What our experts say…
By our reckoning we are now into the third generation of digital video recorders (DVRs) and that is arguably the most important stage in any technology’s development, marking the transition from a promising innovation into a viable commercial product.
First generation DVRs were characterised by a diversity of systems and formats; they tended to be over-engineered, under-developed, unreliable, expensive, difficult to use and consequently posed little threat to tape-based video surveillance recorders.
By the second generation things were starting to look quite promising with hard disc drives (HDD) becoming the recording medium of choice and a greater reliance on off-the-shelf PC hardware and software, which brought with it some significant improvements in performance and cost – but there was still a tendency for unreliability and awkward control systems.
That brings us more or less up to date with third generation models, and now manufacturers are starting to get the hang of it. The latest DVRs are virtually all HDD-based and use highly efficient data compression systems like M-JPEG and MPEG, which provide continuous recording times that run into weeks and months.
Sometimes flaky PC-based DVRs are starting to make way for dedicated, purposed designed machines that use custom processing chips and circuit boards with integrated operating systems. The result is that we are now seeing refined and sophisticated products that are cheaper, more reliable and easier to use than their predecessors and, at last, provide a worthy alternative to analogue tape.
All of these elements come together in the Dedicated Micros Eco4, which combines the functions of a digital video recorder with a four-channel multiplexer, motion triggered alarm system and network operation in one neat, compact case. It’s an unashamedly low cost design, intended to directly replace an analogue surveillance VCR and multiplexer setup in retail, small business and residential applications. It is simple to install and configure and in DM’s own words, a ‘fit and forget’ solution.
We’ll begin with the DVR functions, which on our sample centre on a 160Gb hard drive giving around a month’s worth of recording at the factory default settings. The EC04 uses industry standard JPEG compression so there should be no problems viewing exported files to a PC – more on that in a moment.
Picture quality, which broadly equates to file size, is user adjustable at between 6 and 45kb per image. Maximum resolution is claimed to be 750 x 512 pixels and the refresh rate is variable, up to 25 frames per second. To put that into context 14kb per image equates to VHS picture quality whilst S-VHS and above runs at 18 to 25kb. Actual recording times depend on the number of cameras connected, file size and refresh rate.
Simultaneous record/playback
The four channel multiplexer functions mainly in the background, it’s a duplex type allowing simultaneous recording and playback. The only user functions are the various display modes on the main and spot monitors, which include single, picture-in-picture and quad. A simple electronic pan/tilt zoom facility is enabled by briefly pressing one of the camera buttons.
The motion detection system uses an 8 x 16 detection grid with five levels of sensitivity. When activated it triggers a relay, displays activity on the main monitor and imposes a 2 second dwell on the relevant camera’s sequenced output. Alarm activations via the motion detector or one of the four external inputs are time and date stamped and stored in an Event Log, which also provides rapid access to recorded video.
Network options include direct viewing using a downloadable (from the Eco4) viewer utility, which also allows access to the Event Log, some of the unit’s setup functions and a facility to record images on the remote PC as snapshots or video in .avi format. A single or quad display, or live or recorded video can also be displayed on a standard web browser; both types of remote viewer are password protected.
In order to save space and no doubt keep the price down, the Eco4 doesn’t have any built in provision to export files or make backups but it does have an SCSI port which can be used to connect it to a range of external CD-Writers (compatible models include Yamaha CRW2200SX/3200SX, CRW-F1SX and Plextor PX-W1210TSE/W4012TSE). On-board CD burning software is used to create digitally signed PC readable CD-ROMs of specified events.
Dedicated Micros has opted for a low-key look for the Eco4. It’s a small plain grey box (63 x 254 x 260mm) with a row of 16 identical chrome buttons spread across the front panel. From left to right they are used for camera selection and functions including Event Log display, Copy to disc, video replay (pause, reverse fast play, play, fast forward), display mode, menu/zoom cursor control, mode select and menu. There are also four red LED indicators for Live Record and Play modes and Spot monitor output.
It’s a similar story on the back panel with a set of 10 BNC sockets for the camera inputs and loop-throughs and two monitor outputs. There’s a 50-way SCSI connector for an external CD writer, a 9-pin D-Sub for serial communications with an optional dial-up modem, a 15-way D-sub for the alarm inputs and outputs, an RS485 socket for a 10/100 Ethernet connection and a socket for the external mains power supply module.
Inside the case there’s a single PCB smothered in neat orderly rows of microchips and surface mount components. Suspended over the p.21 mainboard in a metal cradle there’s the hard disc drive; a small cooling fan is mounted on the right side of the case. Noise levels are very low – in fact it’s barely audible so it can be used in a wide range of environments.
