HD SDI DVR recorders. Is the data safe?

With recent comments in the press about HD cctv and how we manage the data of our HD images it is important to mention that all the fuss is really a back handed compliment to all the manufacture’s of HD SDI cameras and DVR’s. Not long ago CCTV images were so poor the technology itself was questioned as to its usefulness and the uncontrolled spread of cameras into public areas caused ongoing concerns. Now with HD cctv firmly in the news it seems that end users in industry are asking “whats is this all about”?

Well in summary its simple. HD SDI CCTV has finally achieved a standard that is considered by some to be almost too good. Better images though mean more deterrent for crime , better control of working environments, health and safety improvements and better monitoring of manufacturing processes. Add to this airport and train and travel security as well as town centre monitoring and we have product now that will now do the job. HD SDI CCTV is here to stay and with easy upgrades to existing systems using legacy coax we can keep the cost down.

In answer to the question , is the data safe? We say as long as the data controller works within the bounds of the data protection act it will be. So something good here for everyone as long as you are not a believer in the big brother conspiracy of course!!

Argus HD SDI DVR AHD-004

Argus have been producing DVR’s since 2001. A leading exporter of DVR’s from Korea they used IFSEC 2012 to launch the AHD-004 HD SDI DVR. This 4 channel unit has been produced as HD SDI technology is taking off in both Korea and the UK in particular.

Key features include

4 HD SDI 1080p video inputs

HDMI and VGA full HD outputs

120 fps in 720p and 60 fps in 1080p

supports 4 internal HDDs

Smart phone viewer for both iPhone and android

h.264 compression.

This smart looking unit is another example of an HD SDI DVR that is taking full advantage of the trend towards CCTV installers using HD over coax in preference to IP products.

Qvis HD SDI DVR

Qvis have released their latest offering to the HD SDI market place in the form of the Apollo HD SDI DVR.

This 4 channel unit contains a 1 terrabyte hard drive as standard but can be expanded up to 24 TB with the addition of 8 supporting HDDs. Complete with a built in webserver and 4 channel real-time recording@1080p the Apollo HD SDI DVR is able to fit into many applications.

The dual-core CPU is able to present a powerful preview and playback performance. It is also able to perform well on the network to enable remote connection from a Wan or Lan and via the web-server.

Backing up the footage is simple, this can be done either across the network, through an on board USB connection or backed up directly to a DVD.

Alarms and email notification are also included but it should not be forgotten the most important feature are the sharp clear HD quality images that the Apollo Hd SDI DVR supplies to the end user.

If you have not seen HD SDI working yet ask for a dem as the technology is now highly competitive with its HD IP equivalent systems and getting cheaper as new chip technology pushes this type of HD CCTV to the mass CCTV market.

The Qvis HD SDI DVR will retail around the £1200-£1400 mark depending on the size of the hard drive provision and represents excellent value in this fledgling CCTV discipline.

Qvis supply several HD SDI cameras that are directly compatible with the Apollo recorder including a PTZ version and an HD SDI anti vandal camera.

 

Calsys HD SDI DVR

Calsys one of the leading lights of HD SDI technology are currently promoting their latest advanced video platform Zion-HD. The CLS4000-hd series DVR is an excellent example of how HD SDi is starting to take a grip in the CCTV market place. The CLS4008-HD  has the capacity to process 4/8-CH720P+4/8-CH CIF channel encoding and 1-CH HD channel decoding at 30 FPS simultaneously.

The proprietary technology in use here is VClear giving the Calsys CLS4000-HD SDI DVR range one of the lowest encode -decode latency performance in its class. Pre and post alarm recording together with water marked images makes the Calsys HD SDi DVR  a desirable unit for High quality data collection for evidential purposes.

Calsys have put plenty of thought into this HD SDI DVR and its one to consider if HD SDI is your preferred choice of protocol for your HD CCTV installation

Hard Drive Prices update

We blogged before that potentially suppliers and distributors were using the Thailand floods to maybe profiteer on increased Hard Drive prices.

hard drive western digital floods shortage 2012

We just heard that at least one supplier has lowered their HDD prices back. When asked why the sudden move, the response was that they had cleared their stock of higher cost HDD’s and that new HDD’s had reduced in price so they were happy to pass that saving back on to their customers.

So, prices do indeed appear to be dropping – if you are still not seeing this, then it may be time to change supplier or purchase HDD free DVRs and obtain yourselves!