What is H264?

This is a standard for recording video and streaming video over the Internet to a remote computer. H264 is the very latest technology and much improved over the previous standards MPEG4, MPEG2 and MJPEG. A year ago H264 was only available in top end, high priced systems. VDT (UK) Ltd has researched many digital recorders and has found this product to be far superior both in functionality and quality of build. We believe this DVR is one of the best on the market, irrespective of price.

What is 4/8/16 channel?

Channel simply means the number of cameras that can be attached to the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). The word channel can also be used for the attachment of audio, where all models in this range allow for four microphone audio inputs.

What is VGA, BNC and HDMI?

VGA is an output socket on the back of the DVR, usually blue in colour and with 15 pin holes. When attaching the appropriate connector, this can be coupled with a computer monitor and/or one of the latest LCD/LED/plasma TVs, which may also contain a VGA input socket.

BNC is the name of a connector. Cameras are cabled using this type of connector at the DVR end. Each channel on the DVR contains an input on which a BNC connector can be attached. There will be a BNC socket on the DVR for each channel of video that needs to be recorded. A BNC socket can also be an output. Usually on a DVR these outputs enable a video signal to be passed from the DVR to a monitor that also has the same type of connector.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface ) is the new standard for passing high definition video from the DVR to a HDMI enabled monitor. Our device contains 1 HDMI output, allowing a much higher definition picture to be passed from the DVR to any monitor or TV with the appropriate input.

What is dual stream technology?

The DVR is capable of being viewed by a very powerful, high quality software application provided with this DVR and usually reserved for a product many times it's value. The DVR is of course capable of being viewed local through a monitor attached directly to it, but the functionality can be extended by attaching the DVR to a computer network and indeed the Internet.

When the DVR is connected to a network where the computer and DVR are in the same building, images passed between the DVR and the computer can remain at broadcast quality as the bandwidth available is naturally high. Introducing the Internet, where the DVR sits in a building many miles away from the computer, means the only method of connection between the DVR and the computer is via a broadband/cable Internet connection.

The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) restrict the bandwidth and sometimes impose a download limit, making it impossible to stream video as it would over a local network. Our DVR is capable of being configured to use a secondary (dual stream) mechanism when it detects an Internet connection. In this case the video footage can be transmitted to the remote location using much less bandwidth and ensuring that the download limitations imposed are not exceeded. Again, this type of functionality is usually reserved for much higher specification and priced machines. For further information please visit the DVR-->Entry level category of our website.