moving target smear/tear

[Bradmph]

Got a couple questions...

First one is this smear tear effect, Only happens on moving objects and on recorded video. Live video streams seem fine, it only shows up when viewing recorded video. This also appears on all 4 cameras recordings. Kind of makes me feel like it is system being over worked and does not create video right. I placed a layer image on top of this frame to only show the effect I am describing.

Second is video resolution choices. It seems I only have these 2 choices as shown in the image above.
1920x1080 & 1280x720. Is this all the choices I get, 2?


Running 4 bullet cams with settings identical to the above post in Hik web page gateway. I am running one camera at a little higher bitrate, in addition to testing variable/constant settings to. Trying to familiarize myself with the effects of settings in BI and Hik pages to get the least amount of system resource hit with the best available recording quality. Not as easy as I thought.
I am getting a high CPU usage using direct to disk too. How do you guys with 32 cameras or 16 on PC's keep the CPU usage down?
Can the software be set to display live at a lower pixel res, while recording a clip in high res.

My system is pretty much high end and it handles high resolution fps gaming real great without attacking the CPU resources. Blue Iris just seems to be a very hungry program for the PC.


System Values
MS Windows PRO 8.1 / 64bit
MSI 970A-G45 - motherboard
16 Gb Crucial Vegeance Ram 1866Mhz
AMD FX 4100 Quad Core CPU / Overclocked 4.6Ghz
AMD Radeon R9/270X 4 Gb GDDR5 DX 11.2 1050Mhz / 1400Mhz
HP 2338h Wide LCD Monitor @ 1920 x 1080 32-bit

 

[fenderman]

What version of BI? The full version number.

 

[gwminor48]

These are 3 or 4mp cameras? If so, I seem to recall that the highest resolution that could had was at 20 fps or lower but I could be wrong. It's usually recommended to have receive buffer set to at least 20mb, how is yours set? You are correct Blue Iris is a cpu hog. Direct-to-disc makes more difference for me than anything else. And yes, you can limit live view rate for the program without affecting recording.

 

[MaxIcon]

What you're seeing is dropped p-frames. The p-frames are what overwrites the changed pixels from the last frame, so if they get lost, you end up with parts of the image that don't get replaced when they change. When the next i-frame comes along, it overwrites everything and starts fresh.

The fact that the live view is good and the recordings are messed up indicates that your network and CPU are able to handle the load, but you're losing data when it records it.

Your CPU only benches at 4038 at the default clock, which is not super high these days, but it should be able to handle 4 cams ok overclocked with DTD enabled. Also, the bit rate looks a little low for 30 fps at 2MP, but that should affect the capture quality during motion, not whether the frames get dropped. If this is an older system, the hard disk subsystem may not be up to handling that many data streams; this is an area that has improved a lot on chipsets in recent years.

If it were mine, I'd turn down the frame rate for starters. Most people don't need 30 fps. I run 10 fps on a mix of 9 1, 2, and 3MP cams, all at 4096 kbps, but my CPU (i5-3570k) benches at 7154, and the chipset hard disk subsystem is much better than earlier generations.

Another option would be to disable cams one at a time and see if it goes away.

 

[Bradmph]

Happy Halloween All!
Sorry for the delay in responding.

I have just today updated to the new BI software from 4.2.2.6 to 4.2.3.3 now and lowered my hik video setting from 30fps (1920 × 1080) to 30fps (1280 × 720). On 3 cameras I use Non IR and only available light at 1/12 at night, one camera is 1/30 with IR enabled. All cameras are set as follows in the image I posted below of hik settings page. Direct to dedicated disk at the unchanged BI setting of 3MB Receive Buffer.

I am now only using 45% to 50% during night time surveillance. I have not yet checked daytime CPU usage at this time, but will update as soon as the cameras switch to day hours.

One thing I don't like about the latest BI software is that I am having a problem arranging my video windows within BI. Before I could click and drag a frame to the position I wanted in the main window, but now it immediately increases to full size on a single click. I'm sure this is just a setting within BI that I have not yet corrected.

x 4

Camera Specifications for all 4 cameras used are as follows:

