eganson

I would say they're good for the price, but my experience so far with KT&C is limited to their exview monochromes and varifocal autoiris lenses. I find a KC-N600H... haven't got the price or availability on that though... could get it if you like. Are you sure you want those LED's in there with the camera??

just outside the tanning salon... YES, this technology is used ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE! Thanks again to the media for revealing tactics...

U.S. here... Watermarking being a great failsafe, prosecution can still be successful using what most of us would consider inferior video & imagery. Same can also aquit, if that's what the evidence supports. Remember 'Rodney King'? Camcorder... federal convictions.. The biggest question in this? 'How does the judge or jury perceive the evidence? Watermarking is great insurance (plan that in), but I wouldn't let the lack of it stop me from persuing or defending a case in court. I sucessfully defended myself against a 'defective equipment' charge for a cracked windshield (very minor, too) by scanning several Polaroid photos into a document quoting some state law; the judge saw the pictures and said "case dismissed" From what I can tell of our courts here, logic, truth & reality all appear fair game. I personally watched a Wa state patrol trooper admit under oath that she "modified her notes, more than once, excess of 6 months after the fact." Asked by the defense "Why; when you admit that memory is unreliable, Why...?" Her reply was "Because the prosecutor needed more evidence." Get this.. a jury of 6, and 4 still wanted to convict. I interjected logic, a rookie state trooper lost the case of her first arrest, due to her admission of falsifying evidence. Choose watermarked, given the choice... but a good picture is worth more I would guess. When entering OUR courts, take a wild guess what can happen!

I agree Cooperman, the bits & pieces of info we share will never go away... being collected by who knows who.. I'm sometimes annoyed at what 'tips' I see people giving out with the obvious intention of helping society's miscreants. Another issue could be a matter of how many trade secrets we want to give away... As for telescopes, some are already using C/CS mounted cctv cameras. As for viewing optically along with a video-out, one would need to look........... You can always search the US Patent & Trademark Office for ideas

I must agree on the 'hunting' issue; that whole 'live-shot' thing is really stupid. Might as well call a video-game 'hunting'... Painballing humans could be fun though... especially if they're in the process of committing a crime. Perimiter deterrance & subject ID come to mind. Some obvious military applications, also... One rather alarming aspect is the possibility of criminal misuse of this application.

To get a good view through the scope, maybe use a varifocal lens and align it to the scope. Then zoom it in until the field of view matches that of the scope... when the FOV of the camera is wider, it still works, but the scope view is just a 'viewing-spot' in the center... A PTZ camera that 'reaches out & touches' could be fun, using water, paintballs, tear gas, laser dazzler or whatever... beware the legalities though! Here come the lawyers....

...and the rifle-mounted scope-cam shoots the big red blob!

Hmmm... eco4 has a full remote-control via network (go with wireless bridge even) Has web viewing using no client software, has client s/w also for better net viewing & configuring, and another client program for every configuration change you could possibly program at the unit. If you set the thing up on a network, you really never need to visit the actual box again to make any change. Recordings bad??? Puzzling... I bet they had the settings at a lower quality & frame rate to save disk space..? No audio, copy to cd only via SCSI, total 30fps.. prices via PM's or email.... I'd go with Kalatel. You'll get more for the money...

We have one running 24/7 and it's had no problems yet. Good resolution and motion detection, good web viewer over internet, (internet explorer) emails on alarm (that should have more options). Should have the option to email a series of images also, rather than one per alarm event. Overall pretty good, but I'd prefer an internal copy-to-DVD/CD... has SCSI for external CD recorder. For the price, there may be better choices...

Low end DVR; Like those through Costco... that'll do it for minimum price. Better features, and no tape to buy. No tape to fail. After all, if you see something, you do want to actually SEE it... ~$400.00 or less...

That sounds interesting Rory; I think it could become popular with manufacturers also... may have them throwing advertising $$ at you eventually...

Another source is Costco, for the cheapest of DVR's...look at them online, under electronics->home safety & security... http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11002870&whse=&topnav=&cat=4803&hierPath=79*4803* Doesn't look too bad at all for the price; $400 U.S. and spend what you save on a better camera or two...

4 channel stand-alone DVR with motion-detection, and 4 cameras... but lots of things will determine the lowest-priced cameras for your needs... If you really only need to record them during a burglary, the solution is easier... record from inside on the entry doors, window, or hall they must travel through.. keep all cameras & recorder hidden, so they don't hide their faces while taking your cameras... (use 'pinhole' cameras) Indoors you'll get better results for your money, since the lighting & distances are all stable. If you need to record them before entry, outdoors, it gets more costly on the cameras... lenses & light differences, etc... Still not too tough, depending on the sorroundings. PM me with specifics (mobile-home, rental, surroundings, etc) and I can help more...

