Salvaging bad purchase

[BrightEyes 0]

I just bought a Lorex LAB243 thinking that because they said it output NTSC, that meant the usual composite video. I just assumed that this 'A-MPX' was just Lorex-speak for something they thought made their camera better than anyone elses. So I plug it in and get nothing but a blue screen! Tested my monitor with a known good camera, works that way. But the LAB243 is like a DOA. I reviewed what the Lorex site has to say about it. Very frustrating website, very hard to navigate. Then it sinks in, that this MPX thing might mean I bought the wrong camera? I don't need a DVR, I just want a realtime video monitor. Something like a doorbell camera. I also wanted to avoid any appreciable lag in the display, so nothing but analog will do. The LAB243 was claiming to have color night vision, and I would like to know what that looks like. Is there any hardware solution under $100 to convert the signal to work with my existing monitors? I am thinking there probably isn't, short of spending way too much for a DVR that will introduce lag and come with things I have no use for such as more than one channel, hard drive, ect

 

I am open to any suggestions for a sub-$100 camera that outputs composite video, 400~900TVL, low lag, framerate better than 10 Hz, and is starlight rated

 

Just wish I had spent some time on this forum before spending monies on dubious hardware that likely will go straight to dead storage

[tomcctv 190]

Hi . First don’t pay anymore than $20 for an analog camera

 

Why do you not want to record at your front door.

 

I would use the cvi camera you have and just look for a cheap cvi recorder

[BrightEyes 0]

Hi . First don’t pay anymore than $20 for an analog camera

 

Why do you not want to record at your front door.

 

I would use the cvi camera you have and just look for a cheap cvi recorder

Application isn't actually for my door. Just that the camera direct to monitor sort of thing is like what I have seen on some questionable chinese door cams. I want to have video windows on my living space, without cutting holes in the walls for physical windows. I also like the idea of augmented vision, for night time. I used to record footage from various security cameras. Using Blue Iris on a old PC. I don't want to spend my time looking at recordings. I do however, give some limited advice to people I know about how to place cameras, hide DVR's, setup decent lighting. Seems like all anyone wants is to get snapshots on their phone

 

All I want is to watch the clouds over the mountains in realtime, even though my place has trees in the way. Camera on a steady-mount in treetop, and such

 

I would also like to do other things. Install rearview cameras on different types of vehicles. Birdhouse cams. Inspection cameras. I might want to actually do some recording on the mailbox however. But I have a game camera to use for that. I like how simple that system works out. Everything in one box

 

Right now, I have a A-MPX camera that I might give away or something. Maybe I can talk someone into installing an HD system where this camera is one of several. Get my money back that way

[tomcctv 190]

So you want to give away your 2mp cvi .... buy a analog with a $100 budget

 

 

That makes no sense at all ..... buying a cheap dvr without hard drive will work out cheaper

The dvr is only being used so you cam view the hd image on your monitor which also will be much better than any analog image

[BrightEyes 0]

So you want to give away your 2mp cvi .... buy a analog with a $100 budget

 

 

That makes no sense at all ..... buying a cheap dvr without hard drive will work out cheaper

The dvr is only being used so you cam view the hd image on your monitor which also will be much better than any analog image

Oh no, not giving away a 2 megapixel here! I'm considering giving away a 4 megapixel to the right cause: https://www.lorextechnology.com/downloads/security-cameras/LAB243/LAB243_Series_Spec_R1.pdf

 

DVR's in my price range all introduce lag in the order of seconds. I want a total system lag, measuring from viewed scene camera is aimed at, to displayed image on monitor, around 100 milliseconds. For example, when using a camera on a car to backup safely, if a dog runs out behind me 5 feet away and I don't see that onscreen until 1 second later....not good! Or a surprise shopping cart at night in a crowded parking lot. Better off to just not have any camera and just focus on looking over my shoulder to see what's happening

 

So I guess I'm not really trying to do a CCTV/security sort of thing. But I haven't found any better forums knowledgable about the type of cameras I usually use. I've found that security cameras are great for the kind of projects I come up with. I also have some board cameras, but it's turned out to be a bit of a slowdown to need to install those into housings

 

So far the best camera I've had was a 8 year old Hitachi box camera. It was an IP camera, but it had a analog output for an installer to use. And the signal off of that was very lag free. I adapted an Ipex 190 degree fisheye onto the Hitachi and sold it when I wasn't thinking right. Still keep thinking I should've kept that rig

 

Well anyways, I wouldn't mind being wrong about the lag on a DVR provided there is such a thing as low latency DVR's that work with Lorex A-MPX and don't cost anything

 

But in my experience, anytime there's a digital layer in the signal path, that adds noticeable delays. Maybe if the camera had a faster processor, and the DVR. But that likely doesn't come cheaply

 

Anyways, I was just wondering if there's any sort of field monitoring solutions for this camera I have. Like say a installer is putting in a LAB243, they're up on a ladder and need to verify the camera is aimed right without a lot of time wasted. Be really nice if they had a small battery-powered monitor that accepts the Lorex video signal and just simply displays it without anything else going on. If there is such a thing, that's what I'm interested in for my kind of projects

 

I'm not kidding around about giving the camera away, if someone around my area wants to install a security system and if the Lorex gear that uses A-MPX is decent, then I would throw in this camera as a way to help out. Maybe that's too many if's?

 

Anyone here want to pay cost of shipping and my purchase price to get this particular camera? If so I could post on the classified section here

[tomcctv 190]

Hi analog is not lag free

 

However cvi is none lag real time. And no way are you going to get a better image with analog

 

 

For what your budget is why not just buy a cvi dvr ..... better image than you will get with old analog plus 4mp you have scop to zoom

 

salvaging a bad purchase

 

Going back to analog will be your bad purchase

[BrightEyes 0]

Hi analog is not lag free

 

However cvi is none lag real time. And no way are you going to get a better image with analog

 

 

For what your budget is why not just buy a cvi dvr ..... better image than you will get with old analog plus 4mp you have scop to zoom

 

salvaging a bad purchase

 

Going back to analog will be your bad purchase

I know analog has lag, but with the analog cameras I have used, it's very minimal. Meanwhile, every IP camera I've had was & is universally well over half a second lag. Usually 1.5 seconds

 

But, I never used a CVI camera. I've heard of DVI, bought one once but couldn't get it working due to not having the right equipment to view the signal. i bought a Blackmagic grabber card, but maybe the cable wasn't right. Or maybe the camera was defective. I had no way to test it as DVI isn't something I deal with

 

I like composite analog as it always works no matter what gear I throw together. No codec issues, no mismatching chip issues. Proprietary analog isn't very appealing to me and that's what this Lorex A-MPX looks to be

 

I tried contacting Lorex for advice. Took them a few days, but just got a reply today that at least 3 of their DVR's should work without hard drives as a 'live view only' solution. So I might try looking for used DVR's on the ebay

[tomcctv 190]

Cvi is analog HD not IP

 

Cvi will fill your HD tv screen were analog will not unless you go for a analog 960h camera

[BrightEyes 0]

Cvi is analog HD not IP

 

Cvi will fill your HD tv screen were analog will not unless you go for a analog 960h camera

Ok, so I'm looking at what CVI is. 1st time I've heard of it. Sounds like what I would want. Now I just have to round up some hardware choices that fit my budget. Does Dahua or HIKvision use this signal format?