DVR is an abbreviation of Digital Video Recording. Unlike the tape-based analogue systems you are probably familiar with, DVR systems use computer-based digital technology to store and manage video footage, offering significantly better quality and reliability.

• Improved video quality
  DVR systems generally produce sharper, clearer images than VCR.
• Huge recording capacity
  Unlike VCR systems, DVRs can store days or weeks of video footage without ever having to overwrite existing material, and without you having to remember to change the tapes. This means you are far less likely to erase important footage by accident. The capacity of your DVR can easily be adjusted to suit your requirements, and there's virtually no upper limit on a DVR system's storage capacity. As your needs grow, your storage capacity can expand to match.
• Ease of searching
  Osiris DVR systems log recorded video events by time and date so you can locate what you need quickly and easily. Instant access to any point within a video file completely eliminates the frustration of manually winding through tapes trying to find the exact footage you need.
• Improved alerting and alarm capabilities
  Osiris systems can use almost any combination of telephone, email and SMS messaging to send alerts in the event of a security incident.
• Improved user interface
  It's so easy to manage your Osiris system. The fully featured control panel allows you to configure built-in features such as motion sensitivity, camera priority, scheduling, individual camera and other I/O device settings, networking, remote monitoring etc. You can even control your PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) cameras direct from the control panel.
• Improved security
  Because DVRs are digital, it's easy to integrate them with standard data backup systems to protect your valuable footage from accidental erasure or system failure. In addition, built in password protection prevents unauthorised users from accessing or changing system settings while allowing them to view and monitor video footage. A further security benefit is that there are no tapes or external recording devices that can be tampered with, so you won't discover after an incident that you've no footage because somebody has removed or damaged the tape.
• Extensive remote monitoring options as standard
  These key capabilities are not normally available on VCR-based systems.
• Instant snapshot
  This feature allows you to capture, save and print a still image in seconds. Try doing that with a VCR-based system.
• Full log files
  The log files allow you to determine exactly what was recorded, and when, without even looking at the video footage.
• No degradation of recording media
  While VCR tapes rapidly become unuseable and need constant replacement, the quality of a DVR's digital storage media never deteriorates. This in itself can represent a significant cost saving to set against your investment in digital technology.

• Camera body, lens, mounting brackets, cabling and power adaptor
• Osiris DVR appliance
• Monitor (CCTV, regular TV or computer monitor)

For networked systems, you will also need network connectivity (ISDN, DSL, Cable, or just a regular phone line). For Local Area Network (LAN) monitoring you will need Ethernet cabling, a hub or switch, and an additional computer or computers on which to monitor your Osiris system.

In short, yes. Osiris systems are compatible with all common security hardware. If you have an existing analogue security setup, you will simply need to replace your existing VCRs and multiplexer with your Osiris appliance.

No. DVR systems are entirely digital, making VCR tapes obsolete.

An Osiris DVR system is essentially a comnputer which contains the necessary hardware for video capture and monitoring. Because DVRs are computer based, they can take advantage of all the other capabilities of the technology (e.g. networking, backup systems etc.) and are not restricted to simple video recording tasks.

There are two main types of DVR system: PC-based and 'embedded' systems. PC-based systems are constructed around standard computer hardware and software, while embedded systems are machines that are manufactured specifically to function as DVR systems and cannot perform any other tasks.

Osiris supply PC-based DVR systems. We feel these offer a number of significant advantages over embedded systems:

• Cost. PC-based systems are typically between 10% and 50% cheaper than equivalent embedded systems.
• Ease of operation. Our PC-based systems provide a fully featured control panel from which all options can be controlled and the changes seen immediately. Embedded systems are typically operated with a far less flexible or friendly on-screen menu system and remote control.
• Range of features. PC-based systems are far more flexible and fully featured in everyday use. Here are some of the features you will find on our systems that don't usually turn up as standard on embedded machines:
  - Instant searching
  - On-screen control of motion detection
  - Fully featured networking capabilities
  - Full range of PC hardware including CD/DVD burner, modem, network interfaces etc.
  - Simple software upgrade process
  - Lifetime software upgrades (not including operating system)
  - Superior video compression routines (for optimum quality & storage)
  - Straightforward hardware upgrade options.

