Compro Technologies IP540 PTZ Camera
by Cameron Butterfield on October 12, 2010 9:03 PM EST- Posted in
- IP cameras
- camera
- camcorder
- Gadgets
The IP540 is a HD camera, and it definitely has high resolution support to be considered a high definition camera. However it does not take images in a widescreen or 16:9 aspect ratio format, like the recently released Microsoft Lifecam 720p products. Instead, it utilizes the standard squarish aspect ratios of 160x120, 320x240, 640x480, and 1280x1024 which is still very common for devices of this type (as they are mostly used in a PC environment). Overall, it improves compatibility with a lot of camera software that do not yet support 16:9 webcam feeds. With a widescreen aspect ratio, feeds sometime end up looking compressed due to the aspect ratio not being recognized.
In order to judge of the image clarity and quality, some sample images were analyzed (they are reproduced below). The colors are reproduced with fairly good accuracy in medium light conditions.
Click to enlarge
The IP540 particularly excels at functioning in little or no light environments. Thanks to the 12 IR LEDs, It was capable of making pitch black rooms appear clearly, albeit in monochrome.
Click to enlarge
Video
The Compro camera supports a wide range of output containers and codecs depending on how the device is utilized. Recording manually from the web viewer saves the video in a MKV container using either MPEG-4 (DivX) or H.264. If event triggers such as motion or audio detection are used, the automatic recording is saved in the AVI container. With ComproView, the feed is exported in the WMV format. The WMV export can handle variable frame rates and required a new software update (as will be noted in the next section.)
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Video Compression |
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Resolutions |
160x120, 320 x 240, 640 x 480, 1280 x 1024 |
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Frame Rate |
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Video Streaming |
Dual H.264, MPEG-4 or MJPEG Video Streams |
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Image Setting |
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blenheim - Sunday, October 24, 2010 - link
acti acm series: acm8511/8201/8211. http://www.acti.com/product/Product_Selection_Flow...cannot quote price figures for the ptz version, but the indoor megapixel cams (acm3511) are around $500, outdoor (acm 7411) $600. I would imagine the ptz versions are an extra $500 - $700. acti cameras are all POE, and the 4 that i have dealt with are all in service after 15 months. they are large enough in the industry to have drivers that work in the larger security camera software packages too.
Other anecdotal help: POE camera reliability is very dependent on a reliable POE source. I've had issues with cheaper POE switches, notably netgear. HP switches have been rock solid. By reliability, I refer to video streams recorded which are cut off/unplayable later when reviewed. Even POE injectors have proven less reliable than HP switches.
Also, PTZ sounds great on paper; in an outdoor setting, most cannot be remotely focused on targets much removed from the original focus point (manual focusing on the camera itself). I assume this Compro technologies camera was similar?
You can buy outdoor housing units and place non-outdoor models in them to save money, but then you have to know what you're doing and be careful. Make sure you get heated units with moisture sensors...condensation is a disaster to a POE camera.
ariharry - Sunday, November 14, 2010 - link
Great review (and samples, thanks!).It isn't clear from the review whether it's possible for the camera to record directly to a networked drive, like a NAS?
The implication is that I need to run a PC 24/7 to actually record triggered content, but I was hoping that the web interface on the camera would allow it to write to a NAS directly (through the network) without a PC being involved in the process.
Is this possible?
4cpus4me - Saturday, January 1, 2011 - link
Yes, it will write directly to a NAS. There's a recording configuration screen that allows you to pop in an IP address and Username/PW for NAS access. It works with an Iomega IX2-200 NAS. There is a little test button to verify if the NAS access is setup correctly, too. I have it working with the wireless USB adapter, too.What is a bit of a drag is there is currently no Date or Timestamp watermarking capability built into the current firmware. Compro said they are working on that.
The recording options in the Compro software range from overly simple to quite complex, depending on your needs. You can record to the computer from the web interface and it creates .MKV files which only the VLC player can play. Win7 has trouble deleting those files, too. Ugh. Something's not right with the .MKV format Compro is using.
I prefer to use BlueIris software (because it allows for integrating many different brands of cameras in a common interface) and successfully captured the IP540 stream. In Blueiris, the PTZ function works and you can use the arrows to move the camera around. The zoom in and out does not work in BlueIris, but probably just needs an updated command string. The digital zoom does work in the Compro software.
Here is a little Video showing how the IP540 works in a house with no lights on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBNYnrM2r30
It seems to be a fine piece of hardware. There are some rough edges as the firmware i not mature... I locked up the camera in several situations requiring a power cycle to recover. It has run over night using its wireless mode without issue. I've only had it one day so I can't comment on longer term stability. My plan is to stick with BlueIris since I have no need to learn in intricasies of the Compro software in spite of it's apparent robustness.
ekoostik - Monday, January 24, 2011 - link
@4cpus4me, I tried to PM you but it wouldn't go through. If you have a forum account and would like to respond via PM please do. I followed your link to the YouTube video and watched a couple of 540 clips. The IP540 looks like a pretty good camera. Now that you've had it for a few weeks, would you mind sharing your thgouhgts & impressions? I've been thinking about picking one up.There also 2 concerns I have. I don't know if you can shed any light on these: 1) That it does not broadcast/stream over SSL. I don't know if this is a legit concern or not as it seems many ip cameras support some form of ddns with only username/password security. 2) I've read in some places that IR can be harmful when stared at. However I've found very little (or no) information as to whether the IR LEDs such as what Compro uses are as dangerous as IR lights used in older security cameras. As I may install this around kids, I'm not sure whether or not I should be concerned about the IR LEDs.
Which version of BlueIris do you use - LE or the Full version?
Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
ComproStore - Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - link
Hey everyone come check out our site. We offer all of Compro Home and SMB line products. Starting with the IP60, IP70, IP540, IP540p, IP570, IP570p, If you are looking for security cameras for your Home or Small Business then you have come to the right place.IPCamHd - Saturday, June 15, 2013 - link
www.IPCamHD.com sells the entire Compro line of network cameras and has a downloadable catalog. They have specs listed and some good pics and video samples also.