CCTV DVR recording help

Dazzy

I'm buying a replacement DVR and am looking for some help with the recording resolution spec.

The old DVR had a total of 50FPS at 2CIF/HD1. I was using 5 of the 8 channels so was getting between 8 - 10 FPS per channel but I would like better quality recording.

The two I'm looking at on ebay have the features I want and price I want to pay BUT only record CIF in realtime (200 FPS @ CIF over 8 Channels). These DVR's dont have the option to increase the resolution above CIF to 2CIF/HD1 or full D1.

So my question is.... for general observation do I need 2CIF/HD1, 4CIF, or D1 at real time for good quality recording or will 25FPS CIF be good enough?

Any recommendation of good etailers of CCTV DVR's would be great also.

Feature set I'm after:
8 Channel
H.264
500mb - 1GB HD
LAN, Internet, and Phone Monitoring
Software Motion Detection
USB
R.E.T.R. (like)
Pre Record Buffer (like)

Price: Max €500

Jnealon

The features you've mentioned are standard on most DVRs. For your budget you're going to find it hard to get a name brand.
Don't know of any etailers that deal with the public but you could take a chance and call in to a couple of wholesalers, B0rsatec on the Northside and Scott and oshea( now called aviva or something like it) or adi on the southside

FusionNet

Did you find something? Your list is very demanding for the price! Also remember H264 is a new technology to CCTV. Some guys will promise you excellent quality on recording and long archiving but will forget to mention such details like you cant playback all cameras at the same time, only one ch at a time. Or that the GUI is like a calculator etc...

Dazzy

Got this one - http://www.avtech.com.tw/english/cctv_overview.aspx?id=AVC796D
All the features I was looking for (including my likes). Working well so far, bit on the noisy side so I may be relocating it. Found a bug with playback too while its still recording using motion detection.
Got it for €550 delivered for the one with the DVD drive.

FusionNet

haha ya a lot of DVRs have very nasty bugs, especially when you ask them to multitask.. Thats why Im always going on about warranty and firmware updates etc.. Glad it worked out for you anyways..

Dazzy

I reset the settings on the DVR (as suggetsed on another site) and the DVR is working perfectly now. As I get more familiar with it I've found that it has some really good features like the option to save recordings/snapsots to both the DVR and your local PC at the same time, you can add in and manage multiple DVR's from different sites, and it gives you have the option to view the DVR over the internet using the actual softare or any browser (once you install an Active X control).
The DVR is miles ahead in terms of stability and functionality in comparision to the ebay no brand DVR I had. In my opinion, Avtech = very good value, great functionality, and stability. Only downside at the moment is that its a little bit nosiy.