I agree, pretty impressive specs... may need some help with the software though! I've been wondering what to do for a good Pan-Tilt-Fire control...

Ok, here's our challenge... not sure if this is feasable? We need to create this setup: >> Real-time video stream (1-4 channels; color) over internet, no latency, resolution can be reduced since events to be recorded on-site and may be retrieved later... (That will be a seperate internet address) >> Real-time audio, but only 1 channel... >> Fastest possible PTZ control & head (vicon vist25 or faster), without any delay in response to control input. (not digital as in IP-cam, but actual moving PTZ head on site) >> Cost is of secondary concern The operator needs to respond to and engage the target in real-time via broadband internet connection... hi-res video of the event stored on-site. Critical features are the video stream and PTZ data/response; audio important but not as critical.

First, at 50 feet, how wide is the area you want to view? That will help define your lens.. vsscctv has some good info & lens calculator here http://www.vsscctv.com/dealtools.asp Inside the window: keep that room dark & the lens up to the glass. People will see the camera from outside if you don't camoflage it... (view through a hole in a poster, sign, flag, etc) Consider other hidden areas, with perhaps better view angles... house vents, bird house, dog house, etc... What to see? Do you want to recognize known people, or be able to _identify_ people 'without-a-doubt'? Big difference here... Emphasis on night or night-only? Exview black & white for lower cost too. Not so good in bright sun, but you can get cheap 600 line res at night... (no 'in-camera' IR, no bullett) Pretty impressive for the prices... KPC exview... http://www.vsscctv.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=432

...not direct to me though; but through Lamar Systems lamarsystems.com In stock but more than I thought they'd be... next comes the fast PTZ head...

Thank you! That's exactly the info I was looking for...

I haven't used any of the Kalatel StoreSafe DVR yet, so maybe someone who has one can answer this... Spec sheet says the power supply is 12-volt, but is that a 12v bipolar or switching supply, or just a standard 12-volt, two-wire connector? (how many terminals on the plug?) I'm hoping for a standard 12v / 2 wire to make things simpler... remote location, barrery-powered system...

Thanks! The SED-2100R sounds very promising, does anyone know who distributes ACTi products in the U.S.?

Once a prototype is up & running, I'll need beta-testers to shoot me! Trying to find the best MPEG4 video streamers for this... JAX-2100? http://www.jaxstream.com/jaxspeed.html Videolink/4? http://compumodules.com/security/mpeg-4-encoder.shtml Vivitek VS3102 ? http://www.securityideas.com/vivsmpvisewa.html Servision SVG400? http://www.servision.net/prod_svg400.html Am I missing anything in the way of good MPEG4 streaming; any suggestions or experiences with these or other MPEG4 streamers?

I've tossed-around the idea of PTZ-shooting people with paintballs for quite a while now, but those 'live-shot' guys motivated me to actually do it. Animals?? That's pretty low; I bet they were just after publicity. (I hope..) I wonder how fast he can run while changing the targets Their setup looked pretty funny using a standard camcorder on a PTZ head I say they'll disappear soon enough due to a lack of market for that, but to shoot people with paintballs (they sting!) might take 'online gaming' to a new level... just a matter of making it work well enough...

Q-See?? I can't with that resolution! Only 640x224 according to their specs: http://www.q-see.com/qshdvr4.htm Strangely similar to the chinese garbage at teklinkusa.com.... all low recording resolution. With low quality images, all else is irrelevant. What support will there be? Look at costco's 'specs' for their DVR's. Where's the recording resolution?? Costco says 720x480; same product... where's the truth with this stuff? Inferior chinese junk dumped on the markets... http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11002870&whse=&topnav=&cat=4803&hierPath=79*4803*

I'm a bit 'network-challenged' here, so hopefully someone can help... For controlling a PTZ unit (vicon vist25 or similar PTZ head) via internet, how much bandwidth will it take to insure 'no latency'? Add a b&w video feed at 10, 15, or 30fps, 'no-latency', minimum file-size & resolution to be useable for recognizing a person within a 20'x40' room... 320x240? I have no idea what the bandwidth would be but 'zero-latency' is the most critical feature, second is image size, and last is image quality... (must be able to make out the gender & direction the person is facing at the minimum, following them real-time with PTZ) If there's any bandwidth left, throw in a low quality audio feed with the video, some latency allowed in the audio... If someone could help break down the bandwidth requirements for each it would be a huge help... I'm wondering if this can all be done within 1Mbps each way?? PTZ signal comes in, and video & audio go out. Only one connect at a time, but public access via broadband login/password...

Currently just researching the technical feasability of creating a real-time interactive system to respond to human actions, with humans delivering the response, remotely, from different broadband connections...Customers pay to shoot me with paintballs while I heckle them... Hi-res video recorded onsite and retrieved later for free...(only one connection at a time) Trying to keep the bandwidth expense below $500/month (US$)...