Soundy

You need a hybrid if you want to add MP cameras. That's going to drive the price up a fair bit over JUST an analog DVR. You can get into a Dahua 16 analog + 16 IP hybrid for under $1000.

"Best" is subjective, especially since what's "best" for one situations won't always be "best" for another. That said, I'm not aware of any VMSes that are specifically designed to take advantage of any GPU - doesn't mean they don't exist, but realistically, NVRs/VMSes have been doing this for years without needing high-end video cards. I'd suggest looking elsewhere for the source of your problem, possibly disk I/O on your server. For that matter, there's a good chance it just doesn't like running in VMware.

Fair enough, but I can pretty much guarantee that the ground connection isn't intended to have anything to do with lightning protection, and I really don't think it would make any difference to it. The only time I've seen a dedicated ground connection (terminal or wire) on another camera, it's been for one of two reasons: either because the manufacturer wants UL certification and that requires the ground for "electrical safety", or as part of some sort of signal I/O. Given the context of the "reset" wire, I'd say the latter is the case here. Grounding the wire probably won't hurt anything... but don't expect it to protect your camera.

I believe you are correct. Have you tested this scenario: run the server on the Core2 machine and the client on the Xeon? It's somewhat dependent on the NVR software, but in general, simply receiving the network stream and writing it do disk takes very little processor power; other members here have built 16-channel Exacq NVRs out of Atom-based machines. A wigged-out GPU on the client will only be effective if the client can take advantage of it... otherwise, the client is where you really need the processing power, because in most cases (can't speak for this software specifically) it's what's actually doing the decoding... not the server. The server generally just pulls the video stream off the disk and spits it back out - again, very little processor work required there.

Stop beating yourself up, don't worry about the ground. Connect network and power and be done with it.

Vigil can capture POS data via serial port, IP, or read direct from an MSSQL database, and play it back synchronized beside a camera view... exported video from the server or client can then overlay the text on the display.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=coaxitron+converter

Usually, all the sensor input is looking for is a short across its terminals (or from the input terminal to the common or ground terminal) - with that, you can use just about any switch source you can think of: you could rig a pushbutton "panic" switch, you could use a standard PIR motion sensor, or a magnetic door contact... use your imagination With something that outputs a voltage, you could use that to trigger a relay, with the relay contacts across the sensor input.

I'm picturing that thing attached to a Pelco Esprit-style PTZ with the trigger wired in to an alarm output...

Actually, this is a good point for another reason: lots of times these "package" systems DON'T operate on a standard 12VDC - the cameras may be looking for 12V but the system is only providing 9V or less. Or the cameras may be looking for a lower voltage while the system is providing a higher voltage, which could kill the cameras, even IF the wiring is right. While many "12V" cameras WILL handle anything between 9-15V, in my experience, there's a number that won't, including some models from some bigger-name brands that have gone up in smoke with even 10% over-voltage.

I'd say the problem is that there is no "standard" for RJ11 wiring when used with cameras this way, and so the pinouts may vary from one brand to the next. If you double-check, you may even find one is a 6-pin connector while the other is a four-pin connector. Unfortunately, there's the possibility you've already fried the cameras, depending on which pins the accept power on vs. which pins on the DVR provide the power.

I'd say they're all about 13-14'. #8 is at the bottom of a ramp and #9 is at the top, but the ceiling slopes up there as well. #9 might be a little closer to 12' from the floor. The underground ones are generally around 7-8' high.

I've done two 32-camera installs with those VPS units now, I love'em for helping keep everything clean and organized.

Still there, just moved - there's a blue button under the pictures, "CLICK HERE for this products video, images, and technical page". If memory serves, the changes were all part of moving to a new e-commerce provider. Not sure... I remember it used to list other optional lenses, but doesn't now. You'd need to contact them to find out the deal on that. We just used them all with the stock 3.6 and found it worked well for what we were doing. No idea - again, you'd have to ask at the source. They're on a 3xLogic Vigil system. The site already had the Vigil, which fortunately is a hybrid system to begin with, so we just pulled down the analog cams and put in the IP cams (with associated necessary wiring changes).