Image Sensor:	|	1/3" Progressive Scan CMOS
Signal System:	|	PAL/NTSC
Min. Illumination:	|	0.07Lux @ (F1.2, AGC ON), 0 Lux with IR
Shutter time:	|	1/3 s to 1/100,000 s
Lens:	|	4mm@ F2.0 (6mm, 12mm optional) 2048 × 1536: Angle of view: 70°(4mm), 43.3°(6mm), 20.6°(12mm) 1920 × 1080: Angle of view: 79°(4mm), 49°(6mm), 23.2°(12mm)
Lens Mount:	|	M12
Auto Iris:	|	DC drive
Day& Night:	|	IR cut filter with auto switch
Wide Dynamic Range:	|	Digital WDR
Digital noise reduction:	|	3D DNR
Compression Standard
Video Compression:	|	H.264/MJPEG
Video bit rate:	|	32Kbps~12Mbps
Dual Stream:	|	Yes
Image
Max. Image Resolution:	|	2048×1536
Frame Rate:	|	50Hz: 20fps (2048 × 1536), 25fps (1920 × 1080), 25fps (1280 × 720) 60Hz: 20fps (2048 × 1536), 30fps (1920 × 1080), 30fps (1280 × 720)
Image Settings:	|	Rotate mode, Saturation, Brightness, Contrast adjustable by client software or web browser
BLC:	|	Yes, zone configurable
ROI:	|	Support
Network
Network Storage:	|	NAS (Support NFS,SMB/CIFS)
Alarm Trigger:	|	Line Crossing, Intrusion Detection, Motion detection, Dynamic analysis, Tampering alarm, Network disconnect , IP address conflict, Storage exception
Protocols:	|	TCP/IP,ICMP,HTTP,HTTPS,FTP,DHCP,DNS,DDNS,RTP,RTSP,RTCP, PPPoE,NTP,UPnP,SMTP,SNMP,IGMP,802.1X,QoS,IPv6,Bonjour
Security:	|	User Authentication, Watermark, IP address filtering, anonymous access, flickerless, heartbeat, video mask
System Compatibility:	|	ONVIF (Profile S, Profile G), PSIA, CGI, ISAPI
Interface
Communication Interface:	|	1 RJ45 10M / 100M Ethernet interface
Reset Button:	|	Yes
General
Operating Conditions:	|	-30 °C ~ 60 °C (-22 °F ~ 140 °F) Humidity 95% or less (non-condensing)
Power Supply:	|	12 VDC ± 10%, PoE (802.3af)
Power Consumption:	|	Max. 5 W (Max. 7 W with IR cut filter on)
Weather Proof:	|	IP66
IR Range:	|	-I: Approx 20 to 30 meters(65.6-98.4ft)
Dimensions:	|	60.4×76.9×139.28 mm (2.4” × 3.0” × 5.5”)
Weight:	|	500g (1.1 lbs)

 

[fenderman]

You must have selected solo selected camera..its on the bottom left of the ptz bar...make sure the camera icon is gray not green.

 

[MaxIcon]

I have just today updated to the new BI software from 4.2.2.6 to 4.2.3.3 now and lowered my hik video setting from 30fps (1920 × 1080) to 30fps (1280 × 720). On 3 cameras I use Non IR and only available light at 1/12 at night, one camera is 1/30 with IR enabled. All cameras are set as follows in the image I posted below of hik settings page. Direct to dedicated disk at the unchanged BI setting of 3MB Receive Buffer.

With 1/12 sec exposure, your frame rates will drop to 12 fps when the light is low enough for the exposure to drop that low. 30 fps can only be sustained at 1/30 sec or above in low light. When it's bright enough, it doesn't matter, but the frame rate can never be higher than the inverse of the exposure.

I prefer higher resolution and lower frame rate, as well as minimal motion blur, since lower resolution and motion blur can prevent you from getting a good ID. Lower frame rate loses some smoothness, but if it enables higher resolution, your ability to ID is better. YMMV, as always!

 

[ANTH040]

With 1/12 sec exposure, your frame rates will drop to 12 fps when the light is low enough for the exposure to drop that low. 30 fps can only be sustained at 1/30 sec or above in low light. When it's bright enough, it doesn't matter, but the frame rate can never be higher than the inverse of the exposure.

I prefer higher resolution and lower frame rate, as well as minimal motion blur, since lower resolution and motion blur can prevent you from getting a good ID. Lower frame rate loses some smoothness, but if it enables higher resolution, your ability to ID is better. YMMV, as always!

Thats interesting I am getting really bad blur in very low light I am even struggling to id myself as I walk from my car. So what your saying is 1/12 I will need a 12 or lower frame rate 1/6 would be 6 or lower to stop the blur?

 

[Bradmph]

Seems the changes I have made by updating software and lowering resolution, maintaining frame rates, fixed the ghosting, blur, smears. I had a chance to run the cameras all day at the 30fps (1280 × 720) and ended up with 256 clips, lol. I worked in the yard all day and should of turned the cameras off maybe. I am getting decent numbers even on a duel core Intel Pentium 640 @ 2.80GHz 64 bit system. Not fantastic, but it can record without frame problems. I think this will be my last 15 days of BI trials and I will probably make the purchase. I'm going to check for promo codes if any are floating around online.
I have to re-adjust the positions of 3 cameras which is not a problem. I fixed the camera layout window also, Thanks Fenderman!
Here is a shot of my goofy across the street neighbor from the duel core system, off a second story perch.


It surprises me how much traffic our street gets during the day. Also watching the occasional 1-3AM guys out there too. The most surprising is the cat population that occurs here. My gaud there must be 6 or more of these fury mousers outside in the wee hours. They own the place from about 12AM to 4AM and have these little union meetings when a new one arrives. They seem to all get along pretty well, except for this pair that gets let out behind our house. One is an orange and white striped and his buddy is a coon. The coon has this blood curdling scream sometimes when they disagree with stuff. Sounds like he is getting his head ripped off.

 

[MaxIcon]

Thats interesting I am getting really bad blur in very low light I am even struggling to id myself as I walk from my car. So what your saying is 1/12 I will need a 12 or lower frame rate 1/6 would be 6 or lower to stop the blur?

