jono300

iTrader: (8)

Anyone advise me just how difficult it would be for a novice to fit a dvr / pci card to the average pc, having seen the price off thse things on ebay I must admitt would not mind adding one to my pc to hook up with the wireless security cams I plan to install.

is it an easy thing to fit ie. pug and play or is it a pcworld job ??!! if so what sort off costs are you talking to have installed ??

the card I was thinking off buying is the one in the following link :

4 CHANNEL CCTV PCI VIDEO SECURITY DVR RECORDING CARD on eBay, also, Other Security Equipment, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 14-Jan-08 21:00:00 GMT)


any advice would as always be much appreciatted.

cheers

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

fitting the card is simple. 10 min job and that is taking your time. Make sure you ground yourself before and while you are fitting the card just to be sure you don't shock anything.

The hard part will be getting the damn things to actually work how you want. Not to mention that all the time you want to be recording, your machine has to be on and running the CCTV program. It will uses masses of space, and use most of the power of the computer while its running.

The point I want to get across is that you cannot really expect to use the machine for much else when you are recording your CCTV.

There are dedicated standalone units that do the whole thing, but they are not amazing either mind

StickyMicky

that is a crap card with copied software, will be ok for 1 cam, dont expect much if you start running more then 1 cam to be honest.

i have 2 here just as cheap backups (i have a 2 x card 8 x cam wave-p setup in use and need spares just in case)

here are my findings with the CCTV DVR card business


99% of stuff on ebay is crap
knocked off copied cards, without security chips, bodged unreleased ripped software, etc etc, i have tried loads

to get a decent 4 channel card you need to be spending around 40quid (wave-p cards are fantastic for the price IMO and are not ripped off/copies etc etc)

i have bought in the past the cheap 4 channel cards, my cctv pc could not run them, 4 channels on display was a bit choppy, impossible when trying to record at the same time, at the same time a 4 channel wave-p card will work fine, and when i added another, that worked just as well (7.5fps for each camera x8 and recording in the same pc)

i tried a 8 channel "kodicom" card from ebay for around 60quid iirc, would not work in my pc, turns out this was another copied card (geovision i think?)with ripped software, and the seller claims it would not work in a athalon pc, i sold it at a large loss to somebody else with a pentium processor.

iirc we had a cctv thread a while back and somebody else asked, i pointed him towards a wave-p seller in his area and he was impressed

if its just to record your car outside the house then the cheap one will probably suffice, but we needed a much better package for work (exporting the videos to cdr to give to people etc etc)

StickyMicky

these are the ones i run in mine, seams the price has went up a little bit

CCTV REALTIME 4 CHANNEL DVR CARD, 32 bit Vista ready UK on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 22-Jan-08 11:07:48 GMT)

GC8

Further to what Mick has said above: recording one channel in real time requires 25fps recording ability. Theres little point having four channels if the card can only record 25fps, as all four recorded streams will be rubbish. To record four streams in real time you will require a DVR card capable of recording 100fps.

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Cheers guys really do appreciatte all your excellent advice, looks like its a bit off a re-think !!

StickyMicky

i should have added

my "cctv pc" is a batterd old thunderbird cpu running about 1.2ghz, windows xp installed, either 512mb or 1gig, and 2 large hard discs .

i recently installed a cdr drive so i can burn videos of customers crashing into each other, for insurance reasons that is all thats on it, bar a wireless keyboard that i lock away so nobody can get past the password login screen

a better spec pc should be better with the cheap cards, but as said above, it depends what you need the setup for.

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay guys all advice taken on board. one thing that does confuse me with the dvr card is that the wired cameras I am looking at all have the standard three colour audio - video etc plugs on the end off the cable, what do I require to adapt all three plugs into one that is accepted by one off the inputs off the dvr card ??

one off the the cameras that I have seen which I want to mount indoors is the one in the following link, seems to have the better lens etc and sound pick up which is important within my particular set up and is a feature that is not that common amongs many dome styled cams.

anyone offer a bit more advice regards any off the ebove ??

the ebay link is as folows :

