Review - Dahua SD49225XA-HNR 2MP 25x Starlight + IR PTZ AI Camera with Deep IVS & SMD Plus
- Thread starter Wildcat_1
- Start date
mech
Getting comfortable
Looks like a prowler's worst nightmarePost #2 - Initial Pics & Videos
2.1 - Initial Video Of Auto Tracking
I wanted to get a post up of the auto tracking speed and performance of this camera as that is a) one of the most asked questions of me for this camera so far and b) lets be honest is something that is a phenomenal feature of PTZ’s………when it works.
So before I mount outside, I wanted to perform a lights on / lights off full IR test in a dark room to see how this new PTZ holds up. So this is a little test I like to called, Hide & Seek. Without spoiling the video, this camera is responsive. Even if it reverts to preset (loses a target briefly, tracking time expires, doesn’t match target criteria of what you defined like Human or Vehicle) it picks back up almost instantly and continues to track. Even if the AI blips for a second, Deep IVS kicks in and ensures tracking is fluent. I want to point out again, this test is not for image (more tweaks later for that) but for auto tracking only.
Exposure set to 1/250 (not really needed but was testing with vehicles earlier, will set to more applicable expo and dial in pic later), SmartIR = On, SMD = ON & Human/Vehicle, Smart Plan = Deep IVS (Human/Vehicle). All other settings were set to defaults for initial testing.
Testing was on a small make shift rig for this testing only, excuse the temporary cablingLastly, thought I saw a slight smudge, sure enough after capturing saw one on the lens, will clean for the next test.
Take a look (especially at 53s, 1:57 & 4:53, 5:55 where I try to hammer the tracking) and let me know with any questions. More to come.
One interesting aspect of a PTZ is that it changes the classic motion-blur situation that affects a still camera. Target's moving, but if the tracking is smooth, their overall movement in the scene will be low. I ordered one of these from @EMPIRETECANDY which should be arriving tomorrow, looking forward to trying this out soon 
WA3PNT
Getting the hang of it
In the first post, the link to Andy's Amazon site takes me to a "Loryta" Amazon page.
Are the Loryta Amazon listings also Andy's?
RodeoGeorge
Are the Loryta Amazon listings also Andy's?
RodeoGeorge
EMPIRETECANDY
IPCT Vendor
Loryta is US registered brand, empreitech still under registering. The camera still can be updated via dahua official firmware without problem.
mech
Getting comfortable
My SD49225XA-HNR arrived and is undergoing some trials in my living room. I'll hope to get it installed this weekend for parking-lot duty, and experiment with having Blue Iris use triggers from other cams to bring the PTZ to bear on choke points like the bottom of the staircases, or the shed and the landlord's trailer, which the PTZ will normally be looking away from.
I've received mine (thank you empireecandy) also. (I ordered it after finding this forum and reading reviews and posts). Newbie in camera handling here. I justI mounted it on a test stand to play with it. Waiting for the review annonced here !
Just little questions, please :
-in the web viewer of the camera (chrome/firefox/safari on mac), in the live video tab, i don't see the overlay of the computer vision like i see on videos posted from other people.
On smart pss on mac i don't see it also. I installed smart pss on a pc and i see it in live. Is it normal or i have miss a setting or i have to use specific browser, plugins and os ? I test also in firefox on windows 10 with edge and no AI overlay.working in ie 11 with active x plugin...or chrome with ie tab.
- normally the camera won't observe or keep an eye during the night, do you have tricks in settings, scenarios to consume less/minimal power, without installing an external (12v) programmer ? Is there a "standby" or a kind of wake on lan ?
Just little questions, please :
-
On smart pss on mac i don't see it also. I installed smart pss on a pc and i see it in live. Is it normal or i have miss a setting or i have to use specific browser, plugins and os ? I test also in firefox on windows 10 with edge and no AI overlay.
- normally the camera won't observe or keep an eye during the night, do you have tricks in settings, scenarios to consume less/minimal power, without installing an external (12v) programmer ? Is there a "standby" or a kind of wake on lan ?
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denovich
n3wb
I ordered from Andy Monday night, got it today. This is my first real cam (previously had some Foscams). Totally unprepared for what a beast this camera is. Very pleasantly surprised. Hope to have it setup this weekend.
Attachments
Got mine in yesterday wont have time to set it up until monday or tuesday I will post when its up. Thanks Andy.
mech
Getting comfortable
I got mine installed and I'm doing some preliminary experimentation on the auto-tracking and how to direct the PTZ camera to areas the other cams trigger on. Here's a quick video clip where the camera that sees the shed calls the PTZ around to Preset 3 once I walk toward the shed from the dumpster.
Initial notes:
1. the camera's Web interface can consume substantial amounts of CPU power if left open. I was all
why is my CPU maxed? and it turned out to be the camera's web interface taking more CPU power than expected, as I experimented with settings.
