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Rory -- It occurs regardless of the switch from IR to B&W. I noted 9 times on 10/11/11 where the camera lost and regained power from about 8 AM to 8 PM throughout the day (all 9 of those occurrences were during daylight hours; no need for IR switching). The video on YouTube just happened to be one time when it was dark. Tom12345 -- The cable idea is good, but I suspect the cable is fine. It was AOK before install and it did not get damaged during install. It is just so odd that this problem happened 9 times on 10/11, then was perfect for a week. It recurred today for an hour. One would think if there was a power supply problem that the symptoms would be more regular and consistent.

Tom12345, Thanks for your reply. The power supply is a no-name. It is a 9-output model with a 5A total output. I am only using 5 of the 9 outputs. I moved the camera in question to another one of the outputs in case there is simply a bad connection on the power grid. It is odd that this is the ONLY camera acting up. And, until today, the incidences of power going on/off to that camera only occurred on 1 other day, 10/11/11 (albeit 9 times that day). QUESTION - There is something I must be misunderstanding. Take a 4-camera scenario of these SCO-2080R cameras. This camera calls for 4A of power supply using 12VDC (per the manual). But, the manual later says it only draws about 6.5 WATTS of power with IR on. First question -- which of the "power draw" figures above is pertinent for power supply purposes? The 4-channel 12VDC power supplies on the market (even by brand names like Altronics) only put out about a total of, say, 5-8A. Question two --How do we reconcile the fact that the SCO-2080R manual calls for 4A from 12VDC for EACH camera, but typical 12VDC power supplies tend to max out at 5-8A TOTAL for a 4-channel power supply? What am I missing? In any case, I am NOT convinced this is a power supply problem at all (unless it was that 1 of my 9 power outputs had a bad connection in the PSU). There is ONLY ONE camera exhibiting symptoms like this; it is the camera with the shortest cable run.

Here is more analysis. I searched the DVR's records for all "video loss" events since this new camera was installed and connected to the new DVR (about a week). There have been unexplained video losses on 10 occassions in the past week. All video losses were with this one camera exclusively. All other cameras and household devices were on (ie, no local power outages). 9 of these video loss events took place on the same day - 10/11/11. These 9 video loss events came and went during a 12 hour period from about 7:51AM to 8:18 PM on 10/11/11. The 10th, and most recent video loss occurred today 10/18 and the camera had no power from 10:12 AM - 11:11 AM. Thoughts?

The distance to this camera is actually the shortest of all 5 of my cameras. I guesstimate it to be about 80 feet of cable. I bought siamese RG59/18-2 from Cables to Go. It's thick and nice quality; nicer than the cabling on my other 4 cameras.

Rory, Thanks! As Tom pointed out to me, the manual states: "The recommended adaptor specification for SCO-2080RN/P is DC 12V/4A, AC 24V/2A over. Recommend AC 24A/2A over adaptor for a long-distance." I am no engineer and have a LIMITED grasp of electrical math. My current power supply is a 9-channel 5A total output 12VDC supply. I only have 5 cameras on it (2 of these SCO-2080's and 3 other cameras that draw 1A or less). At face value, that seems to support Tom's suggestion that the camera is under-powered. If it is correct that 5A total output divided by 5 cameras means a max of 1A output per channel, then I can see where Tom is correct. But, it's the ONLY camera with this issue. I have 2 of these cameras and 3 other cameras. Why is this the only one with the power problem? Seems like I would at least see the same symptoms on the other SCO-2080. Odd.

So, the camera requires 4A from 12VDC or 2A from 24VAC. This AC supply is rated at 3.5A output each channel, so that would be more than enough for the 2A (24VAC) requirement. Is that correct? http://www.altronix.com/p_data/DSALTV2416600UL.pdf This DC supply is rated at 3.5A output each channel. But, the camera requires 4A from 12VDC. Would this be "not quite enough" or would it be fine? http://www.altronix.com/p_data/DSALTV615DC1016.pdf

Tom - OK. I have a 2nd SCO-2080R that does not have any power shut down problems (it's run from the same power supply box). Anyway, assuming for the moment that it's a power supply issue, can you advise me on a new power supply? I prefer a DC power supply unit. But, of all the ones I see, most seem to max out at 10A total output (and I have to get a 16 unit PSU for that level of amps). Will that be enough across 9 cameras? There are also 16-unit AC units with 25A total output. But, I really prefer DC power. Do you feel strongly one way or the other.... 1) AC versus DC?? and 2) 10A (DC) total output versus 25A (AC) total output?? Thx!

