frame rate arecont Vision 3105

[rak313 0]

I'm having trouble getting faster that about 8 frames/sec with the Arecont Vision AV3105.

 

From their web site they claim for the AV3105, up to:

• 15fps @ 2048x1536

• 20fps @ 1920x1200

• 22fps @ 1920X1080

• 24fps @ 1600x1200

• 32fps @ 1280x1024

 

Of course I wonder what "up to" means (it did it once).

 

So I'm wondering what is limiting the frame rate:

 

I have the AV3105 connected to a Netgear F108 with POE switch,

an intel core2 processor at 1.86GHz, 4 GB ram. ASUS motherboard with built in gigabyte ethernet port connected to the Netgear switch, Nvidia GEForce 8600GT, running Windows XP.

 

I've tried the arecont vision software (no licence yet), and Luxriot.

 

From the Arecont Vision software, the frame rate does not seem to change with changing resolution, and appears to be around 5 fps. (The software reports as high as 14, but judging from the picture I see, it looks more like 5).

 

Luxriot reports around 8, and it looks faster than when using the arecont vision software.

 

 

Is this a CPU issue on my PC, a problem with the switch, operator error, or just a false claim, (like their Lux sensitivity claims)?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Rick

[Soundy 1]

I know the IQ cameras have an option in their settings to limit the max framerate... maybe the Areconts have something similar?

[ak357 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

[Soundy 1]

I'd tend to agree... I've found references to that switch in newsgroup and forum archives as far back as 1997, meaning that unit could be upwards of 12 years old, and it appears to be a pretty low-end bargain model. I wouldn't be surprised that it has trouble handing that load... assuming it's working 100% in the first place.

[crirvine 0]

Rick it is IP so how long is the network wire what color scheme on the network wire did you use and did you use cat 6 or cat 5 wire IP video you need to use top line parts also how much traffic is on this network and are you looking from the lan side or the wan side over the internet most ISP's only give you 512 (1/2 meg) upload speeds and IP video can be 3 meg or higher per camera.

[thewireguys 3]

Try a different switch.... we have had good luck with the 8 port Linksys POE switches.

[rak313 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

[skane 0]

Are you using h.264 or mjpeg mode on the AV3105? What frame size is being reported in LuxRiot?

 

I'm running two AV3130's on a FS108P right now and get 12 - 13 fps @ 2048x1536 recording max quality in LuxRiot. Maybe that switch you have is not 100% as Soundy indicated.

[rak313 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

 

Just tried ftping a file from my acer aspire-one (wimpy netbook) to my PC through the Netgear switch. Transfered a 300 Mbyte file in 27 seconds (11 Mbyte/sec). This is essentially full wire speed. so I don't blame the switch.

[rak313 0]

Are you using h.264 or mjpeg mode on the AV3105? What frame size is being reported in LuxRiot?

 

I'm running two AV3130's on a FS108P right now and get 12 - 13 fps @ 2048x1536 recording max quality in LuxRiot. Maybe that switch you have is not 100% as Soundy indicated.[/quote

 

I used mjpeg.

 

I will check frame size later, I think it was around 400kbyte.

Edit: Luxriot: 8.2 frames/sec, 350 kbyte/frame. Server ecording with client minimized: CPU 7%, client display: CPU 47%. This is less than what you are getting, and 1/2 of advertised. But I really am interested in is 1280 x 1024. I suspect I have not really told the 3105 to switch to that lower res.

 

Can you get 30 frames/sec by switching to 1280 x 1024 res?

Edited July 5, 2009 by Guest

[Soundy 1]

Is this the same cable you've been using with the camera? A faulty cable is always a possibility... or, ultimately, it could just be a flaky camera. Testing with a crossover cable direct to the computer would be the best way to eliminate everything else from the equation.

[rak313 0]

Is this the same cable you've been using with the camera? A faulty cable is always a possibility... or, ultimately, it could just be a flaky camera. Testing with a crossover cable direct to the computer would be the best way to eliminate everything else from the equation.

 

same cable

[rak313 0]

....

I'm running two AV3130's on a FS108P right now and get 12 - 13 fps @ 2048x1536 recording max quality in LuxRiot. .

 

I just saw 8-9 fps in Luxriot. What I'm trying to do is get ~30 fps @ 1280x1024. But when I use low resolution (in arecont vision software), I dont see any speed up in frame rate. I'm not even sure how to change the res using only luxriot. Perhaps I'm just not getting the 3105 to use lower res.

[skane 0]

I used mjpeg.

