Upgrading Analog CCTV to HD Over Coax

How do I upgrade analog CCTV to HD, step by step?

1. List the cameras you have, and mark the ones you will keep and the format each one sends: analog, HDCVI, TVI or AHD.
2. Count the cameras, including any you plan to add, and choose an HD standalone DVR with enough channels: Videoline's come in 4, 8 and 16.
3. Choose a DVR model that records the formats of the cameras you are keeping; every model also records IP cameras for later.
4. Fit one new HD camera on the longest coaxial run first, to confirm the cable carries the HD picture, before replacing the rest.
5. Check the power at each camera position: Videoline's HDCVI cameras run on 12 V DC, and some vari-focal models also take 24 V AC.
6. Set each switchable camera's output to the format your DVR records, then replace the remaining cameras run by run.

Which HD cameras work with my existing CCTV system?

Choose cameras whose output your recorder accepts. Many of Videoline's HDCVI cameras switch between CVI, TVI, AHD and standard analog (CVBS) output, so one camera suits an HDCVI, TVI or AHD recorder, or runs at standard definition on the old analog DVR until that is replaced.

• Switchable between CVI, TVI, AHD and CVBS: the 5MP and 8MP HDCVI bullets, such as the HC180-IRW, and the fixed-lens HDCVI eyeballs from 2MP to 8MP, such as the HC250-IRD.
• Switchable between HD and SD output: the 2MP and 4MP HDCVI bullets, such as the HC140-IRW, and the vari-focal HDCVI eyeballs.
• The vari-focal models have a motorized 2.7-12 mm lens and infrared up to 60 m; the fixed-lens models reach 30 m or 40 m.
• The HC2520-SDI and HC3020-SDI HD speed domes add 25x and 30x optical zoom, with infrared up to 150 m.

Which DVR records HD and analog cameras together?

Any Videoline HD standalone DVR. Each is a hybrid that records analog and HDCVI cameras alongside IP cameras, and some also take AHD and TVI, so old and new cameras share one recorder and the system can be upgraded in stages.

Every model that takes AHD and TVI also compresses in H.265, and the 1.5U and 2U models add face detection, head counting and smart search.

What should I check before upgrading to HD?

Check four things: the format of any cameras you are keeping, how many cameras the recorder must take, the power at each camera position, and the cable itself. Each one narrows the choice of camera or DVR.

• Formats. Keeping AHD or TVI cameras? Choose a DVR that lists them; the VH9104-HCD, VH2204-HCD and their 8- and 16-channel versions take analog, HDCVI and IP only.
• Channels. Videoline's DVRs come in 4, 8 and 16 channels. Count every camera, including the ones you plan to add.
• Power. The HDCVI cameras run on 12 V DC; the vari-focal HC150Z-IRW and HC180Z-IRW bullets also take 24 V AC.
• Cable. Try one new camera on the longest run before replacing the rest.

When should I switch to IP cameras instead?

Switch to IP when you are pulling new cable anyway, need more than the 16 channels of the largest DVR, or want what Videoline's IP cameras add. Because every Videoline DVR also records IP cameras, the move can start with a few cameras rather than the whole system.

• Cabling. Most of Videoline's IP cameras take video and power over one Ethernet cable from a PoE switch.
• Scale. Videoline's NVRs record up to 64 IP cameras and conform to ONVIF, so they record other makers' IP cameras too.
• Features. Many of the IP cameras detect intrusion and tripwire events on board, and the range includes an 8MP 360° fisheye camera, a license plate (ANPR) camera and a solar-powered 4G camera.

To price an upgrade, tell us which cameras and recorder you have now through the enquiry form.