Setup and operation
The Eco4 is designed to work straight out of the box, in other words just connect the cameras, monitor and power supply, switch on and it starts recording using its default settings of 3fps and ‘Medium’ picture quality with a file size of 15kb. Access to the unit’s setup controls is via a set of on-screen menus. Pressing the Menu button once brings up the Time Date and Language display plus some general information concerning the firmware version and serial number.
Pressing the menu button a second time displays the Camera View options, for selecting or deselecting connected cameras. A third press of the button brings up the Schedule menu with the facility to set nighttime and weekend recording times and alarm settings. Another press of the button takes you to the Record Schedule page for setting Standard (continuous) and Event-triggered record rates, here too are the settings for File Size, Maximum Recording Time display, HDD usage and a date display showing the earliest available recorded event. The next press of the Menu button displays System Options, for setting a user password, changing network configuration and restoring factory defaults. Press the button again and you get to Record Options, which covers Timed Expiry (prevents over-recording of old data), Pre and Post Alarm Protection (protects images after triggering and end of global alarm activation) and Protect Images (prevent images from being over-recorded).
Next up is the Camera Setup menu with options to set camera title (one line of up to 12 characters), Input Termination (manual or auto detection), Camera Type (colour/mono/auto), Alarm Input Polarity (normally open/closed) plus Colour and Contrast adjustments. These settings are applied to each camera individually, using the selector buttons to choose each camera in turn. The final menu page deals with the motion detector settings for each camera. There’s an enable/disable switch, sensitivity control, Activity Grid display and an Activity Test option, which displays the targets when they are activated. Camera setup and motion detector menus can also be displayed by pressing and holding a camera selector button.
The menu displays and cursor controls are one of the Eco4’s few shortcomings. To begin with the on-screen display uses a relatively small typeface that can be quite difficult to read against dark or contrasty images. The use of a green font colour for unselected items doesn’t help either and it can be hard to tell when an item has been highlighted. It’s not especially intuitive either; labelling for some pages and menu items is at best obscure and the layout is haphazard. It lacks structure and really could do with a main menu or start page with directly selectable sub menus; as it stands it is easy to get lost as you step through the various pages to find the one that you actually want.
Most other functions are reasonably easy to get to grips with and the instruction manual is refreshingly clear on most points. The on-screen Event Log is a model of clarity, though again a slightly larger or clearer typeface wouldn’t hurt. A list of events with date, time, camera number and alarm type is displayed alongside a sub screen, showing the recorded images; just select the event and the first few seconds plays automatically.
Playback using the front panel controls is another no-brainer and with search speeds of up to 64x it is easy to skim quickly through long segments. The network viewer utility is only marginally less convenient and a little less responsive. The web page display is noticeably slower and there are fewer replay options, but in both cases remote viewing doesn’t affect the DVR’s normal operation.
Performance
At the highest quality and refresh rates, apart from the reduced frame rate, it can be quite difficult to tell a recorded image from a live one. Picture quality continues to be very good down to file sizes of 15kb, after which loss of detail and processing artefacts become increasingly noticeable. Colour accuracy is also very good, though again it starts to suffer as the file size is reduced.
The playback controls are easy to use and multi-speed picture search is a bonus, something other DVR manufacturers would do well to emulate. The only minor omissions are some sort of timeline or disk usage/alarm trigger graphics, while the on-screen date/time display suffers from the same problem as the other displays in being small and quite hard to read. A facility to move the time/date display to another part of the screen would also be appreciated. *
* Reader Service No101 (or go to www.security-installer.co.uk/enquiries and key in 101)
What the manufacturer says …
Dedicated Micros has launched a 4-camera DVR that specifically targets new users of digital – opening up all the benefits of digital to small business owners and bringing new business opportunities for installers.
Aimed at standalone businesses such as convenience stores, the Eco (Economy) 4 has been priced to rival the traditional VCR/multiplexer combination.
Not only does Eco4 offer crystal clear image quality, low maintenance costs and an end to tape management issues, but provides remote viewing options, video motion detection, professional spot monitor output and archive to external CD-R, all as standard.
DM’s trademark user-friendly interface keeps end user training to a minimum. Live or recorded images can be accessed quickly and easily either locally via powerful GOTO functions, or remotely via a standard PC using free network viewing software.
The option to have a live monitor display acts as a visible deterrent to the opportunist shoplifter, while any suspected staff pilfering can be addressed via the Eco4’s covert camera options.
Pauline Norstrom, DM’s marketing manager, commented: “Beware of cheap imitations – there are plenty of budget digital solutions on the market but if you are not offering you customer a robust hi-spec product, are you really providing value for money? The new Eco4 offers a cost effective, long term solution for the small business.”
