CCTV Digital Video Recorders
Digital Video Recorders allow multiple cameras to be recorded and replayed. They combine several elements into one unit:
- The analog to digital camera encoders
- The video processing hardware/software
- The recording storage hardware (hard discs).
A key difference between DVR and NVR systems is the packaging of these elements. A DVR packages everything in one box, with analog (BNC) inputs, software to view and retrieve the images, and hard drive storage generally in the same chassis.
DVRs generally require analog BNC connections for camera inputs, although some are now available with a mix of analog and IP (RJ45) camera inputs.
Digital Video Recorders are less flexible than Network Video Recorders since they are limited by the physical number of BNC camera inputs and on-board hard disc storage. However, if additional flexibility is not required, they may the well suited to a specific requirement.