GE TruVision DVR 10 Installation guide

FAQ Guide
TruVision DVR 10
4-channel H.264 Digital Video Recorder
TM

TruVision DVR 10 Table of Contents i
Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................... 1
Overview.....................................................................................................................................................................................1
Access......................................................................................................................... 1
What is the default passcode for the TVR 10?.........................................................................................................1
I’ve lost my passcode for the front panel and I can't get into the menus or connect
via the Ethernet port.............................................................................................................................................................1
How many user accounts can I create on the TVR 10? ......................................................................................1
How do I install the browser software?.......................................................................................................................1
When I try to connect to a TVR 10 with my browser, I get a message that says,
“Please check digicap.ocx.” What should I do?......................................................................................................1
How many concurrent users can connect to a TVR 10? ....................................................................................2
Firmware/upgrade ........................................................................................................................................2
How do I upgrade the firmware of the DVR? ...........................................................................................................2
Whenever I upload the latest flash update file, I get a flash error. What’s wrong? ..............................2
Network ...........................................................................................................................................................2
Does the TVR 10 support DDNS?....................................................................................................................................2
What ports need to be forwarded for remote access to TVR 10?..................................................................2
How do I change the IP address on the TVR10?.....................................................................................................2
Usability...........................................................................................................................................................2
How do I playback video on a PC?.................................................................................................................................2
Can I search playback by hours and minutes on a TVR 10?.............................................................................3
I want to search for motion events, but I’m having problems?.......................................................................3
The IR remote does not work, why?..............................................................................................................................3
Where do I get the TVR 10 player application so I can playback video on my PC?...............................3
How do I acknowledge an alarm to shut it off from the front panel?..........................................................3
What is variable and constant bit rate? When would I use one over the other? ..................................3
What PTZ protocols are supported?.............................................................................................................................3
Does the KTD-405 keyboard work with the TVR 10? ............................................................................................3
What is the minimum and maximum distance of the IR remote control?.................................................3
How do you set up motion detection from the front panel of the DVR.......................................................3
Surveillance ....................................................................................................................................................4
What conditions will trigger the alarm out? .............................................................................................................4
Video quality...................................................................................................................................................4
What is the maximum rate in terms of frames per second (fps) I can set for my cameras?............4

TruVision DVR 10 Table of Contents ii
Compatibility ..................................................................................................................................................4
Will the TVR 10 work with an intrusion alarm system? .......................................................................................4
What are the system requirements of the PC to run the Browser? ..............................................................4
Technical .........................................................................................................................................................4
Why are there so many recorded files and how are the record files organized? ..................................4
What is H.264 video compression?...............................................................................................................................5
Maintenance...................................................................................................................................................5
How can I reduce the risk of power surges from lightning strikes damaging my DVRs?...................5
Service and support ......................................................................................................................................5
Where can I find the latest documentation?............................................................................................................5
Where can I find warranty information on GE Security equipment?............................................................5
How do I return GE Security equipment for repairs?............................................................................................5
Does GE Security provide product training?.............................................................................................................5
Technical support ..................................................................................................................................................................6

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 1
Introduction
Overview
This is the GE Security TruVision DVR 10 (TVR 10) Frequently Asked Questions. This document answers typi-
cal questions about the TVR 10 digital video recorder. The questions are divided into several categories.
Access
Q: What is the default passcode for the TVR 10?
A: The default passcode for the TVR 10 is:
 Account: admin
 Passcode: 1234
This passcode is also required when logging in using the browser software.
Q: I’ve lost my passcode for the front panel and I can't get into the menus or connect via the Ethernet
port.
A: If the user account was setup by the admin account, then log-in as admin and change the passcode, or
delete and create a new account. If the admin passcode is lost, you will need to send the DVR to the GE
Service Center for reconfiguration of the DVR. (See Service and support questions.)
Q: How many user accounts can I create on the TVR 10?
A: The administrator may create up to 15 user accounts. Each user may have a unique passcode. The
same user name and passcode is also used for remote browser log-in.
Q: How do I install the browser software?
A: If the TVR 10 is set up on a static IP address, simply type the IP address of the DVR into the address box in
your web browser. Do not enter leading zeros. For example, the IP address is 192.168.020.012; enter this in
your browser as 192.168.20.12. Also, make sure you have admin rights on your computer to install ActiveX
controls. Your browser security settings should also enable or prompt for Signed ActiveX controls to be in-
stalled and run on the computer.
Q: When I try to connect to a TVR 10 with my browser, I get a message that says, “Please check digi-
cap.ocx.” What should I do?
A: If you have used the computer to connect to a TVR 10 before this, go to the C:\windosw\system32 folder
and delete the digicap.ocx file.

