DVR Security System Review

This particular Pelco DVR is the DX8132-250 the DVR is very similar to their DX8132-250A that was reviewed here.  The major difference between the two digital video recorders is their audio capability.  The one you see here accommodates 32 security cameras and these are attached to the device through its BNC connectors.  Compared to other security recorders the DX8100 range is not cheap but they are directed at large commercial businesses, the devices have features such as high frame rate recording and digital watermarking that is automatically applied to recorded images.

At maximum the DVR records video at a speed of 480 frames per second, this means you can set multiple cameras attached to the DVR to record simultaneously without cutting frames out of recorded images.  You can network the recorders in the Pelco DX8100 range together if necessary, they all have the Windows operating system embedded.  Surveillance camera footage is stored on the systems internal hard drive, this has a 250 gigabyte capacity, through its various slots and connectors you can attach up to 3 terabytes of storage to the system.

The DVR shares many of the same functions of today’s PC’s, it has the connectors necessary that enable you to attach external hardware devices such as keyboard and mice, these can be used to move surveillance cameras with precision.  Alternatively you can attach joysticks manufactured by Pelco designed for the purpose of moving surveillance cameras.  The DVR uses its own unique video compression system as opposed to MPEG-4, it can record video in either PAL or NTSC mode.

At maximum the DVR is capable of recording surveillance camera footage at a pixel resolution of 704*480 in NTSC, the maximum image resolution when using a PAL video signal is 705*576.  There are at least two channels that can be used to record audio with the DVR, there are also several alarm inputs and outputs, these can be used to trigger the system to record.  To monitor surveillance cameras attached to the DVR it can be connected to either a monitor or a TV as it has both VGA and BNC connectors.

Pelco include software with the DVR that enables you to connect it to a PC, this means you can set up multiple monitoring stations.  You can also attach the DVR to a network or connect it to the Internet, this gives you the ability to monitor the system and control its attached cameras remotely.  You can export video footage to PC’s connected to the DVR and change the format of the recorded media into varying file types, this ensures media recorded by the DVR can be accessed or modified by a variety of software programs.

Check the latest price on the Pelco DX8132-250 32 Channel Security DVR