randomwalk101 0 Posted July 20, 2012 I have a Swan 8 camera (480 TVL) system. I bought two GadSpot camera with higher resolution (750 TVL) to change out two 480 TVL camera. Just installed it and the resolution is the same...WTF? Such a let down!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 189 Posted July 21, 2012 Hi. TVLs dont mean much. and 700 is just a sales pitch. dvrs are also limited. the reason why you see budget priced and pro price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fran 0 Posted July 22, 2012 The lens and CCD of camera is better to match the DVR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randomwalk101 0 Posted July 23, 2012 DVR specs said it supports up to 700 TVL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shockwave199 0 Posted July 23, 2012 viewtopic.php?f=5&t=30870 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted July 24, 2012 DVR specs said it supports up to 700 TVL Ever think that Swann might be exaggerating their spec? Or even the real manufacturer lying to Swann? How you going to prove the spec is genuine? They know you can't . If there is a sewer drain near you it might be quicker to throw your money down the sewer immediately and cut out the middle man. Why do you think it is that professional installers almost NEVER supply Swann equipment, think about it? Oh sure I've installed Swann equipment but I would never think about supplying it. If people buy it without checking and want it installed I will do it, but I'm just waiting for that call from them several months later "erhm how much is a real system"? "and how much will you give me for my old system"? My answer is simple, "how much you gonna pay me to rip it out and dispose of it"? They know I have a point. It all boils down to your expectations, it ain't gonna be high expectations looking at Swann although they are improving. I am not into making recommendations but there are a lot on here that will, listen to them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted July 24, 2012 Hello, The Camera resolution and the what the DVR "can" support are two separate things. Most DVRs made with MPEG4 video compression and thereafter (H.264) record in three resolutions in standard definition DVRs: D1: 720x480 Half D1 (2CIF): 720x240 CIF: 360x240 and if you look at your camera's resolution (pixel) it should show you what it can capture. Anyhow, it doesn't matter what resolution camera you install if you're recording at CIF. It's like filling a 1 litter jug with a 4 liter jug and expect the 1 liter jug to hold 4 liters of water. See if you can change the recording resolution (at the expense of losing frame rate). On another note on camera resolutions - think of it like a pissing contest. Without a governing body, manufacturers claim whatever they want to from whatever testing method they've employed. They've been doing it for as long as I can remember and companies that use the REAL TV lines for cameras are losing its market share because of that and they are forced to "overspec" like everyone else in the industry. That's why the night vision distance, WDR performance, etc etc are never up to what the manufacturers claim, and there's only a handful of field proven product out there. I am sorry to say that Swann is not one of them. Here's another fact: the coax cable will transmit at most 525 TV lines. So from your supposedly 700TVL camera through the coax and the DVR only capturing what it was capturing with the previous camera = no change in recorded resolution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted July 24, 2012 Here's another fact: the coax cable will transmit at most 525 TV lines. So from your supposedly 700TVL camera through the coax and the DVR only capturing what it was capturing with the previous camera = no change in recorded resolution. Now I've learned something today! I Honestly didn't know that I am embarrassed to say. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted July 24, 2012 Here's another fact: the coax cable will transmit at most 525 TV lines. So from your supposedly 700TVL camera through the coax and the DVR only capturing what it was capturing with the previous camera = no change in recorded resolution. Now I've learned something today! I Honestly didn't know that I am embarrassed to say. Nothing to be embarrassed about. This is how we all learn! By asking the right questions! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 189 Posted July 24, 2012 TVL has nothing to do with coax. like has been said in so many posts camera TVLs is just a sales pitch camera (analog) sale specs are of te camera. years ago it was not a problem but people buy on BEST spec. what they dont know is they list the best of the camera i.e in black and white mode. like some past posts people ask why CNB are only 580tvl that because they are talking colour. there are two ways to spec a camera. analog or digital. digital always looks better but you have to remember the digital process is before it is converted to analog to go via coax then back to digital at the DVR so before you even have a image the quality has already been down graded with the conversion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted July 25, 2012 TVL has nothing to do with coax. like has been said in so many posts camera TVLs is just a sales pitch camera (analog) sale specs are of te camera. years ago it was not a problem but people buy on BEST spec. what they dont know is they list the best of the camera i.e in black and white mode. like some past posts people ask why CNB are only 580tvl that because they are talking colour. there are two ways to spec a camera. analog or digital. digital always looks better but you have to remember the digital process is before it is converted to analog to go via coax then back to digital at the DVR so before you even have a image the quality has already been down graded with the conversion I hate to disagree with you, but your description of a digital camera is flawed. What you described is an analog camera - the method of video signal transmission to the DVR. All cameras are digital today. They all have digital signal processors that processes the raw lights into images and then as you describe convert it to a 1 volt analog signal for the DVR to reprocess it back to a digital format. Very inefficient. A digital camera processes a raw image digitally and then transmits the signal DIGITALLY to the recording device. This is where HD-SDI and IP cameras come in. If you think about it, this is like the CD's back in the 80's when they had the AAD (analog recording, analog mastering, digital reproduction), ADD (analog recording, digital mastering, digital reproduction), DDD (all digital) designation on them. Up until now, we were at ADD stage, and we're finally in the DDD stage. As far as the TV lines and the limitation of maximum TV lines through a coax cable, you may want to read this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable There are formulas there for you to use to calculate the effects of the impedance and the resistance and the decay in the quality of an analog video signal. Again, TV lines were a means of pissing contest. This is why a decade ago, when SONY, the manufacturer of their own CCD and their own DSP that most manufacturers used to manufacture third party Sony CCD camera, Sony's specifications, the STANDARD, was always lower than the rest of the industry. So riddle me this? How could a third party, non-Japanese camera manufacturer that only use Sony's CCD and DSP, and everything else inferior as far as other components produce higher performing camera? What could have Sony done wrong??? In the manufacturing side of these cameras, the TV line testing, again, has no standard for brightness level, lighting condition, distance, etc and etc to claim their TV lines. These cameras, believe or not, actually process and output 700TV lines. But only at the camera. This is why most camera testing is done with THICK coax cable with less than 3 feet long (often 1 foot) to exploit the signal decay caused by impedance and resistance. Also, the reason for color resolution always being lower than B/W is because of their pixel density. Pure and simple. HD-SDI uses a different frequency of signal to modulate the video signal into bits. Hence HD-SDI cameras are actually capable of transmitting via coax, but then their maximum distance is quite limited. If people bought on BEST spec, then why don't everyone put down 3 gazillion billion million TV lines? How do you like that for a sales pitch? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 189 Posted July 25, 2012 All cameras are digital today. They all have digital signal processors that processes the raw lights into images and then as you describe convert it to a 1 volt analog signal for the DVR to reprocess it back to a digital format. Very inefficient. sorry is that not what i said. This is where HD-SDI and IP cameras come in. why talk of another format that has nothing to do with this post. I have a Swan 8 camera (480 TVL) system. I bought two GadSpot camera with higher resolution (750 TVL) to change out two 480 TVL camera. Just installed it and the resolution is the same...WTF? Such a let down!! so yes all cameras are digital AT the camera but is them compressed for analog............ camera digital DVR digital link from both analog. signal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
