intelli-home

What is Direct X 9? I don't believe any of them have it.

Got it! The only thing different on the computers that did not work was the color setting on windows properties was set for 16 bit. The one that worked was set for 32 bit. I Changed the laptops to 32 bit and bam...perfect picture. Thanks

Hello - I have a Powertelecomm 8100 that is networked. At work I log into the webviewer on my laptop but the picture is very very snowy that I can only make out the general shape of a structure (shed) that's in the video. I tried three colleagues computers with the same result. A fourth colleague's laptop brings the pic up just fine. All of these laptops are wireless. I searched through all the settings but can't find why it works on one laptop but not the others. All laptops are running IE 6.0. Some have WIN2000, some have XP. I have attached a pic of the bad video feed. Any thoughts? See below for same DVR at a demo location. http://www.dvrviewer.com/mpeg4 username is OKIDVR password is DEMO

It's PELCO-D Works great. Kevin

I have a KTL CFC6030ZM (bullet) that has a Sony 1/3 CCD with a 3X zoom. The camera says it supports RS485. My DVR Powertelecomm 8channel Pentaplex has a RS485 port. So I hooked the two wires on the DVR RS485 terminals to an RCA connector and plugged it into the camera. I brought up the PTZ control screen and tried to zoom with no results. Browsing the menu tabs of the DVR I noticed that you can select the protocol (TYPE) for each camera. Default is PELCO-D/2400. There is a bunch of protocols....EVI-D100, PELCO-D(DYNA), VC-C4R, LPT-A100L , the list goes on. No where on the spec sheet of the camera does it mention what protocol to use. It just states RS485. This is my first attemt at PTZ control (or in this case...just zoom) Any thoughts? Thanks, Kevin

Thomas, Thank you for taking the time to help me to get a better understanding of the "DVR". Your explanation helps a lot. It appears that's it is not an easy task to determine what your getting in terms of a quality DVR. Although at least knowing the basics helps rule out a good portion of them. I've just always found it difficult to pay a high price for a product and assume it must be good because of the cost. Although, a DVR seems to be one of those items. Thanks again!, Kevin

Anybody ever run a long difficult run of siamese (3 plus hours) to find that the cable has a open in it somewhere. I ran this piece through walls, crawlspaces and attics with such care not to stretch or kink the cable. I'm Absolutely positive I never kinked or stretched the cable in any way whatsoever! I terminated the ends with twist ons, hooked up the power and nothing. Verified power was fine. Verified camera output was fine. Removed the twist ons and wrapped the braid around the center conductor and ohmed it out at the other end. It's open somewhere. Brad new cable off a 500 foot spool. I shorted one end of what's left on the spool and ohmed out the other end and it's fine. Guess I have to redo my cable run. Anybody ever get an open on their RG59? -Kevin

Please see the link for a follow up on this thread. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=50256#50256

http://www.powertelecomm.com/ I just received and setup the Power telecomm PDVR-8300. It seems to be a nice machine but that's coming from someone who has not installed many DVR's. I had a need for 4-5 channels so decided on the 8ch unit although the 8 ch unit only has 120fps. I went with it anyway because you can set up each channel for it's own resolution and FPS. So in my case ch 5-8 are not used so I set them up for 0 FPS. The unit keeps track of "remaining available speed" So you can mix and match any combination of resolution and fps for each camera. If you select too much your "remaining available speed" shows "ERR", so you have to lower one or more cameras fps or resolution. I was very surprised to learn that only one channel can be set to record at full res (720X480) and 30fps. All other 7 channels must be set at 0fps and 360X240. So with channels 1-4 setup at 720X240 at 15fps each. I have no available fps for cameras 5-8. The best I can record across all 8 channels is 360X240 at 15fps. My question is...Does this sound normal? In other words looking at the spec sheet the system says 120fps (grant it that's only 15fps per ch as adverised but I figured I'd set ch. 5-8 to zero fps and I'd have 120fps or 30fps across ch.1-4) The resolution states 720X480 or 360X240. Turns out I have to set the resolution to the lowest setting to get 30fps across 4 channels. I'm just trying to understand if most middle line systems (I'm assuming this unit is "middle line") are setup this way or is this really a bottom line system that I was duped or naive into thinking was better then it is? I have to admit the system works very nice and the playback looks great at 360X240 at 15fps. The video looks great on a LCD and over the internet. So I'm not unhappy with the unit just wondering if I should have known by the specs that only one channel was capable real time recording. Thanks! Kevin

Yes a generator would be better for this clients application. I will try to shut the system down (disconnect power) when it's not recording and see if that's the deal. The UPS is a APC BX1500 with an additional BRP24 (1500VA) battery. It appears to only communicate to a PC via serial communication and S/W. I guess if the unit comes up fine when power is lost during a NON-recording scenario then it is in fact a "scan disk" type of operation and I don't have many options other then better power backup. Thanks for all your help

CollinR, Wow, over an hour to start recording is "normal". It is on a UPS, about 3000VA but it only last about 2 hours. Unfortunetely the area the system is in loses power more than average. I know I can get a bigger UPS but I had know idea that a DVR would take that much time to start recording after a power failure. I was at the ISC East in NY last month and mentioned it to a rep from Speco and he said it should only take a few minutes. Although he said he wasn'nt a tech guy. I have installed a cheap supercircuits 9Ch DVR with a 120G HDD. When pwr is interrupted on this unit it takes about a minte to start recording. Thanks for your input.

