Getting frustrated with v4 motion detection

[luder888]

I just upgraded from v3.66 to version 4 a few days ago (same settings) and have been getting a ton more false positive motion alerts. I fiddled around with the motion settings but still couldn't get it to be as precise as v3. I see in v3 there's only a checkbox for object tracking, but in v4 you can now specify distance traveled and object size, etc. Is there a setting I can put in for object detection that'd give me the same behavior as v3?

Also, I was playing around with "Run video through motion detector" to try to troubleshoot further, but I cannot figure out how to use that functionality. It seems no different than just regular playback with the exception of the zone overlays. How do you use that feature? Does it tell you when things are triggered? Also, what are the different rectangle colors mean?

I might think about downgrading it back to v3 if I cannot figure this out.

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just a bit frustrated to expect version 4 to work the same as version 3 given the same motion settings.

 

[fenderman]

I just upgraded from v3.66 to version 4 a few days ago (same settings) and have been getting a ton more false positive motion alerts. I fiddled around with the motion settings but still couldn't get it to be as precise as v3. I see in v3 there's only a checkbox for object tracking, but in v4 you can now specify distance traveled and object size, etc. Is there a setting I can put in for object detection that'd give me the same behavior as v3?

Also, I was playing around with "Run video through motion detector" to try to troubleshoot further, but I cannot figure out how to use that functionality. It seems no different than just regular playback with the exception of the zone overlays. How do you use that feature? Does it tell you when things are triggered? Also, what are the different rectangle colors mean?

I might think about downgrading it back to v3 if I cannot figure this out.

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just a bit frustrated to expect version 4 to work the same as version 3 given the same motion settings.

V4 motion detection is far superior to v3...the problem is that you were using v3 incorrectly. You were using the object detect/reject setting. This is a mistake. I can assure you with 100 percent certainly that you were missing many motion valid motion events. Read the v3 help file that explains how object detect reject works and you will see why this is the case. Then read the help file on v4 and lean how to set it up. It will provide for WAY less false alerts. Finally, the latest release allows you to choose the motion detection algorithm so be sure to download the latest update.

 

[luder888]

V4 motion detection is far superior to v3...the problem is that you were using v3 incorrectly. You were using the object detect/reject setting. This is a mistake. I can assure you with 100 percent certainly that you were missing many motion valid motion events. Read the v3 help file that explains how object detect reject works and you will see why this is the case. Then read the help file on v4 and lean how to set it up. It will provide for WAY less false alerts. Finally, the latest release allows you to choose the motion detection algorithm so be sure to download the latest update.

Thanks. I will try the new v4 update and fiddle around a bit more. However, I can say with certainty though that I haven't missed many valid events in v3. I know that because I got alerted every time I came home, out walking with the dog, or Fedex dropped off a package. Definitely way fewer false positive than v4 the way I have it set up right now.

Can you tell me how the "Run video through motion detector" works? I tried it but it didn't do anything special. Am I supposed to be able to use it to help me fine tune the motion settings? I was expecting it to tell me when a motion is triggered so I can run a false positive footage with the new motion settings to see if the new settings work. BTW I have the "show object rectangle" option turned on for all cameras.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks. I will try the new v4 update and fiddle around a bit more. However, I can say with certainty though that I haven't missed many valid events in v3. I know that because I got alerted every time I came home, out walking with the dog, or Fedex dropped off a package. Definitely way fewer false positive than v4 the way I have it set up right now.

Can you tell me how the "Run video through motion detector" works? I tried it but it didn't do anything special. Am I supposed to be able to use it to help me fine tune the motion settings? I was expecting it to tell me when a motion is triggered so I can run a false positive footage with the new motion settings to see if the new settings work. BTW I have the "show object rectangle" option turned on for all cameras.

You cannot ascertain that you had not missed alerts based on the fact that you received valid alerts. Read the help file, you will see that with the setting you could not possible catch all valid motion. Unless you are recording 24/7 that is not a wise choice. Reverting back to that would be a terrible idea. \
The feature is explained in the help file which you MUST read before tinkering any further.

Fine-tuning the sensor

If you are having trouble identifying the source of motion in your video, you may experiment with the Highlight motion feature. This will cause each image to be overlaid with a representation of the motion in that image. That is, what's changed from one frame to the next will be shown with a blue or green overlay, depending on whether the change is either internally positive or negative. If using the Object detect/reject feature, you may also select to show the object rectangles.

Another way to "see" what the software is detecting as motion is to open a recorded video in the viewer window, then right-click to select the Test run video through motion detector option. To use this feature, the video must meet these requirements:​

• The video must be BVR format.
  The camera which recorded the video should still exist​
• The video must begin with several seconds of video prior to the point of interest.​
• The video should not have been recorded with the highlight motion option enabled.​

When you play the video it will pass through the motion detector using the settings for the camera which recorded it, with the addition of the highlighting feature to show motion and objects. In addition, portions of the frame which are masked out (not part of any zone) will be shaded.
Don't forget to turn off the Test run video through motion detector option when you are finished.
Advanced

The High definition option will cause the motion sensing algorithms to use 4x the number of samples. This may help detect smaller object more clearly but will use more CPU time.

The Cancel shadows option attempts to identify pixels which are merely darker version of the background and them eliminate these from further motion analysis.

By default, Blue Iris uses color and brightness changes to help detect motion. In certain circumstances, such as low-light, this may be undesirable. Try checking the Black & White option in low light conditions.

The motion sensor Algorithm may be set to either Simple or Gaussian. The Simple method uses the least CPU time by doing a basic comparison between the current frame and a reference frame (the background). When pixels change, they are considered to then be foreground. If the change persists, the pixel is eventually adopted as the new background. The Gaussian method is much more complex, and therefore uses a bit more CPU. This method uses a set of "mixtures" allowing it to be more flexible with pixels which are often changing, such as with leaves on a tree in a breeze. It also allows for longer persistence--it takes longer for a change to be adopted as the new background. The Gaussian algorithm tends to work best in conjunction with the Cancel shadows feature and may still struggle with scenes where sun and clouds quickly change the lighting.​