NUUO Titan NVR Examined

While the VMS software market is dominated by aggressive European and American providers, NUUO is the best known Asian alternative. In the past few years, NUUO has been relatively quiet. Recently, they released the Titan NVR, first in a new series featuring redesigned server and client software plus a novel UI feature. We examine the competitive pricing and positioning of this offering.

Overview

NUUO's Titan NVRs [link no longer available] are the first products in the all-new Crystal Series, and share the following key features:

• Rack or desktop models with up to 4 HDD bays, Linux-based operating system. Maximum of 12 TB storage on-board, in RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 configurations. NUUO says 8-bay models will be released later in 2012.
• Specified up to 64 cameras, 250 Mb/s throughput handling, with no hard limits on resolution or framerate. If achievable, 250 Mb/s would be fairly impressive for the relative low cost of their appliance.
• Redesigned client software, called NuClient, both Windows and Mac compatible. Mobile apps for Android and iOS.
• Image manipulation features, called "Image Fusion" which allow camera stitching and camera rotation and correction, such as corridor format viewing.
• Enterprise management for up to 100 servers, including user account synchronization across all servers, called "Command Chain."

This video overview demonstrates some features of the Titan NVR:

Pricing and Availability

The first models in the Titan NVR line are available now, the NT-4040 desktop and NT-4040R rackmount. They range from about $1,300 USD online for a 1TB NT-4040, to about $3,400 for a 12TB rackmount model, including four camera licenses. Additional licenses are available individually, or in packs of 4, 8, or 16, for around $100 each.

NO Backwards Compatibility

Users of the Titan NVR and NuClient will not be able to connect to previous generation NUUO recorders with the same client (see our NUUO recorder test results). NUUO informs us that this is a new codebase, making the two incompatible. Current NUUO users should be aware of this prior to purchasing any Titan hardware, as two separate clients will be required for operation.

Image Fusion

The image manipulation features of this new line are perhaps the most novel feature. While other VMS products allow image stitching, it can be difficult to set up, with many fine adjustments required. NUUO presents what is likely a simpler, though less exact method, as seen in the following image. Image scale, position, and rotation are all adjustable by sliders:

The above setup results in the follow scene, seen in a live monitoring pane:

Up to ten cameras may be combined in this way. These features may be useful for those monitoring wide areas with multiple cameras, such as the outdoor area shown in these example, or in the overview video above.

Market Impact

Overall, we see this as a solid improvement with stiching being the biggest attraction and migration constraints the biggest negative:

• CATCH-UP: While this new release may rectify some historical UI deficiencies in NUUO's VMS, much of it is catch-up, updating their previous, dated versions. 
• PLUS: The Titan's Image Fusion stitching features are very uncommon, and will be a plus to some. 
• MODERATE COST: Finally, while NUUO's per-license cost is more expensive than entry-level versions of platforms such as Exacq and Milestone, and about equal to their mid-tier versions, NUUO has no ongoing support costs, a distinct advantage over the life of the system.
• MIGRATION PROBLEMS: For existing NUUO users, migration will be challenging given the lack of backwards compatability / upgrades.