Beware: The Magical HD Analog Converter

By: John Honovich, Published on Jul 07, 2015

What if there was a small device that could instantly convert / translate between AHD, CVI and TVI?

Gone would be any compatibility issues between the three competing but fast growing HD analog offerings.

***** ** * ****** on *** ****** ******** to ** **** *** there *** **** **** concerns ***** **.

** **** ****, ** explain *** *********, *** concerns *** ******** **** one ** *** ***** HD ****** *********.

The ******

**** ** **** *** device ***** **** *** claims ** *******:

*** ***** ** **** one's ******, ** ******* the ****** *** ********, and *** ****** ******** / ******* ******** ************ type *** **** *** the ********.

The ********

***** *** ******* ********:

  • *** ********* *** ***** time, **-**** ******* **** no ***** ******
  • **** ** ***** ************ types (***, ***, ***) are **** ********* ****** protected / ** ** the ********** *********.
  • ** ** **** *** work ** ****** *******, who ** ***** ** support **** - *** device ******** ** *** camera / ******** ********?

***********

*** ***** ** ****** provider ******* ******** ******** on **** ******:

"**** ******** ** ******** by * ***-*** ******* called "***" ** *****. It ** ********* * bootleg ******** ******* *** license ********** **** ***** (CVI), ******** (***) ** Techpoint (***). ****, ** don't ******* ** *** legality. *******, *** *** time *****, ** *** not ****** ** *** company *** ** *** making ********** ********* ** anybody. ******* ** ***** distributors, *** **** *** disclose ***** ******** ** contacts, ****** ***** *** to ******* ***. **** purposely **** **** *** to ***** *** ****************. As ** ***, ****** can **** *** ** China *** ***** ************ just ***** *********. ******** is *** ******* * priority ** *****.

*** *** ** ****** producers *** ****** *** headaches **** **** ******** because ***** *** **** compatibility ****** *** *********** issues ******* ** **** bootleg ********. **** *** many ************* ****** **** DVRs ** ********* **** complained **** **** ****** get *** ******* *****, resolution, *** ***** ** the ***. ******** ************ are ******* ** ****. We ********* ***** ** support **** ** *** customers *** **** **** this *** ** **** no *** ** ******* what *** *** ******** settings *** ********* ***. As *** *** *******, all ************* ****** *** failures ** *** ***** will ** ****** ** Dahua, ******** ** *********, Nextchip, ******* ** ***.

*** **** ******* *** OUR "**********" *** ********* are **** **** ****** find ** ****** **** company ** *****. *** have ********* **** ** hiding. ** * ******, there *** ** ********** mainstream ********* ** ***** who **** ** *** this ******** *** ** the ****** ** ********, performance, *************, *** ****** finding ******* **** *** vendor ** ********* **** wrong. *******, ** *** can *** ***** *** now ********* ******* ** the ***** ** ***** are ******* ***** ************* who *** *** ****** of ******** ********** ** support ******. ***** ******* manufacturers *** *** ** make * ***** **** in *** ***** *** and **** ****** ***'* care.

*****, ** ** ****** solutions *** ***** ********** new, **** *** ***** have ** **** **** they *** ****** ***** they *** **** *** issues ** *** *****. It ** * ******** for *** "**********" *** customers ** ******* **** bootleg ********.** ******* *** *** manufacturers *** ******* ** legal ******* ******* *** soon ********* **** **** can ****** **** **** in *****. ******** **** needs ** **** * solution *** **** *** problem ** **** ***** HDI's *** *** ******* solution ** * **** threat ** ***'* *** price ********."

The ****

***** ******, ***** *** limitations ** **** ******'* approach, **** ******* ** be * ****** *** disaster.

*******, ** **** ********* one ********* *****. ***** is * **** **** to ******* **************** ****** the ********* ** ****** offerings. ***** **** ******* similar ********** *****, *** similar ****** *** **********, many ****** *** ***** to ****** **** *** all *** **** *** can ** ****** ***** and *******. ** **** saw **** ** ********* ****** *******, ***** **** *********** conflated *** *** *** with ***, ******** **** AHD *** ****** * general **** *** ******.

******* ** ********* ************ products, *** *** ** analog ********* **** **** way ** **** ** easier ** ********* ***** 'flavors' ** ** ****** into ******** *******. *** alternative **** ** *****, surprised, ********** *********. ***** the ***** *** ***** points, ** ** *** think **** **** **** HD ****** *** ** will ****** ******** ********** in ****** ************* **** care ***** **************** *** expansion.

Comments (22)

Undisclosed #1

07/07/15 11:23pm

One plugs it into one's camera, in between the camera and recorder, and the device converts / outputs whatever transmission type you need for the recorder.

Why do you think the switch is a converter? Can you buy it stand alone?

If it is a dongle converter I am definitely impressed; I abandoned the idea, (with j.d.'s encouragement), a while back here, Can You Create A TVI To CVI Adapter?.

Did the major Analog provider state it was an inline converter? My thought was that was just a switch to the camera to change the output type to the dvr.

Since you may not be able to reach the OSD initially, depending on which kind of recorder you are using, they needed an external way to switch the output format of the camera.

Of course, a 5 way analog converter the size of a key fob is way cooler, so I'm hoping you are right!

