2016 Hikvision cameras don't work full res on DS-7616HI-ST

[Asterix]

So this is my prob;

I have a mix of analog and IP cameras on my system so have to go for a Hikvision Hybrid DVR; the DS-7616HI-ST which can handle 5mp res cameras... so its advertising says... (which appears to be false advertising at the mo!)

I have 2 new Hikvision DS-2CD2742FWD cameras (capable of 3mp and 4mp resolutions) that came out after the DS-7616 and even though I have the latest firmware (v3.0.18 build 160316) the DVR stubbornly refuses to allow me to use the full megapixel count of the newer cameras.

The DVR shows and allows my older 2032 cameras to run at their 3mp max res but only has the option to set the newer cameras to either 720p or 1080p. I am able to set the resolution of the newer cameras to 3mp and 4mp on the cameras themselves and the DVR will then show and record at the higher res but after 30 secs something in the DVR kicks their resolution back to 1080p.

The DVR can handle 80Mbps and is currently using 47Mbps so has the headroom and it also has the ability to display the resolution. It just doesn't want to!

This is quite frustrating as it means I am not able to use the cameras to their full potential and miss seeing people walking on the edges of the cameras. I have asked Hikvision to update the firmware but if that doesn't happen is there any way I can get the DVR to accept the res of the newer cameras? Maybe by changing the device model of the camera in some clever way?

I have updated all cameras and DVR to the latest firmware (as of 19th May 17) - from Hikvision's EU site. Interesting to note that the 76xxHI-ST is currently the most recently updated by Hikvision (on 07.2.17) yet the 2016 cameras were not added in!

 

[Securame]

I have updated all cameras and DVR to the latest firmware (as of 19th May 17) - from Hikvision's EU site. Interesting to note that the 76xxHI-ST is currently the most recently updated by Hikvision (on 07.2.17) yet the 2016 cameras were not added in!

Latest firmware is v3.0.18_160316, that means it is from march 2016; not from february 2017.

I do not know when you got this unit, but this is quite an old model which is no longer in production, and it will not get any more firmware updates. If you just bought it, you might want to return it for one of the newer TVI hybrids. But when you are mixing coaxial and IP cameras, your best bet is to have two units. You can use an analog/TVI unit as an encoder, and then have a NVR record both the IP cameras, and the video streams on the analog cameras from the DVR.

And just in case you have not checked it, make sure your new cameras are not using H264+.

 

[Asterix]

The firmware wasn't released that long ago. Although that doesn't necessarily prove anything but I have regularly updated every time there was a new f/w version - every few months.
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I do have H.264+ turned off. I suspect that Hikvision won't update the f/w so was wondering what kind of hack I could do.

It seems absolutely nutty that any company would release a DVR that is obsolete within a matter of a few years. The 7616 is not by any standards old. Not only that but it actually supports 5mp resolutions... so it says! I'm sure as Hell not going to buy another Hikvision DVR without knowing what cameras it works with so is there a list anywhere showing the compatibility between Hik cameras and Hik DVRs?

My hope was that someone on here would be able to say; 'all you need to do is SSH into... change the model name to <x> because it has the same vari-focus and 4mp res and is compatible with the 7600 series.. reboot... voila!'

As a test I wiped all the cameras off and re-added the DS-2CD2742 but at 4mp res (on hte camera) and the DVR had a fit. Kept booting the camera offline then online, up for 2 mins, down for 30 secs. When I reset to 1080p it calmed down again! Yet the 2032's are able to sit at 3mp all day long.

 

[alastairstevenson]

the 76xxHI-ST is currently the most recently updated by Hikvision (on 07.2.17) yet the 2016 cameras were not added in!

That's the date the website folder was created - the firmware date is Dec15 for the first 3.0.18 and Mar16 for the later build of the same version.
It does sound like the camera model is too new for the DVR firmware.

 

[Securame]

Again, the last firmware IS from march 2016. In fact 3.0.18 is from december 2015, and there is another release with the same number from march 2016, so it probably has only some small bug fix since it keeps the same version number. And the unit is way older than that, even from before TVI was on the market.

So you are trying to use a new camera on an old DVR. It might work, or it might not work.

Some old Hikvision units supported 1/2/3/5MP; back then there were no 4MP Hikvision cameras on the market, so a 4MP camera would not work with those firmwares, you needed to lower the resolution. Those old units of course also will not support newer compression methods, like H264+, H265, etc. You might have things not work so well if you are using cameras that are way newer than your DVR, or you might have to jump through some hoops to get them to work smoothly.

