Hi-tech DVRs today offer adequate and advanced surveillance at affordable cost

The market is flooded with advanced DVRs that are economically priced and offer high quality images and sound, small file sizes and intuitive controls, hence providing ultimate convenience

By Richa Chakravarty

Sunday, March 16 2014: A digital video recorder (DVR) is a machine that records motion picture programming, which can be stored in a hard disk. While DVRs revolutionised the entertainment industry, especially in enabling viewers to record television programmes, this technology has been widely used in surveillance systems to record security footage. Different sized DVR surveillance system devices are available in the market. Small sizes can be used for homes and small businesses, while larger sizes are available for commercial and industrial properties. Portable and desktop DVRs make this type of security accessible to those who wish to monitor their place of work or home, while travelling.

There are two types of DVRs—PC-based and non-PC based DVRs. Early models were plagued by inherent reliability problems, offering poor quality video recordings and could not manage large numbers of cameras and videos. However, today, both PC-based and non-PC-based DVRs and related solutions have improved tremendously, and considerable advances in digital video technology have opened many doors to users.

Latest technologies

Today, the market is flooded with advanced DVRs that are economically priced and offer high quality images and sound, small file sizes and intuitive controls, hence ensuring the ultimate convenience. “In today’s scenario, customers require high-end surveillance solutions at an affordable cost,” says Yogesh B Dutta, senior vice president, Aditya Infotech Ltd.

Regarding the technology, DVRs are not only moving towards high definition but hybrid DVRs (commonly called HVRs) are very much in demand. Also, cloud-based DVRs are getting popular in the market.

Full HD DVRs: From economical four-channel models to the full-featured 48-channel models, high performance H.264 DVRs are designed to provide high quality images while conserving storage and network resources. With features like real-time playback, DVRs are capable of recording real-time images across selected channels. All recordings in the DVRs are fully programmable on a per-channel basis. The latest DVRs available in the market support 3G network access too. “Our DVRs offer the convenience of previews, the facility for remote playback and download via CMS, HDD group management, controls for read and write (R/W) analysis and checking for disk error information. They also send email alerts, and have support for scheduling, manual mode and abnormalities including disk error, video loss, video mask, motion detection, sensor detection, etc,” shares Jayendra Modi, product manager, Autocop India Pvt Ltd.

Hybrid DVR (HVR): This is the latest and most popular entrant into the market. In India, a majority of the installations are primarily dominated by analogue cameras; however, the industry is moving towards IP technology. Hence, manufacturers have introduced hybrid DVRs. HVRs are a cost-effective solution as they can install both analogue as well as IP cameras. The cost benefits of the analogue solution and the higher security from the IP cameras can be obtained by installing a HVR.

CP PLUS TeknoLogix Labs has developed iDVR technology that offers a good solution to customers, providing them the flexibility to use both analogue and IP solutions at the same time. “It allows the continued use of existing analogue equipment. Along with this, customers will be able to get HD quality images through IP cameras on DVR, enabling them to record minute details of any event,” shares Yogesh B Dutta.

According to Kaushal Kadakia, product owner, video surveillance solutions, Matrix Comsec, “There are basically two situations under which hybrid DVRs can be used. One is when there already exists an analogue solution and higher security is required in certain areas—for example, in banks. Here, the hybrid recorder gives the flexibility to retain the analogue infrastructure and install IP cameras only in the desired areas. The second is when there is a need to establish a new solution keeping in mind future expansion. Hybrid DVRs provide a cost-effective solution along with the flexibility to accommodate future needs.”

Launched in November 2013, Matrix Satatya’s HVRs are designed on robust hardware and intuitive software, and offer easy migration from analogue to IP with minimal investment. “Satatya’s range offers unique features like RAID support for the prevention of hard-disk failure, timeline based search for flexible searching of data, SMS alerts and snapshots via email notification in case of any untoward event, camera-wise recording retention so that cameras can be recorded according to priority, etc,” informs Kaushal Kadakia.

Cloud-based DVR: Cloud surveillance is another new technology to enter the market. While it is yet to take off, players forecast it will be the technology of the future. In cloud-based surveillance, no DVR is required at the customer’s premises. Here, the video is stored remotely on a network video recorder (NVR). If the NVR is located on the public Internet, it is considered cloud storage or cloud-based video surveillance. Once the video is stored in the cloud, it can be easily accessed from any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet, from anywhere in the world.

Unlike local DVRs, cloud-based video surveillance is a shared platform that does not require upfront capital expenditure. Vantage has recently launched a whole range of high performance DVRs including cloud-based DVRs, HVRs and face recognition DVRs that separately archive each face. “Our latest DVRs are all CE and FCC certified. They are available in 4, 8, 16 and 32 channel variants, and we provide cloud-based technology support to our customers. These DVRs can be used for all kinds of surveillance applications, whether small or large. The latest features can benefit anyone—from residential users to those requiring solutions for high end industrial applications,” says Prateek Verma, sales director, Vantage Integrated Security Solutions (P) Ltd.

Most players today are offering this service to their clients while only charging them for monitoring. The customer does not have to make any extra investments in infrastructure. However, there is one drawback—the data is stored or secured in an open network. As anyone can get access to this network, security can be compromised in a big way.

How to choose the right DVR

When making a purchase decision, buyers should first look into their requirements and then make the investment. If it is a small office or home for which a solution is required, consumers should opt for a 16-channel DVR, but for large corporate set-ups, 32- or 48-channel variants would be more appropriate so that a large number of cameras can be installed, keeping in mind the strength of the organisation. “Buyers should always go in for branded DVRs and not the local unbranded varieties that have flooded the Indian market recently. Also, they should consider the scalability factor so that if there is a requirement for more cameras in the future, the same DVR can be used. The price is also a factor that clients should bear in mind,” says Prateek Verma.

Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine