The hardware inside the Mace DVR has many similarities to what you would find in a personal computer, the Mace DVR-800T contains an AMD processor and it has a Linux based operating system.  There are 8 BNC connectors built in to the DVR to accommodate your security cameras and there is a built in hard drive for storing video.  The hard drive included with the system has a 240 gigabyte capacity, you can replace this with another IDE hard drive with a larger storage capacity, the system can accommodate up to 4 internal hard drives.

At maximum the DVR can record images at a speed of 30 frames per second, it is compatible with both PAL and NTSC video signals and it uses both MPEG-4 and H.264 video compression.  There are also numerous CIF recording modes you can select for adjusting the image quality of footage.  In NTSC mode the security recorder is capable of recording at a maximum resolution of 704*240, In PAL mode the maximum image resolution is 704*288.

You can also record audio with the DVR and set up a two-way communication system, the DVR has eight audio inputs but it only has one audio output. A DVD burner is built into the Mace system so you more than one means for storing your surveillance camera footage.  You can connect cameras to the Mace DVR that have pan tilt and zoom functions and the system also has an RJ45 connector so you can connect it a LAN or to the Internet.

Connecting the Mace recorder to a LAN gives you the option to use PC’s also connected to the same network as monitoring stations, connecting it to the Internet allows you to monitor attached cameras remotely and you can also control the systems functions.  There is a password protection system built in to the DVR and each user given access can be assigned certain privileges that determine what functions of the DVR they can operate.

You can set the DVR to record surveillance camera footage non stop if this is a necessity, you can also schedule recording.  The Mace DVR also has motion detection capabilities and these can be used to determine when it starts and stops recording camera footage.  There are also 8 alarm inputs built in to the DVR that can be used to activate recording and if you want to notify personnel on site about specific activities picked up by the DVR you can make use of its three alarm outputs.

Check the latest price on the Mace DVR-800T 8 Channel Security Recorder

The Sanyo DSR-2016 is a digital security recorder offering multiple camera inputs and a significant amount of storage space for your surveillance camera footage. The DSR-2016 has 16 BNC inputs for attaching your surveillance cameras and has hard drive for storing video with a 500 gigabyte capacity. You can upgrade the systems capacity for video storage, the DVR has two internal hard drive bays and you can attach hard drives that have up to 540 gigabytes of storage space.

The Sanyo recorder uses MPEG-4 video compression and is compatible with both PAL and NTSC video signals. There are 5 image resolutions you can select, at maximum the system can record video at a pixel resolution of 704*480 using an NTSC signal, PAL offers an improvement to image quality and a maximum pixel resolution of 704*576. In addition to the DVR’s internal hard drive it also has a built in CD writer that can be used for storing surveillance camera footage.

Pan, tilt and zoom security cameras are supported by the security recorder, it has an two RS-485 ports that can be used for connecting PTZ cameras, the cameras position can be adjusted with the use of the PTZ button situated at the front of the DVR. The majority of the DVR’s functions can be controlled through its front panel, it has a password protection system so you can ensure only specific individuals can operate its functions.

The DVR has a maximum recording rate of 240 frames per second, it can also record audio and uses G.711 audio compression. You can use the DVR to set up a communication system operating between the position you choose to situate the DVR and an entrance on your premises, there are four audio outputs and one audio input. You can connect the DVR to a variety of monitoring devices, the system has VGA, BNC and S terminal video outputs.

You can set the Sanyo DVR to record continuously, schedule recording or use its motion detection features to control recording. The system can be used to notify personnel on site when the system detects breaches in security by connecting an external alarm to one of its four alarm inputs. You can use external alarms to activate the systems recording function, the Sanyo DVR will detect when an external alarm is activated through one of its 16 alarm inputs.

The Q-See QSD001 is easily one of the lowest priced 4 channel security recorders on the market.  The Q-See DVR is compatible with both PAL and NTSC video signals and uses M-JPEG compression.  As mentioned the system is four channel so you can attach up to four surveillance cameras to the DVR through its composite BNC video inputs.

