i know 1/3 chip is better than a 1/4 chip

and a sony chip is better than a sharp chip

but would joe public no or am i spending more than i need to on a standard install

I think the only difference, apart from physical size, between 1/3 and 1/4 lenses is the smaller chips have a lesser field of view per mm of lense. I think the sony/sharp thing is just down to favourites, there won't be much in it and I don't think a customer would notice.

I reckon you get what you pay for though!

We had this similar sort of question before, the difference between the chips is as follows.

In terms of performance the 1/4" chips just dont cut the mustard yet, theyre catching up fast but not there yet.

You will notice generally you can only get them for internal conditions.

The chip size is driven by the camcorder market which is clearly massive compared to CCTV. That market demands smaller and the manufactures want smaller to save silicon. The difference in one chip is miniscule but imagine how many chips are made worldwide.......megabucks!

As for the difference between Sony and Sharp, i would say your brainwashed by the very succesful sales pitch that Sony = Quality, which is generally true but not always the case. The plus point from that is that Joe P also believe anything made by Sony is quality so i would always push the Sony name also, even though Joe P wouldnt be able to spot the difference anyway. B)