Tom - The camera has done the same thing even in the middle of the day (ie, when it does NOT try to power up the IR). I hear what you're saying; my 1st thought was that it must be a low-power problem due to the IR. But, it also does this when there is no need for IR. I appreciate your feedback and helping me think through this problem! Thanks again!!

Tom - Thank you. I see that spec in the manual. With my 12V 5A supply, I believe there's a max output of about 3.5 amps per channel. Even on many of the 16 channel power supplies for sale, there is only a max 4 or 5 amp rating. How does this math work? For example, if I had 9 SCO-2080R cameras, how would they work on ANY of the power supplies? They all seem to be rated for 4 or 5 AMPS total. To take that question one step further, if I did have 9 SCO-2080R cameras, what would be the ideal central power supply unit to power them without any concerns about sufficient power? How many amps??

Shockwave -- thanks for the suggestions. Trying another cable is not feasible. Running a new cables to this location is a major undertaking (attics, fishing a 3-story wall shaft, etc.). I don't think it's a BNC/video connection problem. When the video comes back, it shows the camera's "initialization" procedure. That tells me that the camera lost power (as opposed to the DVR simply losing video feed). Thanks for all the input! Appreciate all ideas!!

The camera's official specs state only 6.5 watt power consumption (even with IR LED's on). That is not even close to 1 amp of draw. On my 9-channel power supply, I only have 5 cameras attached (all of which draw 1 amp or less). So, how can this be a power supply problem? I don't follow your logic.

While digging through the internet to learn more about image resolution (CIF, 4CIF, D1, etc.), I came across this white paper. It was very useful to me, so I thought I'd share it. Enjoy. http://www.istonline.com/pdfs/feature-boxes/understanding-image-resolution.pdf

That's a good thought. As a test, I tried accessing the Everfocus demo DVR's via their web site. That is, they have the same DVR set up at their offices that user anybody can access to "test drive" them. I access the same model DVR at their location from the same computer network that is giving me trouble on my DVR. I was able to access their DVR perfectly and get all video feeds perfectly. So, my guess is there must be something that my remote network does not like about accessing my particular DVR or static IP. Very annoying.

Hi, I have an Everfocus ECOR264-9X1 DVR. I really like it. I can access it just fine from most place, except from my small office. Here are the details and what happens when I try remote access from that location. Are there any "commonly overlooked" simple fixes that I might be missing? As required for remote access, I use Internet Explorer; currently, it's version 8. We use Windows XP Pro SP3. When I enter the URL (static IP), I am able to get the log in screen. Most of the time, the viewing software starts to run (I can see the Everfocus logo come up, along with the menu buttons). So, I know I am communicating with the DVR....that's good. But, then Explorer usually just freezes and won't show any of the video feeds or the rest of the menu buttons. I have tried lowering all security to the bare minimum, and turning off antivirus software. Firewall was turned off too. I know it's nearly impossible to diagnosis this - but just curious if anyone has run across similar issues with Explorer, and found any possible fixes I could try. It must be local to my small office network; just can't figure out what it might be. Again, I'm making contact with the DVR. I just can't get past IE always freezing about 1/2 way through the "loading" process of the DVR software.

Tom - With any amount of contrast or dynamic colors/lights, mine look worse than yours; and yours don't look all that great (just sayin'); they look "acceptable", but certainly not "premium-priced-Samsung". Also, their tech support has fallen off a cliff for my concerns. I am not going to pursue any factory adjustments anyway, unless of course something else goes wrong under warranty. But, I am also not buying another Samsung, and I do have 1 more camera that needs replacing.

A 20" Sony trinitron color tube TV.

