How to watch video from a DVR on your computer

How to improve functionality?

You can connect it to a computer and therefore store the recordings on an external/main drive, encode and download them somewhere, write them to a medium, or do any other thing with them. This is especially useful for those who want to save videos.

How to Connect the DVR to Your Computer? You’ll need a cable with HDMI (High Definition Media Interface) on both ends, or an HDMI connector on one end, and an RCA- or USB-type audio/video jack on the other end, depending on the connection ports available on the device. Regardless of the wire used, the connection is fast, and you will download content to a PC in minutes.

Note

The P2P and DDNS functions will not be used to monitor your DVR from your phone or computer away from your local network, because it is not connected to the Internet. This is because it is impossible to share the Internet over the Ethernet port, through which the DVR is connected to a PC.

In order to connect the device to the global network and use it remotely, you need a connection via port forwarding. You can also similarly use the settings of your router with a Wi-Fi connection to any of the providers.

What to do with video from a surveillance camera/video recorder

1) Try to download alternative players

The most popular reason for the inability to open a video file is the lack of codecs (or various glitches with them). Therefore, the first thing I would advise is this:

• Or install a good set of codecs (I recommend “K-Lite Codec Pack” set of options, select “Lots of stuff” so you will have all the necessary codecs);
• or use players which do not need codecs in your system (e.g. GOM Player, PotPlayer, Splash HD Player Lite, KMPlayer).

If you can not play the video in the above players, it is possible that the file from the DVR was encoded into a “special” codec

There are two ways to play these kinds of files:

• find out the manufacturer and model of the device (on which the video was recorded) and download programs from the official site (usually, all manufacturers have software for working with their equipment on their site);
• use a HEX editor, find out the file header and try to manually find the necessary codec (decoder).

2) Use special codecs and decoders for playing these kinds of files. software from the manufacturer

For example, I’ll take one of the popular manufacturers of similar equipment DVR Falcon Eye FE-1104MHD Light (not advertising!). Going to the official site of the manufacturer, find the specific model of the device (see. screenshot below).

Official website of FALCON EYE manufacturer

At the bottom of this page there are not only instructions and technicians. characteristics, but also the software to work with the DVR.

Actually, having downloaded and opened the archive you can find: player (and not only for Windows), converter, codecs, etc. “dobro.”.

In principle, then there are no difficulties with the processing of such video should not arise.

3) Use a HEX editor and analyze the beginning of the file

In cases where the manufacturer and model of the device is unknown (or there is no software on the official site, or it is closed long ago) you can try to find a codec for decoding video manually. To do this, you need some HEX editor (for example, you can use Win HEX).

If you open a video file in an editor like this, you will not see it, it will only show numbers, letters, etc. (many users find this “scary”. ). Actually we just need to look through the first 4 bytes of the file (see here. screenshot below, they are highlighted “4HKH”).

With these 4 bytes you can manually try to find the codec to decrypt the file. Enough to ask a question in Google (Yandex) like “4HKH video compressor” (“4HKH video converter”) and other derivatives.

In general, further action may vary, depending on what software to “decode” and work with video you download.

That’s all, thank you in advance for the additions.

How to view the recording on your computer and TV?

On the market there are many models of DVRs, which do not have a screen due to their too compact size. But, as a rule, they are equipped with USB and HDMI connectors. The first can be used to connect the device to the computer. Usually included with such models are special cables for connecting to a computer. True, you may need special software to view the files. Are considered more convenient those DVRs, which are recognized by the computer as an ordinary drive. In this case you just need to connect the data recorder to the PC and run the selected file through the installed player.

The situation can become more complicated in the absence of a USB-connector in the data-recorder. In such a situation, you will need to remove the memory card from the slot and insert it into a computer or smartphone. If your computer does not have a built-in card reader, you will have to use a removable one. A convenient way to watch the video recordings from the DVR is to watch them on a TV screen. You need to have an HDMI or AV plug on the body of the video recorder. Using special cables (they may not be included) you can easily connect the device to the TV at home or in the car.

Usually DVR owners have no problems with watching the video files. Modern devices allow you to play video by any of the above methods.

How to watch the video from the video recorder on your computer?

This program is designed to view video directly from the hard disk drive (HDD) on a PC. You may need it, for example, if the video recorder is out of order and you need to “take out” the video from HDD. As the black box belongs to the security systems, the video recorded on the black box is stored on the HDD in a special format. So if you connect HDD to a Windows PC, the operating system will not be able to recognize the file structure of the disk.