At maximum the DVR can record video at 30 frames per second in NTSC mode, PAL signals produce a better picture however the maximum frame rate falls to 25 frames per second when using a PAL signal.  The first item you may need to consider if you get hold of the QSD001 is purchasing a hard drive as no hard drive is included with the DVR, a standard serial ATA hard drive can be attached to the system for the purpose of storing video footage.  If you own a PC this offers you an alternative to obtaining and installing a hard drive for the DVR

A USB port is built in to the DVR and this can be used to connect it directly to a PC, connecting the devices together enables you to use the PC to store footage from the DVR and it can also act as a monitoring station.  Q-See provide software with the DVR for installing on your PC that allows it to recognise the recorder, the software includes an interface that can be used to monitor surveillance camera feeds.

The software interface can display all four camera feeds on your PCs monitor at once, the interface is controlled with your mouse and you can use it to fast forward rewind or pause video playback.  You can convert any surveillance camera footage into AVI files and then save them to the computers hard drive.

You can set the DVR to record continuously or you can enable its motion detection capabilities for the purpose of activating and deactivating recording.  The DVR has an internal buzzer that you can program to sound in the event of the device detecting motion.

Check the latest price on the Q-See DVR QSD001 Security Recorder

Here is the Security Labs SLD230M security recorder, the first feature you will notice about the device is its extremely compact design.  With the SLD230M being so small does the system contain cutting edge technology? The security DVR contains an internal hard drive for storing camera footage, the hard drive has a 30 gigabyte capacity.  The hard drive capacity is modest compared to other security DVR’s out there however Security Labs state it can store 400 hours of video when recording with the use of its highest image quality setting.

The DVR uses MJPEG compression and at maximum it can record video at a resolution of 720*240, the maximum recording speed of the device is 15 frames per second.  A buzzer is built in to the DVR to alert you when the device detects motion, the buzzer will also sound when the system detects video loss.  You can give cameras attached to the DVR a specific title to help you identify the camera feed quickly, unless you mean to use the DVR in conjunction with an existing surveillance system your unlikely to use the title feature as it has only one video input.

You can select 1 of three preset levels of video compression, higher settings reduce image quality but the video required less storage space, choosing the lower video compression settings has the opposite effect on image quality and storage space.  The SLD230M can also record audio from your attached surveillance camera providing it is fitted with a mic, the DVR has 1 channel audio.

If required you can set the DVR to record surveillance camera footage 24 hours a day, the other option is to use its motion detection features to control recording.  You can also schedule recording by specifying a date and time when you want the system to record.  The Security Labs DVR also has an auto recovery feature that retains the settings of the system and restores them in the event of a power outage.

Check the latest price on the Security Labs DVR SLD230M Security Recorder

CPcam have developed the CPD561 security DVR, the system uses MPEG4 and MJPEG video compression and is compatible with both PAL and NTSC video signals. The DVR can be set to record continuously for considerable time as it has a hard drive capacity of 500 gigabytes, this gives you the means to leave the device recording for months if necessary. You can attach a maximum of 4 surveillance cameras to the DVR and it has a multi lingual user interface.

You can swap the hard drive if necessary and replace it with one that has a larger capacity, at maximum it can accommodate IDE ATA66 hard drives with up to 750 gigabytes of storage space. As mentioned you can set the system to record continually or you can attach external alarms to the system, the system has four alarm inputs and one alarm output. If an alarm attached to one the DVR’s four alarm inputs is activated it will begin recording camera footage.

The single alarm output can be used to alert you when the camera detects motion so you can use it to let you know when someone walks into a room. There is also an 8 megabyte alarm buffer that enables you to view camera footage recorded just before an alarm is activated. You can record audio with the DVR as it has an audio input and audio output you can use to set up a two way audio system, the drawback here is the system can’t record the audio stream from four surveillance cameras simultaneously.

At maximum the DVR can record video at a speed of 120 frames per second, there are also a number of CIF resolution modes you can select. The maximum recording resolution for the CPcam DVR is 720*480 in NTSC mode, in PAL mode it can record at a resolution of 720*576. There are also four preset image quality settings you can select, these range from basic, normal, high and best. Selecting the higher image quality settings improves the picture drastically but recording at this quality also uses hard drive space more quickly.

You can schedule specific times that determine when the DVR will start and stop recording, it also has a USB port that can be used for a flash drive. The DVR also includes software that you can use to monitor cameras attached to it while you are away from your premises. Each camera attached to the DVR can be identified easily as you have the option to give each of them a specific title enabling you to tell what feed you are monitoring at a glance.

