Intel NUC or BRIX owners with Blue Iris - Please help me with some questions

[vsync]

Hi guys,

I'm getting 2-4 cameras for my home. These ones
They will all connect to an PoE switch and the NUC will connect to that switch as well.
I intend to use Blue Iris software and apps with a NUC or BRIX with this configuration: 16GB of RAM + 1 small SSD for boot drive + 1 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar 7K1000 1TB (7200RPM drive)

The unit will do:
- 24/7 record from 1 camera @ 1080p 25fps (I can lower the frame rate if that is too much)
- 1-3 other camera will mostly do recording (motion trigger) @ 1080p 25fps (I can lower the frame rate if that is too much)
- I will setup Blue Iris so it will email when when the motion trigger start
- If I receive an alert email, I may use the Blue Iris app to view the live stream (usually 1 by 1 or if possible 1-4 at the same time)
- I may also do live view via a phone or tablet from time to time (usually 1 by 1 or if possible 1-4 at the same time)

NUC and BRIX owners - questions for you:
1. Will an i3 NUC with the above configuration work for me or I need an i5?
2. Do anyone has a similar setup? If so, what's the CPU usage on the NUC? What about temperature?
3. Do BlueIris has a sub stream option for mobile devices (so it's not too taxing on the NUC resources)
4. Do BlueIris has option to write over old record? I don't want to fill the drive. If it can write over old record after a week, that would be great.
5. These cameras have microSD slot. Can I set it up so it will record to the camera as well as in the NUC?

Thank you guys!

 

[fenderman]

1) If you are referring to the i3-4010u or i5-4250U then you will need the i5 and that should be ok with using direct to disk recording. If you plan on expanding to more cams get a small form factor pc that has a standard i5 or i7.
2) ??? I dont run this setup..
3)Yes blue iris lets you set up 3 different bitrates for the web-server, so you can use a higher bitrate when you are on wifi and lower if you are on 3g..
4)YES tons of options on how long to keep video and when to overwrite...you can go by days or by data or both...
5) Yes you can record to both. Using an SD card in the camera is a great backup.
If you really want an NUC and nothing bigger you can run Hikvisions ivms on the NUC even the i3.
As a though, since the cameras you are getting have built in PIR motion sensors you may be better off setting email alerts from the camera itself to avoid false alarms. You can still use BI for recording and remote viewing if you want. Hikvisions remote view app is ok, but its not as easy to review video as blue iris remote view.

 

[vsync]

1) If you are referring to the i3-4010u or i5-4250U then you will need the i5 and that should be ok with using direct to disk recording. If you plan on expanding to more cams get a small form factor pc that has a standard i5 or i7.

I need 4 max for my house to this is it. That's why I want to choose a NUC instead of a standard PC.

If you really want an NUC and nothing bigger you can run Hikvisions ivms on the NUC even the i3.

Does it mean Hikvisions IVMS is less taxing on the CPU compared to Blue Iris?
How do those two compared though? I can't find a good comparison list.

As a though, since the cameras you are getting have built in PIR motion sensors you may be better off setting email alerts from the camera itself to avoid false alarms. You can still use BI for recording and remote viewing if you want. Hikvisions remote view app is ok, but its not as easy to review video as blue iris remote view.

From the reviews I read. BI have better motion trigger compare to other software and camera. Is that true? As you can see in the list of what I want to do. That's all I need.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[fenderman]

Blue iris has more options than ivms. More profiles and alter options. Blue iris does its own motion detection while ivms uses the in camera motion detection so it uses less cpu. I prefer blue iris. You may want to consider a ultra slim desktop with a full processor...
You cameras are unique in that they have the PIR sensor. That is the best way to get alerts. BI or regular motion detection by cameras all use changes in the video to detect motion, that causes lots of false alarms.

 

[digger11]

I actually get quite a few false alerts from the PIR on a 2432 I have at my Mom's house. My suspicion is that it is alerting when the airconditioner kicks on, as there is an HVAC register in the ceiling right above the center point of the image. I wish there was a way to mask out that portion of the image for the PIR the way it can be maksed out for motion. Even better, I wish there was a way to set the camera to send a high priority alert if both PIR and motion are detected at the same time.

