More Newbie Questions (sorry!)

[RickStevens]

I'm really sorry to keep mithering you people with basic questions, but I'm interested in learning and the best way I know how is by asking those who already have the knowledge. If I start getting on your nerves please say so and I'll laeve you alone.

Multiplexers this time........

Following the sound advice from you guys, my TLVCR is now working with my scart camera and I'm planning the next stage. Being on quite a tight budget I will need to buy the bits one at a time. I want to expand to 6 (ish) camera's some inside and some outside.

The pictures of multiplexers I've seen seem to have buttons assigned to individual camera's, does this mean it will only record the selected camera's? If so will it split the screen accordingly. ie 4 cams selected, screen split into 4. 6 cams selected screen split into 6 etc. I dont want to buy a 6 channel multiplexer if I only have 2 cams at the time and it only displays 2 small segments and 4 black ones.

Also can you have the facility to record all inputs and display them all on one screen, but have a seperate screen displaying only selected inputs.

If you guys have any links to an internet resources that might be able to give a bit more of a grounding, could you post them for me?

Thanks again

Rick

[james.wilson]

Rick

I think your confused what a plexer does.

Its primary role is to swithc full size video sequentially to the vcr. So

1....2.....3.....4......5......6......1.....2.......3...4.....5 etc etc

then on playback it discards the other images and only shows say cam 1. This is then updated as a new image is 'played' from the vcr.

Now most (not all) plexers also split screen, duplex units can split whilst encoding (the process of putting images to the vcr)

split screen units (usually quads) only do this 'split screen' but it means your only recording a 1/4 of the available resolution.

Plexers are better but will be left for dead by modern dvr's

[RickStevens]

You're right, I got that completely mixed up.

I understand that I will lose resolution by splitting the screen, but isn't that relative to the size if the screen you're viewing the images on?

Can you get 6 way screen splitters, or are they all 4 way?

I understand what you're saying about DVR's but I'm just getting started at the moment and am happy to stay with tapes for the time being.

What would be the most cost effective method of expanding my present 1 cam and TLVCR into

6 cams all recorded and displayed on 1 monitor, with a seperate monitor displaying just 2 of the cams?

[Rich]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CCTV-MULTIPLEXER-DED...tem110089662233

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CCTV-BAXALL-MULTIPLE...tem320079689941

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tecton-Drax-CCTV-Mul...tem300078452705

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PANASONIC-CCTV-16-WA...tem110089966226

Take your pick out of those, all reasonable units. You will find your options for a split screen are 4, 9 or 16 segements, some will do picture in picture, or a quad screen with one image in one quater then the other 3 sections split into quads for 12 more cameras.

[RickStevens]

ok then rick

lets assume your using a vhs 240 line recoder (240 vertical) if you then split to 4 then you will have 120 line vertical. (or a quarter of available) now put that on a 5 " monitor it will be 120 lines. Or a 42" plasma will still be 120 lines. Try it and see!

James

Ah I understand, so basically I will have 4 poor pictures