Dedicated Micros Eco9B-300GB 9 Channel CCTV Recorder & A DOME CAMERA

The Eco 9 CD 300GB DVR from Dedicated Micros & A Dome Camera. The Eco9 extends the capabilities of its predecessor with nine recording channels, and the model we are looking at is fitted with an optional CD writer.

It retains virtually all of the core features of the original Eco DVR, most of which we commended, though one or two we were less happy with, and these remain, but well come to them in a moment. Our sample was fitted with a 300Gb hard drive (80 and 160Gb models are also available), which gives a claimed recording time of up to 31 days. Real-world recording times may well be less since it depends on the number of cameras connected to the unit, picture refresh rate and quality settings, which for the record are variable between 1 and 25 frames per second and picture file sizes can be from 6 to 45kb. The Eco9 uses JPEG file compression and picture resolution at highest quality setting is an impressive 720 x 512 pixels.

This compares very favourably with rival DVRs and is markedly better than an analogue tape recorder. It also has a set of external alarm inputs, a scheduled recording mode and dual Spot and Monitor outputs.

The DVR automatically overwrites the earliest recordings as the disk fills up, but a percentage of the hard drives capacity can be set aside for protected storage. The only significant omission is audio recording, which has become an increasingly common feature on some budget and most mid-range DVRs. The multiplexer operates in duplex mode for simultaneous recording and playback. In Live mode images may be displayed singly, (static or sequenced) or in multi-screen or picture-in-picture format. It also has a simple 2x electronic zoom facility, engaged by briefly pressing one of the camera selector buttons.

The portion of the image displayed is altered using buttons on the front panel, which act as a virtual pan/tilt control. Recordings are played back using traditional VCR type controls; sequences are selected using the GoTo function, by entering the time and date, or from the DVRs Event log. The image is displayed in a small fixed size window, in single or multi-screen mode.

The more sophisticated network viewer utility (Windows only) is downloaded from the Eco 9 and installed on the remote PC. This provides full screen live views and playback, using the Event log to select an Alarm/Activity triggered recording. Additionally, sequences can be recorded in high quality. Avi format on the remote PCs hard drive.

Unfortunately this facility is not fully explained; in fact we could find no mention of how to access the various options in the instruction manual (they are displayed by right-clicking on the image). The Setup button, which is supposed to allow access to the DVRs configuration menu, did nothing and was greyed out on our sample. Archiving files on the CD writer also suffers from a lack of clear explanation in the instructions, which is a pity as the procedure is far from straightforward. In addition to the selected video footage the machine also copies the viewer utility to the blank disk, along with an Autorun information file so that the list of recordings appears and the viewer program starts automatically as soon as the disk is loaded on a Windows PC. The Eco9 is housed in an unobtrusive cream coloured case measuring 66 x 440 x 409mm. The front panel is divided into two sections; the top half sports a row of identical round grey buttons, grouped according to function (camera selection, playback controls and menu/display options). The lower half is blank apart from the CD writer. This is a compact laptop-type drive with spring opening and manual closing. It feels a tad insubstantial, compared with a normal motorised CD drive loading mechanism. The panel containing the control buttons juts out a short distance from the case and partially obscures the CD drawer when it is open so loading and unloading disks can be a little awkward.

On the back panel there is a bank of 20 BNC sockets for the two monitor outputs and the camera inputs and loop-throughs. Additionally there is a 50-pin socket for an external SCSI hard drive, a 9-pin D-Sub serial port, an RJ-45 socket handles the Network connection plus there is a pair of 25-pin and 9-pin D-subs for the alarm and relay connections. Power is provided by a substantial external mains adaptor, which plugs into a DIN type socket on the far left of the panel.

Inside the case most of the electronics are mounted on a single motherboard, which occupies the rear half of the case; the hard disk drive and CD writer are mounted at the front. Noise levels are reasonably low though there is a constant whine coming from a single small cooling fan. Dedicated Micros rightly claim the Eco9 is a plug-and-play design and ready to run as soon as the cameras, monitor and power supply have been connected. It is factory set to record at 6 fps in medium quality mode but we suspect most users and installers will want to tailor the settings, and this is done through a series of on-screen displays.

The menu system is one of the few features carried across from the Eco4 that we would rather not have seen again. It suffers from several fundamental problems, the most obvious one being that it can be quite difficult to read against the displayed image, but it goes much deeper. Instead of the usual tree type structure, menu pages are accessed sequentially, and this can be inconvenient when mistakes are made and they will be, due to the layout of the controls and idiosyncratic method used to select and change displayed values. The page appears when the Menu button on the far right of the front panel is pressed and held for a few seconds.

