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Geovision Cards FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What type of files can I export video as and how do I do it?
Geovision surveillance videos can be exported as AVI files. The process to export video as an AVI file can be found on Page 7 of Chapter 4 of the online Geovision manual.

2. How do I change the location and disk drive that the video files are saved to?
The location of the video files is referred to as the "Video Log Storage". The location can be set on the General Settings tab under System Configure screen. Please refer to figure 1.3 on Page 4, Chapter 1 of the online Geovision manual. Also, refer to page 6.

3. Do Geovision cards support live and recorded audio?
Yes. Please refer to our online Geovision audio surveillance setup instructions or to the Geovision manual chapter 1, pages 20 and 33.

4. Can surveillance cameras be accessed remotely over the Internet using Geovision?
Yes. That is one of the main features of the Geovision software. Geovision DVR cards support the ability to view surveillance video remotely from a computer (PC) connected to the Internet or to the same network as the Geovision DVR computer. Click here for the different options for remote Internet viewing using Geovision. You can also refer to chapter 8 of the Geovision manual.

5. Can Geovision be configured to automatically start up in Windows or run as a service?
To configure Geovision to automatically log in, you must go into the system configure screen and on the left-hand side, you will see a row of checkboxes. One of the checkboxes says Startup Auto login with a green arrow next to it where you specify your login credentials. Once that is filled out properly, it should load and login automatically. Don't forget to actually start monitoring. There is another checkbox that must be checked to enable the recording after login.

If you want to configure Windows to automatically log a certain user in on startup please refer to: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231. If you have not configured more than one user in Windows and if the Windows welcome screen is not enabled, you may not need to make the changes in the Windows support article.

6. What hardware is recommended for Geovision cards?
Each Geovision card has different requirements. The manufacturer has provided the following system requirements and recommendations for Geovision cards: Geovision System Requirements.

7. What size hard drive should I plan on having to record and store the surveillance video?
The amount of hard drive space required to record video depends basically on 3 things:

  1. The resolution of the security camera
  2. The video quality level that you have the camera set to record at in Geovision (1-5)
  3. The type of video compression that you use
The Geovision software has a built-in hard drive calculator to give you very accurate estimates for your particular system. CCTV Camera Pros ran the following tests to give customers an estimate in order to plan their hard drive size.

Test A: Used a 370 TVL CCTV camera, recording for 10 hours continuously, using MPEG4 H.264 encoding, and the highest quality video setting in Geovision (5)

Resolution: Space Used
320 x 240: 372.79 (MB)
640 x 480: 467.84 (MB)
720 x 480: 645.10 (MB)

Test B: Used a 470 TVL CCTV camera recording for 10 hours continuous, using MPEG4 H.264 encoding, and the highest quality video setting in Geovision (5)

Resolution: Space Used
320 x 240: 496.74 (MB)
640 x 480: 623.12 (MB)
720 x 480: 1.01 (GB)

8. What does the performance setting do on the configure menu?
The GV650, GV-750, GV-800, GV-900, and GV-1000 have a performance option on the configure menu within the Geovision main system. There are three options within this menu that do the following:
  • Preview Master: The computer's system resources are more focused on the monitoring when this is selected so that the display speed increases.
  • Both Master: The computer's system resources are focused on both the display and recording speed equally so performance is average for both.
  • Record Master: The computer's system resources are focused more on the recording when this is selected.
More information can be found on chapter1, page 30 of the Geovision manual.

9. Can I control a PTZ camera using Geovision?
Yes. You can control a PTZ camera using your Geovision DVR by adding a GV-NET card. The GV-Net card allows you to connect RS-485 twisted pair wire for controlling your PTZ functions to your Geovision computer. Click here to view the GV-Net installation guide.

10. Can Geovision notify me on my cell phone when a camera detects motion or when there is an alarm trigger?
Yes. Geovision supports the ability to send email alerts and to also send SMS (text message) alerts to you. More information on notification settings can be found in chapter 9, page 29 of the Geovision manual.

11. Does the Geovision GV-600-16 card have the "D" type connections that have the 2 DB-15 connectors?
Yes, the Geovision GV-600-16 does come with the D-type video and audio connections, which can be seen here: GV-600-16.

12. I want to make sure that my employees that have access to the Geovision computer cannot turn the Geovision software off. How do I do this?

  1. Setup a password for your Geovision system and do not give the password to anyone that you do not want to have access to it.
  2. When the Geovision software starts, you DO NOT have to actually log in to it for the cameras to be online and available over the network / Internet or to start recording. You can set both recording and the webcam server (along with any other service) to start automatically at startup.
  3. So instead of logging in to Geovision and minimizing the Geovision screen, start Geovision but do not log in with your userid and password.