Dahua HCVR or XVR

[Basjke]

Hi, I purchased Dahua HAC-HFW2221R-Z-IRE6 cameras

I'm looking at the XVR-5108HS, but I'm getting confused by all those specs.

To be clear, the camera will not target any fast moving objects, so I guess I'll be fine with a 15fps frame rate.

Is this recorder capable of recording in 1080p at 15fps or not?

What is the difference with the XVR-5108HS-S3?

Is there a difference between HCVR and XVR?

Would I need a 7108 HCVR or XVR for my purpose?

Thanks in advance

 

[bigredfish]

They do have a hell of a lot of models and it can be frustrating choosing. Yes the 5108HS will record at 15fps @1080p -
XVR5104/08/16HS | Dahua Technology
http://www1.dahuasecurity.com/products/xvr51040816hs-3201.html
I'm not finding an XVR-5108HS-S3, I think you meant HCVR5108HS-S3

The biggest difference as far as I have been able to tell is that the XVR series Pentabrid supports 5 types of camera to include HIK's proprietary HD format - TVI, whereas the HCVR series are Tribrids that only support 3 types including analog, IP, and Dahua's proprietary HD format- CVI

Stepping up from the Lite to Pro series (such as the 7108 XVR or HCVR) you get 30fps all channels recording. So yes the Lite series primary difference is only allowing you 15fps all channels vs 30fps all channels on the Pro series.

 

[Basjke]

They do have a hell of a lot of models and it can be frustrating choosing. Yes the 5108HS will record at 15fps @1080p -
XVR5104/08/16HS | Dahua Technology
I'm not finding an XVR-5108HS-S3, I think you meant HCVR5108HS-S3

The biggest difference as far as I have been able to tell is that the XVR series Pentabrid supports 5 types of camera to include HIK's proprietary HD format - TVI, whereas the HCVR series are Tribrids that only support 3 types including analog, IP, and Dahua's proprietary HD format- CVI

Stepping up from the Lite to Pro series (such as the 7108 XVR or HCVR) you get 30fps all channels recording. So yes the Lite series primary difference is only allowing you 15fps all channels vs 30fps all channels on the Pro series.

Thanks for the detailed response.

I think you're right about the HCVR5108HS-S3, however in Vietnam they call it XVR, and that may be the reason that I also found it as XVR here in Thailand.

But can I assume that for my purpose the HCVR will be fine, since I only use the Dahua cameras I quoted.

Another question this noob has is, since I have motorized varifocal cameras, how is the lens operated.

Is this through the dvr or with Dahua software?

Varifocal is not the same as zoom, is it?

 

[bigredfish]

Correct HCVR will be fine with Dahua cameras both HDCVI and IP

The motorized vari-focal/zoom (same thing yeah) allows you to zoom and auto-focus from the DVR controls so you can adjust the focal point. That camera is vari-focus/zoom only - not PTZ. So you have to install the camera and manually point it to where you want it, and you just use the zoom to refine the focus point. The auto-focus is worth it's weight in gold! Once you are happy with it, you won't probably use the zoom again, but it does make it MUCH easier than a manual zoom/focus to initially set it and not have to be on a ladder with a screwdriver while holding a laptop

 

[Basjke]

and not have to be on a ladder with a screwdriver while holding a laptop

In my neck of woods we have smart phones already

So varifocal is same as zoom. What is digital zoom? Does that mean I can zoom in on recorded material?

Or is this possible with the 5108hs?

 

[bigredfish]

I gotta get me one of those

Digital zoom inherently creates pixelization as it merely "enlarges" a portion of the image. Optical zoom is done through the optics of the camera and is what you think of as real "zoom" with clarity. Take a picture and "zoom" in on it using photoshop - that is Digital zoom.

 

[Basjke]

I gotta get me one of those

Digital zoom inherently creates pixelization as it merely "enlarges" a portion of the image. Optical zoom is done through the optics of the camera and is what you think of as real "zoom" with clarity. Take a picture and "zoom" in on it using photoshop - that is Digital zoom.

Thanks again for the explanation.

A final question. Taken into account that my cameras will only record footage inside my perimeter, so only slow moving objects, is there any advantage to get the 7108 over the 5108?

 

[bigredfish]

Based solely on the 15 vs 30 fps probably not. I personally prefer 30fps as it is smoother video. Even "slow" moving objects like a person in your backyard I think benefit from full motion 30fps. I'm not an expert, and those who are will tell you 15fps is all you need. I tend to like overkill on most everything though

Bitrate and shutter speed will be the two biggest things determining your video quality.

 

[bigredfish]

Couple of other ways to look at fps

15 FPS vs. 30 FPS vs. 60 FPS - Bo Allen
http://boallen.com/fps-compare.html
Compare frames per second: which looks better?

 

[Basjke]

Ok, in both videos I clearly notice a difference in smoothness between 15fps and 30fps, but the clarity of the video is actually the same with a 3fps as it is with a 30fps, and I think that is the important factor in security surveillance. So even a 3fps recording would show me the face of the intruder as perfect as a 30fps recording.

Am I wrong in that ?

 

[bigredfish]

Nope. You are correct. The quality of each frame should be the same. But with 30frames I have 10x the chance of getting a good crisp single still capture image/frame than with 3 fps.

If storage or bandwidth are a concern, then the lower fps is the way to go. I have no such concerns with my residential system recording to a DVR.

 

[bigredfish]

Here's an even more relevant piece on fps

Frame Rate Guide for Video Surveillance

 

[Basjke]

I took it to the extreme with my 3fps > 30fps comparison, but with 15fps the chance is of course only 2 times.

I'll look into it again if i can find a 7108 at a reasonable price, but so far it is about a 80% premium over the 5108, and in my opinion it isn't worth that.

Thanks for your comments, in the multiple threads I started in my exploration how to set up my cameras, they have been very helpful and educational.

 

[bababouy]

I would recomend setting cameras to atleast 12-15 fps for streaming and recording. The untrained eye starts to notice a difference if fps are set lower than that

 

[Securame]

HCVR5108HS-S3 is an older model, XVR5108HS is the current/newer model.

XVR5108HS is "5 in 1" unit, all channels can be 960H/CVI/TVI/AHD/IP, while HCVR5108HS only supports 960H/CVI/IP. Unless there is a huge price difference, get XVR5108HS, not just for being "5 in 1" but also because being a newer unit Dahua's support for this unit will last longer (many would argue that I should rephrase that as "Dahua's lack of support will last longer").