It seems absolutely nutty that any company would release a DVR that is obsolete within a matter of a few years. The 7616 is not by any standards old. Not only that but it actually supports 5mp resolutions... so it says! I'm sure as Hell not going to buy another Hikvision DVR without knowing what cameras it works with so is there a list anywhere showing the compatibility between Hik cameras and Hik DVRs?

You say so? And you also think the same about computers? What about mobile phones? Or IP cameras? Or mostly anything tech related?
I am quite sure that any Hikvision camera from the same year that unit was manufactured will work with it.

 

[Asterix]

you might have to jump through some hoops to get them to work smoothly.

Indeed! That's why I posted here. Figured if there was one place on the Internet that could help with the hoops this was it.

You say so? And you also think the same about computers? What about mobile phones? Or IP cameras? Or mostly anything tech related?

Apple support their customer base for years after release; same Microsoft. Lots of people use the iPhone 5s and it's still supported; Windows 7 still supported; XP still supported (in China). I still use a Nokia 3310 (the original one!). In Hikvision's case they are a company that encourages system-building and that wants its user base to stick with Hik so why would it not be reasonable to expect, having invested a lot in them, to expect a bit of ongoing support? The alternative is to stop buying Hik stuff and buy a brand I know won't ditch and run.

 

[Securame]

Apple support their customer base for years after release; same Microsoft. Lots of people use the iPhone 5s and it's still supported; Windows 7 still supported; XP still supported (in China). I still use a Nokia 3310 (the original one!). In Hikvision's case they are a company that encourages system-building and that wants its user base to stick with Hik so why would it not be reasonable to expect, having invested a lot in them, to expect a bit of ongoing support? The alternative is to stop buying Hik stuff and buy a brand I know won't ditch and run.

Feel free to install a current resource hungry program on a 4.5 year old iPhone 5, and see how well it runs (or mostly, just update to the latest iOS version, and you go from having an "ok phone" to a phone that can barely move your operating system). Or try to install a program dessigned for Windows 10 on a Windows XP computer, and keep your fingers crossed to see if it works.

Your old 2CD2032 cameras are 3MP (2048x1536). DS-76xxHI-ST is listed as supporting 5MP/3MP/2MP/1MP/others. 2CD2742 is listed as supporting 4MP/2MP/1MP. Of course that might have changed, but specificacions alone would show these devices to be compatible up to 2MP. And I have seen DS-76xxHI-ST units working toguether just fine with cameras I wouldt have never thought that it would even detect them, but I guess they have to move on to newer products sooner or later, and that happened with those units on december 2015.

 

[Asterix]

Well, all I can say is that if there is anyone out there who can offer a pointer or two - or has a list of the Hik cameras that are compatible with the 7600HI series then I would appreciate the help. At the mo I'm wondering if a f/w upgrade on the 7616 with one from a newer hybrid DVR might do it but that may turn out expensive!

 

[FrankMCN]

I've got that same hybrid model sitting in a box - was my first Hik recorder, not cheap but did the job of bridging me from old analogue to IP - its dated, has some strong features but the random reboots killed it for me - seems changing the analogue camera settings to anything other then default causes a lot of instability.

Like you I also found that it did not support 4MP - it simply does not recognise the 2688 x 1520 resolution and is happier with 4x3 image formats - i.e. 3 & 5MP - but that is how it is specified so can't really fault Hik for that, it conforms to its spec and thats the end of that, there could be a hardware limitiation with its decoder/encoder chip or something along those lines.

That said I was able to get a 4MP connected by setting up a custom camera profile and using the RTSP stream - but if you go that route you'll not have much in the way of settings to play with and all recording will have to be continious not event or motion.

I'll get it out of retirement soon to try out the new IP3.0 3/5MP camera's but its biggest limitation imo will be the 80meg IP camera limit.

 

[Richard crane]

Hi Asterix, if you are still using the DS 7616 ST then you could try this firmware: Dropbox - digicap (2).mav
We have a one in our office (we are a CCTV installer) and you could actually add 4 megs on it when the camera firmware was below V5.4.5 after that they only add as 2 meg cameras, I don't know if your camera model will work we use DS-2CD2342WD Turret domes. Hikvision had many attempts to revise this firmware for us and it took nearly a year to get it working (partly because they thought we were having issues with the newer DS 7616 hybrid and kept sending us firmware for that model.) The firmware version is V3.0.13 Build no 170911.