Check the latest price on the CPcam DVR CPD561 4 Channel Security Recorder

Here we have another Q-See DVR produced in 2008, the QSD2304L has the ability to record surveillance camera footage at a high frame rate and you can attach up to four surveillance cameras to the system. You can search for surveillance camera footage recorded by the Q-See DVR by various means and it you can connect it to either a local area network or to the Internet.

Surveillance camera are attached to the DVR through its four BNC video inputs and the system uses H.264 video compression, the functions of the DVR are kept secure through its built in password protection system. The Q-See system is compatible with both NTSC and PAL video signals, its recording resolution is modest, in NTSC the maximum pixel resolution is 352*288, in NTSC mode the maximum pixel resolution for recordings is 320*240.

As mentioned the recording speed of the DVR is considerably high, at maximum it can record video at a speed of 120 frames per second. You can set the DVR to record video footage continually or you can program the system with a schedule that determines when it will start and stop recording camera feeds. Alternatively you can use the systems motion detection capabilities or attach external alarms to it to activate and de-activate recording.

The DVR supports one IDE hard drive that is used for storing footage from your surveillance cameras, the drawback here is that no hard drive is included. On the plus side as there is no hard drive included with the DVR its cost is quite low in comparison to other systems, there is no limit on the storage capacity of any hard drive you choose to install.

Networking the DVR is another means that can be used for storing surveillance camera footage, this also allows you to control the system and monitor cameras attached to it while you are away from your premises. The system also has a USB port you can use for plugging in external storage devices if you don’t want to install an internal hard drive. The QSD2304L has 4 alarm inputs, one alarm output, two audio inputs and two audio outputs.

Check the latest price on the Q-See DVR QSD2304L 4 Channel Surveillance System

Here we have another offering from Q-See in the form of the QSD6209 digital security recorder, the DVR supports an odd number of cameras, you can attach a total of 9 cameras to the device and these are connected through its BNC connectors.  The Q-See DVR uses MPEG 4 video compression and video is stored on the internal hard drive.  There is a 500 gigabyte SATA hard drive built in to the DVR so its storage capacity is decent, you do however have the option to remove this if you wish and replace it with another hard drive with a larger capacity.

There is an RS-485 connector built in to the DVR to accommodate security cameras that have built in pan, tilt and zoom functions.  The DVR is compatible with both PAL and NTSC video signals, at maximum the DVR can record video at a pixel resolution of 720*480 in NTSC mode, PAL mode offers a slight improvement to image quality that being a pixel resolution of 720*576.

If necessary you can set the DVR to record video footage 24 hours a day, a better way of ensuring the system records significant activity is to use its motion detection functions to activate and deactivate recording.  The RS-485 connector at the rear of the DVR can also be used for connecting external alarms to the DVR and it will begin recording should it detect an attached alarm has been activated.  You also have the option to set a schedule that determines when the Q-See DVR will start and stop recording.

At maximum the DVR is capable of recording video at a speed of 60 frames per second, the recording speed of the system lowers slightly when using PAL video signals.  You can select one of four preset image quality settings and these range from low, normal, high, and higher.  You can set up a two way audio system with the DVR but you can’t record audio from all attached cameras as it only has one audio input and one audio output.

The systems built in Ethernet port enables you to connect the DVR to a computer network, this gives you the option to turn computers attached to the same network into fully functional monitoring stations.  You can also connect the DVR to the Internet and this gives you the option of monitoring attached surveillance cameras while you are away from your premises via Internet Explorer.

Check the latest price on the Q-See DVR QSD6209 9 Channel Security Recorder

The SVAT CV0104 can accommodate four surveillance cameras, these are connected to the security recorder through its 4 BNC ports.  Video is stored on the recorders 160 internal hard drive, this can record a significant amount of video but can be removed and replaced with a hard drive with a larger storage capacity.  The DVR uses MJPEG compression and is capable of recording video at a maximum speed of 30 frames per second.

At maximum the DVR is capable of recording video at a resolution of 640*244 megapixels, the system has three preset levels of video quality you can select that include low, medium and high.  The DVR lacks alarm inputs to accommodate external alarms but it does have an alarm output so it can activate an alarm if motion is detected or if it detects a camera outage.