Karsten Matthies

07/08/15 04:23am

Thanks John,

Very interesting info. Maybe I am missing details but I believe the white thingy is just a switch and mainly serves as the camera adjustment (OSD - on-screen display) i.e. contrast, day/night, exposure, color, shutter speed, etc. Nearly all the cheap cameras from China I have tested have this same little joystick attached to the power/video cable permanently. It seems here the same joystick is used to toggle between the analog hd formats when first powering the camera up but otherwise is likely used to adjust the camera settings as above.

If this is the case then they likely have the chip(s) that controls which hd analog format is used is inside the camera itself on the main board or a daughter board or something.

But as your information above indictates, it seems the HDI has somehow "hacked" the HD formats as putting separate chips from Dahua, Techpoint and nextchip in each camera would make them too expensive. This would explain the performance issues.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Karsten Matthies | 07/08/15 10:38am

A, Karsten, I am not sure how this device works internally or is attached. Regardless, it's pretty clearly super high risk, given the legal and support issues it faces.

Jay Heming

07/10/15 03:13pm

Personally, I would kill for such as device as in an installer as a basic tool added to my bag of tricks. A leagal version costing about $100.00 would be well worth it. Never to be left within the system as another point of failure.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #2

07/14/15 03:30am

It is a possble solution at the technocal side because they(Dahua, Techpoint and Nextchip) are selling the Tx chip(s) itself and a using licence. It said if the device uses the Tx chip of each solutions, no legal issues. But still leaving support issues.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

07/28/15 03:54pm

The "magic" is not in the dongle. It is in the camera. The dongle only tells the camera which of the three types of output is required.

Making a camera with all three output types is not that difficult or expensive. It adds $2.5 - $3 more to the bom.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 07/28/15 03:57pm

We bought 4 of them yesterday so we are going to do a test.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 07/28/15 04:03pm

Agreed.

The 5-way rocker switch itself though probably costs more than any of the PHY chips. Magic is cheap, but not free.

Undisclosed #1

07/29/15 04:52pm

It is basically a bootleg solution without any license permission from Dahua (CVI), NextChip (AHD) or Techpoint (TVI).

Is it possible to confirm this statement with Dahua, Nextchip or Techpoint?

It sounds like a manufacture spreading FUD.

Reason? What chipsets would they actually be using to accomplish this, besides D,N,T made chips?

Certainly not their own?

Do the chip manufacturers place some restriction on the final use of the chips, i.e. "No hybrid devices"?

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

07/29/15 06:01pm

As far as I am aware there is no license required for using the chips. Only chip manufacturers who make compatible chips are/may be, required to license the technology.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 07/29/15 06:18pm

Agree 3. What's your guess?

An OEM created their own three in one chip, or bought one module each from the three manufacturers and put them in one camera?

Granted they may not work so well, because even buying all three chips might still take a bit of engineering before working well.

Prediction: by next year this time, most OEM Analog HD cameras will autodetect and support all three variants.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 04/07/16 04:14am

Update: Version 3 of TVI (and AHD?) and CVI have apparently converged into a single standard or are at least cross compatible.

IMHO, they agreed at least in part because they didn't want the 5-way switch guys to have a compatibility edge.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 04/07/16 04:25am

I agree. I think the hacked converters and their popularity helped motivate the primary providers to do something legit.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

07/29/15 06:35pm

I was told by a Chinese manufacturer, when he first started selling a combined AHD and TVI camera, that they used two chips. Adding a third chip to add CVI is not that difficult.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 07/29/15 06:41pm

That specific manufacturer might be using two chips but I have been told by multiple chip suppliers that they are definitely not supplying chips to the magic device discussed above.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to John Honovich | 07/29/15 07:00pm

Can you clarify that?

Are the chip suppliers claiming that the actual chips are not made by them, or are only saying that they are not supplied by them?

Asserting the latter claim without the former sounds like a non-denial denial.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 07/29/15 07:02pm

My understanding is both. They are claiming no connection between them and this HDI company.

Undisclosed #1

07/30/15 08:43am

This looks to be a pcb for a multi-format board camera.  It does appear to only have one PHY, the HDI 8901: (the biggest chip shown in the picture shown below, on the underside of the pcb - right half)

That combo chip is actually smaller than most single protcol chips:

Eddie Perry

04/07/16 10:50am

whats the chinese word for irony

Fèngcì

someone is pirating tech within china from chinese companies, not saying its a good thing but mabye its just me who thinks they really dont have a right to complain about legal practices when they violate the rest of the worlds legal practices

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Eddie Perry | 04/07/16 10:53am

FYI, Techpoint is a US company, Nextchip is South Korean.

Eddie Perry

In reply to John Honovich | 04/07/16 12:44pm

yeah but who manufactures them and for what companies do those chips go into chinese owned products ?

Nextchip is the only one I would say may be playing by the rules and getting screwed as the Koreans are super competitive and generally dont like the chinese.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Eddie Perry | 04/07/16 03:58pm

Nextchip is the only one I would say may be playing by the rules...

Considering that 'their' copycat AHD technology was introduced a year later than Dahua's, I'm not sure what rules you are referring to.

And how are the Chinese 'screwing' the Koreans anyway?

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