 

But I really am interested in is 1280 x 1024. I suspect I have not really told the 3105 to switch to that lower res.

 

 

LuxRiot does not have control over all Arecont camera settings (i.e. all available resolutions); some of the camera settings must be configured and saved using Arecont AV100 SW.

 

Try this

1) Use the AV100 software to configure the camera settings, then "save to flash" in AV100.

2) Close AV100 sw.

3) Power off/on the camera (i.e. bounce the switch).

4) Start LuxRiot server.

 

Notes

-- I have noticed that after LR server restarts, the frame size is significantly increased (and fps decreased) if the cameras are not powered off/on as well.

-- LR 1.7.x is still "quirky". I'm just running it on a test server now. Still using LR 1.6.12 or 1.6.14 in "production".

 

Can you get 30 frames/sec by switching to 1280 x 1024 res?

 

Yes I get up to 32 fps @ 1280x1024 with the AV3130's in "good" lighting using balanced mode. The AV3105 should do the same in night mode with res decreased to 1280x1024, in mjpeg or h.264.

[ak357 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

 

Just tried ftping a file from my acer aspire-one (wimpy netbook) to my PC through the Netgear switch. Transfered a 300 Mbyte file in 27 seconds (11 Mbyte/sec). This is essentially full wire speed. so I don't blame the switch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You probably know this but decide to mention anyway

make sure that AV100 soft and Luxriot don't run together

and AV100 win service is off

u don't want 2 software fighting for the same stream

[thewireguys 3]

Arecont cameras do not like more then one stream opened at one time. You will see a significant drop in frame rates if you have your NVR software recording and you are logged into the web interface at the same time. Please try the direct connection to the camera and let us know your results.

[rak313 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

 

Just tried ftping a file from my acer aspire-one (wimpy netbook) to my PC through the Netgear switch. Transfered a 300 Mbyte file in 27 seconds (11 Mbyte/sec). This is essentially full wire speed. so I don't blame the switch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You probably know this but decide to mention anyway

make sure that AV100 soft and Luxriot don't run together

and AV100 win service is off

u don't want 2 software fighting for the same stream

 

No, I'm not that smart, I did get caught on this. I had the LR server running while running the aV100 software. I just got the camera last week and am very new to this.

 

Update:

 

I set the LR video resolution to "half" and now get ~14 fps (1024 x 768). Still a far cry from 32 but much higher. I then removed the Netgear switch, powered the av3105 from a 13.8V supply, and used a crossover cable to go to directly to my PC. I get the same rate ~14-14.5 fps with 135 kbytes/frame.

 

 

Also, you might ask "why do I want such a high frame rate"?, Well it all has to do with seeing at night. I plan on sending back the 3105 in favor of the 3130. I only have about 0.5 LUX in the intended area I'm trying to cover. (I expect I can't solve this and will need external IR lighting).

 

The pixels of the 3130 (mono) are 2.6x the area of those on the 3105. Also the mono sensor does not have color filters (3x sensitivity). So in theory, I should get 8x increase in sensitivity at night with the 3130.

 

Finally, assume you need < 1/30 sec exposure to freeze motion. and you only recorded at 5 fps. You are throwing away 5/6 of the available light. No big deal in the daytime, but at night could mean the difference in being able to identify or not. (each frame is still low quality, but when played at speed, your brain will integrate).

 

I have a backup camera on my car that works quite well in the same light. I'm guessing its 30 fps.

 

Thanks again for all you help.

 

One final thought, I haven't noticed a play @2x speed or 5x speed on the LR. Seems pretty basic and simple. Am I missing it?

 

Rick

[skane 0]

Arecont will be releasing a h.264 version of the AV3130 (AV3135), you may want to wait for that. The last expected release date I got for the AV3135 was “some time this monthâ€

[Roman 0]

Perhaps you will be interest in some technical info on LuxRiot in connection with Arecont Vision cameras.

 

First of all, the latest LuxRiot is here - http://blog.luxriot.com/tag/release If you have version 1.7.1 but the numbers under about box are not 1.7.1.20014, then it's worth upgrading anyway.

 

Arecont Vision camera are capable of sending video over two protocols, HTTP and TFTP. The latter was used since long ago in LuxRiot through Arecont Vision SDK and until the latest LuxRiot update where we switched to HTTP. Previously with these cameras TFTP based communication was faster and resulted in higher FPS rates, however presense of SDK between LuxRiot and the device put us in position where we are not fully in control of things. Recently, especially with introduction of H.264 models, Arecont improved HTTP interface so it's primary in LuxRiot. We no longer have issues related to use of SDK, but we assume HTTP interface of the camera is as fast as its TFTP interface (still a question esp. for 8xxx models!).

