Looking for an 8 channel DVR

[heffneil]

Dan that DVR looks real nice. I don't know what I am doing but I was told Speco made good stuff. Anyway I bought a DVR-16TH and haven't liked it since day one. The quality is so poor you can't make out what is going on! I am using the intensifier cameras and I have found that with too much light everything is a big bright bulb of white with no definition. The only way to fix it is to climb up the ladder and modify the camera's settings. a real hassle since it requires two people: one to look and another to push the buttons. And doing it during the day is more trial and error.

Back to the DVR I have it setup for motion record only which I think is pretty normal. At night two of my camera's always show motion with the kids sound asleep and nothing going on in the room! Very strange even more strange my wife was in there the other day and getting my daughter dressed and it didn't show motion?!

A previous poster spoke about D1 and it looks like this supports D1 recording but my quality is so bad I hope I never need to rely on the recordings for any proof!

Again I could have this very poorly configured but the instructions are written in a foreign country and I find it difficult to get support.

The mac client won't let you modify event configuration aspects so I have to RDP in to my windows box and use IE in order to change settings. RDP crashes often while viewing the cameras to make the changes!

There is a firmware update that allows you to watch over the iphone. Problem is half the steam is dedicated to the iphone viewer and you have to turn your record quality down in half!!!!

I do like that it is 16 channels if that is a plus. Currently I have 12 cameras connected to it. I am hopeful I can improve the quality but not counting on it! Overall it is very cumbersome to use and configure and I don't know that it is really the top of its game...

Neil

 

[jwilson56]

Any word on that review?
I am considering ordering one from Martin tomorrow.

Would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks
Ty

I have that DVR system as well (from AO) and it works very well...

 

[heffneil]

AutomatedOutlet.com , he has the best price on them ($660, they retail for $1k, even less if you are a bonus club member).

Dan any update on the review? Its been a long time and I am sure I need to dump this Speco unit quick!

 

[electron]

I am working on it today, not sure if I can finish it, real life has been interfering with the fun stuff lately, but I know people are waiting, so it's my highest priority.

 

[kccustom]

I am working on it today, not sure if I can finish it, real life has been interfering with the fun stuff lately, but I know people are waiting, so it's my highest priority.

Did I miss the review?

 

[jwilson56]

A short review after some time using it.

The Good:

Easy to setup
Reliable
Nice search and playback features

The Bad:

Can't use Firefox
Can't get a snapshot from a camera or a stream
Hard to integrate into a GUI home automation screen

That last one is a bummer for me but overall it is a nice unit.

 

[electron]

The system does work with non IE browsers (including FF), I use it like that all the time You just can't search recordings, but you still get a real time feed (refreshing JPG's), and you can still configure every aspect of the DVR.

As for the review, a few other CT projects popped up that gained higher priority (big software upgrade etc), but I have been working on finishing some of my open reviews this weekend, so if I have time left for the DVR review, I will finish that one too.

 

[kccustom]

I am thinking about upgrading again to one of these but I didnt realize how hard finding a place to buy these things are.

AVerDiGi EH5108H Series

http://www.avermedia.com/averdigi/product/Detail.aspx?id=254

 

[electron]

That's a pretty high end unit, I think you will be surprised at how much it costs

 

[kccustom]

That's a pretty high end unit, I think you will be surprised at how much it costs

From what I can find it looks to be somewhere around $1000 - $1200

Hey Dan does that Vitek have an iPhone app, I finally logged into AO and they Have a pretty decent price on it.

 

[electron]

I don't think so. It is pretty usable on mobile phones tho (tested on Android and Windows Mobile), as it has a skin which shows just the image, and a drop down box allowing you to pick the camera.

 

[kccustom]

I emailed Vitek tech support about the iPhone accessibility they have listed in their specs and they replied that an iPhone app was in development but safari would work for now.

 

[electron]

The funny thing is, when you ask for help with non IE browsers, they refuse to help because they aren't supported. But Safari does work just fine.

 

[russban]

The funny thing is, when you ask for help with non IE browsers, they refuse to help because they aren't supported. But Safari does work just fine.

Have you used other brands of DVRs that say they need IE (activeX) successfully using Safari or just the Vitek?

 

[electron]

There are a few other DVRs out there which support non IE browsers, but would have to go through my review notes, as I planned to include them. Digital Watchdog is one that comes to mind, but don't remember the details.