What you need is to set a maximum exposure time of 1/30 sec. The frame rate doesn't matter in this case. 1/30 sec will avoid motion blur for walkers, but runners will still blur. 1/60 sec reduces it even more, but Hiks get pretty noisy at 1/60 in low light, and many people use 1/30 as the best compromise between low motion blur and noise.

Long exposures set a maximum frame rate, but short exposures set a minimum frame rate. At 1/30 sec, you can run 30 fps or lower with no problems, but you couldn't run 60 fps. At 6 fps, you can run 1/6 second or faster, but anything below 1/30 second will cause motion blur.

Here's an example of a runner at 1/30 sec in daylight. 1/60 sec would have frozen the motion much better:

 

[wxman]

Thats interesting I am getting really bad blur in very low light I am even struggling to id myself as I walk from my car. So what your saying is 1/12 I will need a 12 or lower frame rate 1/6 would be 6 or lower to stop the blur?

Not exactly. Basically what they're saying is that given a 1/X exposure time, the "net/effective" frame rate cannot go above X.

That exposure time is the length of time (in seconds) between each time the camera's shutter opens up to snap an image for your video.....That is, a 1/12 exposure means the camera's lens opens up to take a snapshot every 1/12th of a second (or 12 times each second)....Your frame rate is the number of snapshots per second of the video stream that your recording software/hardware records.

Example one: Shutter/exposure time of 1/60 and a recorder recording at 30 frames per second.....In this case, your camera lens is opening up to grab a new snapshot 60 times per second and the recorder is recording a snapshot 30 times per second. Your net result would be that only every other snapshot is recorded (that is, though your camera lens is physically opening for a snapshot 60 times per second, only 30 of those are getting recorded to make up your video stream).

Example two: Shutter/exposure time of 1/15 and a recorder recording at 30 frames per second.....In this case, your camera lens is opening up to grab a new snapshot 15 times per second and the recorder is taking 30 snapshots per second. Your net result is that though the recorder is snapping 30 images a second to make your video, the camera lens is only opening enough to produce 15 unique images a second, thus rendering the extra 15 snapshots that your recorder is recording as useless frames...Anything over 15 frames per second would not deteriorate your video quality, but it would be useless. Even if this was the year 2050 and you had a high tech recorder that could record a thousand frames per second, a 1/15 exposure time is still only going to provide 15 unique images a second and 985 of those recorder frames would be useless data.

In summary, if you're on a 1/12 exposure, the "blur" is caused by the camera lens only opening to allow an image 12 times per second. If you set your frame rate lower than 12, that will only increase the blur and/or jumpiness because you won't even be recording all 12 of the frames each second that the camera is providing.....Having a frame rate above 12 will not make the blur any worse, but it also won't help make it go away because your net result is still only 12 unique images per second.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Bradmph]

Wxman/Maxicon , thanks for the migraine :confused3: .....Nooo... I'm just kidding, That information you gave is exactly the kind of info I need to learn this video stuff. Though, I will have to read it over a few times to get it to sink into my old brain. Being a retired Graphic Artist in the Union, I thought I would know more then I actually do about camera and video. Too much Digital Pre-press and not enough camera experience.
I thought that just having more fps with video is the bigger benefit, but this could be because of my computer gaming history I have about fps requirements. Having good fps in gaming is great, but this doesn't include exposure settings, like in video. Well sort of, but this is just called refresh rates if I am correct.
With video, finding that sweet spot where you have good frame exposure information recorded without blur or wasting processor resources, in addition to a decent FPS is frustrating to locate at times. Then there is video noise to be concerned about that can cause degradations. Once you get all these settings tuned and working the best you can, along comes the night time and changes it all, Oh!, can't forget about the constant light changing outside since it is all uncontrolled too.
Do we have any postings here that give the optimum settings for Hikvision cameras in typical formats. I hear you all say to drop fps to like 20fps, but doesn't this cause a choppy video when viewing and less of a chance to catch a possible face identification. Or is a choppy video ok since the exposures are better in sync with the fps, giving better stop action details instead of blurry recording.


And I thought this was all going to be Plug and Play, boy was I wrong, lol. Thanks Again, copied your info for personal use.

 

[wxman]

20fps should be good enough in 99% of cases. From a security aspect, all you really need is one good snapshot of the criminal. The 20fps is the equivalent of taking 20 snapshots each second. If the criminal is in view for 15 seconds, that gives you 300 still snapshots of the person (20 per second multiplied by 15 seconds)...Surely out of those 300 images, at least a few of them will be good enough to identify the person.

Also (at least with the 3 megapixel cams) 20fps is the highest available when using the full 3 megapixel resolution. In order to get a higher frame rate (up to 30 fps), you have to lower the resolution to roughly 2 megapixels. Though that would provide your video with 10 more snapshots per second, all snapshots would be of lower resolution/lower quality.....I would prefer 20 snapshots each second at 3mp resolution than 30 snapshots a second at 2mp resolution if I were trying to get a clear image to identify a person.