 

Those who upgrade from earlier versions of LuxRiot will have their configurations work through legacy TFTP without changes. Newly configured cameras receive HTTP interface. It is also possible to tweak software and allow adding new cameras to use old TFTP interface of a camera.

 

Hope this helps.

[rak313 0]

Arecont will be releasing a h.264 version of the AV3130 (AV3135), you may want to wait for that. The last expected release date I got for the AV3135 was “some time this monthâ€

[thewireguys 3]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

 

Just tried ftping a file from my acer aspire-one (wimpy netbook) to my PC through the Netgear switch. Transfered a 300 Mbyte file in 27 seconds (11 Mbyte/sec). This is essentially full wire speed. so I don't blame the switch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You probably know this but decide to mention anyway

make sure that AV100 soft and Luxriot don't run together

and AV100 win service is off

u don't want 2 software fighting for the same stream

 

No, I'm not that smart, I did get caught on this. I had the LR server running while running the aV100 software. I just got the camera last week and am very new to this.

 

Update:

 

I set the LR video resolution to "half" and now get ~14 fps (1024 x 768). Still a far cry from 32 but much higher. I then removed the Netgear switch, powered the av3105 from a 13.8V supply, and used a crossover cable to go to directly to my PC. I get the same rate ~14-14.5 fps with 135 kbytes/frame.

 

 

Also, you might ask "why do I want such a high frame rate"?, Well it all has to do with seeing at night. I plan on sending back the 3105 in favor of the 3130. I only have about 0.5 LUX in the intended area I'm trying to cover. (I expect I can't solve this and will need external IR lighting).

 

The pixels of the 3130 (mono) are 2.6x the area of those on the 3105. Also the mono sensor does not have color filters (3x sensitivity). So in theory, I should get 8x increase in sensitivity at night with the 3130.

 

Finally, assume you need < 1/30 sec exposure to freeze motion. and you only recorded at 5 fps. You are throwing away 5/6 of the available light. No big deal in the daytime, but at night could mean the difference in being able to identify or not. (each frame is still low quality, but when played at speed, your brain will integrate).

 

I have a backup camera on my car that works quite well in the same light. I'm guessing its 30 fps.

 

Thanks again for all you help.

 

One final thought, I haven't noticed a play @2x speed or 5x speed on the LR. Seems pretty basic and simple. Am I missing it?

 

Rick

 

I have tested and installed the AV5105 and the 3130. You are going from a 5 megapixel image to a 1.3 megapixel image so you will see a big difference in image quality between the two. I know when I use Arecont cameras with cheap switches we have always got poor FPS so I am interested to see your results with the 3130. The 3130 will be alittle better at night but it will be a much smaller image.

[DoorMan 0]

[quote name="rak313"

 

One final thought' date=' I haven't noticed a play @2x speed or 5x speed on the LR. Seems pretty basic and simple. Am I missing it?

 

Rick[/quote]

 

On the bottom right of the archive playback screen just above the clock there is area like [], click this and drag it to the left to open the jog slide. Also make vsure jog is enabnled in "view" toolbars

[rak313 0]

[quote name="rak313"

 

One final thought' date=' I haven't noticed a play @2x speed or 5x speed on the LR. Seems pretty basic and simple. Am I missing it?

 

Rick[/quote]

 

On the bottom right of the archive playback screen just above the clock there is area like [], click this and drag it to the left to open the jog slide. Also make vsure jog is enabnled in "view" toolbars

 

Got it, Thanks

[rak313 0]

I can bet if u remove FS 108 switch your speed will be better

had the same problem before

 

I'll try a direct connect (crossover cable) later, but I need to find a power source. Personally I have a hard time thinking this is it, as the data rate (in arecont vision software) says only a paultry 3-10 mbps.

 

I did a thruput test between my acer-one netboot and this PC (direct connect via crossover) and got around 11 MBytes/sec, which is full 100 mbps wire speed. So I know the PC side can handle it. I will try the same test via the switch and see what that gives.

 

Just tried ftping a file from my acer aspire-one (wimpy netbook) to my PC through the Netgear switch. Transfered a 300 Mbyte file in 27 seconds (11 Mbyte/sec). This is essentially full wire speed. so I don't blame the switch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You probably know this but decide to mention anyway

make sure that AV100 soft and Luxriot don't run together

and AV100 win service is off

u don't want 2 software fighting for the same stream

 

No, I'm not that smart, I did get caught on this. I had the LR server running while running the aV100 software. I just got the camera last week and am very new to this.