2. I've had the camera lose its position calibration a couple of times now, where Presets still exist, but the camera's not aimed at the correct location anymore. I'll keep an eye on it.
3. if I have Blue Iris use a different camera to send the PTZ to a Preset, the PTZ does not return to the preset that I specified in the PTZ > Fuction > Idle Motion section. For example, if the shed camera detects motion and sends the PTZ to Preset 3, the PTZ should return to Preset 1 after 1 minute, but it does not go back to Preset 1.
A solution would be to program Blue Iris's Alerts > On Reset to do a 15-second WAIT and then order the PTZ back to Preset 1.
4. The PTZ considers HOME to be looking at the surface it's mounted on, which is a little annoying that I can't set a useful Home position. Is this normal for Dahua PTZs or is it something they might fix with a firmware update?
5. It is not doing as well as I hoped in tracking a person who walks out the edge of the scene. In my sample video, you can see it did OK, and followed me over to the dumpster. I'm still playing with the settings to understand the influence of the different criteria in the Deep IVS panel, like Tracking Target size. Update: it's doing well now, see @Wildcat_1's tips in post #35 below.
6. It appears to have some trouble tracking a person who is walking directly toward and under the camera. I think this might be unavoidable.
Initial notes:
1. the camera's Web interface can consume substantial amounts of CPU power if left open. I was all
why is my CPU maxed? and it turned out to be the camera's web interface taking more CPU power than expected, as I experimented with settings.2. I've had the camera lose its position calibration a couple of times now, where Presets still exist, but the camera's not aimed at the correct location anymore. I'll keep an eye on it.
3. if I have Blue Iris use a different camera to send the PTZ to a Preset, the PTZ does not return to the preset that I specified in the PTZ > Fuction > Idle Motion section. For example, if the shed camera detects motion and sends the PTZ to Preset 3, the PTZ should return to Preset 1 after 1 minute, but it does not go back to Preset 1.
A solution would be to program Blue Iris's Alerts > On Reset to do a 15-second WAIT and then order the PTZ back to Preset 1.
4. The PTZ considers HOME to be looking at the surface it's mounted on, which is a little annoying that I can't set a useful Home position. Is this normal for Dahua PTZs or is it something they might fix with a firmware update?
5. It is not doing as well as I hoped in tracking a person who walks out the edge of the scene. In my sample video, you can see it did OK, and followed me over to the dumpster. I'm still playing with the settings to understand the influence of the different criteria in the Deep IVS panel, like Tracking Target size. Update: it's doing well now, see @Wildcat_1's tips in post #35 below.
6. It appears to have some trouble tracking a person who is walking directly toward and under the camera. I think this might be unavoidable.
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ljw2k
Known around here
Have you set the Encoder Compression to Direct To disc ? I have 3 camera's and my CPU is around 9%
mech
Getting comfortable
Yes, my system is doing an entire apartment building plus parking lot, so I have over 20 cams and it's a bit stressed.
@mech couple of tips from me that might help:
1) Adjust Target Size Ratio in Deep IVS, this is a ratio of the overall Target size you set (the box you drag in Draw Target). Go a little smaller than you'll think you need. I get edge to edge tracking in the majority of captures now.
2) Rather than have the PTX go HOME, instead try setting up tours. I use a Day & Night tour (set to periods of time of course) with set presets behind each and enable under Time Task. The tour will take over and reset to the 1st preset in each tour. You can also enable Idle Time to have it default to a tour.
3) What is the lighting like around the camera ? You mentioned that walking towards and underneath, I've found this to track quite well BUT remember tip #1 above as that will help. If you have any form of brighter background light the camera may be getting confused and holding focus there as the subject walking closer (foreground subject) would get darker first (before exposure adjustment) then by the time the camera has adjusted in your scene, its lost target movement so returns to preset etc.
HTH
1) Adjust Target Size Ratio in Deep IVS, this is a ratio of the overall Target size you set (the box you drag in Draw Target). Go a little smaller than you'll think you need. I get edge to edge tracking in the majority of captures now.
2) Rather than have the PTX go HOME, instead try setting up tours. I use a Day & Night tour (set to periods of time of course) with set presets behind each and enable under Time Task. The tour will take over and reset to the 1st preset in each tour. You can also enable Idle Time to have it default to a tour.
3) What is the lighting like around the camera ? You mentioned that walking towards and underneath, I've found this to track quite well BUT remember tip #1 above as that will help. If you have any form of brighter background light the camera may be getting confused and holding focus there as the subject walking closer (foreground subject) would get darker first (before exposure adjustment) then by the time the camera has adjusted in your scene, its lost target movement so returns to preset etc.