Ceiling Mount 35 IR Led Day&Night Color CCD Dome Camera on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 23-Jan-08 10:30:00 GMT)

cheers

StickyMicky

you should get 4x BNC to phono convertor plugs with the card
just like this

4 BNC M - RCA PHONO ADAPTORS DVR CCTV CAMERA CABLE HAM on eBay, also Cables Adaptors, Ham Radio, Radio Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 26-Jan-08 21:44:11 GMT)

most cheap ebay cameras have phono plugs, red is power, yellow the picture and the white is sound

decent proper cctv cameras have a proper screw on bnc connector, the card will have bnc connectors on it and the supplied convertors will let you use the "other type" if needed

never bought a card yet that has not came with 4 convertors with it (bought 6 different cards so far )

to be honest, i have a big "proper" camera outside up a metal pole covering the carwash site, but inside the building i have little ones of various types

i have 3 of these screwed into the office,
Wired Metal Pinhole Color Camera Nanny Spy Cam CCTV +AC on eBay, also Surveillance, Spy Cameras, Surveillance, Gadgets Other Electronics, Consumer Electronics (end time 21-Jan-08 19:15:38 GMT)


one up the corner covering everything, one directly above the till, and one covering the entrance to the safe, they have sound capability, but i dont use it myself, i can show you a snapshot of the quality of one here

in the office during the day, this one was in a dome housing at this point so its a little blurred (i removed the housing on this one in the end)



tried one outside up the massive pole, but it couldnt handle the changing light conditions, so i put a "proper" one up



facing into the carwash and perving over the MILF`s ******* (this is not in direct sunlight so is fine, they struggle outside between light and dark)



Micromark B+W cam from B&Q (this was actually the best ever cam i have had in the dark)



"proper" panasonic external cam outside




if you are useing any cameras outside i would spend a bit more, but the cheaper ones are fine for indoors use from previous experiance.

i have some of my "metal spy cams" that i linked earlier in plastic dome housings, although any plastic covering over a cctv lens will affect the quality a little

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Great stuff mate some really good info there and appreciatte the pics as well, must admitt thought the shots from the mini cam was actually not bad at all !!

okay decided I am going for two cams now, one on the driveway and one within the rear off the house patio doors so its a total off two cams which will be required to be monitored / occasionally recorded.
would have prefeered to have spent around £40 max for the dvr card so will certainly have a look at some off the above links to the cards now that I know exactly what my final spec requirments will be, think I will want to have audio recording on both cams so will have to watch for this as I see some cards are advertised as only having one audio input.

did notice this type off thing available on ebay but I take it its not really off much use or is it ??!! will at a later date wish to try have the video / audio off thses cams available for remote viewing so I take it for this a dvr card would be a must and not anything in the link below ??!!

again really do appreciatte all the kind assistance you guys have provided, must admitt did not think setting up a couple off cams would be so involved byt glad I saught assistance on here before just spending the cash on ebay first !!

anyway yes or no to this for two cam video / audio recording ??

4 Channel USB DVR CCTV PCI Surveillance Video Capture on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 23-Jan-08 02:44:54 GMT)

sorry lastly !! just how much memory space would video / sound recording off say one single camera take on say an 8 hour recording length on your pc ??

StickyMicky

had no experiance with the usb stuff to be honest


how long the hard drives last, well this can change according to how you have the motion detect setup, if its running on a scheduled timescale, or if its running 24/7

what i can tell you is my work system has 8 cams on motion detect

360g available to the system over 2 old hard drives (i keep a 20gig spare partition just for windows)

and i get approx 1 full months recording before it overwrites the older files

just setting up my spare wave-p card at home now to cover my parking space outside (stealing a camera from work until my new one from ebay arrives )

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay as always thanks again for the info , appreciatte what is being said regards dvr cards just seems that bit harder to pay £50-£60 for one when some off them with what looks like very similar feautres sell for around £15 delivered ??!!

jono300

iTrader: (8)

This one looks okay techwell chip according to spec, anyone see anything wrong with this particular card ?? dont see audio spec mentioned but think most off them accepy one audio input ??

CCTV 50fps 4ch DVR card with authorized software IEview on eBay, also, Other Security Equipment, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 05-Feb-08 09:14:45 GMT)

Keep going back to this idea but not 100% sure if a usb connection would handle this okay anyone advise ??

4 Channel USB DVR CCTV PCI Surveillance Video Capture on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 23-Jan-08 02:44:54 GMT)

StickyMicky

if that is the software that you get pictured in the first one, then i would say it is a bargin, as that is the software i use myself.

order one and let us know if thats what you get, then i will order another couple for myself (much cheaper then i paid TBH and i have 3 of them )

StickyMicky

just noticed the 20quid postage tho?

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Just had a reply back from the seller and from his broken english !! it appears there is no sound input for this card which is a pity as I think at £40 all in it would have been a good deal.

any other decent bargain priced dvr cards on ebay anyone ??!!

StickyMicky

may be a copy card, i`m sure my cards have sound

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Yep okay mate possibly a copy at that price ?? anyway have ordered one off the usb type dvr things anyway , managed to get it cheap enough via ebay and well will give it a try and see how I get on with it, it may just be enough for all I personally require ??

failing this will have another look at this particular card on ebay, what you think off this one then ??