The systems motion detection capabilities can also be used to activate recording or you can set a schedule that determines when the device starts and stops recording.  You can search for specific recorded footage by entering the date and time of an occurrence or you can select one of the systems events.  A password protection system is built in to the DVR so you can ensure only specific personnel can operate its functions.

The SVAT DVR supports NTSC video signals and you can view cameras attached to the system simultaneously on one monitor.  The DVR is compatible with a variety of network protocols and has a built in RJ-45 Ethernet port so you can connect it to the Internet or a local area network.  Networking the DVR gives you the ability to operate its functions and monitor its cameras while you are away from your home or business, once the DVR is networked you can also set up computers on your premises to operate as monitoring stations.

Check the latest price on the SVAT CV0104 4Channel Security DVR

Here is the Mitsubishi DX-TL4516U and the security recorder uses JPEG 2000 compression and accommodates up to 16 security cameras. JPEG 2000 video compression is based on wavelet compression and generally takes less time to decompresses video than standard JPEG compression. If you have been looking for a DVR that uses both lossy and lossless video compression the Mitsubishi model may be the solution.

Video is stored on the internal hard drive built into the system, this has a 250-gigabyte capacity as standard, the recorder has two hard drive bays and can accommodate up to 1 terabyte of internal storage. The recorders built in DVD burner gives you further options when it comes to recording surveillance camera footage and it can also copy video to standard CD. At maximum the DVR can record surveillance camera footage at 120 frames per second but the system only supports NTSC video signals

You can record surveillance camera footage continuously with the DVR or you can attach up to 16 external alarms to it, the system will detect when an alarm has been activated and begin recording video. There is also a pre alarm recording facility that can be used to view occurrences that lead to events, the systems motion detection capabilities can also be used to activate and deactivate recording.

There are four USB ports built in to the Mitsubishi DVR and these can be used to attach a multitude of devices to the system such as hard drives, joysticks or mice. You can record audio with the system but the drawback is that the device has only one audio input and one audio output. When monitoring the cameras attached to the system you can view the feed from multiple cameras simultaneously with one monitor.

The DVR can be attached to either a TV or monitor and has a total of 4 video outputs; there are two BNC video outputs, 1 S-Video output and one RCA output. Surveillance camera footage can be searched for based on the date and time of an event or you can search for periods when the DVR detected motion on attached cameras. The systems RJ-45 Ethernet port gives you the option to set up additional monitoring stations and it can be used to connect the device to the Internet so you can monitor the system from anywhere.

Here is another Clover DVR designed for recording surveillance camera footage, the CDR4170 accommodates up to four surveillance cameras, these can be attached to its BNC connectors.  There are also 4 Din video inputs built in to the system, Both PAL and NTSC video signals are supported by the Clover DVR and it uses MJPEG compression.

In NTSC mode the DVR can record video at a maximum pixel resolution of 720*480, in PAL mode the maximum resolution is 720*576.  You can record surveillance camera footage that plays back smoothly as the Clover DVR has a maximum recording speed of 120 frames per second.  The recording speed is adjustable so you can set one camera to record smooth video footage using a high frame rate (eg:-30 FPS) while another attached camera records video using low frame rates.

If necessary you can set the DVR to record video 24 hours a day or you can devise a schedule that determines when it starts and stops recording.  The DVR has motion sensor capabilities and can be set to start and stop recording when motion is detected.  There are four alarm inputs built in to the DVR and the system will start recording security camera footage if it detects an attached alarm has been activated.

Video is stored on the 160 gigabyte hard drive built in to the system, this can be swapped if need be for a hard drive with a larger capacity.  There are 2 internal hard drive bays inside the security recorder and there is a built in USB port you can use for connecting memory cards, external hard drives or other storage devices to the system.

It would have been nice to see a few more audio inputs built in to the system, it has one audio input and one audio output, you can set up a two way audio system with the DVR but if you want to record audio with all attached surveillance cameras your out of luck.  An Ethernet port is built in to the system so you can connect it to the Internet or to a local area network so you can set up additional monitoring stations throughout your premises and monitor the system remotely.

Check the latest price on the Clover DVR CDR4170 4 Channel Surveillance System