HTH
I got mine installed and I'm doing some preliminary experimentation on the auto-tracking and how to direct the PTZ camera to areas the other cams trigger on. Here's a quick video clip where the camera that sees the shed calls the PTZ around to Preset 3 once I walk toward the shed from the dumpster.
Initial notes:
1. the camera's Web interface can consume substantial amounts of CPU power if left open. I was all
2. I've had the camera lose its position calibration a couple of times now, where Presets still exist, but the camera's not aimed at the correct location anymore. I'll keep an eye on it.
3. if I have Blue Iris use a different camera to send the PTZ to a Preset, the PTZ does not return to the preset that I specified in the PTZ > Fuction > Idle Motion section. For example, if the shed camera detects motion and sends the PTZ to Preset 3, the PTZ should return to Preset 1 after 1 minute, but it does not go back to Preset 1.
A solution would be to program Blue Iris's Alerts > On Reset to do a 15-second WAIT and then order the PTZ back to Preset 1.
4. The PTZ considers HOME to be looking at the surface it's mounted on, which is a little annoying that I can't set a useful Home position. Is this normal for Dahua PTZs or is it something they might fix with a firmware update?
5. It is not doing as well as I hoped in tracking a person who walks out the edge of the scene. In my sample video, you can see it did OK, and followed me over to the dumpster. I'm still playing with the settings to understand the influence of the different criteria in the Deep IVS panel, like Tracking Target size.
6. It appears to have some trouble tracking a person who is walking directly toward and under the camera.
mech
Getting comfortable
Thanks @Wildcat_1 I am trying those out. Here's an example video where Preset 1 has a rule for cars entering/exiting a box, and an Intrusion rule for human objects. Do you think my Target Filter sizes are somewhere in the ballpark for Rule 1, the human-detection rule? As you can see, the PTZ zooms, then pauses and zooms some more, and my subject walks out of the scene without a good track.
Lighting's really good, I've been experimenting in daylight and the sun just went down here. We had a lot of foot traffic, the landlord's work crew was here today, and I also noticed a pattern where the camera would notice someone, zoom in on them, zoom in further, pause briefly and then disengage the track and zoom back out to the Preset. Trying to figure out why it doesn't hold the lock very long.
mech
Getting comfortable
Update, I might need to back down on my Tracking Target Size, which apparently is how tightly the camera zooms onto a recognized target. Too much zoom and the target may be able to walk out of the scene, is my hypothesis. Trying this now:
yes that’s why I mentioned it, that ratio plays into pct / ratio of drawn target box which in turn plays into zoom (within reason) the reason I say plays into rather than entirely controls is because you can overcome / influence a little by ensuring your presets (that the camera switches to when using spotter cams) are a little looser on the target as well. This ensures you have a window of target that the auto track and zoom can operate in while allowing the target some freedom of movement in the shot.
Your Alarm track time looks good (even a little overkill in some cases but not necessarily a bad thing).
HTH
Your Alarm track time looks good (even a little overkill in some cases but not necessarily a bad thing).
HTH
mech
Getting comfortable
Right now, the PTZ looks toward the street where intruders would approach from, but the dumpster is on its 3 o'clock, and the landlord's shed is on its 6 o'clock. They're targets for dumpster divers and prowlers. So I lean toward using spotter cams to boss the PTZ around. I might have to choose between having Blue Iris allowing "spotter" cams to call the shots, or let the PTZ watch the south end of the lot and use long tracking times.
I'm getting better tracking thanks to the tips above, but once Blue Iris calls the PTZ over to a specific preset (like the shed), the PTZ will stay at that preset permanently. The cam's Idle action won't override it. I'm not blaming the camera, this would be Blue Iris locking it at that preset. BI does have a couple ways to deal with that. One of them is for the "spotter" camera to have an "On Reset" action that sends the PTZ back to Preset 1 after a delay, like the infographic below. The problem would be if BI then locks it at THAT preset, preventing it from tracking out of that scene. What BI needs is sort of a "release control" function. Update: it appears that the strategy below does what I need: it sends the cam back to Preset 1 and the cam is back in control, and able to track me around the lot.
FOR SCIENCE!!!
I'm getting better tracking thanks to the tips above, but once Blue Iris calls the PTZ over to a specific preset (like the shed), the PTZ will stay at that preset permanently. The cam's Idle action won't override it. I'm not blaming the camera, this would be Blue Iris locking it at that preset. BI does have a couple ways to deal with that. One of them is for the "spotter" camera to have an "On Reset" action that sends the PTZ back to Preset 1 after a delay, like the infographic below. The problem would be if BI then locks it at THAT preset, preventing it from tracking out of that scene. What BI needs is sort of a "release control" function. Update: it appears that the strategy below does what I need: it sends the cam back to Preset 1 and the cam is back in control, and able to track me around the lot.
FOR SCIENCE!!!
Attachments
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