General

A: CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is a visual surveillance technology designed for monitoring a variety of environments and activities. CCTV systems typically involve a fixed (or “dedicated”) communications link between cameras and monitors.

A: The modern high end CCTV system involves a linked system of cameras with full pan, tilt, and zoom able to be operated remotely from a control room.

These systems may involve sophisticated technology. Some features can include night vision, computer assisted operation, and motion detection facilities which allows the operator to instruct the system to go on red alert when anything moves in view of the cameras. The clarity of the pictures is often excellent. The systems can often work in pitch blackness, bringing images up to daylight level.

A: Camera body, lens, mounting bracket, cable, AC Adapter are the basic parts to produce video and many economic mini camera packages come with all of these parts. You may add a high resolution monitor, Stand-Alone DVR or PC-Based DVR, outdoor housing case and other accessories. Or, you may choose wireless systems to avoid cabling. Network based Web Camera Servers are popular for remote surveillance via the Internet and for convenience in LAN or WAN systems.

A: There are many types of CCTV & surveillance solutions available in the market. Consumers have more choices now, though most users will probably be confused as to which to choose from. Based on your requirement, profile, and budget, Dynapost will recommend the most appropriate surveillance solution that will meet your needs. Call Dynapost today for a free discussion on your CCTV surveillance needs.

A: Think of the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) as a VCR that can display live video footages from multiple camera sources simultaneously and record them on a hard disk. Unlike VCR, there are no cassettes or tapes to change. You can search & review any recorded surveillance video based on date, time, camera, events, etc. You can playback video from single or multiple cameras simultaneously. For higher end DVR, you can also playback the recording while the recording is still on-going.

A: The DVR uses the hard disk as the recording medium. The length of recording for any DVR depends on many factors, including hard disk size, recording frame rates, recording picture size, number of cameras, picture quality and compression algorithms used. No changing of tape is necessary as DVR can be set to overwrite mode to overwrite older video in the hard disk when the hard disk is full.

A: Yes, if you only want to record 1-2 hours and has only 1 camera; and you do not mind the low quality of the recorded video.
Will I recommend this type of solution to my client? NO, as normal VCR is not meant for this kind of purpose. Even time-lapsed VCR (a kind of VCR which can record long hours) is not recommended as the price of DVR has dropped significantly over the years and offers significant features which are lacking in time-lapsed VCR. A lot of our clients are engaging us to replace their old time-lapsed VCR with DVR for their surveillance systems.

A: Yes. With a broadband subscription and our network surveillance solution, you can monitor live video over the Internet.

A: Generally, any types of broadband or high speed internet connection will work (eg. DSL, Cable Modem).

A: The investment required depends entirely on the types of camera, DVR, and installation site. We offer systems ranging from entry level solutions suitable for home to high end solutions for high security & industrial applications. Call Dynapost today for a free CCTV surveillance consultation.

A: – if the surveillance system is to safe guard your loved ones (eg. your young children), how much is the safety & well-being of your children worth to you?
– if the surveillance system is for monitoring of domestic helper / employee, how much is the potential problem caused worth to you if they did something which they are not supposed to do while you are away?
– if the surveillance system is to safe guard your property & valuables, how much are these worth to you?

If you answer YES to any of the above, and other similar, questions, than yes, it is definitely worth investing in a surveillance system.

A: The correct size monitor depends on its use. (e.g. the number of images to be displayed at any given time, the viewing distance and the available space)

A: This in general is a comparatively difficult decision. Many aspects of the installation must be taken into consideration in order to obtain the correct performance that meets your requirements.

A high resolution camera should be considered where greater detail of scene is required. E.g. Colour 460 TVL, Monochrome 570 TVL. Choosing a more sensitive camera will improve reproduction in poorly lit areas. The sensitivity of a camera is indicated by the minimum amount of light in order for the camera to produce a usable picture. e.g. Colour 1.0 Lux at F1.2.

A: If you want to mount a camera outdoors you will generally need to use an outdoor housing case.

A: Commercial infrared cameras can see up to 30ft distance in total darkness. If you need to see farther, you may need professional infrared illuminators but they are usually expensive and complicated to install due to its emission of heat. Infrared cameras work as ordinary video camera during daytime. Most color infrared cameras work as B/W ones at night. Minimum illumination for most B/W cameras these days is 0.1 LUX so you will not necessarily need infrared cameras or illuminators if there is some kind of ambient lighting.  

A: Only lighting within the visible wavelength should be used with color cameras. Tungsten Halogen is often the recommended source of lighting.

A: Basically, any viewing device with video input capabilities can be used, for example, TV, computer LCD screen.