Subscriber Discussion

1200TVL Analog Cams? Anyone Know About These?

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Jon Dillabaugh
Mar 25, 2014
Pro Focus LLC

I get these emails all the time, but this one caught my eye. They are using a Sony 1.3MP EXMOR sensor, which is common in 720p IP cams.

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Ari Erenthal
Mar 25, 2014
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Come on.

U
Undisclosed #1
Mar 25, 2014

For people who just absolutely refuse to learn what an IP address is :)

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Ethan Ace
Mar 25, 2014

The highest I've seen is 900 TVL, or maybe 1000. We've got an upcoming test on those, actually.

These I have not seen, but I'm not surprised. I'm betting the TVL claims are just goint to keep climbing.

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Carl Lindgren
Mar 25, 2014

I have to wonder if they're just pulling TVL numbers out of thin air or if they actually have a way to measure them. More than likely, they're (erroneously) just using horizontal pixel count without considering whether that actually jibes with TVL or not.

I would guess the next step is for some dishonest manufacturer to cram a 1080 sensor into an analog camera and claim 1900TVL resolution.

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Ari Erenthal
Mar 25, 2014
Chesapeake & Midlantic

No, the next step is to duct tape healing chrystals to the outside of the camera, and market them as organic, all natural, holistic surveillance. Easily as verifiable a claim as "a gajillion TVL".

JH
John Honovich
Mar 25, 2014
IPVM

So do you think these super analog megapixel cameras will be any better than regular 600 or 700 TVL ones?

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Carl Lindgren
Mar 25, 2014

No. Analog resolution limits are insurmountable without redesigning the entire signal pathway from camera to monitor to DVR. It would be like trying to install a 1000hp engine on a go-kart.

JP
Jason Pfau
Mar 26, 2014
IPVMU Certified

That'd be one hell of a go-kart.

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Ari Erenthal
Mar 25, 2014
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I'll reserve my judgement until we see whether or not anyone cares to build a DVR capable of taking advantage of super analog cameras.

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Jon Dillabaugh
Mar 26, 2014
Pro Focus LLC

John, have your tests shown any IP cams that have the ability to produce 1200TVL in optimal environments? I know you had some testing recently, but I think it was a limited test. IIRC, nothing was in this range, 1200TVL.

EDIT: I guess I could have looked myself first. It showed in your testing that a 5MP cam was the minimum to get 1200TVL or more. So, I call BS on this claim of a 1.3MP sensor being able to produce 1200TVL via analog signaling.

JH
John Honovich
Mar 26, 2014
IPVM

10MP in bright even light did ~1500TVL in our tests. See: Testing The Real Resolution of MP Cameras

KF
Keith Fraley
Mar 28, 2014

I have been buying 800TVL from Empire. They difinitely show better than any 700TVL cameras I have used. And cheap too...

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