OT: H.264, 4 Channel Standalone DVR quality?

TGS wrote on 11/10/2007, 8:00 PM
This is one of my many weird questions
A couple of weeks back, I got the latest B&H catalog and it's like when I was a kid and the new Radio Shack catalog would come in the mail. My imagination goes crazy with ideas I don't know the answers to.
Well, I was looking at some of the DVRs and whenever I tried to find specific information on the unit, there wasn't much to be found. So then I went to google...blah blah blah.....
Anyway, I ended up at some site called Security Camera World and in the Standalone DVR section. I immediately noticed they had H.264 Live Recording 4 Channel (and up) DVRs.
This little headline grabs my eye: "Live 30 fps per camera-Records continuously on all cameras at full resolution for: 4 Cams @ 30 Fps on a 160 GB HD = 6.17 days. Sounds fantastic, right? And all for $630. Of course I try to download the User manual PDF and it wont download. But I did download a more expensive DVR manual
Truth of the matter is I don't have much interest in Hi-Def except in preserving quality. If I ever use it, it will be for panning & cropping Hi-Def for SD. But I started wondering about recording 4 SD cams through H.264 for hopefully pretty good resolution that I can edit later. The only Cam hookups on the DVRs I looked at are BNC.
Quite often I like to record jam sessions with friends, using stationary cameras. They're not good enough for anything but us to watch. But I'm looking for shortcuts and possibly a way to have something semi portable I can take with me, if I need. And fairly good quality. And that I can edit later, if I want.
Now 4 cameras on a 160 GB HD lasting 6.17 days, sounds like lousy resolution to me. How can they say 'Full resolution' in the ad?
If anybody wants to look:
http://www.securitycameraworld.com/stand-Alone-DVR_4-channel.asp
If anybody can explain briefly what the level of H.264 resolution is, I need understanding. The manual I downloaded says there are 6 levels of quality, but then doesn't explain any of them. So, I don't know if it's simply framerate or if there is a bitrate too. Is it like mpg2, where it can be anything from fantastic to unwatchable?
Has anybody witnessed the quality of one of these DVRs or any H.264 DVR?
I don't really expect many answers, but I am curious.
I would like something like this, if it could record at least as good as my DISH satellite DVR and that I can edit it later in my PC.

Comments

farss wrote on 11/10/2007, 9:39 PM
Recording resolution is 320x240 compared to NTSC's 720x480.

Bob.
TGS wrote on 11/11/2007, 10:38 AM
How is 320x240 Full Resolution? So, if they shrink the picture down to 4 pixels by 3 pixels, will that still be "Full Resolution" as the ad says? How can they make those kind of claims while shrinking it down to 320x240? What happened to truth in advertising? (and how did I miss seeing that recording resolution?)
I'll be back when I find something else I need answers to. lol.
Thx
deusx wrote on 11/11/2007, 11:01 AM
>>>>What happened to truth in advertising? <<<

Steve Jobs
Coursedesign wrote on 11/11/2007, 11:16 AM
>>>>What happened to truth in advertising? <<< Er, Steve Jobs (I guess you prefer Ballmer's no promises, and nothing of significance delivered, during his entire reign.]

Not in the same league as political advertising.

Is a "surge" still a "surge" after years have gone by? Or is it in truth an "escalation?"

There was a very funny article in The Onion recently about an auto worker who was laid off during the Reagan years, and today, in 2007, saw his share of the "trickle-down effect", $10.00, finally arrive. The article described the chain of events in great details. [There is an element of truth in the trickle-down theory, but this shouldn't become a license for our supposed stewards (politicians we elect to look after our interests) to trust it with on its own solving all problems.] After all, "if people are poor, it must be because they are stupid."

At least Reagan stood for something. Politicians today seem to be ruled only by what the other politicans think. They can't make decisions that are in the best interest of the country, because then they'll be seen as "soft on immigration" or "guilty of race-based discrimination."

deusx wrote on 11/14/2007, 12:13 PM
>>>>There is an element of truth in the trickle-down theory, <<<

Didn't BIll Maher explain that when he said trickle down was their way of saying: "we are pissing on you"

Former user wrote on 11/14/2007, 1:12 PM
That sounds like the security recorder like a bank or quickie mart would use with a 4 channel split screen. Each screen maybe being 320 x 240 so the full 4 split is full resolutin.

Dave T2