Hikvision NVR display of Channel-Zero Encoding, not wanting 1+7

[toastie]

I have a Hikvision DS-7608NI-K2/P currently with 4 IP cameras connected and a 2*2 display showing on a monitor. On the LAN, VLC can display individual camera streams and I would also like the option to use the NVR's channel-zero encoding to at least display 8 equal boxes, instead VLC displays 1+7.

Can I have greater control over the channel zero display, 8 equal boxes or even 2*2 if I only have 4 cameras connected to the NVR?

 

[RyanODan]

I don't believe that's possible with Zero Channel due to it "simulating" the monitor output but not actually being the monitor output which, as you know, you can switch.

 

[toastie]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have some control what the monitor displays, can I have channel zero display 8 equal boxes, not 1+7? So far with VLC it isn't even simulating what's showing on the monitor, currently 2 x 2.

 

[RyanODan]

Oh, then there may be a way to change it. On the attached monitor go to Main menu->Configuration->Live View, there should be a tab at the top where you can pick which cameras display on each output for VGA & HDMI. Although I believe the 7608 can only duplicate it's worth a checking whether changing the cameras for VGA changes them on Zero Channel.

If that doesn't work you may try contacting Hikvision Tech Support.

 

[toastie]

Thanks
I thought iVMS with W10 would offer more control over zero-channel encoding, yes and no! Somehow I managed to lose the 1+7 display I had, now all I seem able to do is assign which one of the cameras also outputs on channel zero! I can't even get back to 1+7.
The 7608 doesn't appears to have a lot of channel-zero configs, another NVR I saw on the web appeared to have more options in this area.
Probably time I should contact Tech Support.

 

[toastie]

Tech were unable to help, use your imagination.
Unfortunately I've made no progress returning the zero-channel stream to display even 1+7, it's stuck just delivering the stream from camera 1. On a 2x2 matrix say, I can display channel zero in one of the boxes, but oddly it differs from a box displaying a normal camera 1 stream. The channel zero box display is not completely filled by camera 1 but has black strips top and bottom. Frustratingly youtube shows another make of NVR where the zero-channel configuration settings offers far more control of what is displayed, rather more than what's on offer from Hikvision.

 

[venturis]

If you are trying to use VLC to display multiple cams in a single configurable display in the same way as Channel 0 works take a look at the thread below, it may do what you want.

RTSP Camera View

 

[RyanODan]

@toastie Which firmware are you running?

 

[toastie]

Thanks venturis, RTSP Camera VLC Player looks an interesting alternative to using iVMS, even better if it ran under Linux. Jeremy Spiering describes a simple way using a VLC stream playlist, viewing channel zero's multicamera matrix then manually cycling through the rtsp streams to the one of interest, hence my interest too in having a multi-camera display on channel zero.

RyanODan, on my Hikvision NVR DS-7608NI-K2/8P the firmware is V3.4.98 Build 171121. On their Portal this looks to be their latest software ( released May 2018). I read here that in 2016 Hikvision released a firmware update for an earlier model of NVR to address a zeo-channel issue.

I am thinking the only way back, even to zero-channel 1+7 is a factory reset, all somewhat disheartening.

 

[toastie]

A Factory Reset of the NVR, it didn't take me too long and gave a opportunity to tidy up the camera config table.
I got back again to channel zero mimicking a multi-screen with 1+7, met with a mixture of relief and irritation. Grrr
The NVR has not yet been near iVMS or the Hikvision IE plugin, and anyway when I connect a W10 PC, I've no idea how I can alter what is coming across on the LAN via channel zero. There's no mention of zero-channel encoding in the iVMS manual other than how to enable it, no mention of how to configure the zero channel multi screen display.

 

[RyanODan]

Is your monitor connected using HDMI or VGA? Did you check the settings under Main Menu->Configuration->Live View at the monitor? (Those settings aren't available on PC)

 

[RyanODan]

I figured it out, it goes off what you have displaying for the CVBS output(or any output other than HDMI, such as VGA). Which, like I mentioned above, can only be set through the attached monitor GUI under the Live View settings.

 

[toastie]

Sorry, I've only just read your postings.
The monitor connected to my NVR is a 19" TV with both HDMI and VGA inputs. The specifications give max resolution as 1440x900 and HDMI as "up to 1080i". I've written down that I set the NVR's HDMI output to 1600x1200, mainly so it was easy to see the menus during the set up process. NVR Configuration for VGA was set to 1024x768 but hasn't been used.
Could my VGA display setting be linked to this zero channel issue? What I didn't see during any resolutions setting on the NVR was any Z-C display options. Nevertheless it is interesting that when I lost the original 1+7 display, replaced by a single camera after I was messing with iVMS, there was a black band above and below the picture on the Z-C channel, as if there was a screen resolution issue.
So on iVMS Live View with multi-camera display, camera 1 would fill its box, but the box displaying the Z-C had just camera 1 with a black band top and bottom.

 

[fvhjof]

Go to your NVR settings using external monitor. Menu -> Configuration -> Live view -> General ........... choose "Video Output - VGA" and select "Live View Mode - 1+7" or whatever you want to see in your zero channel RTSP stream.

 

[toastie]

Thanks fvhjof, I appreciate the help, Ccctv-wise I'm currently occupied deciding where to place my first camera. A trial mock-up live view yesterday of my initial planned location for camera 1 necessitates a rethink. Do I need to buy some more cameras and if so which ones to buy etc.

 

[toastie]

Thanks fvhjof, I did some tests today with my DS-7608NI-K2/8P and I've got choices for zero channel I didn't see before. I'm not sure if a recent firmware update to V.3.4.101 helped. Zero-channel, it's not fully customisable and the choices on offer are limited but it's better than what I had before. With an 8 POE port Hikvision NVR I'd like a bit more than what I'm offered. Who knows they may be listening to us on this forum, responding to customers' concerns can only benefit them in the long run with increases in sales.

 

[pozzello]

"Who knows they may be listening to us on this forum, responding to customers' concerns can only benefit them in the long run with increases in sales."

that's not gonna happen. if hik monitors this forum at all, it's only to see if we've found any new ways of circumventing their draconian region controls
so they can try to lock them down even more. they seem to have no interest in fixing/improving user experience for those who've already bought their products.

(and just wait until you've got cameras with differing aspect ratios displayed on your console and you can't get them all to display properly at the same time...)

The more I play with my Hik NVR, the more appreciate BI...