Ring Indicator, but those wouldn't be needed here as there's no modem support. Good to know!

Well, then, he's got a spare VGA extension cable, handy for moving your computer farther away from your monitor. Or he's out $6 or so. Yes, but it's not a "data stream". It's an analog video signal, there's nothing proprietary to GeoVision about that. There's nothing "special" about the cable - it's a way to take 8 BNC connectors and channel them into one small space on the back of the card. It doesn't do any processing of the signal, it's just wires. The cable is nothing more than a male connector at one end, a female at the other, and straight-through wires between them; it isn't doing anything special either. As someone else noted, the only FORESEEABLE problem would be with cheaper cables that don't connect all the pins. You'll note I didn't say it WOULD work, only that it SHOULD, as there's no logical reason for it not to. "Proprietary" design and "data streams" don't even come into play.

Horsehockey. It's a standard D-sub high-density 15-pin connector. The extension cable is a straight-through, pin-for-pin connection. "STREAM DATA"???? IT'S A FREAKIN' COMPOSITE VIDEO SIGNAL! Um, no... doesn't really MATTER to me, but this "technician" sounds like he either doesn't have a clue, or is spewing some corporate shtick.

Did your tech say WHY that wouldn't work? I've toned out the octopus for the older HiCap cards that Vigil and VideoInsight use, they're the same style as the Geo breakout, and those only use pins 1-7 and 10 for video, and 11 & 15 for ground.

Well, he did say they're a SMALL company, so I'm assuming there aren't a lot of big enterprise-level IT restrictions...

VideoInsight's software will work on pretty much any browser I've thrown at it, including a number of different mobile browsers on Windows Mobile, PalmOS, and MotoQ. They have four-, eight-, and 16-input cards available. As far as IP cams, if you don't need to record the video but just want to view it remotely, you don't even need a PC - just plug the cameras into the network and point your browser them, each in its own tab or window. I can't speak for any others, but I know IQEye's cameras should work with a Mac browser - if there's no ActiveX support, they use a Java applet for viewing instead. If you do need the recording capability, there are a number of options out there - the two I'm familiar with are VideoInsight's (their analog and IP servers are two separate products, although both can be run on the same system), and Vigil (which, unfortunately, does not have a web client, but if you're using IP cameras, again, you can just view those directly).

If they did, they'd probably just take a $5 VGA extension, slap a GeoVision logo on it, and charge $50 for it (shipping and handling extra). Nothing against GV, of course... most other manufacturers probably would as well. But they probably also know they'd have a hard time selling them, as most "pros" would simply extend the BNCs.

That's an interesting tip, I've never thought to try that. I'm gonna go play!

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe instead of worrying about blocking information coming IN on the internet, the Chinese gov't should be concentrating on not letting this crap get OUT. Maybe some return-spam is in order? Anyone in for a DDoS spree?

Be a lot easier if we knew the make/model of the DVR. It's probably more efficient to just give the police the flash drive, or just copy the files to a CD for them to play on their computer; burning to a DVD that will play in a regular DVD player is a rather time-consuming process and requires specific DVD-authoring software.

There's no such thing as a "hybrid card". IP cameras connect via LAN interface, no additional capture hardware is required.

If you only need to record one video feed at a time for editing purposes, you're probably better off with something intended more for that purpose - any of the Hauppauge WinTV products, ATI's TV Wonder products, ASUS's MyCinema line, etc. Any of those include basic WDM driver support and will work with pretty much any video-editing suite out there, including Windows Movie Maker.

Are you talking the split-loom type that you can slip over existing wiring, or the heavy grey stuff that's used for running wires in concrete? Any building-supply store should carry either... the split-loom can also often be found at auto-parts stores.

Sawbones: Pins 1 and 9?? That's kinda odd... standard DB9 serial ports on a PC, pin 5 is ground and 3 is TX. You sure about that? (Side note of general interest: http://www.pinouts.ru is one of the greatest unsung resources on the 'net ) jam: from looking at the external pics of that unit, it looks like it has a number of different output methods that might work better with the gate, including a least a couple of dry-contact relays. Unless you have a gate controller with RS-232/422/485 inputs, I don't think you'd be able to activate them off a serial port (at least, assuming these ARE standard RS-232 serial ports). RS-485 labels the transmit connections TX+ and TX-... on the camera, you probably want to use the RX+ and RX- (although I have seen a few that label them TX as well, probably trying to tell you what you want to connect those terminals to on the other end???). Some will alternately call them TX(A) and TX(B). Termination on the cameras will most often be a small switch (DIP switch or similar) that terminates the end of the line with a resistor. You would only do this on the last camera in the chain though. You SHOULD be able to wire the cameras in a star topology as well - it's usually a lot easier, since all the cameras' video wiring is home-run as well and you'll usually pull the signal along with the video. Although it's not technically a daisy-chain, the end result is that the cameras are all in parallel, and it will usually work just fine. As for triggering the gates from the camera, that can be tricky... you don't want, say, a stray cat wandering through the frame, or a moth flitting past, to trigger your gates to open and doors to unlock. It could be useful the other way, though, whereby someone opening the gates (keypad? swipe card?) triggers the DVR to switch to a higher resolution/framerate on the gate camera, for a clearer picture of who's entering... stuff like that

Well, if I get a chance in the next day or two, I'll try it on my Vigil machine with the older HiCap card, it uses the same connectors... but I don't see why it shouldn't. All you'd need is an HD15 male-to-female extension cable - they'd generally be sold as VGA extensions. Something like this:

What model are these dome cameras? Are they PTZs (pan/tilt/zoom)? A few domes I've seen use RS485 for remote access to the OSD setup menus, but don't require it beyond the initial setup. RS485 typically should not need a special connector - it uses only four wires (+/- pair each for transmit and receive), and for cameras it generally just requires a single pair (transmit pair at the controller, to the receive pair at the camera). Most cameras I've seen use some sort of screw terminals or mini plastic connectors for them; a few have wire tails you splice to. The picture I found for the DS2 looks like it uses standard RJ45 jacks for its RS485 bus... as an IT guy, you should have crimpers handy for those You'd have to check the DVR's docs, but I suspect it will just use the center pins (4&5) for TX.

I know that a collie is a dog, but a dog isn't necessarily a collie. And by the way, I've dealt with plenty of spectrum analyzers in the audio world that were NOT oscilloscopes, but little more than a series of filters and LED drivers. Oh... and yes, alt-F4 still CLOSES a window. Shuts down the application, takes it out of the task list. Just the same as it always has in Windows. Ready for that Listerine enema yet?

Or you could collaborate with this guy: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/pdx/1169369888.html

Is that using the HD-15 VGA-type connectors? A VGA extension might work...

From what I've seen so far, yes. But then I'm not fixated on super-high fps - most of our customers don't care about anything over 1fps, and the highest anyone has actually asked us for is 5. People get their minds set that they don't want anything less than 30, but the truth is, most wouldn't be able to tell the difference at 15, and even 10 gives plenty smooth motion - after all, we're talking surveillance here, not making movies (which, ironically, are shot at a mere 24fps).

The problem with the Sanyo camera is NVR compatibility. Vigil lists Sanyo in the DVR's "Network Camera Settings". Define "industry standard"? IQ has a number of models that will 30fps at 1.3MP, 20fps at 2MP, and 12-15fps at 3MP.