Compro Technologies IP540 PTZ Camera
by Cameron Butterfield on October 12, 2010 9:03 PM EST- Posted in
- IP cameras
- camera
- camcorder
- Gadgets
During the review process we have had constant communication with Compro with regard to a few issues we encountered during testing. Before noting the issues I would like to say that Compro Technologies has been very helpful and responsive in addressing them and that the majority of them have been resolved via software updates and firmware updates provided by Compro. While I am noting the initial issues experienced, the review and recommendation will be based upon the performance we are experiencing with the fixes that Compro has provided in place.
The first complication I encountered was an issue with my multiple monitor setup. ComproView was unable to display the video feed on any monitor other than my primary display. The web based viewer however did not demonstrate this problem. Our contact at Compro explained that the software's rendering engine did not support multiple screen displays, but did mention plans to support this in the future. I do hope Compro pursues this feature, as the ability to display the camera software across screens is a necessity for anyone who might want to utilize this software while still being able to use the main screen of the computer for other purposes.
Another issue was with regard to the framerates of the MKV files being generated. The header information with framerate information was not being written correctly. However a new firmware update was provided (v1.51f) that is now adding in header information for the FPS information that used to be blank in MKV files. It was also verified that the AVI files being saved showed the correct framerate now as well.
The next issue we encountered was wildly out of sync audio and video that seemed to be in high speed during the first part of the recording and in slow motion towards the end of the recording on a clip that had been exported from inside the ComproView Software to an AVI file. The problem with the encoding was that the source video utilized variable frame rates, but, when exported to an AVI file, it was playing back at a fixed rate. Compro Technologies provided us with a new version of the ComproView software that now exports to a WMV format that is capable of accommodating variable frame rates in the video. With the software update the issue went away. I was able to export the same video feed to a clip that now plays back perfectly. Kudos to Compro for fixing this issue in a timely manner.
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fausto412 - Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - link
Can we get a round up so we know what else the competition offers. i can't compare and see what i get at different price levels without a roundup.ganeshts - Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - link
I understand :) This is only our 2nd IP camera review. Look for a roundup towards the later part of the year.Right now, there are two options which we have used and tested :
1. Dropcam Echo : Perfect for the AnandTech readers' parents and those who don't want to read up manuals and documentation. Cost : $279 ; has cloud based support, easy sharing with friends by email address with sharing settings as private or public for a given time duration (all the stuff that comes in with cloud based services)
2. Compro IP540 : Perfect for the tech users who don't want to trust their security to the cloud. More business oriented compared to the Dropcam. Cost : $200
Zoomer - Friday, October 15, 2010 - link
Congrats compro for this major coup. :) However, activex support seems a little...quaint these days.Cameron Butterfield, what about reviewing these DVR-like systems that uses analog cameras? They seem to provide a ton of channels, record to hdd, etc, for a very affordable price. Like $300 for a 4 way system with recording capability.
gifpaste - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
Awesome! Looking forward to your roundupnanfy - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
This camera looks great but it isn't even for sale yet. Its on notify from mwave. They also have a PoE version and the optical zoom version but there is no place to buy them from yet.Dk0524 - Tuesday, May 10, 2011 - link
Hi All,I have seen the Compro NC570 in stock at www.ipcam-central.com. That's the Compro HD camera with 12x optical zoom, Pan and Tilt and night vision.
Seems to be a quite powerful offering.
ganeshts - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
I am quite sure there must be some encryption for the stream.Cameron has the review unit in hand, and he will respond ASAP.
cbutters - Thursday, October 14, 2010 - link
Although there is obviously username/password protection on the interface, this camera does not currently support encryption on the stream, compro plans to offer https connection in future professional camera lines starting Q1 2011.nanfy - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Some video samples with both IR on and off in 640x480@30fps and 1280x1024@15 fps would be nice.Thanks
vol7ron - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
agreed. also, is it just one camera per package? or are there packages that come with 4-8 like other comparable devices?