BI v3.66 and Amcrest HD Pro

[wingerr]

I've been using Blue Iris ver 3 for several Foscam cameras for a while now, and just recently got a Amcrest Pro HD camera. Excellent video quality compared to the Foscam HD I had before it melted from a fire.

The camera isn't listed in the long drop down list of cameras, but I was able to get it set up for the video using RSTP H.264/MJPG/MPEG4 and entering /cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 for the video path but the PTZ function doesn't work.

Has anyone been able to get the the PTZ on this camera working with the program?

I have the demo version of ver 4 and it is working fully, and the added timeline feature seems handy, but I was wondering if ver 3 can be used with the use of some esoteric configuration settings.
Can't really tell yet, but If I can determine if the video performance or CPU load is improved with ver 4, I'll probably go with the upgrade; otherwise, ver 3 is working perfectly enough for me as long as I don't get any more new cameras.

 

[fenderman]

I've been using Blue Iris ver 3 for several Foscam cameras for a while now, and just recently got a Amcrest Pro HD camera. Excellent video quality compared to the Foscam HD I had before it melted from a fire.

The camera isn't listed in the long drop down list of cameras, but I was able to get it set up for the video using RSTP H.264/MJPG/MPEG4 and entering /cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 for the video path but the PTZ function doesn't work.

Has anyone been able to get the the PTZ on this camera working with the program?

I have the demo version of ver 4 and it is working fully, and the added timeline feature seems handy, but I was wondering if ver 3 can be used with the use of some esoteric configuration settings.
Can't really tell yet, but If I can determine if the video performance or CPU load is improved with ver 4, I'll probably go with the upgrade; otherwise, ver 3 is working perfectly enough for me as long as I don't get any more new cameras.

Welcome to the forum. Try the dahua settings. The 30 dollars for v4 is well worth it. There are loads of new features including security updates, timeline, hardware acceleration and more.

 

[wingerr]

Thanks,
I'll give it a try. I agree the updated version is the best way to go with this, but I'm just curious if it's possible for the older version to still work on new cameras with a tweak of the settings.

 

[wingerr]

By the way, regarding the $30 upgrade, is that distinct from purchasing the full Ver 4 program and tied in with the ver 3, being intended as replacement only?

Can the older program continue to be used for a second host system if the upgrade is purchased rather than an entirely new full version?

 

[fenderman]

By the way, regarding the $30 upgrade, is that distinct from purchasing the full Ver 4 program and tied in with the ver 3, being intended as replacement only?

Can the older program continue to be used for a second host system if the upgrade is purchased rather than an entirely new full version?

No, you cannot use it on another system. However, you can buy a second license for half price as well. Email the developer.

 

[wingerr]

Good to know, thanks- considering between that or an additional $18 to get the full version instead of the upgrade.

 

[wingerr]

Got in touch with Blue Iris support and it turns out that the upgrade option does continue to allow the prior program to be used, which is good. I'm going to go ahead with it, as the demo looks fully functional even with mobile phone access of the webserver with the Amcrest.

 

[fenderman]

Got in touch with Blue Iris support and it turns out that the upgrade option does continue to allow the prior program to be used, which is good. I'm going to go ahead with it, as the demo looks fully functional even with mobile phone access of the webserver with the Amcrest.

Did he say it can be used on another machine? the license says otherwise. I think he meant that you can use it on the same system. Note that the demo does not fully support direct to disc and you will see high cpu usage.

3. UPGRADES. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is an upgrade from another product, whether from Perspective Software or another supplier, you may use or transfer the SOFTWARE PRODUCT only in conjunction with that upgraded product, unless you destroy the upgraded product. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is an upgrade of a Perspective Software product, you now may use that upgraded product only in accordance with this EULA. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is an upgrade of a component of a package of software programs which you licensed as a single product, the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may be used and transferred only as part of that single product package and may not be separated for use on more than one computer.

 

[wingerr]

This was the question I asked,
If I use the upgrade discount , is that considered only an upgrade or a separate full version of ver 4? The full ver 4 is available for $48 on your ebay site, so I was wondering if there was any difference between that and the upgrade as far as being able to use my ver 3 program independently on another pc.