 

Update:

 

I set the LR video resolution to "half" and now get ~14 fps (1024 x 768). Still a far cry from 32 but much higher. I then removed the Netgear switch, powered the av3105 from a 13.8V supply, and used a crossover cable to go to directly to my PC. I get the same rate ~14-14.5 fps with 135 kbytes/frame.

 

 

Also, you might ask "why do I want such a high frame rate"?, Well it all has to do with seeing at night. I plan on sending back the 3105 in favor of the 3130. I only have about 0.5 LUX in the intended area I'm trying to cover. (I expect I can't solve this and will need external IR lighting).

 

The pixels of the 3130 (mono) are 2.6x the area of those on the 3105. Also the mono sensor does not have color filters (3x sensitivity). So in theory, I should get 8x increase in sensitivity at night with the 3130.

 

Finally, assume you need < 1/30 sec exposure to freeze motion. and you only recorded at 5 fps. You are throwing away 5/6 of the available light. No big deal in the daytime, but at night could mean the difference in being able to identify or not. (each frame is still low quality, but when played at speed, your brain will integrate).

 

I have a backup camera on my car that works quite well in the same light. I'm guessing its 30 fps.

 

Thanks again for all you help.

 

One final thought, I haven't noticed a play @2x speed or 5x speed on the LR. Seems pretty basic and simple. Am I missing it?

 

Rick

 

I have tested and installed the AV5105 and the 3130. You are going from a 5 megapixel image to a 1.3 megapixel image so you will see a big difference in image quality between the two. I know when I use Arecont cameras with cheap switches we have always got poor FPS so I am interested to see your results with the 3130. The 3130 will be alittle better at night but it will be a much smaller image.

 

I didn't have a AV5105, rather the AV3105. (As I'm sure you know) the AV3130 has the same sensor as the AV3105 for day, and an additional (same size, but fewer pixels) monochrome sensor for night. While the AV5105 may be a lot higher resolution, it has tiny pixels, (2.2 micron vs 5.2 in the 3130 BW sensor, a 4x increase in sensitivity, plus 3x for not having color or 12x.)

 

Also , you need a very expensive lens to resolve those small pixels. The newest Fujinon and Computar 1/2" lenses are only 3 megapixel. The 5 megapixel Fujinon (a 2/3" lens) is $300. Note: a 5 megapixel 2/3 in chip has the same size pixels as a 3 megapixel 1/2" chip (i.e. 3 micron). So I remain sceptical of getting a lens that can perform for that 5 megapixel 1/2.5" sensor.

 

I just got the AV3130 today, and is is a lot more sensitive than the AV3105. With Low light setting on "high quality" you can see quite well with the 0.5 lux lighting I have. But this has 200 ms exposure, and any motion is blured. So I will be adding an IR source.

 

Now once you do this, then the need for extremely low light sensitivity is gone, and the higher resolution makes a lot of sense. I've been torn and changed my mind 2 or 3 times between all 3 of these models.

 

As for data rate, I was getting over 30 FPS reported in the screen footer with the AV3130 in LR but only with the video resolution setting at "half". The recorded rate was about 20FPS. My guess is I have some issue with my PC.

 

To me it makes no sense. LR server is just receiving the frames and writing to disk. If is can read 30 FPS (about 4 megabyte/sec) over a 100 Mbps link, it surely should be able to write that rate to disk (I did a disk write thruput test and got about 25-30 Mbyte/sec ).

 

Thanks for the input.

[skane 0]

 

As for data rate, I was getting over 30 FPS reported in the screen footer with the AV3130 in LR but only with the video resolution setting at "half". The recorded rate was about 20FPS. My guess is I have some issue with my PC.

 

To me it makes no sense. LR server is just receiving the frames and writing to disk. If is can read 30 FPS (about 4 megabyte/sec) over a 100 Mbps link, it surely should be able to write that rate to disk (I did a disk write thruput test and got about 25-30 Mbyte/sec ).

 

Thanks for the input.

 

As posted earlier by "Roman", if you are using LR 1.7.1.x, try using TFTP instead of HTTP. I can confirm that using HTTP protocol in LR 1.7.1.x does up to 20 fps on the AV3130 night sensor @ full res, and TFTP (used in LR 1.6.x) does up to 32 fps in full res. Contact LuxRiot support for info on enabling TFTP option in LR 1.7.1... it's just a matter of adding one registry key value and re-doing the definition of the camera using TFTP.