Home Security Cameras - Digital / Analog

Video Cassette Recorders use 1/2" tapes to store video information, while Digital Video Recorders use hard drives, thereby storing information digitally. DVR's have surpassed VCR's in sales due to superior features.

This is true because, except for the alarm mode, VCRs offer no quick way to search through the information recorded by home security cameras. The tape must be fast forwarded or rewound sequentially. Also, VCRs store information in an analog format, making further manipulation of the image impossible. Furthermore, the quality of video recorded with VCRs is always lower than the source. These drawbacks are not true of home security cameras with DVRs.

The limitations regarding DVRs have also lessened as home security cameras evolve. What once was a major drawback of home security cameras - the size of the hard drive - has increased substantially. Capacities of over 1000 gigabytes (1 TB) are easily available on modern home security cameras. It is difficult to estimate how much a hard drive will store without first knowing the type of compression that is being used and without first selecting the image quality. Advanced compression ratios which provide a quality image with a relatively small file size, such as MPEG-4, are now standard on DVRs. These qualities have made DVRs the logical choice when deciding on home security cameras.

Digital / Analog Home Security Cameras