Hahahaahah I would never suggest it's anywhere near safe

I put nine of the 2MP domes in a professional building last month to replace a bunch of analog domes that were vandalized or stolen. Six in underground parking and three in the lobby area and they look GREAT. That was an "emergency" job and they had no problem shipping overnight. Also ordered four of their 3MP box cams for a public works yard, those are all working well. They've been great to deal with, and everyone else here who's bought from them will say the same... I don't think they're going anywhere any time soon.

It can be done... trust me.

The cable exit from the camera is sealed, but the connectors aren't - you'll need to mount it to some sort of weather-protective enclosure, or seal the wires inside a wall cavity. Yup. Surprised it didn't change the store name automatically as well...

They're in the process of building a nice little park at the end of our street... the other day the park developer emailed me because some yahoo (probably fresh from the bar down the street) decided it would be a good idea to do a little off-roading through the area. Good thing I have cameras watching the street, including a tight shot on the cul-de-sac to catch license plates. You can see him enter the park from the cul-de-sac, cut over to the far side, go jaunting though the dirt and gravel paths and into the trees, then appears to pop up onto the back roadway further down... it looks like he tries to leave that way but finds the gate is closed, so he cuts back through the park and takes off back the way he came. Car appears to be some sort of small crossover, like a Dodge Caliber or similar. The license plate info has been sent to the developer to pass on to the police. Enjoy! Wide shot camera is an IQEye IQ755. Plate camera is an IQ511. DVR is a 3xLogic Vigil. YT Video is available up to 1080p. WT19Y1iTGjo

If by "compensated" you mean they've sent me equipment for review, then yes... but if I recommend something, it's because I think it's a good product, not because I didn't pay for a sample. Case in point: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=31392&p=196290&hilit=tenvis#p196290 - they also sent me a free camera for review, and would love nothing more than a glowing recommendation... but I can't give one, because the product falls short. You want me to recommend another supplier... I can't, because I don't know who else sells the same unit. I couldn't even tell you the original Dahua model numbers. Like MANY OTHER users here, though, I can recommend this particular supplier because of outstanding service and support. Whether or not I see "compensation" is irrelevant though; numerous other users have tried to praise this supplier's service, and had those posts edited or removed as well. Seems no good deed goes unpunished.

These guys are quite "image-conscious" and are pretty set on using dome cameras. The Axis I used was a box style, just because that's all that was available to me to test... they let it slide because it was only temporary. I'm not aware whether there's a dome version of the 3MP Dahua box.

Unmentionable? Why? I'm not familiar with the "politics" of this industry. Not the industry, just this forum. See your PMs.

The catch with HDMI extenders is that the single-cable ones are REALLY spendy... on the order of $300+ per set. However, most of those also support return IR, so you could have a remote for the DVR with each TV (or use something like a Logitech Harmony) and send IR codes back to control the DVR. Alternatively, there are HDMI extenders that use two UTP cables that can be had for $30-$40/set, but I haven't seen any that support return signals... and of course, they use up two cables. If you're spending the money for the good stuff, you might look at something like this, which combines 2-in switcher, 8-out distribution over UTP: http://www.dintek.com.tw/lan/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=668&category_id=174&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=93

Actually... you could also use Tom's BNC distribution box above, and send the signal over one of the UTP to each TV using a standard composite-video balun - cost, about $5-10/pair. Resolution would be the same as you'd get through the modulator, and probably a little clearer because you're eliminating the RF stage. Basically the same idea Tom gave, except you're using a UTP instead of the second coax.

It will be difficult to find something that does REALLY WELL with low light, for that price range. One of the best I've seen so far is the Axis Q1604, but its street price is about three times that budget. IQEye's 7xx series are pretty good TDN cameras for low light, but those too will run into the four-digit range. There is a Dahua 3MP cam I've used that's "pretty good" with low light, that can be had for $500 with lens... don't know the Dahua part number offhand, I only know it under another unmentionable brand name...