Does anyone know what might be wrong with this DVR? I have a customer who has a Speco DVR-T16IP. When power is lost for what ever reason. It takes just over an hour before the unit "boots" up. When power is applied to the unit it takes about two minutes to show the camera displays then it flashes "Re-Analyze Database" for over an hour. After this time it finally stops flashing "re-analyze database" and resumes recording. This occurs every time power is lost. Speco Technologies DVR-T16IP Hardware version - 0A6-10A70405 S/W Version - 1.0.6.31m-11 275GB HDD Thanks for any help

Hi Karen, Yeah I read so much stuff on the Forum for weeks that I'm blown away with the amount of information you need to know to make educated decisions. I didn't want to be one of those people who jump in with a basic question with out doing a little homework first. Right now I don't know my aperture from my Fstop if you know what I mean

Hi Kensplace, Thanks for the feedback. Is it the spec (Resolution 720) that you can tell the DVR supports full NTSC? Am I wrong to have thought a lower brand DVR would hinder the quality of the picture? Thanks, Kevin

Hello, I'm new to the CCTV world as my business is mainly alarm systems and automation. More and more customers are asking for CCTV. I've been reading this forum for about two weeks now. I am completely saturated with information from all you very knowledgable and sharing people - Thank You. I've read about a DVR being a limiting factor as in terms of picture quality. I have already purchasred a DVR. My question is... I'm ready to purchase some cameras and my budget is decent but at what camera resolution is the max I should go for before my DVR becomes the limiting factor? I will be viewing from a LCD also. The DVR I purchased is... Power Telecomm Inc. PDVR-8300 PENTAPLEX 8 CH MPEG4 STANDALONE DVR PDVR-8300 is the most advanced MPEG4 stand-alone 8-channel DVR developed for all industrial applications. In addition to its smooth professional design, it is very reliable and cost effective. Most of all, its small recording file size and powerful remote control function with high speed transmission over network will become the standard to which other security systems are judged. Major features include: 120 fps live, 120 fps recording/playback PENTAPLEX : simultaneous Live, Recording, Playback, Backup, Network Small recording file size using MPEG4 Video and G.723 audio technology Adjustable recording frame rate for each channel Video backup directly to AVI format for easy viewing High speed network transmission with full screen and each camera modes Dynamic / Static IP address support and Client / Web Browser support Supports Pocket PC for remote viewing Remote recording, still image capturing and printing via network Multiple DVR and multiple client support PTZ camera control by RS-485 and via network Independent color adjustment for each camera input and VGA output Mouse and IR remote control unit for user interface Self-diagnosis system: error checking and restoring functions Powerful event search function CD-Burner, USB and Network for data backup Video output: composite video, S-Video and VGA output Product Specifications Input 8 BNC, NTSC/PAL, 1V 75 Ohm Output 2 CVBS, S-Video, VGA Video Auto-Loop Throughout 8 BNC, NTSC/PAL, 1V 75 Ohm Input / Output 2 RCA, 1 Input / 1 Output Audio Recording Mode G.723 Compression/Decompression Display FPS (NTSC/PAL) 120 / 100 FPS Display Resolution 720 X 480 (NTSC), 720 X 576 (PAL) Display Screen Mode Full, 8 Split, 1/2/3 PIP, Zoom Pentaplex Mode Simultaneous Live, Recording, Playback, Backup, Network Video Compression Real-time full duplex MPEG4 hardwire codec Frame rate Adjustable frame rate for each channel (Max 120 fps) Video Resolution 720(or 360) X 480 (or 240) (NTSC), 720(or 360) X 576 (or 288) (PAL) Recording Ways Continuous, Scheduled, Event (internal motion, external sensor) Recording FPS NTSC : 1~120 FPS, PAL : 1~100 FPS Image File Size NTSC : 2~12KB, PAL : 2~15KB Recording Internal Hard Drives EIDE, MAX 2 HDDs supported, Unlimited HDD Capacity Dynamic / Static IP support, Own Client / Web Browser support Client software for Pocket PC support Multi DVR & Multi Client support Remote Monitoring / Control Selectable transmission mode (full screen or each camera) Playback Screen Mode Full, 8 Split Playback Search Mode Search by Manual REC, Motion & Sensor Event REC or Date/Time External Sensor Input 8CH Sensor Input : NO, NC Type Alarm Output Internal Buzzer, OSD, Internal Relay (Combined with External Device) Alarm Control Alarm Setup Period 30sec ~ 30min Protocol TCP/IP; RJ-45 Resolution 720, or 360 mode Remote Control Fully functional remote client software Viewer Own Application or Web browser Network Recording MPEG4 / AVI Recording, JPEG Still image Capturing Ethernet, CD-Burner, USB Data Backup Video backup directly to AVI format for easy viewing Auto Screen Switching Switching Period : 1~60sec Signal Loss Detection Automatic alarm Remote Control IR Remote Control, RS-485 / RS-232C Power Supply DC 12V, 5A