Audio feeds on Hikvision DVR's

[ilan1h2020]

I was wondering how reliable the audio is when reviewing video on Hikvision DVR's? I noticed when I was considering TVI systems that several installers included the possibility of including audio on ONE of the camera channels. If you wanted a second audio channel it would require a different type of DVR and was apparently more difficult to achieve. Audio on all of the channels became incrementally more difficult and expensive. I was wondering how clear and reliable the audio is on such systems? Do you hear them speaking and moving in real time? Or is it a garbled, disjointed mess in which the audio and the video are not perfectly aligned? If there is noise in the room does it make it very difficult to hear or does it sound natural? I'm wondering if this is something worth while having as an additional feature to my security setup. One of my objectives is to listen to patients being educated by medical staff members and to train them accordingly. This would entail being able to follow detailed conversations taking place about 20-30 feet from the camera.

 

[zero-degrees]

Not the feedback you're looking for but my concern wouldn't be audio quality - it's what type of violations you are committing recording medical staff and patient's conversations... I am no lawyer but between HIPA and other Medical Privacy laws I can't believe this is all on the up and up... Again, I'm not the professional in this area, but I also know personally a camera or audio device in my doctors office, dentist office, or even eye doctors office doesn't exactly scream "confidential and comforting". Just my two cents. As for camera options you can get cameras with built in mic which will give you okay quality and will be carried over your existing IP/Cat5 connection but I don't know about at 20-30' range, for that I would get a camera with the ability to connect an external mic and possibly allow you to put the mic closer to your desired location.

 

[ilan1h2020]

My plan was to to have visual only recording throughout the waiting room, reception area and optical shop. The audio recording would be in the area where the employees are (by signed agreement with them). No audio with patients. Throughout the office there would be signage. I don't think that there is any issue with this because most hospitals now have tons of security cameras everywhere (and patients like it). Incidentally, HIPAA is a non-issue in this case because the recordings are not being shared with 3rd parties. Do TVI and IP systems yield similar quality levels of recordings?

 

[zero-degrees]

Okay, I just want to point out "One of my objectives is to listen to patients being educated by medical staff members and to train them accordingly". That pretty much means your listening and recording to both sides of a conversation as you're not going to be able to eliminate what a patient is saying in your recording.

Yes hospitals have cameras everywhere for security and I do appreciate that. However, those are in the hallways and PUBLIC areas.

You will have a much easier time deploying audio within the IP cameras especially if doing so on all or mult cameras then you will with TVI.