Benefits

The latest models in the Vi-series of Digital Recorders continue to deliver reliability and are widely chosen for many applications, particularly in retail.

The distinctive keypad puts all the features of the Videoswitch DVRs at you fingertips. As well as being a trademark of the Videoswitch DVRs, this keypad makes both configuration and operation as simple as possible saving valuable time during installation and pleasing the end user with its intuitive simplicity.

The smallest models provide new levels of ease of use and basic reliable performance at the lower end, whilst the higher end products provide similar simplicity of operation combined with extensive features, all geared for the convenience of the installer and end user.

Since our very first model, every single Videoswitch digital recorder (DVR) has included a CD or DVD writer to provide the user with a built-in means of getting evidence out of the unit. A few key presses is all that is needed to provide the police with physical evidence that can be played on any PC without software installation being required. CD and DVDs are inexpensive and once recorded, provide indelible evidence. Most users and police now appreciate that a built-in DVD/CD writer is essential in this type of equipment.

Archiving video to DVD or CD has been made as easy as possible, requiring just three key presses to mark an incident and start the burn process.

We have always put all our hard drives into removable trays. This means that if a drive fails in the future, it is possible to change the drive(s) on site without removing the DVR from the installation. This aspect of serviceability is a paramount reason for purchasing a DVR that has all of its drives removable.

An additional benefit is that in the case of serious crime, the police can take the hard drive(s) but do not need to take the whole DVR - it is a simple matter to fit new hard drives to get up and running again. Some customers use the removable hard drives as a means of extending storage capacity.

For maximum serviceability, the Vi-series DVRs are designed so that if a drive fails, it can be immediately replaced by any size drive, larger or smaller. Note that the maximum capacity available is determined by the particular model. This can, however be upgraded to take advantage of larger drives as they become available.

If you have purchased a model with less than the maximum available hard drive capacity or fewer than the maximum number of camera inputs, the unit can be upgraded on site. Refer to Upgrading Vi-series DVRs for details.

As new features and improvements are developed, firmware upgrades are made available on this web site for downloading and burning to CD. Alternatively, upgrade CDs can be sent to you. To upgrade the DVR, the CD is simply placed in the CD drive and the upgrade process invoked. Such upgrades are generally free of charge.

We have always included comprehensive keypads on our DVRs. The keys are laid out to make control easy for the user. The up, down, left and right keys are laid out up, down left and right as you would expect. Other keys are grouped and shaped according to function, and are clearly labeled. We avoid multiple functions for the keys as far as possible. Once you are familiar with our key layout, you do not need to keep looking at the keypad every time you want to press a key - your fingers can feel their way. And all our Vi-series DVRs use the same keypad layout - so once you are used to using one of our DVRs, you will know how to drive all the other Videoswitch models. The keypads do of course have a brightness control to suit your needs.

If you have domes on the system, you can access dome menus and even pan and tilt from this keypad. Alternatively, joystick keyboard are available.

Videoswitch has long experience in the C.C.T.V. industry and we listen to what our customers tell us. This is how we try to ensure that our products are easy to use. We have designed the menus to be consistent and logical. All menus are in one place, accessed by a key called "MENU". Although different Videoswitch DVRs have differing features, the keypad is the same across all models in the Vi series, and the menus have the same layout in all models.

The latest DVRs all have a built in manual so the installer and user can, at the press of the HELP key, call up information relevant to the currently selected screen or menu item.

Videoswitch DVRs are much more compact than many other brands. Where space is at a premium, this can be an important factor. All our larger DVRs may however be rack mounted by means of an optional rack mount kit so no flexibility list lost.

Just as VCRs were set in terms of hours (24, 48, 72 etc), so our DVRS are set in terms of days (7, 14, 31 etc). The DVR works out the update rate rather than the user. If you want to know the relationship between hard drive size, image size, update rate and number of days data retention, a calculator program may be downloaded to do this: Vi-Calculator.

If you want to set up the DVR by frame rate for each camera, you can of course also do this.

The size of compressed image varies depending on the content of the image that the camera is viewing. This ensures that valuable hard disc space is not wasted on empty scenes. Conversely, when a scene has important information in it, the image size will rise accordingly.

Entering camera titles via small keypad can often be time consuming. Videoswitch has introduced a number of features to help save time on configuration, particularly entering titles:

• Our keypad is easier to use than most
• A list of predefined titles is included - just pick the one that suits (Vi400 and upwards)
• An external PC keyboard can be plugged in - now just type in the titles (Vi400 and upwards)
• If you have multiple installations requiring the same configuration, create a CD on one DVR, then use the "Restore config from CD" option on the other DVRs.

If you need a remote keyboard, then you need a remote monitor. This is why we put a BNC socket on every keyboard. A single CAT5 cable connects the keyboard back to the DVR. No additional co-ax cable is required.

We have always offered the largest available hard drives. Videoswitch was the first non PC DVR manufacturer in the UK to ship 300Gbyte drives and we were first to ship 400G drives. Drives are now available with capacities of 750G, 1000G and short, 1500G. As suitable larger drives become available, we will offer them in our products. Only the best makes of hard drives are fitted into Videoswitch DVRs; they are a key component in the products and we would not compromise reliability by using anything other than the best available.

Videoswitch DVRs are not based on PC hardware or software. Our hardware and software is designed specifically for the purpose of recording images onto hard discs in an efficient manner which places the hard drives under conditions of minimum wear and tear. The relatively low chip count of our products translates to cool running and high reliability.

All our DVRs have built in fan-cooled mains power supplies which users find much more convenient than large external power blocks. The reliability is such that they very rarely cause any problems.

Front to back airflow suits use in rack cabinets and situations where the DVR is squeezed in between other items. Each hard drive has an associated fan to ensure its operating temperature is kept low to maximise its reliability. Likewise, the internal electronics is kept cool for long life and high reliability.

Our Vi-K2 and Vi-K3 joystick keyboard support a wide range of dome protocols. Each keyboard is capable of supporting a mixture of two types of dome in the same system. The required protocols are selected via a simple configuration procedure. Dual RS485 and 20mA outputs are provided and also RS232. The Vi405 and Vi605 DVRs have dome control built in and can control domes via RS485, RS232, 20mA and "up-the-coax".

All our DVRs can have more than one keyboard connected. Our keyboard all have loop in connectors so they can be daisy-chained.

The Vi4005 and Vi605 feature a GPS clock input. Just plug in a Vi-GPS satellite receiver and the DVR will benefit from atomic clock accuracy. Multiple DVRs can be synchronised to one GPS receiver.

All our DVRs are designed and manufactured in the UK to the highest standards of quality.

All our technical support staff and hardware, software and mechanical designers work at our Fleet headquarters. This close proximity ensures that the support personnel can get quick answers concerning any technical issue and, equally important, the designers get the feedback via the support personnel from the users.

Whist we embrace modern technology and communications fully, we never lose sight of the benefits of human interaction and giving personal attention to help address our customers' needs.

Whatever your question concerning Videoswitch equipment, we will endeavour to provide the answer as quickly as possible. If you require a feature that we do not currently support, let us know via sales@videoswitch.co.uk and we may be able to incorporate it in future firmware updates of products. A lot of the features we design into products arise from installers' questions and suggestions.