Continuous or Motion Recording?

[MacFun]

Do you recommend continuous recording or just motion events? When I was mucking with NestCam it recorded continuously and it set markers that allowed a quick scrubbing of long videos and it was easy to save a clip. So, what do you recommend?

Currently I’m running SecuritySpy on a Mac with motion events only. Sometimes it misses something. Anyway, I’m moving to an NVR or BI and wanted to understand how this might work and what’s considered best practices.

Thanks,

Robert

 

[aristobrat]

Sometimes it misses something.

I record continuously and have motion detection enabled so that if motion detection misses something, it's still recorded.

Blue Iris works like what you described... it puts bookmarks in the bigger clips where motion happened, allowing you to quickly jump to motion events.

 

[gwminor48]

+1 on @aristobrat comments. I ran motion only for over a year and finally switched to continuous about 6 month ago and I'm so glad I did.

 

[fenderman]

Do you recommend continuous recording or just motion events? When I was mucking with NestCam it recorded continuously and it set markers that allowed a quick scrubbing of long videos and it was easy to save a clip. So, what do you recommend?

Currently I’m running SecuritySpy on a Mac with motion events only. Sometimes it misses something. Anyway, I’m moving to an NVR or BI and wanted to understand how this might work and what’s considered best practices.

Thanks,

Robert

For the record, continuous recording on nest costs 300 per year per camera for 1 month of retention.
you are missing events because you have set the motion threashold too high in security spy.

 

[MacFun]

Of course, I understand that the Nest business model is expensive... yet, no matter the cost, I still might like a certain feature or workflow offered by other software.

BTW: I really enjoyed the software from Nest and UNIFI.... but it looks like I’m going to become a BI user. I just wish the interface wasn’t so antiquated.

R

 

[aristobrat]

BI seems to be function over form. The UI is old-school but Ken is regularly adding new functionality.

Now that I’m happy with my BI config, I rarely use the Windows GUI. Almost all of my BI interaction now is via the iOS app or the web interface. When anything happens where I need to make a video to share, I really like being able to use the iOS app to save clips into Photos and then be able to use iMovie to edit them together.

 

[fenderman]

Of course, I understand that the Nest business model is expensive... yet, no matter the cost, I still might like a certain feature or workflow offered by other software.

BTW: I really enjoyed the software from Nest and UNIFI.... but it looks like I’m going to become a BI user. I just wish the interface wasn’t so antiquated.

R

If you want a pretty interface and cost is not an issue there are other vms options...

 

[fenderman]

The UI is old-school but Ken is regularly adding new functionality.

This cannot be stressed enough..there is no other vms that adds new functionality so frequently and implements some fairly easy to add user requests in a few days.

 

[awsum140]

Especially at the price point of BI!

 

[MacFun]

If you want a pretty interface and cost is not an issue there are other vms options...

It’s not that it needs to be pretty but I just notice and appreciate refined interface objects... such as those that allow a polygon type zone-mapping... and the integration of software and hardware, one example of that is the UNIFI products (switches, APs, routers, cameras) where things like firmware updates are a button click away... it’s just slick and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I’m ready to purchase BI and learn to dial it in with the great support of guys like you and those that have written the very helpful wikis.

Btw: for those with deeper pockets (I’m not saying that’s me) what other vms products were you thinking about...?

Thanks,

R

 

[fenderman]

It’s not that it needs to be pretty but I just notice and appreciate refined interface objects... such as those that allow a polygon type zone-mapping... and the integration of software and hardware, one example of that is the UNIFI products (switches, APs, routers, cameras) where things like firmware updates are a button click away... it’s just slick and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I’m ready to purchase BI and learn to dial it in with the great support of guys like you and those that have written the very helpful wikis.

Btw: for those with deeper pockets (I’m not saying that’s me) what other vms products were you thinking about...?

Thanks,

R

Blue iris does better than silly polygons, you can use the brush (the size of which is adjustable) to be much more precise. Surely you dont expert blue iris to have the capability to update your camera firmware made by OTHERS....if you need that kind of ease, just keep using the nest and live with the severe limitations and costs - it will be all nice and pretty and they will be glad to take your money for crap.
Avigilon, network optix/digital watchdog...note they have some more functions but are also missing other functions of BI. You need to understand that blue iris is created by a single person vs teams on the others..that is why it cost 60 dollars total vs 50-150 PER camera with the others.

 

[MacFun]

I understand and I appreciate what BI has become and the very reasonable cost and especially relate on a developer level since I’ve been the sole programmer on significant projects.

Thanks for your input,

R

 

[dannieboiz]

I continous record on exterior cams with motion triggers and only motion record for the cams in the house.

 

[105437]

How much storage would I need for a rolling 2 week retention if I have 7 2MP cameras recording continuously 20 FPS @ 8192 bitrate?

 

[Rockford622]

Do you recommend continuous recording or just motion events? When I was mucking with NestCam it recorded continuously and it set markers that allowed a quick scrubbing of long videos and it was easy to save a clip. So, what do you recommend?

Currently I’m running SecuritySpy on a Mac with motion events only. Sometimes it misses something. Anyway, I’m moving to an NVR or BI and wanted to understand how this might work and what’s considered best practices.

Thanks,

Robert

Definitely continuous record. It's all fun and games until you go to review an event and find out it didn't set an alert and you missed it.

 

[bigredfish]

How much storage would I need for a rolling 2 week retention if I have 7 2MP cameras recording continuously 20 FPS @ 8192 bitrate?

Im getting 14 days with 8 2MP cams 30fps/6144 bitrate with (2) 4TB WD Purple drives... so to be safe I'd step up one more notch

 

[davej]

Definitely continuous record. It's all fun and games until you go to review an event and find out it didn't set an alert and you missed it.

So are you saying that BI motion detection is unreliable?

 

[fenderman]

So are you saying that BI motion detection is unreliable?

If setup properly, very reliable. Set it over sensitive with long break times.

 

[aristobrat]

So are you saying that BI motion detection is unreliable?

With the extra motion detection options that Blue Iris has vs what the cameras are natively capable of, I’ve been to increase the reliability of motion detection on my system a lot, but it’ll never be literally 100% (which is what I’d need it to be at to not continuously record).

 

[fenderman]

With the extra motion detection options that Blue Iris has vs what the cameras are natively capable of, I’ve been to increase the reliability of motion detection on my system a lot, but it’ll never be literally 100% (which is what I’d need it to be at to not continuously record).

If you set it over sensitive, you will never miss an event and will exponentially increase retention time... For some two weeks continuous works for others 6 weeks of motion detection recording is ideal... It all depends on the use..