Re: store system w 4-8 cameras ?

["Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<james.homeadditions@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1159277671.830002.178420@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hi.
>
> I am in the process of closing my shop as we speak.
>
> In my experience:
> 1 x 8 port 200fps card is the best. This way you have the flexibility
> to make it a 16 card system without jamming up all the PCI slots.
>
> VERY IMPORTANT - you must egt a system that timestamps everything -
> otherwise it is inadmissable in court.

And watermarked

> I used dome cameras because they look neat and do not give away what
> they are looking at, so a thief cannot tell if he is in a blind spot as
> easily.

> 4fps+ would probably do, but the higher the better!
>
> I used 15fps per camera, on a 200GB hard drive this gave nearly a
> month's footage.
>
> Use constant recording during open hours and motion detect outside
> those hours - shoplifters tend to try to stay still in order to trip
> your system up, because when it goes to court they will ask why there
> is a gap in the footage to raise doubt.

Most commercial applications are usually using a very very minimum of 30pps
and most are using 60pps. I have some that are 120pps. Helps alot with those
gaps, but a PC might not like it.

> Try to get 2 angles on most things if possible, as it makes it harder
> for thieves to block your view - try one at each end of the aisle,
> depending on how long it is. - Draw a floor plan and use little
> triangles (to represent what the camera can see) to get the best
> coverage.
>
> Wireless is not really a good idea as it will be more expensive( both
> to buy an run), complex and lower quality. In a shop, most areas you
> want covered should be relatively easy to cable to.
>
> You will need quite a powerful machine, and will need to be careful
> about what hardware you use. I bought my card separate to the computer
> and had compatibility issues, it took 3 machines before it worked
> properly (between intel and AMD chips, Intel and VIA chipsets etc.)

Why not use something that is made and approved for the application? Seems
much easier, acceptable accross the board to the law enforcement community,
no compatability issues, provides the necessary watermarking for the court
system, cannot be hacked, etc. If you want to save video to a PC file then
onto a CD or DVD, you can hold the price down, but alot of these machines
come with CDR or DVD and networking capabilities onboard. Just some options
as to what is out there.