Download the program and install it on your computer. Most likely, the inscriptions will not be displayed correctly. To fix this, download the configuration file (download) and replace it with the folder where DiskPlayer is installed (most likely C:Program Files (x86)DiskPlayer).

When you connect the HDD to your computer, Windows will prompt you to format/initialize the drive. We strongly recommend that you press the “Cancel” button. Otherwise all data will be lost and it will be possible to restore it only in specialized service centers.

Start DiskPlayer. The dialog window for entering a user name and a password appears. (Note. The default user name is admin, the password is admin). Check the “Save as Transfer” box on the toolbar. Password” box if you do not want to enter your username and password every time you start the program.

If the HDD is recognized, the corresponding icon is displayed.

Double click on the LKM (left mouse button) to display the files and directories tree. Each directory will correspond to the date of recording. By double-clicking on the LKM indicating the record date, the channels will be displayed, then the recording time intervals. The default recording length is one (1) hour.

Select the window on the right side of the program in which the video will be displayed. Double-click on the file you wish to play.

To copy files from HDD to your computer, you need to click PCM (right mouse button) on the recording file, the following menu will appear:

Select “Copy”. Choose where to save the recording file. The file will be saved in H format.264. You can use General Player to play it.

If you do not want to save the whole file, but only a part of it (for example 5 minutes of recording), you should select “Cut File”. You will see a dialog box where you should choose the desired time interval, path to save the file and video format (H.264/AVI). Most media players can play the AVI format. For example, the standard Windows Player installed by default in Widnows operating systems.

Note: you can only choose a time frame that falls within the range of the file you have selected. For example, if you select File 10.00.00-11.00.00, you will need to choose a time interval between those numbers. Otherwise it will give an error.

This program has more features as compared to DiskPlayer and is more user-friendly. The manufacturer claims that this program is also suitable for car DVRs. But the practice showed that this program is less stable and underdeveloped. I am not sure about the car DVR, I have nothing to check. I have noticed that the program hangs and crashes on the desktop. But for copying files from the hard drive of the DVR it is quite suitable and in my opinion more convenient than DiskPlayer.

How to View your CCTV on a PC or Laptop

It is likely that after installation, the program will be in Chinese. To fix it in English, run the program. In the top right corner click on the settings icon of the program (wrench and screwdriver). Choose the “English” language. You will be asked if you want to restart the program. Say yes (left button).

If the disk is recognized by the program, then in the left part of the interface will be a directory of files, and each of them will mean the date of recording.

If you double click on the LKM indicating the date of recording, the channels will be displayed, then the recording time intervals.

There is a graphical navigation on the recording time in the lower part of the interface (more convenient than in DiskPlayer). A little to the left you can select a date to view the recording on the calendar. If there is recording on this day, on the calendar this day will be highlighted. By the way, the program does not allow you to separately play a specific channel. Probably a flaw of the programmers.

To copy the recording to your computer, just click on “Export”. A dialog box will appear. Select start and end of recording, channel, video format (H.264 or avi) and specify the path to save the file.

• Disk Player is a program for copying and viewing footage from hard drive, taken from video recorder (download).
• Vdisk Player is a program for copying and viewing footage from the hard drive of the video recorder (download).
• General Player is a program to play files.H264 (download).

How to View DVR Footage on a Computer?

A car DVR is an important and useful for a motorist accessory. The road is often unpredictable, so in order to protect yourself from collusion or long proceedings with the traffic police, it is best to install a car DVR, which will be your loyal assistant and an impartial witness in any dispute situation. Today we will answer the most common questions about this car accessory.

What parameters should be used when choosing a DVR? When selecting and purchasing a black box, you need to consider at least three main parameters: 1. Mounting method universal mounting on the glass, embedded in the rearview mirror or separately connected cameras. The most common is the first type of mounting. 2. Viewing angle. The lens of a car video recorder should capture not only the image directly in front of the car, but also several lanes on the right and left of the traffic lane. This result can be achieved by DVRs with a viewing angle of 90 to 140 o. 3. Image quality. It is important to take into account the resolution of the recording (the higher it is, the better the quality of recording) and the recording speed (according to the modern standards. not less than 25 frames per second).

