AV Tech 780W - Any Good?

[jwhittaker 0]

I am looking for a domestic system to monitor 4 cameras. I would like it to be recording all the time, but still alert me if there is movement on a camera (easier to find if any 'problems' arise). I would prefer one that can take more than one hard drive, but this is not essential. I would also like to be able to remote view the cameras either on a linked PC or via a web browser on other systems.

 

The cameras I use are day/night cameras, so recorded picture quality is very important to me (night vision can be very bad when recorded). I currently have a system that uses M-JPeg, but the quality of the images is not good enough at night.

 

The system I am looking at has a 250GB hard drive installed, so I should be able to get plenty of hours worth of footage on there, so a second hard drive may not be needed on this system.

 

I am on a rather tight budget, and although I would prefer to future proof myself and get a greater channel DVR (9 channel ideally) I am finding that this is not a practical idea, not on such a tight budget anyway. I need a system that I can get in the UK, and preferably around the £400 or so mark.

 

So, is the AV Tech 780W system my best bet, or are there other systems you can recommend?

[rory 0]

Its a decent DVR for a budget system, the network software isnt great quality, but it works browser based and DDNS. Local quality seemed very good, recorded quality was "okay" but basically what you would expect in a budget recorder. Mjpeg is actually very good quality, slower though and takes up more space, but should be good quality.

 

What type of cameras are you using .. whats the brand name?

 

The recorder is only half the issue, you also need good cameras, and you basically get what you pay for with CCTV cameras ..

 

Rory

[John_lin78 0]

I would suggest another model, same price (depending where you get it), and much better performance. AVC783. http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/product_13_783.htm

 

Why? coz I just know

 

it's MPEG-4 and real time recording and playback (30 fps per channel), Network ready, and the picture quality is really alot better than 780W. It's a pentaplex meaning you can view live image, recording, view playbacks, back up files and access network function all at the same time without stopping the recording or slow down its recording speed. check the website for more info.

 

It's a great system for the money.

[jwhittaker 0]

The cameras are made by a company called Lianyida. They are wireless cameras, although three of them are hard wired to the unit, the forth is in a place that cannot be wired in easily (back of a garden).

 

These are the cameras:

http://www.cnszlyd.com/showbig.asp?id=248&gb=english

 

The picture that I get from them is a little washed, but generally very good, even at night. In pitch black they still produce a clear image. However, when that image is recorded on my current unit (a Hisharp DVR046) the playback images are of poor quality, even set to the highest setting. Images taken during the day seem ok though, it's just the night images that are not great.

 

John, I am having some difficulty in finding a supplier for the AVC783 here in the UK. If anyone knows where I can get a price and possibly the unit then the help is more than welcomed.

[rory 0]

The cameras are your biggest problem.

 

They are CMOS or Sharp Chips, and low res, a bad combination.

Also, they are not day night cameras, they simply have no IR Cut Filter and kill the Chroma (color) so that it picks up some IR.

 

I know you say you like the image, but trust me, they are the same cameras sold/produced by many brands, they are all the same image. Basically due to the already low quality image of the camera, the recorded image is going to be much lower even if you went with a PC based unit recording at 720x480.

 

That said, the Wavelet compression used is actually generally a higher quality compression than Mpeg4, but takes up more space and slower over the network. Make sure you are recording in "each" mode, and not single, as single is just quad, each is multiplexed which means each camera is recorded in full size individually. The quad record will make the image look bad as its the full screen divided between the 4 cameras.

[jwhittaker 0]

Thanks Rory, that all makes sense. It would appear that I don't know as much about the cameras as I thought, so some recommendations for decent cameras that can also see clearly at night would be great.

[Securitymaster 0]

Look at CPCAM, for the budget that you are looking for, they have excellent products. The IR Bullet does not have a IR cut filter, but the image is good neverless.

 

 

http://www.cpcamnewyork.com

 

They are AVTECH equipment, just a brand that they want to use for the US. If you are interested in any of them, send me a PM.

[Daryl733 0]

If network feature's an afterthought, you can consider AVTech product. otherwise, look for some other model.

 

Anyway, if you are looking for 4 Channel AVTech DVR w/ Network

http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/product_13_773w.htm

 

It's selling for USD$xxx over here.

 

Encounter another DVR w/network, also from taiwan, can't remember the model. WIth network , it cost ard USD$xxx

 

PM me if you interested in the model, i'll go look it up.

 

 

[edit by mod - please only retail end user pricing]