4 CHANNEL AUDIO & VIDEO DVR CARD MPEG 4 & BNC ADAPTORS on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 23-Jan-08 15:03:22 GMT)

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Another great seller, bargain price and what certainly looks like some very happy customers off this dvr card ??!!

* BNIB 4 CHANNEL PCI DVR CCTV CARD & SOFTWARE UK SELLER on eBay, also, CCTV Security Cameras, Security Equipment, Consumer Electronics (end time 25-Jan-08 17:00:00 GMT)

Just wonder if its possible to check the exact spec off your pc from the actual pc itself as oposed to the handbook or whatever ??
I see from the requirments for the dvr card it requires :

memory : 256 m or more
HDD 80g 7200/s
cpu : p3 800mhz or more
direct x 8.0 or more
display mode 1024 * 768 32 bit.

help !! can the above info be gained from anywhere in the actual operating systmn off my pc ??

StickyMicky

the pico2000 software is really crap, but as i said it will run 1 cam if needed

i will show you why i spent more on my system


http://flatcam.dvr99.org

is a real time camera at my home, this is covering my scoob and the G/F`s corsa outside, this card is only running 1 cam at the moment (just finished wireing it up) so is running 25fps

when the webview/activex software is installed (its safe) you connect to the server (no username or password for the flatcam at present) and it should bring up the flatcam, you can then click on the server connection button again, and type in "washcam.dvr99.org" username "guest" password "view"

this will then allow viewing of both flatcam and wash cam on the same screen (2 cams are switched off at work at the moment)

you could have 1 card in numerous locations and view them all at the same time on one screen, proper big brother style

i could go to a pub with wifi, login and check both work + my flat at the same time, plus i will be adding another card to my parents house soon.

this is why i suggest the better cards are worth it, and for the (what i consider small compared with some of the huge systems out there) price, they are unbeatable.

i also have some client software, that does away with the webpage based way of doing things, this allows me to login in, and check the previous saved files, so i could login from abroad, check all the cams in real time + go back and view all the saved footage if required.

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Further to this thread, can someone advise me what the minature input jack at the end off the row off bnc sockets are on the dvr card ?? audio input ??

StickyMicky

probably

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay another quick update on this small home security set up off mine, have now got everything up and running, two cameras - one indoor dome style and one exterior cam facing the front drive, running pico2000 software and must admitt am more than happy with the results even thou getting everything set up was a bit challenging at times !!

okay a little further advice if anyone can advise me on the following ??
have the audio pick up from one camera going to the michrophone input socket on the rear off the pc itself ie. michrophone input this enables me to record the picture and also the audio which is great but now want to configure my set up to allow me to monitor the audio live as opposed to having to record first and then play back, any ideas how I can set this up ??

jono300

iTrader: (8)

*******************************

Okay been playing about with this for the last few days but as yet no further forward and just wonder if anyone here can advise me on the following ??

okay if I go into " sounds and audio devices " on my pc menu I get the screen that shows the following tabs :

volume - sounds - audio - voice - harware

1/ if I click on volume I get device volume high and it shows me " mute " is unticked.

2/ if I then click on the audio tab I see that I have - line in / mic in - volume and the " advance " option is not availble ie. it is greyed out.

3/ if I choose voice recording tab it shows line in / mic in - volume and test harware, again the advance option is greyed out so is not availble.

if I click on the test harware within the voice recording tab I get the message saying that there is no michrophone detected and that to check settings etc.

now this is the bit that I find strange because again I have the audio input off the cctv cam into the rear off the michrophone in on the pc and when recording it records the audio no problem, if I also check the windows sound recorder option from my start up menu it also picks up the michrophone and will play it back etc.

so any ideas on the above ?? how can I configure the pc to play any incomming audio straight away rather than having to record it first and then play it back ?? and lastly !! if this is indeed possible I just wonder if I take a 3.55mm plug from one off the rear speaker sockets on the pc and connnect it up to the 3.5mm audio input jack on the dvr card itself do you think this will give me the wanted live audio ??

ctsk8r

Hi. I own one of these cards. I have had issues with the software crashing (v 8.2.0.0 or v 8.3.0.0) or freezing (v 8.3.1.0). I suspect Windows Defender may have something to do with it and have deleted it. So far so good. Anyone else have issues with the software? Anyone use other software with this card?

Overall the features of the software are great. (other than not being able to use it over mobile phone and the crashing). I was even thinking of buying another card.

Kevin