And the use of the latest data coding methods can have a huge impact on the price of the black box. Increases the price and the presence of connectors for additional cameras. GPS-receiver, which determines speed, coordinates and acceleration, as a rule, increases the price one and a half times.

What additional functions a video recorder can have? 1. Recording GPS coordinates allows you to accurately capture coordinates with reference to the video recording. Special software facilitates displaying the path of the vehicle on the map. 2. IR illumination, which is necessary to be able to record images in the dark. 3. Motion sensor that automatically turns the recorder on when motion is detected in the area of camera fixation. 4. Photo mode. You may need a photo with a video recorder, for example, in case of an accident with a car to fix the damages incurred by the car and provide them to the insurance company.

How to watch video from the video recorder? Any video-recorder records video on a removable memory card, so you can watch the recording on any device that reads video from flash cards. For example, you can connect the black box to the computer via a USB cable. In general, there are several main ways: viewing video and photos directly from the memory card on a computer, smartphone, laptop and other devices that support the DVR memory card format; viewing on a TV, computer with HDMI (in case the video recorder and playback devices have HDMI interface); viewing on the built-in monitor (if your model recorder has one).

What are the advantages of DVRs with build-in monitor?? A car DVR with build-in monitor will help in cases of disputable situations on the road and during communication with the traffic police. For example, you get stopped for going through an intersection at a forbidden traffic light. How to prove that you did not break the law?? Right: invite a traffic policeman to watch the video on your DVR monitor. The main thing in this situation is to be sure of your own correctness.

What memory cards do DVRs support and how long do they last for?? Video recorders support SD and micro-SD memory cards. On average, 2 minutes of recorded low-resolution video takes about 80MB of free space. But the higher is the resolution of the DVR, the “heavier” is the video. Therefore, sellers advise to buy memory cards of at least 4 gigabytes to avoid malfunction of the device. Duration of video that can be recorded on the card depends on its volume and quality of recording. Once all free space on the memory card is exhausted, recording will continue on top of the old footage.

Does the recording from the car DVR have a legal force in a car accident? Yes, it does. A video from the car DVR is incontestable proof of your rightness in court. But remember, the recording of the recorder will be a valid argument accepted only if it has legal status. To obtain such status for a car DVR recording, the following conditions must be met: authenticity of the recording (there must be no traces of splicing or editing), direct relevance to the case in question, and legality of obtaining the recording. The fact of availability of the video recorder and the fact of its removal from the scene of the accident must be recorded in the protocol made by a traffic police officer.

PC configuration requirements

To provide the possibility of organization of video surveillance, the computer must meet certain requirements. Unfortunately not every system unit or notebook you have got hold of is suitable for this. Let’s consider the basic requirements to the PC configuration for organizing a small home surveillance system:

• Fast processor. Receiving and processing video signal occurs in a computer through the central processor. The more cameras you connect, the heavier the load on it is. Completely weak laptops or very old system units just can’t handle the load. Video will be recorded jerkily, possibly even freezing. Choose in advance a computer for video surveillance with extra capacity. Processor Intel Celeron or Intel i3 level is enough to connect 2-3 cameras.
• Sufficient amount of RAM. To work the video surveillance system should run a special program. This is the program which will process and record the video signal and control the whole system. The program takes extra memory, so your computer should also have a certain amount of RAM. Usually 2-4GB of memory is enough.
• A big enough hard disk space. Videos take up a lot of hard drive space. The more cameras and the more recordings you want to keep, the more hard drive space is needed. If there is not enough free space, the time of recordings storage will be limited. Sometimes a slow recording speed (12 frames per second instead of 25) is used to save hard drive. In the settings of the program you have to specify how much free space it can use for storing recordings. But if you don’t have any free space at all, then you have to free up space or connect an extra disk to your computer.

Connecting the black box to the PC

Nowadays, connecting the DVR to the computer may require under certain conditions, which especially applies to the creation of a video surveillance system. We will not go through the process of choosing the right recorder, we will focus most of our attention on the connection procedure.

How and what to watch video on?

We continue our 5-step tutorial on choosing video surveillance systems.

You can use any screen available today including your computer monitor, TV, or smartphone to watch video. The choice of the specific device depends on your objectives. For some purposes, the stationary monitor is ideal, for others the screen of a smartphone or tablet. And these solutions differ in the amount of hardware, software, and cost required.

Modern recorders allow to connect different monitoring systems