Stand Alone DVR & A Computer DVR – Do You Know Which One Is Most Suitable For Your Needs!A stand alone DVR as well as a computer based DVR should be purchased from a retailer whose main product line consists of security & video surveillance products. There are many retailers online & off that sell a limited amount of security & video surveillance products including stand alone & computer based DVR's. The problem with purchasing a security DVR from a retailer who only dabbles in video surveillance products is the limited amount of technical support you will most likely receive. A retailer whose main product line is video surveillance products is most likely able to provide a much greater level of technical support for your DVR. You may never need to access technical support for your DVR, but if you do you will want the best support possible. A stand alone DVR will cost you a lot less today than what you would have paid just a few years ago. Both the stand alone DVR & the computer based DVR have been dropping in price, while the technology for these digital recorders have increased. It is the same with computers, were the prices kept dropping over the past several years & the technology just kept getting better. A stand alone DVR is constructed inside a cabinet similar to a VCR with all of its internal components manufactured on a signal circuit board. It has the same components as you would find inside a (PC) personal computer plus various DVR related components. The operating system is Linux base or proprietary system that is built into a (IC) integrated circuit chip. This makes the stand alone DVR extremely dependable, reliable & easy to use. A stand alone DVR is extremely reliable & easy to use, but it has a couple of draw backs in comparison with a PC based DVR. A PC based DVR has more resources, like advanced communication options & it is very upgradeable unlike the stand alone DVRs. When searching for the right DVR that will best suit your needs you need to take a cost effective approach in deciding the number of cameras that the DVR needs to support. You want to purchase a DVR that will support the number of cameras you will be installing now, as well as any additional cameras that you may want to install in the future. You will want to take the same approach to the size of hard drive you will need for the cameras you will be installing now, plus any future cameras you may plan on adding.
When purchasing a stand-alone or a computer DVR you will need to pay attention to the maximum (FPS) frames per second that the DVR is rated for. The number of FPS the DVR is able to record & display may not be the same, but with many DVRs you will find that they are rated to record & display at the same rate. The number of cameras that you will be using with the DVR will need to be divided into the total number of FPS that the DVR is rated for. For example: If the DVR is rated to record & display at 120 FPS & you want to install 10 cameras, just divide 10 into 120 & that will tell you that all your cameras will record & display at 12 FPS. Twelve frames per second are more than acceptable for security surveillance of your home & property. There are many video surveillance systems were the cameras record & display between 3.75 & 7.5 FPS. I don’t know if you want to go as low as 3.75 FPS, but the cameras in my own system record & display at 7.5 FPS & the clarity & smoothness of the images are very acceptable. If you need for a particular camera to record & display at a higher rate of FPS, the DVR software will allow you to change the number of FPS for each camera. This can be done as long as the total number of FPS for each camera does not exceed the number of FPS the DVR is rated for. If you were to increase the FPS on one camera, you will need to decrease the number of FPS in other camera(s), so the total number does not exceed the FPS the DVR is rated for. For Example: Increasing FPS for one & two cameras for a DVR that will record & display at 120 FPS with a total of 10 cameras used. (9 cameras X 11 FPS = 99 + 1 camera X 21 FPS = 120 FPS) (8 cameras X 10 FPS = 80 + 2 cameras X 20 FPS = 120 FPS) A computer DVR or a stand-alone DVR will have the FPS ratings listed in the products description or in the information that lists what the product specifications would be. Related Articles:
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