Recording: Encode - Swann DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER Instruction Manual

Recording: Encode

Camera No: The channel feed you want to alter the settings for.
Encoding Parameters: Whether you're editing the parameters for the mainstream or
the substream.
Main-Stream:
The main-stream is the video feed that the device will record and
display. This is the higher-quality stream.
Sub-Stream:
The sub-stream is the video stream that the device will send to remote
devices via a network or the Internet. It is the lower-quality stream as a reduction in
video size makes it easier to send over a network.
Record Audio: Select this if you would like this particular channel to record audio. If
you don't have any audio devices connected, leave this disabled.
Resolution: 960H is the default recording resolution (960 x 576 PAL, 960 x 480 NTSC).
As noted on page 4 - "What is 960H?" a standard CCTV camera's horizontal image will
be slightly stretched when recorded.
Frame Rate:
The number of frames per second (fps) that the device will record. The
default (and maximum) is referred to as "real-time" and is 15fps.
"Recording: Encode"
The menu allows you to alter and customize
how the DVR records footage and encodes the files.
Encoding is a term which refers to the compression algorithm (a
fancy computer term for "make the file smaller while retaining
visual quality") used by the DVR.
You can choose and alter -
• The frame rate (how many images per second the DVR records)
• The bit rate of each video stream. The higher the data rate,
the "better" your images will look, but the more space they'll
require on your memory card
Max. BitRate(Kbps): The actual amount of data that the device will use to record video.
The higher the bitrate, the more space each recording will take. Generally speaking,
recordings encoded at higher bitrates will be of better quality, especially when
recording movement.
The main-stream uses a variable bitrate to record video - the more movement occurs
in the video, the higher the bitrate will have to be. When there's little movement in
view, the device will automatically reduce the bitrate to conserve space.
The sub-stream uses a constant bit-rate. This makes the video easier to stream over
a network or the Internet.
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