Do I need a DVR or an NVR?
It depends on your cameras. A DVR (digital video recorder) records cameras connected by coaxial cable: HDCVI, AHD, TVI and analog cameras. An NVR (network video recorder) records IP cameras over a computer network. If your site already has coaxial cable, a DVR usually lets you keep it; for IP cameras, choose an NVR.
| Recorder | Records | Channels | Hard drives |
|---|---|---|---|
| HD standalone DVR | Cameras on coaxial cable, and IP cameras too | 4, 8 or 16 | 1 to 8 |
| NVR | IP cameras, including other makers' through ONVIF | 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 | 1 to 16 |
| Enterprise video storage | IP cameras | Up to 512 | 16 or 24, hot-swap, RAID |
Can one recorder take both coaxial and IP cameras?
Yes. Every Videoline HD standalone DVR is a hybrid that records IP cameras as well as cameras on coaxial cable, so old and new cameras can share one recorder while a site moves to IP a few cameras at a time. Which coaxial formats it takes depends on the model:
- The mini 1U VH2116-HCD, also made in 4 and 8 channels, takes HDCVI, AHD, TVI, analog (CVBS) and IP cameras on one hard drive.
- The 1.5U VH2416-HCD (four drives, also made in 8 channels) and the 2U VH2816-HCD (eight drives) take analog, HDCVI, AHD, TVI and IP cameras, and add face detection, head counting and smart search.
- The VH9116-HCD (one drive) and VH2216-HCD (two drives), each also made in 4 and 8 channels, take analog, HDCVI and IP cameras.
If your coaxial cameras mix HDCVI, AHD and TVI, choose a model that lists all three.
How many channels does my recorder need?
One per camera, plus room for the cameras you plan to add. Videoline's DVRs come in 4, 8 and 16 channels, and its NVRs in 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 channels. Past 64 IP cameras, look at enterprise video storage.
Drive bays matter too, because they set how much video a recorder can keep. Videoline's NVRs step up like this:
- The compact 4- and 8-channel units, such as the VH6108-SAN, hold one hard drive.
- The 1U models, from 4 to 64 channels, hold two.
- The 1.5U models, such as the VH6432-SAN, hold four.
- The 2U models hold eight, and the 3U VH61664-SAN and its 32-channel version hold sixteen.
The 32- and 64-channel NVRs play back 16 channels at once.
Will an NVR work with other brands of IP camera?
A Videoline NVR will. Every model conforms to ONVIF version 2.4, the open standard that lets IP cameras and recorders from different makers work together, so it records other makers' IP cameras as well as Videoline's own IP cameras.
Check the video codec too. Most of Videoline's IP cameras encode in H.265. The 16-channel and larger NVRs decode H.265, while the 4- and 8-channel models list H.264 and MJPEG only, so confirm what your cameras send before choosing one of those.
When does a site need enterprise video storage?
When it outgrows a single NVR: more than 64 IP cameras, recordings that must survive a failed hard drive, or a system that has to keep growing. One unit records up to 512 IP cameras.
- The VH5016S holds 16 hot-swap SAS hard drives and the VH5024S holds 24, so a failed drive is replaced while the unit keeps running.
- The drives can be set up as RAID 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 50 or 60, or JBOD, with a hot spare; the redundant RAID levels keep the recordings when one drive fails.
- Incoming bandwidth reaches 1536 Mbps, against 320 Mbps on Videoline's NVRs with up to four drives.
- Redundant power keeps it recording if one supply fails, and iSCSI and Mini SAS connections add storage as the site grows.
For pricing on any of these recorders, send us your camera count and camera types through the enquiry form.