BI on PC or dedicated NVR

[xmfan]

PC with BI running or 16 channel Dahua NVR?

From cost perspectives, I would think they are both pretty comparable....
I would guess that BI is probably more feature and functionality rich and can offer more than NVR...but I may be dead wrong...

Any thoughts, amigos ?

 

[Mike]

Blue Iris over an NVR. Most people here would agree

 

[th182]

I’ve used 4 different types of NVR/DVRs over the years. Blue Iris blows them all out of the water by a long shot! I’ve even used some “commercial-grade” systems and it beats them as well. So many configuration options. And there is endless support on here for whatever you need help with!


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[aristobrat]

At least compared to the Dahua NVR I used for a month or two last year, even if all you do is “use the basics”, Blue Iris was just easier. No browser codecs to fuss with (making it easy to pull up cameras on any computer in your house). The remote app made connecting and seeing all alert clips so much quicker than how the Dahua remote app worked.

The guy that writes BI is always at it. There are new updates usually every few weeks, adding new things here and there plus fixing bugs. Last update laid the groundwork for BI being able to optionally pass off alert pics to other services for further analysis to reduce false alerts.

 

[thejonb]

Only ever had BI.

I am relatively new to the game but hands down exceeded expectations.

Can also confirm it is easy to use and get set up.

 

[looney2ns]

Blue Iris over an NVR any day.

 

[handinpalm]

I vote for BI. Stable platform w/ lots of bells and whistles. AND, not camera manufacturer dependent, like a lot of NVRs.

 

[xmfan]

awesome feedback. BI it is.

I will shop for a low profile desktop, preferably i7. I used to do PC builds so feel very comfortable with assembling one, if needed. Planning on putting two NICs to keep the cam traffic separated.

 

[th182]

IMO two NIC is the way to go! One for camera network and one on home network for UI3


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[thejonb]

Check the wiki, search the forum.

You can get a PC on the cheap via eBay...etc and it doesn't need the power to put a man on the moon.

I literally waited until I found a deal on eBay and the only mod I did was swap out the HDD for a 4tb WD purple.

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[xmfan]

Check the wiki, search the forum.

You can get a PC on the cheap via eBay...etc and it doesn't need the power to put a man on the moon.

I literally waited until I found a deal on eBay and the only mod I did was swap out the HDD for a 4tb WD purple.

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LOL !!
BTW, is i5 sufficient for 11 cam streams at 15fps?

Saw a few i7’s 8th gen on eBay for around $500+
It would be another $100 to install the 4TB purple drive


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[aristobrat]

LOL !!
BTW, is i5 sufficient for 11 cam streams at 15fps?

Check out:
Blue Iris Update Helper

You can filter on the CPU column.

 

[fenderman]

LOL !!
BTW, is i5 sufficient for 11 cam streams at 15fps?

Saw a few i7’s 8th gen on eBay for around $500+
It would be another $100 to install the 4TB purple drive


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The number of cameras is irrelevant. See wiki
8th gen i5 is equivalent to 7th gen i7

 

[xmfan]

The number of cameras is irrelevant. See wiki
8th gen i5 is equivalent to 7th gen i7

Friends, thank you for the tips and info.

On ebay, small form factor optiplex, an i5 4570 3.2ghz, 4gb ram 500GB HD, win10 OS for $179 or best offer.

I can add 240gb SSD for $27, 2nd NIC for $20 and 4tb purple for $116. For another $30 or so, i can add another 4gb ram

Does this sound something worthwhile to pursue?


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[fenderman]

Friends, thank you for the tips and info.

On ebay, small form factor optiplex, an i5 4570 3.2ghz, 4gb ram 500GB HD, win10 OS for $179 or best offer.

I can add 240gb SSD for $27, 2nd NIC for $20 and 4tb purple for $116. For another $30 or so, i can add another 4gb ram

Does this sound something worthwhile to pursue?


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i5-4570 is overpriced at 180. i5-6500 systems which are a few years newer are available for 180-200.
dont buy a low end 27 dollar ssd. You can by good brand name ssd's for 50 bux. Save the headache.
again you need to read the wiki to determine if the pc can handle your load.

 

[thejonb]

Also keep in mind the size purple drive. Do the math to make sure you figure out the storage capacity you want in relation to the number of days you want to have available of footage vs the quality and number of cameras.

4tb might be too much...might be too little. YMMV

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[davej]

PassMark - CPU Comparison Intel i5-6500 vs Intel i7-6700 vs Intel i7-4790

Processor power is needed for playback, not record.

 

[fenderman]

PassMark - CPU Comparison Intel i5-6500 vs Intel i7-6700 vs Intel i7-4790

Processor power is needed for playback, not record.

that is incorrect. Processing power is needed for live view, recording and playback.

 

[aristobrat]

Even if nobody was viewing any of the cameras live, BI would still be using processor to decode the streams for motion detection purposes, right (assuming BI was setup for motion detection)?

 

[davej]

that is incorrect. Processing power is needed for live view, recording and playback.

Well, everything takes some processor power, but if you use a multiplier playback speed on multiple images that is where I notice that the cpu usage can really jump up.