Jump to content
seancctv

IP Camera system or Analog digital confusion

Recommended Posts

Firstly I'd like to say this is my first post appreciate the help and information I have gotten from is forum!.

 

I friend has asked me to install a cctv system into a van for him, I have sourced a mobile dvr unit that fits the bill, A question has been dropped onto me that i'm still unclear of, it's regarding IP Camera system,

 

By reading up and googling I got the impression that IP system delivers much clearer images and resolution, but i think I'm getting confused, I was asked why not install IP Cameras onto the van? to me I would think IP cameras would not be of use on the van as all 4 cameras feed into the DVR unit which has it's own ip and remote access? they Record at D1 resolution for each Camera with 540tvl Camera's, so the quality is good for some reason he thinks having IP camera's would be better?

 

Can some expert please shed some light in this unclear topic for myself it would be much appreciated.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The quality will be better with IP cameras. However first off you'd need a NVR. (Network Video recorder) not a DVR. They aren't cheap.

 

Most IP cams I've seen do not have any sort of video output on them , it's all done via network. They are also considerably more expensive than a CCTV camera.

 

The difference is nice, but it's really going to depend on what you're trying to see. You get much higher resolution on a IP cam typically, but is it really important to see how many whiskers the cat has? Or just see the cats color, size etc.

 

D1 with 540 tvl will be pretty nice. Keep in mind not all DVR's will do D1 on all channels. And, if they do they drop the frame rate considerably.

At home I use a qc-444 (q-see) all cameras at D1, with the max frame rate being 7ips. The fluidness of the pictures is fine.

 

Welcome, I'm rather new here myself.

 

John

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For a small van I cant imagine why you would need IP unless you really want super high resolution.

 

Are you monitoring the interior or exterior of the van?

What are you looking to see?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

First, a little clarification (hopefully without confusing the matter): IP (or properly, TCP/IP) is just a data transport method. IP cameras *per se* are no clearer than analog, particularly after being recorded in a compressed format. However, analog video is limited to about 0.3MP (720x480 with NTSC video); it's not possible to have higher-resolution cameras when you're connecting with analog.

 

IP avoids this limitation by digitizing the video in the camera and sending it over the network - thus, you can have cameras that are 1, 2, 3, 5 megapixel... even 8, 10, and up to 16MP cameras are available. So what you're really asking about are MP (megapixel) cameras.

 

IP cameras (including those that output 640x480 VGA resolution) do cost more, mainly because they're processing the video internally... on the other hand, you don't need separate capture hardware (DVR card, etc.) to digitize the analog signal, so a recorder is generally cheaper - in a car environment, you could even pick up a small used laptop, install some NVR software on it (many cameras include their own basic NVR software), and record it all there.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Firstly i'd like to say i've been on millions of forums regarding different topics, this by far! has been the quickest and most concise professional answers i've even gotten, each comment has cleared up my initial understanding of IP systems, I was aware of the protocol and concept due to a computer background but was unclear of why the word per say on the street there better quality, Soundy your spot on to what i was thinking about the capabilities of using the IP protocol can far succeed that of normal analog CCTV Cameras and units but its not fair to say there better quality from the begining,

 

I have a mobile dvr in place in the van with a 3g sim card for remote viewing, it's a good piece of kit sourced from China, I know some of there products can be dodgy but I'm happy with it for this small application so far, he basically has a small company with around 6 vans that he wants to be able to monitor and record around the Clock, so I think going down the IP route would be overkill and costly especially when each camera is recording at D1 I checked its not split down to CIF, am unsure of frame rate tho so I will be sure to check that. the van is monitoring the outside with four Cameras, so quality is important up close but not picking up a Reg from 100 metres quality.

 

It was just someone dropped that question on my lap and I had no idea of the answer and from reading just got more confused mixing up the protocol with image quality.

 

I would expect IP to be used with conjunction with network video recorder (NVR) on a larger project with high res cameras needed mounted up high on buildings etc not at head height checking to see if someone is breaking into the van or walking around it.

 

Any other thoughts feel free to educate me more or if you know of any very small NVR's for 12volt mobile use.

 

Thanks again.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You don't need a purpose built NVR. It can be any properly spec'd computer with a NIC card hooked up to the same network as the IP cameras and enough hard drive space to store the recordings. All you need is the right software, which there are a lot of options out there.

 

We buy normal servers from an HP or Dell vendor or whoever else for our NVR's most of the time and install the CCTV software on them ourselves. Nothing special about them and no proprietary hardware like DVR's have.

 

Blade servers run off of 12volts DC I think, this would make them ideal for a car system but they are probably larger and more expensive than what you're looking for, but you could probably build something with a blade server power supply.

 

 

 

You can also buy cameras with built in storage, usually saves information to an SD card which you would then download to a computer every day. Might be worth looking into. I've never used them before, but I'm sure someone here can provide more insight as to if it would work or not.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Firstly I'd like to say this is my first post appreciate the help and information I have gotten from is forum!.

 

I friend has asked me to install a cctv system into a van for him, I have sourced a mobile dvr unit that fits the bill, A question has been dropped onto me that i'm still unclear of, it's regarding IP Camera system,

 

By reading up and googling I got the impression that IP system delivers much clearer images and resolution, but i think I'm getting confused, I was asked why not install IP Cameras onto the van? to me I would think IP cameras would not be of use on the van as all 4 cameras feed into the DVR unit which has it's own ip and remote access? they Record at D1 resolution for each Camera with 540tvl Camera's, so the quality is good for some reason he thinks having IP camera's would be better?

 

Can some expert please shed some light in this unclear topic for myself it would be much appreciated.

 

Have a look at Avermedia 4 ch units plus 4 Vivotek 1.3 MP and u done

cost the same as reg DVR and Analog cam

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Really? Can you show me where to buy?

 

Have a look at Avermedia 4 ch units plus 4 Vivotek 1.3 MP and u done

cost the same as reg DVR and Analog cam

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×