Pressing the button momentarily toggles between Spot and Monitor display, and in Spot mode the menu is disabled, which can be confusing. According to the manual the first page should be Time, Date and Language setup, when in fact it is a status display for the camera and alarms. The Time and Date menu appears after a second press; hitting the menu button a third time changes the display to the Camera View menu. This is set by default to All but selected cameras can be removed from the monitor output, though they will continue to be recorded. The next menu screen is used to set a recording Schedule (default off) and switch between continuous recording or selected times at night or weekends.

After that comes the Record Schedule menu, and this is where recording frame rate and file size are configured. An updated maximum recording time is shown if either or both values are altered. This page also sets the size of the protected storage area and displays the time and date of the earliest recording.

System Options on the next menu page includes the password setting for accessing the menu, network configuration and resetting the machine to the factory defaults. That is followed by Record Options, with an adjustment for Timed Expiry to allow recordings to be overwritten after a preset number or days and hours, plus switches for protecting alarm event recordings, pre and post alarm protection times and various settings for protecting recordings. Camera Setup (also accessible by pressing and holding a camera selector button) comes next and is used to compose a camera title, set input termination, specify camera type (colour/black and white), alarm input and adjustments for colour and contrast. The last menu page is used to configure the motion detection system and this has adjustments for sensitivity, enabling targets in the activity grid and a Walk Test mode, which displays the targets when they are activated.

Playback functions via the front panel controls provide a good range of search speeds, up to 64x normal speed (in both directions), though there is no slomo, just pause with forward and reverse frame step. There is a similar set of options on the network viewer utility, assuming that you can find them. Little seems to have changed since the Eco4 in terms of image quality, and at the highest quality setting with a file size of 45kb per image picture quality is excellent and almost indistinguishable from a live image. Reducing the file size to 30kb has only a marginal effect; deterioration sets in on file sizes of less than 25kb, and only then when there is a lot of movement or fine detail. In fact the picture only starts to look a little ragged around the edges when the file size setting is reduced to 15kb.

Below that the loss of detail becomes much more apparent and at 10kb or less it is hardly worth bothering as picture quality rapidly dips below that of analogue tape. Colour rendition follows a similar trend and starts to decline at file sizes of less than 20kb.

Live and recorded images sent over a network connection also exhibit reduced resolution in fact there are three quality settings, but Medium and Low are quite poor; Low is barely useable. Archived recordings on disk can be saved as is, or compressed to save space. Without compression there is little or no drop in quality in comparison with the original footage. The Eco9 from Dedicated Micros is a nine-channel variant of its Eco family of DVRs which has consistently proved to be a popular option with smaller businesses such as convenience stores.

Interest in the new the Eco9 is extremely high and already Gardiner Security has signed-up to an exclusive agreement with DM to promote and distribute the Eco9 across the UK and mainland Europe. Priced to compete with traditional VCR/Multiplexer combinations, the Eco9 offers an affordable introduction to the benefits of digital recording for small, often independent, business owners, doing away with the tape management issues associated with traditional analogue CCTV solutions. As with the Eco4, which was introduced last year, the new plug and play Eco9 has been designed with ease of use in mind, having been configured to time-lapse record straight out of the box by automatically detecting connected cameras on power-up. Covert camera support ensures that staff pilferage can be minimised in a fast moving retail environment, and a spot monitor acts as a visible deterrent.

The Eco9 can record a single camera in real-time (25/30 PPS) while at the same time playing back recorded images locally via powerful GOTO functions, or remotely through a PC using free network viewing software. An integral CD writer is available for image export for evidential purposes, or if necessary images can be downloaded remotely over a companys IT network, or internet. Pauline Norstrom, DMs Marketing Manager, said: The introduction of the Eco9 gives users an enhanced choice providing a robust, high specification, entry level system, demonstrating that affordable does not have to mean cheap and ineffective. Eco9s extra channels mean that more cameras can be supported from the same unit offering future expansion, giving the small business owner peace of mind that they have chosen a reliable long term CCTV solution.

The item "Dedicated Micros Eco9B-300GB 9 Channel CCTV Recorder & A DOME CAMERA" is in sale since Friday, September 1, 2017. This item is in the category "Home, Furniture & DIY\Smart Home & Surveillance\Home Surveillance\Home Surveillance Parts & Accessories\Other Surveillance Parts & Accessories". The seller is "emmaszone" and is located in London, London. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Antigua and barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Cayman islands, Dominica, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Grenada, French guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Macao, Monaco, Maldives, Montserrat, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Turks and caicos islands, Aruba, Saudi arabia, South africa, United arab emirates, Ukraine, Chile.

Brand: Dedicated Micros
Type: Digital Video Recorder & CAMERA
Features: Wired
MPN: ECO9B