Comparing DVRs

Be careful when comparing DVRs

We see a lot of misleading information when it comes to DVRs. An example of this is supposedly high-definition 1080P DVR recorders which only actually record in standard definition. Because the HDMI or VGA output is 1080P they have advertised accordingly. The on-screen menu will be nice and clear but the live images and recorded footage will be in standard definition.

We also see lots of examples where misleading recording times are quoted. The compression codec on most DVRs is H.264 so there is no magic way to extend recording times other than to reduce quality. The higher the resolution you record the less storage time you get from your hard drive. A lot of people quote storage times based on the lowest possible recording resolution but users naturally select the highest possible resolution. We also see recording times based on motion-only event recording. This is extremely misleading and essentially a made-up number as you have no idea how many events will be triggered. We always recommend 24/7 recording with events just used to bookmark potentially important footage.

DVR recorders can be quite complicated and there is a lot to get your head around. It is important that there is aftersales support available. When you purchase from a large organisation that sells lots of different products like eBay, Amazon or multinational retailers getting support can be difficult due to the many different models they sell.

We pride ourselves in offering superb after-sales support via knowledgeable specialists, not call centre operatives reading off a script.