 

[icerabbit]

I don't have BlueIris, but - IF you want Live View - based on my less than stellar experiences with a NUC Core i5 and Axxon Next; I'd say go for i5 or better. Noting that AN does not allow for in camera motion detection (except for Axis & Sony iirc) so every camera becomes video stream it looks at. Which is then about 15-20% cpu just looking at 8 streams - without advanced analytics mind you. Showing them on screen pumps it up to 70% +. As soon as I try anything more, it maxes out. That just as an FYI should you want more cameras and need live view.

If you can do in camera detection, don't need live view, ... then an i3 is reportedly fine.

Otherwise certainly i5 or better.

I am going to do a trial with ivms4200 on the nuc over the weekend.

 

[bp2008]

I use a BRIX with the i7-4770R (just as powerful as an i7-4770k desktop CPU) as a secondary/backup BI server. The only load is 4 low bit rate sub-streams on constant recording in Blue Iris with direct to disc enabled. CPU usage is just 2% to 4% and temperature bounces between 60C and 70C. Higher load will make the heat rise quickly, and it isn't hard to raise the CPU temp all the way up to Tj. Max of 100C and I assume it then starts to throttle itself down to cool off because I've never seen it hit 101C. But by that point the fan is about a million RPM making the BRIX sound like a dust buster. Be aware of this if you are thinking of picking a CPU with a high Thermal design power (this one's TDP is 65 watts, versus about 15 watts on a standard NUC).

 

[dr.]

Blue iris has more options than ivms. More profiles and alter options. Blue iris does its own motion detection while ivms uses the in camera motion detection so it uses less cpu. I prefer blue iris. You may want to consider a ultra slim desktop with a full processor...
You cameras are unique in that they have the PIR sensor. That is the best way to get alerts. BI or regular motion detection by cameras all use changes in the video to detect motion, that causes lots of false alarms.

Agreed. Blue iris on any NUC is just asking for trouble. i5 or higher desktop CPU in a USFF is a much better idea.

 

[vsync]

Agreed. Blue iris on any NUC is just asking for trouble. i5 or higher desktop CPU in a USFF is a much better idea.

The reason I want to use the NUC is the power consumption. 27W at full load is amazing. Plus, with 2-4 cameras only, I think it's a bit overkill for a desktop CPU

I use a BRIX with the i7-4770R (just as powerful as an i7-4770k desktop CPU) as a secondary/backup BI server. The only load is 4 low bit rate sub-streams on constant recording in Blue Iris with direct to disc enabled. CPU usage is just 2% to 4% and temperature bounces between 60C and 70C. Higher load will make the heat rise quickly, and it isn't hard to raise the CPU temp all the way up to Tj. Max of 100C and I assume it then starts to throttle itself down to cool off because I've never seen it hit 101C. But by that point the fan is about a million RPM making the BRIX sound like a dust buster. Be aware of this if you are thinking of picking a CPU with a high Thermal design power (this one's TDP is 65 watts, versus about 15 watts on a standard NUC).

That's scary :| I only have about 2-4 cams so I prob won't need a i7 BRIX. The NUC has much lower temp so I think it's not too bad. I want the NUC mostly for the low power consumption.

I don't have BlueIris, but - IF you want Live View - based on my less than stellar experiences with a NUC Core i5 and Axxon Next; I'd say go for i5 or better. Noting that AN does not allow for in camera motion detection (except for Axis & Sony iirc) so every camera becomes video stream it looks at. Which is then about 15-20% cpu just looking at 8 streams - without advanced analytics mind you. Showing them on screen pumps it up to 70% +. As soon as I try anything more, it maxes out. That just as an FYI should you want more cameras and need live view.

If you can do in camera detection, don't need live view, ... then an i3 is reportedly fine.

Otherwise certainly i5 or better.

I have 2-4 cams max so I think it would be alright for me. I will do record to disk most of the time. I may do live view from mobile devices / tablets from time to time when I get an alert but that's pretty much it.

I will do in camera detection but I will get an i5 just in case.

