is there any dvr with external usb hdd for realtime recordin

[coolcut 0]

please advise if standalone dvr is helpful in solving my problem given below.

i have 6 retail shops in delhi and it is not possible for me to sit at all the shops simultaneously , thatswhy i decided to purchase 4 channel dvr with external usb hard drive for realtime recording with an intention to remove hdd after 2-3 days and view it on my laptop at my home .other option to view it online is not practical in india due to poor broadband speed and connectivity .please advise is there any dvr where it possible to remove hard drive and view it at home

 

thanks in advance

 

coolcut

[phred 0]

Many standalone DVRs write data on the hard drive in a form that cannot be accessed directly by a PC as deliberate security measure to avoid tampering with evidence.

 

Many now have the facility to output recordings to a USB drive or dvd recorder, sometimes this can be viewed on a PC with appropriate viewing software.

 

Suggest you look for the facility to output only the motion alarm recordings as sitting through several days continuous recordings from 4 cameras is similar to watching paint dry and guaranteed to send you to sleep.

Edited March 14, 2007 by Guest

[coolcut 0]

what is dvr with hot swapping hdd . is it not possible to view this on laptop

under fast forward mode .

[rory 0]

Typically no, unless you go with a Windows PC based DVR and use a Removable Drive bay.

[coolcut 0]

one of my friend suggest to purchase hdd reader for viewing hot swap hdd on laptop , but neither i nor he is sure about this . please advice

as this will helpful in solving the problem of many small retailers like me .

[blowrabbit 0]

GE's 4 channel symdec is a highend dvr recording in D1 resolution and it has a removeable 300gb hdd. Now you would have to buy a unit for each site and one for viewing at home. The units are fairly cheap, and the removable hdd's are really slick. They kinda suck over the web due to the amount of bandwidth you need but it you are looking at the hdd at home on another unit it would work great.

[phred 0]

one of my friend suggest to purchase hdd reader for viewing hot swap hdd on laptop , but neither i nor he is sure about this . please advice

as this will helpful in solving the problem of many small retailers like me .

 

Do not know of any standalone DVR that would allow you to do this. Many standalones are Linux based so disks are formatted in an entirely different way to a windows PC. Even with those that use FAT disk formatting, the files are written in a proprietary format with a proprietary codec and some also use encryption. Some DVRs allow you to export the video to removable storage in a form readable on a PC but often the files need to be transcoded first and this can take a very long time.

 

If you are going to need a recorder at each site then I would go with blowrabbit's suggestion and buy an extra one to keep at home. You will get the benefit of the DVRs rapid 'search for the interesting bits' facilities.

[phred 0]

Just discovered that Samsung make some DVRs that may allow you to do what you want.

Samsung GV-EM130DD - DVR with removable hard drive and DVR reader software you install on a PC to allow you to view the files directly from the removable hard drive. But only one channel.

 

So such things do exist.

 

No idea how good they are though.

[blowrabbit 0]

I forgot to mention that the GE Symdec-4 's removeable hdd is in a keyed caddy so removeing them is a snap.

[coolcut 0]

thanks to all for giving number of useful practical suggestions. what is -dvr with mirror recording. could any one tell me about this keeping in view my problem of viewing dvr recording on pc

[phred 0]

thanks to all for giving number of useful practical suggestions. what is -dvr with mirror recording. could any one tell me about this keeping in view my problem of viewing dvr recording on pc

 

Mirroring is like RAID mirroring. Same data is written to two drives at the same time so it could be useful for your needs.

 

Just make sure the DVR writes to disk in a PC readable format and comes with viewing software that can be installed on a PC to allow you to view the files directly on the removable drive.

 

I have found another DVR that can do what you want - but only available to professional installers in the UK. So there will be others.

 

DVRs are now a bit like PCs – loads of different models from different manufacturers but mostly built from the same limited range of parts and often similar software.

 

May be worth speaking to the manufacturers in your country – there are a few.

 

regards