Dahua PAL to NTSC switch

D

dana2

Young grasshopper
Jun 25, 2018
79
8
Canada
Hi folks,

If a Dahua camera is PAL, can it be switched to NTSC? I heard, but maybe I am mistaken, that you only need to flash the proper firmware.

Thanks!
 
Unless you need NTSC for higher frame rates, above 30fps, there is no real difference between the two. The signal is digital and will work fine with either and NVR or VMS such as Blue Iris on a PC or even just the cameras web interface.

That said, you can flash new NTSC firmware to a Dahua camera assuming it is not a hacked camera with modified firmware. Typically those types of cameras come from sources like Alibaba, Amazon or Flea Bay. No guarantees it'll work with those types and you can end up with a brick.
 
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awsum140 said:
Unless you need NTSC for higher frame rates, above 30fps, there is no real difference between the two. The signal is digital and will work fine with either and NVR or VMS such as Blue Iris on a PC or even just the cameras web interface.

That said, you can flash new NTSC firmware to a Dahua camera assuming it is not a hacked camera with modified firmware. Typically those types of cameras come from sources like Alibaba, Amazon or Flea Bay. No guarantees it'll work with those types and you can end up with a brick.
Click to expand...

Indeed, you are right, the camera works just fine, anyway I will be using it at 20fps maximum resolution, so that does not matter all that much.

Btw, that is exactly the kind of camera I have :) What exactly do you mean by "a hacked camera with modified firmware"?
 
I mean a camera from a "questionable" source, IE one of unknown reputation. While I haven't bought any Dahua cameras from Amazon, Alibaba or Flea Bay, the cameras I have bought from those sources have all been disappointing in one way or the other. The Dahua cameras I have, currently six, have all come from Empire Technology, Andy, and have met every spec with no problem.

The big problem being that Dahua will sell cameras that have been "stripped" of some features, both in firmware and hardware at a lower cost. Vendors buy them and re-sell them as if they are actually full, OEM, cameras. When an update is applied it can't run because too much of the camera is missing. Unless you're sure of the supplier, be very cautious about upgrading firmware, especially if it's working fine.
 
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Will do, thanks for the advice!

That is my source too: Empire Technology, Andy :)

One more question, not very familiar with IP camera bricking, is there any way of JTAG-ing a bricked camera? Or a bricked camera is just that, plain dead.
 
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“J-TAGing?”
 
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"JTAG refers the existence of a connector on the PCB, through which you can put the micro-controller in a special mode that allows direct access to the flash memory chips. You will be able to read, erase and program those chips."

H/W kind of flashing the camera to its original state.
 
I don't think there' a "JTAG" in a Dahua camera, or any other camera for that matter.
 
Perhaps a serial interface?
 
What is the camera part number. If the camera has a C-A in the part number and has english it is hacked. If the ad for the camera said do not upgrade it is hacked. If it is a new model and you paid less than $70 it is hacked.

Unless there is an absolute need to upgrade to correct a problem with the camera, I recommend to not upgrade. Just read all the posts about people who have bricked there cameras and are trying to recover.
 
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Looneyism #384: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
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Yep - I'm not aware of a JTAG interface but there may very well be pins on the boards for a master/slave JTAG connection but I have not looked for that. That being said nearly all Dahua devices do have either a low level (cameras) or high level (NVR/DVR) serial interface. When connected, as long as the boot loader itself (its U-Boot) is not dead you can get into them and flash the running firmware and mess with things. Internally they run an ARM based Linux. On the devices I have the main processor is always some Hisilicon SoC device like the 3536.

On NTSC vs PAL. In many of the most current firmware that is user selectable right in the web UI. On older firmware you just have to flash to NTSC version. As mentioned though, cameras intended for the China market will not accept non-China market firmware. They usually are a lot cheaper because the Chinese sellers use the serial interface and just load an English language file.
 
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