Rory - I am using the dials on board the camera. They unscrew to loosen, then I can adjust them. Thanks to all for the feedback, support, consoling, etc.! In "non-very-bright" situations, I have to give these cameras credit. They do OK. They just CANNOT handle bright situations at all. Samsung sent me work orders to send them in for "repair"; but since 2 of them act the same way, I am really not sure that a "repair" is needed. And, the repair facility is a 3rd part vendor. I fear that they may come back worse than before, or damaged, etc.! So, I'll just live with them. The consolation is that I have a brand new 9 channel DVR installed (I replaced a 4 channel DVR). So, I get to buy more cameras!! Yipppeeee! This is my 2nd Everfocus DVR, and I remain very impressed with them; but, that is a topic for a separate forum (ie, a DVR-related topic).

This is my new Samsung SCO-2080R. I sort of regret using it in the spot. This location gets good night light from the front porch landscape lights. This is a color shot without any IR (the only lighting is my landscape lights). Not bad, but I think a B&W image would be even better. Question - if I had a TDN camera here (without IR), is it safe to say that in B&W mode a good TDN camera would have AMPLE light to create an even BETTER image at night (as long as the landscape lights are on)??? Since B&W can generate a good image in lower light than can color, I am guessing the answer is a resounding YES?? What say you? I guess I feel guilty running IR in this spot. The color is OK, but at night I think a good TDN switched over to B&W would be best???? I can't seem to run my SCO-2080R in B&W without the IR on.

He looks guilty.

I was out there tonight sort of acting like a thief; I didn't post images/video of me in the night-time color test period only b/c I am so damn ugly! I did see the "ghosting" you mentioned. Wasn't too bad. I think it's related to the SSNR (noise reduction). When the SSNR is off, the footage is grainier (sp?) but little to no ghosting occurs. In hindsight, I should have put a good TDN camera here. Unfortunately, shopping for CCTV cameras is not like buying a family camcorder....ie, there's not a Consumer Reports magazine out there rating performance....buying CCTV gear is sort of a crap shoot, and an expensive one at that.

I feel guilty b/c I apparently didn't need IR in this spot. I could use this camera elsewhere where this is no ambient light. My experience is that IR boards die after about 3-4 years. So, I'd much prefer to use IR cameras sparingly and only where there is no other light source. I'll probably leave this cam where it is; but, I may replace it with a TDN dome. Would one generally expect a TDN in B&W mode to give an even crisper image than this color image, considering the available ambient light?

I bet it would have made more sense if I had not forgotten to attach the image mentioned above. Here it is:

I was about to buy this camera to replace yet another one of my old cameras. My installed wiring is RG59 for video and 18-2 for power (siamese). I see in the specs for this camera a line item for "UTP interface". Does this have any impact on my desire to hook the camera up with the siamese cable listed above? Or, is a "UTP interface" for something entirely different than video and power transmission? It gave me pause, b/c I thought perhaps "UTP interface" might mean they did away with the standard BNC connector for video and the standard +/- wiring for power. Can anyone shed light? http://www.vitekcctv.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=717

Can someone give me the quick & dirty "cheat sheet" for the relationship between my DVR settings for: * Frames per second (my DVR uses "IPS" - same or different than FPS?) * Record Quality, and * Resolution Although I've been fiddling with it some, I think my current settings for all 4 cameras are: FPS "Normal": 15 FPS FPS "Event": 30 FPS Record quality: "superior" (this is the top choice for the quality setting) Resolution: 720x480 (D1) Questions: * Do I sacrifice clarity with the higher FPS? * Oddly, while I was fiddling with the FPS settings, it wouldn't let me go back to 15 and 30 FPS as noted above. It showed a max of 7.5 FPS for normal and 15 FPS for events. Is this due to some calculation of my 4 cameras mixed with the resolution/quality settings? What gives?? My manual (written in BAD English) says my "Normal" max recording rate = max DVR rate (30 FPS under D1) divided by # of cameras (4) = 7.5 FPS. However, it had previously been set at 15 FPS. Then, the manual says my "Event" records speed is up to 3 FPS. But, as I said above it locked me at a max of 15 FPS until I rejiggered something. Also, my manual and DVR use "IPS". Is that the same as FPS? I am very confused!!

Does anyone have footage of a TDN camera (without IR) at night in very very low light? I am trying to get an idea of exactly how “true” this type of camera can see at night in ultra low light and without IR. For example, I am looking at a Pelco camera (link below). Are these mainly for night-time situations where there is some ambient light (street light, etc.), or are they truly able to operate in "darkness"? [edit by mod-store link removed] Any and all video footage, images, and links are appreciated.