The number of camera inputs on an Osiris system varies from one to 16.

You can do this in a number of ways:

• Burn it to CD or DVD using the built-in CD or DVD burner
• Copy it to another machine via your LAN or the Internet
• Attach it to email
• Line it out directly to an external VCR

No. Simply attach the keyboard, monitor, mouse and power lead, and plug your cameras into the back of the appliance. The intuitive software will load when you start the machine and you can begin configuring your DVR system straight away. For more complex installations, such as networked systems, sensors etc, Osiris will be happy to take care of the installation for you.

Your Osiris DVR comes with the following equipment:

• Osiris appliance (see our appliances page for specifications)
• Monitor, keyboard, mouse and power cords
• Fully featured software
• Full system documentation and manuals

All you need to add are the cameras and any additional cabling. And of course, Osiris technical support is available at the end of the phone if you need any help getting up and running.

• FPS (Frames per second)
  This is number of images used to make up one second of recorded video, and is the one of the primary factors that determines the quality of your footage. About 30 fps is required for real-time or 'broadcast quality' footage, and 10-15 fps provides perfectly useable security footage in most situations. To establish your system's FPS capability, divide the total number of frames per second of your DVR system (e.g. 100 fps on the OSR800) by the number of used camera inputs. So if you had 10 cameras attached to your system they could each record at 10fps simultaneously. Of course, the use of motion sensitivity to trigger recording makes the likelihood of all the cameras recording at the same time very remote. So in reality you would need to know the maximum number of cameras that are likely to be recording at one time to work out your fps requirement. In general 5-10 fps per camera input is usually considered adequate unless you will be recording on all cameras constantly.
• Storage capacity
  On DVR systems this is measured in Gigabytes (Gb) or by the hour. 2.5 Gb equals approximately 1 hour of video storage capacity. Osiris systems come with a minimum of 64 hours of storage - there is no real upper limit, as storage capacity can be added as required. To work out your storage capacity requirements, you'll need to think about how many cameras you will be using, how much footage you expect them to generate, and how much archived footage you need to retain. Our storage capacities are matched to average requirements, but if you need more (or less!) just let us know.
• Remote monitoring capabilities
  If remote monitoring is important to you, it's worth examining closely the options in this area before deciding on a system. All Osiris systems come with the same extensive range of remote monitoring options.
• Number of camera inputs
  It's worth leaving some room for expansion in this area. For example, if you currently have 4 cameras it might be worth opting for a system that allows you to connect up to 8, to allow for future growth.
• User interface
  The ease with which you can manage and control your system is critical to how well it will work for you. We are confident that in this department we are head and shoulders above the competition.
  
  

There are a number of ways in which this can be done, depending on your local facilities. Every Osiris system has Local Area Network (LAN), direct dial-up and Internet monitoring capabilities built in.

Very easy. Each video clip is stored with a time and date stamp, and our search function allows you to identify different clips quickly and easily. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to identify a particular event.

Video compression allows more video footage to be stored in a given amount of storage capacity than would otherwise be the case. A number of video compression techniques are in common use, some of which offer better quality and storage use than others. All Osiris systems use MPEG4 compression technology, which provides the best available quality and performance.

More about video compression... (opens in new window)

All standard cameras, including colour, monochrome, and dome, can be used with Osiris DVR systems.

Every Osiris DVR system is backed by a 1 year warranty from the date of sale. Extended 2 and 3 year warranty options are available at purchase time. We will gladly repair or replace any malfunctioning component for the same or an equivalent item. Please contact us for more information.

We provide extensive technical support and maintenance options on all our systems. We can install and configure your system for you, or if you prefer to go it alone we will provide telephone support if you find that you need it.