Would anyone be able to explain what these wires are for and what I need to buy so that I can connect them up to a dvr system. I have 2 cameras outside but the previous owner took everything from inside and just left these wires. I have tried to make contact with them but they won't return my calls
Those are for an analog camera system, so you would need a DVR with BNC (analog) inputs.
The red jacks are for 12VDC input to the cams, the yellow is the camera's composite video output and the white designates audio output (unlikely to do much, perhaps owner just purchased A/V extension cables at Walmart). Maybe the cameras DO have microphones...you'd need the cam's make/model info to determine.
Again, I'd first try to confirm make/model of cams, just in case they are higher resolution HD-TVI, which determines the DVR.
I'd also be tempted to forget about doing anything with the existing wiring and cams, and save my money for a decent POE NVR and some IP cameras from Empire Technology ( @EMPIRETECANDY ) or Nelly's ( @Sean Nelson )
I just realized I was very likely wrong....in the second photo I see one of the red connectors is female but is labeled "7.5 VDC". Not sure what's going on, perhaps power to a microphone?
To add to the confusion, one of the red ones is male, the other is female.....usually the camera is female and power is 12VDC...not at all what I would expect.
Note also that the strain relief ribs on the 2 sets are different; 3 are alike each other but different from the other 3, might help narrow down how they are run.
Yes, you've got some discovery to perform....hope I didn't derail or confuse you too much.
P.S. - As noted in another recent post, I mever nake mistakes...I thought I did once, but it turned out I was wrong!