Soundy

Which CNBs were these? Offhand, looks like the auto-iris is opening up and the shallower DOF is throwing off the focus. The camera should be set to ESC instead of DC when focusing, so the iris is wide open... then set back to DC after focus is set.

Try actually exporting a still from the DVR. A photo of an LCD showing a rescaled camera image isn't really a valid comparison.

It SHOULD be a lot better than that. Do you have a still that hasn't been up-scaled?

Default operation of this camera would be to move the filter away and switch to B&W mode in the dark. Removing the filter completely will only affect its daytime (color) image. Entering the camera settings and locking it in "night" mode would have the same effect.

According to CNB, that camera IS a Monalisa (despite not adhering to the naming convention), 600TVL, but nothing in the specs say it's TDN, ICR, or even "day/night": http://www.cnbtec.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=1188. So no, it won't work with IR.

What's the DVR? On a Windows-based unit, it should be easy to replace them one at a time, then expand the volume to fill the space. Anything else PC-based, it will depend on the RAID card. If it's a standalone... your guess is as good as mine.

^Almost looks like a CIF recording resized up to 4CIF. System says the dimensions of the image are 913x696, which definitely means it's been up-scaled at some point.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get VCM-24VFs with RS-485 but have never been able to source them. I do have a DBB-34VF with the RS-485 connections, so I can test this a bit later tonight...

Welcome aboard!

50 across 8 channels is probably sufficient - that's about 6fps each. Might want to look at higher just to have the capacity in case you need something higher on one or two cameras. You don't now, but if you're recording video to your phone, you'll probably exceed that in less than a week. What phone are you using? Many support "push" email... the drawback to that is that it requires the data connection be active constantly, and chews up the battery. I'd just go all domes and be done with it. The VCM-24VF I linked to above is an excellent camera and will give you good picture with very little light (you may need to look for the VCM-25VF if you're on PAL standard). Oh, probably - that was just an example. There are four- and eight-channel versions of those units. Not if you're buying from a reputable seller. Staying away from fleaBay is a good way to start. Neither of those support external storage. The fact that they have no brand names on them is worrisome as well. I wouldn't expect any sort of after-sales support from the vendors. None of those are true-day/night (based on listed specs), which since they're color and use IR, means they have no IR cut filter, which will detract from the color image. None list true (non-IR) illumination specs, which probably means they have very poor low-light response. All in all, they look pretty low-grade. Since the eBay links you gave are all .au, I assume you're in .au as well? I don't know if they will ship there, but they're the first place you should check... if they don't, we have other members here from downunda who should be able to suggest some better local or online resellers to go to, rather than fleaBay.

I'm guessing it had something to do with his last series of posts: search.php?author_id=29&sr=posts I'm also thinking there were some words exchanged between him and Larry that were probably not pleasant... but that's just a guess.

He was banned... about 10 days ago now, I think. Don't know for how long, or if it's permanent. Was done by a higher power, so it's beyond my control.

Looks about right...

CNB VCF-24VF Outdoor Dome - good for probably the majority of situations. While there is no such thing as a "one-size-fits-all" camera, you'll have a hard time finding a better general-use camera at twice the price.

Just realized I have a DBB-34VF Blue-i sitting on the shelf here, still in the box... I should set it up beside a VCM-24VF and do some side-by-sides. I don't know when Rory will be back, if ever...

Give these a look: CNB VCM-24VF Outdoor Dome - you'll have trouble finding a better all-around camera at twice the price. As far as how maximum framerate is split between channels, it really depends on the particular DVR - some will let you divide it up however you want, some won't... or you can simply go for one that gives you 30fps on all channels. That said, 30fps is overrated 90% of the time - unless you're recording fast-moving objects, you won't usually notice a difference between 30 and 15, or even 10fps... meantime, 10fps will use 1/3 the storage space of 30. Check out this tool from Panasonic for examples: http://www.panasonic.com/business/security/demos/PSS-recording-rates.html I *think* the DVRs will do this, but check to make sure. Their QVIS Apollo PRO series have an eSATA port for backup to external drive, but I don't know if that supports actually RECORDING to the external, or just backing up/exporting to it. A more common option would be to simply stash the DVR away and view it remotely, either via client software (anything you can do via the direct menus, the Dahua gives you full control over via web client) or using KVM extender to your desktop. I seem to recall an Android app that will let you do this, but you want to be careful with that, because it will rack up your data plan insanely fast. Online storage is another thing that sounds like a nice idea, but is of limited usefulness because of the bandwidth demands (your internet connection's upload speed has to be sufficient). Simply viewing on your phone is easy; there are a number of apps that support this with many DVRs, some free, some paid. There's that... most DVRs also have alarm inputs that you can tie a standard PIR into, so it triggers the DVR to record as well as send stills via email.

Almost all of those services you see, aside from the expensive commercial-grade ones that require a super-high-bandwidth connection, are designed for use with low-resolution, low-quality IP cameras (usually VGA-resolution cameras, 640x480, even lower than D1). Remember, "IP" does not necessarily equate to "megapixel" - it just means it's a network camera. As I said up above, and as tom reiterated, IP cameras are most often recorded locally, either to a network drive, an NVR, or a hybrid DVR. Here are a couple examples of analog and IP cameras (again, both 1.3MP IQ511s), all recorded on the same Vigil hybrid DVR: Cheap dome recording CIF resolution: IQ511 1.3MP (dome is in bottom-left corner of the frame - click for full-resolution view): Same model mini-dome, recorded at D1: And IQ511 mounted right beside it:

WTF are you ranting about? Personal insults against other users are removed all the time - has nothing to do with whether they're a moderator.

Might have been an idea to block out your address there, BTW... Your camera locations look alright on the drawing. Front door cam, I'd probably put a bit to the right of the door so it looks down the path as well. If you're not parking cars in the driveway, you might want the garage cam to have a little tighter view on the end of the driveway for clearer views of anyone entering the driveway (most people sneaking in from the road would probably walk ON the driveway rather than beside it - force of habit). I'd move that camera to the right side of the garage door though (bottom of the image), so it can see more along the curve of the driveway. The one at the top-right corner, outside the screened porch, I'd maybe put on the inside corner of the porch instead, as porch door or windows would be a likely access point, and with putting the camera further in, you confine prowlers to the porch area.

It makes port forwarding redundant for that IP.

Nice thing with the Monalisas being TDN, they should also work well with external IR illuminators.

First of all, aiming a camera through glass will be problematic at best - any light in the room will reflect on the glass and be picked up by the camera. Second, "night vision" is just a fancy marketing term for a cheap camera with built-in IR LEDs... which in reality are nothing fancier than an LED flashlight, just in a range of light on the edge of human perception. Putting that behind glass will result in a completely whited-out image. Third, wireless analog cameras tend to be pretty short-range and prone to all manner of interference... plus a wireless camera is never truly wireless, as you still have to power it. Better to just get a wired camera and not worry about it. Fourth, if you're looking "down" on your car, I assume that means from a second-floor or higher window? Don't expect to see faces of anyone lurking around, just the tops of their heads. Without knowing what you're actually trying to achieve or what kind of budget you have, you might want to consider a camera that can record and store video internally, and mount it somewhere with a better view of your car... maybe something like a trailcam or gamecam.

Adventure, excitement - a Jedi craves not these things.

Skink, can you maybe take a screenshot of your place on Google Earth (or Google Maps in satellite view) and post that, to get a better idea of the layout of the yard? It's easier for some of us to visualize that way