I am going to do a trial with ivms4200 on the nuc over the weekend.

If you can do a trial with blue iris as well that would be great. I have only 2 - 4 cams (I'm not adding any more in the future).
I will wait for your trial result.

Blue iris has more options than ivms. More profiles and alter options. Blue iris does its own motion detection while ivms uses the in camera motion detection so it uses less cpu. I prefer blue iris. You may want to consider a ultra slim desktop with a full processor...
You cameras are unique in that they have the PIR sensor. That is the best way to get alerts. BI or regular motion detection by cameras all use changes in the video to detect motion, that causes lots of false alarms.

I think I will use Blue Iris for recording and occasional live view. I will use in camera PIR sensor to do motion detection. I think that will lower the temp and CPU usage of the NUC.

Thank you very one for the info! Any other information is much appreciate!

 

[icerabbit]

I will see to do a blue iris trial.

As I just posted in the NUC thread, with iVMS 4200 it runs at about 30% CPU avg (overall, but there's nothing else really running) and 62deg C with live view on showing 6x 2mp streams coming in, at automatically reduced size for screen.

 

[dr.]

The reason I want to use the NUC is the power consumption. 27W at full load is amazing. Plus, with 2-4 cameras only, I think it's a bit overkill for a desktop CPU ...

i7-4770 runs 24MP at 30W (3-4% load). 27W seems ridiculous considering the price premium paid for the NUC form factor. I'm even looking to dump the i7 to attempt to hit 15W and fanless.

 

[fenderman]

i7-4770 runs 24MP at 30W (3-4% load). 27W seems ridiculous considering the price premium paid for the NUC form factor. I'm even looking to dump the i7 to attempt to hit 15W and fanless.

Dr are you saying that you are running 24mp at 4% load? What are your settings?

 

[dr.]

Dr are you saying that you are running 24mp at 4% load? What are your settings?

IVMS-4200 with auto switch.
Client open 24/7.
Plain dell business desktop with their high efficiency PSU.
Killawatt readings at wall.

No magic is used. If I swapped in a pico PSU I could get the power likely down to ~22W. Blue Iris is terrible in comparison. I was looking into eventually using a NUC, but the premium is ridiculous if 27W is required. AFAIK, those NUC's should hit 15W max running ivms-4200.

 

[fenderman]

Ok that makes more sense. My bi machines consume about 50w on average, although i haven't measured in a while. I prefer the flexibility of BI. Although ken really needs to build in camera motion detection into bi....at least for the 5 top brands....

 

[vsync]

Any update to the Blue Iris trial?
From what you are saying, I may go with IVMS instead of Blue Iris.

 

[pcmcg]

My NUC runs around 12W w/ IVMS-4200 set to motion record. I don't know where you could get 27W from.

 

[bp2008]

The slowest NUCs (celeron CPU) will actually run under 10W.

ken really needs to build in camera motion detection into bi....at least for the 5 top brands....

Heh heh you know it would probably be possible to build an addon app that would use on-camera motion detection and then send triggers to BI's web server. Would be a pain to set it up though. I don't even know how much CPU time you would actually save by disabling motion detection on the cameras. A lot of Blue Iris' CPU usage once you've enabled direct to disc is the constant video decoding.

 

[dr.]

My NUC runs around 12W w/ IVMS-4200 set to motion record. I don't know where you could get 27W from.

Can you please be more specific on what model NUC, what settings for iVMS, camera's used, and storage?

 

[pcmcg]

Intel NUC D54250WYK1 Intel 4th Gen Core i5-4250U Processor with Power Cord
Crucial 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 MT/s PC3-12800 CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Notebook Memory Modules CT2CP25664BF160B
Premier Pro SP310 SATA 6Gb/s mSATA Solid State Drive ASP310S3-64GM-C
WD My Passport Slim 2TB Portable Metal External Hard Drive USB 3.0 with Auto Backup

3 x Hikvision DS-2CD3332-I

Windows 8.1

Hikvision IVMS 4200-PCNVR

 

[vsync]

Do you have any camera do 24/7 recording? What about live view?
If you get a NUC running at full load, it will be about 27W-29W