The email response I received was
Version 4 is a full install upgrade and you do receive a new key upon that purchase.
Using Version 3 on another PC would be no problem.



It does seem to be counter to that statement on upgrades, as that indicates they want you to destroy the key for the old program. Maybe there's some differentiation for full install upgrade of a Perspective Software product vs. an upgrade of some competing program.

"you now may use that upgraded product only in accordance with this EULA" seems to apply for upgrades of a Perspective Software product, so there may be some other conditions applicable in the EULA somewhere.

There wouldn't be much purpose to having both programs installed on the same machine, so I'd assume saying version 3 could be used on another PC means it could be installed on a different host system,

 

[fenderman]

This was the question I asked,
If I use the upgrade discount , is that considered only an upgrade or a separate full version of ver 4? The full ver 4 is available for $48 on your ebay site, so I was wondering if there was any difference between that and the upgrade as far as being able to use my ver 3 program independently on another pc.

The email response I received was
Version 4 is a full install upgrade and you do receive a new key upon that purchase.
Using Version 3 on another PC would be no problem.



It does seem to be counter to that statement on upgrades, as that indicates they want you to destroy the key for the old program. Maybe there's some differentiation for full install upgrade of a Perspective Software product vs. an upgrade of some competing program.

"you now may use that upgraded product only in accordance with this EULA" seems to apply for upgrades of a Perspective Software product, so there may be some other conditions applicable in the EULA somewhere.

There wouldn't be much purpose to having both programs installed on the same machine, so I'd assume saying version 3 could be used on another PC means it could be installed on a different host system,

Good to know, he was very clear that you can use it on two machines.....
Also remember that if you want to buy another license of v4 at anytime, he will sell you one for half off (30). Hardware acceleration alone reducing power consumption makes it worthwhile.

 

[wingerr]

Note that the demo does not fully support direct to disc and you will see high cpu usage.

I did note the CPU usage displayed on the demo program generally shows about 49%, which seemed high if accurate. I was wondering about that and thought it a bit concerning because I ran BI 24/7 on my last Dell PC and it experienced what I thought a premature motherboard failure in under two years. Usually I retire PC's not from failure but from wanting updated hardware. I attributed it to the continuous running, but it could have just as likely have been a fluke; no way to tell.

I was going to run out the demo period before doing the upgrade, just to make sure nothing unusual crops up, but I'll just do it now to check out the hardware acceleration aspect of it.
And to get rid of that pesky watermark logo in the middle of the video- :lemo:

 

[wingerr]

One odd thing did come up on the demo; the timeline seems to have stopped showing the recorded clip segment markers and the alert icons. They were there before, and I had different colors set up for the individual cameras. Now all it shows is the red cursor line. I was trying to see if I turned the display off from some setting, but couldn't find where.
The attached picture shows what I'm seeing-

 

[fenderman]

it experienced what I thought a premature motherboard failure in under two years. Usually I retire PC's not from failure but from wanting updated hardware. I attributed it to the continuous running, but it could have just as likely have been a fluke; no way to tell.

It was a fluke. I have many machines running 24/7 for years without issue.

 

[fenderman]

One odd thing did come up on the demo; the timeline seems to have stopped showing the recorded clip segment markers and the alert icons. They were there before, and I had different colors set up for the individual cameras. Now all it shows is the red cursor line. I was trying to see if I turned the display off from some setting, but couldn't find where.
The attached picture shows what I'm seeing-

View attachment 8392

Did you change the folders blue iris uses to store footage? Try rebuilding the database.

 

[wingerr]

Did you change the folders blue iris uses to store footage? Try rebuilding the database.

I'll try and see if that'll do it. It did have the clips from BI v3 in there before and they didn't show up even before, only the recent ones recorded in v4.

Just got the v4 license and the CPU percentage dropped to half what it was idling at before- :applause:

 

[wingerr]

Did the database / Repair/regenerate, and it finished in under a minute-

aaaand... Voila! All the clip markers are back!

Thanks much!


I do recall when I looked at the Blue Iris Status log, it showed a "database corrupt" error every day at 2AM for the past three days. Guess that had something to do with it-