Compro Technologies IP540 PTZ Camera
by Cameron Butterfield on October 12, 2010 9:03 PM EST- Posted in
- IP cameras
- camera
- camcorder
- Gadgets
During the review process we have had constant communication with Compro with regard to a few issues we encountered during testing. Before noting the issues I would like to say that Compro Technologies has been very helpful and responsive in addressing them and that the majority of them have been resolved via software updates and firmware updates provided by Compro. While I am noting the initial issues experienced, the review and recommendation will be based upon the performance we are experiencing with the fixes that Compro has provided in place.
The first complication I encountered was an issue with my multiple monitor setup. ComproView was unable to display the video feed on any monitor other than my primary display. The web based viewer however did not demonstrate this problem. Our contact at Compro explained that the software's rendering engine did not support multiple screen displays, but did mention plans to support this in the future. I do hope Compro pursues this feature, as the ability to display the camera software across screens is a necessity for anyone who might want to utilize this software while still being able to use the main screen of the computer for other purposes.
Another issue was with regard to the framerates of the MKV files being generated. The header information with framerate information was not being written correctly. However a new firmware update was provided (v1.51f) that is now adding in header information for the FPS information that used to be blank in MKV files. It was also verified that the AVI files being saved showed the correct framerate now as well.
The next issue we encountered was wildly out of sync audio and video that seemed to be in high speed during the first part of the recording and in slow motion towards the end of the recording on a clip that had been exported from inside the ComproView Software to an AVI file. The problem with the encoding was that the source video utilized variable frame rates, but, when exported to an AVI file, it was playing back at a fixed rate. Compro Technologies provided us with a new version of the ComproView software that now exports to a WMV format that is capable of accommodating variable frame rates in the video. With the software update the issue went away. I was able to export the same video feed to a clip that now plays back perfectly. Kudos to Compro for fixing this issue in a timely manner.
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cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
We do have these sample clips.Let me see if we can get them accessible, hang tight.
cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Ok here are some links to the requested sample files that we have uploaded to youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXZbAwbwtRM
Day 30fps 640x480 3mbps motionadaptive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiP4f8dok4M
Day 15fps 1280x1024 3mbps turbopicture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzKwx9tisEs
Night 15fps 1280x1024 3mbps turbopicture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UX95pFKnZ0
Night 30fps 640x480 3mbps motionadaptive
Also if you absolutely would prefer to see these videos unmodified you can download the set here:
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/gadgets/Compro...
nanfy - Thursday, October 14, 2010 - link
Thanks for the video's I really appreciate it.There IP70 Camera is actually in stock. I wonder if it has the same image quality as this camera.
somedude1234 - Friday, October 15, 2010 - link
Thanks for an excellent review as well as posting the video samples.The night shot in the nursery with the empty swing has a very "Paranormal Activity" like effect to it... kinda creepy actually.
Trefugl - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
I'm having a hard time getting a feel for the size of the camera. Do you have any shots of it with something for size reference, or at least some measurement specs?I like the idea of this, but I get the feeling that something of this size (or maybe any PT camera) is too large to put on the ceiling of my home or even my office without being distractingly out of place. Maybe there's an option of mounting it in a dark glass hemisphere...
Looking forward to seeing more IP cameras in this price range reviewed.
cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
On page two there is a shot of the camera next to a CD and also an ethernet cable.cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
also here is this: Dimensions: 105 x 125.5 x 128.6 mm (including bracket)Trefugl - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Thanks for the dimensions. Somehow I must have glossed over the pictures with the CDs in it.pmely - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Can this system be used outside? Does it need an environmental enclosure or can it be mounted under an eve away from weather and still function? What are the temperature specs?cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Here are the temperature specs, there is no mention of this being an outdoor camera however. Operating Condition: 5 °C ~ 40 °C