Can anyone recommend me a DVR?

[Xav]

Hi all,

I'm looking for an entry-level DVR to continuously record footage from a single CCTV camera. Networking would be a bonus, but I need to be able to transfer the footage to PC if necessary for easy viewing/burning to disc. All other features are unnecessary.

Could anyone recommend such a model?

 

[Rami Tupper]

I favour the avtech kpd675 for domestics due to its excellent app support and good web interface and it is a great dvr. if you dont need realtime d1 the 674 is a bit cheaper.
tbh theres lots of choice in budget dvrs and if networking doesnt bother you or you just want a basic flaky iphone app a £75 cheapy would do the trick.

 

[Xav]

Is this it? 4 Channel Input Avtech KPD 675 Realtime on D1 Original H.264 CCTV DVR (2012 Version) with HDD option

If so then it sells for £109.80 including VAT and delivery (which sounds very good even without an HDD).

 

[Xav]

I'm confused by these max recording rates, please could you explain?

Frame: 704×480 pixels with 120 IPS <NTSC> / 704×576 pixels with 100 IPS <PAL>
Field: 704x240 pixels with 120 IPS <NTSC> / 704×288 pixels with 100 IPS <PAL>
CIF: 352×240 pixels with 120 IPS <NTSC> / 352×288 pixels with 100 IPS <PAL>

I'll be recording in PAL, does this mean I can record a max of 100 frames a second at 704 x 576?

 

[Rami Tupper]

yes thats it. Thats actually where i get mine but at trade pricing. d1 is also called frame at 25fps per channel. tbh i use 12fps per channel unless the camera is pointing at a fast road, the difference in negligible and you double the recording time. I also set it to record [email protected] all the time but set up video motion detect so when the camera sees motion it records d1 at 12fps. Some insurance companies prefer that the cctv records 24/7 and if its being used as evidence there is no gaps in the footage associated with full vmd or sensor triggered recording so that fulfils that but is still economical with disk space. dont skimp on your cameras, cheap cameras have a very noisy picture in low light which takes a lot of disk space. a good budget camera is the korean 700tvl cameras with the effio dsp, make sure and get one with the osd to enable dwdr and dnr, it makes a big difference to the image quality.

 

[Xav]

Thanks for the explanation. I'll go ahead and order the DVR.

a good budget camera is the korean 700tvl cameras with the effio dsp, make sure and get one with the osd to enable dwdr and dnr, it makes a big difference to the image quality.

I'm sorry I don't understand this (I'm a CCTV novice) - what is 700tvl, effio dsp, osd, dwdr and dnr? They're just a bunch of TLAs to me

 

[Rami Tupper]

Sony Global - Effio

Effio is the chipset for the camera ccd and dsp. Its the best of the budget domestic range and image quality is on a par with middle of the line pro gear. samsung w5 is the next step up but a big jump in price for a small difference in image quality that you wont notice on a domestic dvr.

 

[Xav]

Ah okay thanks. And what about OSD, DWDR and DNR?

 

[Rami Tupper]

all explained on the link with pretty pictures and everything

 

[Xav]

Ah yes, thank you

 

[N42]

How about this one GlobeTeck.co.uk - 4 Channel Network DVR 500gb HDD (Powered by CubeCart)

 

[sparkie1984]

yes thats it. Thats actually where i get mine but at trade pricing. d1 is also called frame at 25fps per channel. tbh i use 12fps per channel unless the camera is pointing at a fast road, the difference in negligible and you double the recording time. I also set it to record [email protected] all the time but set up video motion detect so when the camera sees motion it records d1 at 12fps. Some insurance companies prefer that the cctv records 24/7 and if its being used as evidence there is no gaps in the footage associated with full vmd or sensor triggered recording so that fulfils that but is still economical with disk space. dont skimp on your cameras, cheap cameras have a very noisy picture in low light which takes a lot of disk space. a good budget camera is the korean 700tvl cameras with the effio dsp, make sure and get one with the osd to enable dwdr and dnr, it makes a big difference to the image quality.

Hi when I click the link for the 700tvl camera in your post it links to maplins where the reviews all state how awful these are for nighttime viewing. Are they just setting them up wrong?

And OP how are you finding the dvr?

 

[Rami Tupper]

I never added that link it was the new autospam shopping bot thing the forum has now. maplins cameras tend to be pretty poor quality.

 

[Mediamouse]

I would certainly not recommend the DVR675 if you are planning to use it in your bedroom or any room that requires absolute quietness. Ever since I bought this box new three months ago my nights have been a nightmare! The DVR KPD675 that I have is very noisy! It continually makes an etching noise while recording. This appears to come from the small green flickering neon at the front of the box but it may actually have something to do with the hard drive recording mechanism. Another thing I find annoying with the KPD675 that I have is that the recording is not continuous, and has to be reset every few days to avoid the display of GB remaining in the red, even when continuous recording has been selected in the menus. Resetting (cleaning the HDD) every night, gives me a chance to get off to sleep, as the noise is not severely apparent when recording starts. But if I wake up in the night I can't get back to sleep again because of the noise. Changing the frames from 25fps to another setting does not solve the problem either. I also find that this DVR gets quite hot on the base. This may be normal and it maybe not. Nevertheless it does concern me. When I wrote to the manufacturer in Taiwan about the problems with this DVR I did not even get a reply! When I contacted the shop in London 75 miles away where I bought the DVR all they could say was that the green light flickers. Bright! don't you think? I mean they really picked up on the problem right? This DVR will go in my dustbin as soon as I can afford to replace it which hopefully will not be too long! I will record this event too as I can't wait to get rid of it and am very, very angry that the manufacturer did not thoroughly test this unit before sending it from Taiwan all the way to the UK where it could sit in a corner in the room I sleep in and give me such aggravation.