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 2
Q: How many concurrent users can connect to a TVR 10?
A: The TVR 10 supports up to 6 simultaneous remote users plus the local DVR user. Users may be logged in
as user or admin.
Firmware/upgrade
Q: How do I upgrade the firmware of the DVR?
A: The firmware may be upgraded via the USB port or via the Browser. See the User’s Manual for specific
instructions.
Q: Whenever I upload the latest flash update file, I get a flash error. What’s wrong?
A: The TVR 10 has detected a problem with the flash file or the USB flash drive. Try downloading the flash
file again and perform the flash operation with the newly downloaded file. If that doesn’t work, try using a
different USB flash drive device to load the file onto the TVR 10. If you still can’t update the firmware, con-
tact technical support for assistance.
Network
Q: Does the TVR 10 support DDNS?
A: Yes, the TVR 10 supports Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS) through DynDNS website
(www.dyndns.com) which is a free service.
Q: What ports need to be forwarded for remote access to TVR 10?
A: As a default, ports 80 and 8000 need to be forwarded in the router/switch to the TVR 10 IP address. Refer
to the router manufacturer’s installation instructions for port forwarding information.
Q: How do I change the IP address on the TVR10?
A: At the DVR, log in as admin. Use the front panel buttons, mouse or IR remote control to navigate to the
Network menu and change the IP address, submask, gateway and DNS.
Usability
Q: How do I playback video on a PC?
A: When archiving video, there is a player that can be exported from the DVR. The player is also on the CD
that shipped with the TVR 10.

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 3
Q: Can I search playback by hours and minutes on a TVR 10?
A: Yes, the TVR 10 lets you search by hour and minute.
Q: I want to search for motion events, but I’m having problems?
A: When searching video for motion events, make sure the record option is set to Motion + Alarm, or Motion
OR Alarm.
Q: The IR remote does not work, why?
A: Check the ID code in the TVR 10 and make sure it is set to 255 [default setting]. If you want to program a
different ID number, you will need to program the DVR and the IR remote to use the same ID number, be-
tween 1 and 254.
Q: Where do I get the TVR 10 player application so I can playback video on my PC?
A: When you archive a video clip from the DVR via the USB port, the player application will automatically be
added to the export media. The player is also available on the CD that shipped with the DVR.
Q: How do I acknowledge an alarm to shut it off from the front panel?
A: Log in to the DVR and select Utilities. Select Alarm, and click STOP.
Q: What is variable and constant bit rate? When would I use one over the other?
A: Use of variable bit rate helps reduce file size—which means that the HDD can store more days of re-
corded video and less data is needed to transmit over a network, making the DVR more network friendly.
Q: What PTZ protocols are supported?
A: There are over 30 PTZ protocols supported in the TVR 10 including GE RS-422, GE RS-485, Pelco P & D.
Check the user’s manual for additional PTZ protocols.
Q: Does the KTD-405 keyboard work with the TVR 10?
A: Yes, if configured properly. The 405 keyboard will not control the DVR front panel, but will enable com-
mand and control of PTZ cameras.
Q: What is the minimum and maximum distance of the IR remote control?
A: It is suggested to use the IR remote control within 2- to 15-feet. This assumes line of sight. Point the
front of the IR remote to the front of the TVR 10.
Q: How do you set up motion detection from the front panel of the DVR.
A: It is easiest to configure motion detection using the mouse or IR remote control.

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 4
Surveillance
Q: What conditions will trigger the alarm out?
A: The relay output can only be triggered by a hardwired alarm input.
Video quality
Q: What is the maximum rate in terms of frames per second (fps) I can set for my cameras?
A: The TVR 10 has a maximum of 120 fps at CIF resolution. The maximum frame rate (per channel) at the
various resolutions:
 4CIF: 6 fps per channel (applies to both NTSC and PAL)
 DCIF: 12 fps per channel (applies to both NTSC and PAL)
 2CIF: 15 fps per channel (applies to both NTSC and PAL)
 CIF: 25fps (PAL) or 30 fps (NTSC) per channel
Compatibility
Q: Will the TVR 10 work with an intrusion alarm system?
A: Yes, but there are limits. The TVR 10 alarm relay (output) can be used to generate an alarm input to an
intrusion alarm system. Vice versa, the intrusion alarm system can output an alarm as an alarm input to
the TVR 10 to trigger video recording per camera.
Q: What are the system requirements of the PC to run the Browser?
A: Intel-based or compatible PC with 1 GHz speed:
 1 GB RAM or more
 Windows XP or later
 IE 6.x or later
 Network connection with appropriate ports open in firewall at both client and DVR side of network
cloud.
Technical
Q: Why are there so many recorded files and how are the record files organized?
A: The TVR10 uses “HDD pre-allocation technology”. By pre-allocating the hard disk drive into sections of

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 5
128MBs, the hard disk drive will not be fragmented. So the sizes of the recorded files are all 128MBs. But
there are exceptions—such as when you set the DVR to event recording (i.e. motion detection, alarm, video
tampering) the recorded files will have different file sizes up to 128MBs.
The benefit of not having the hard disk drive fragmented is shorter average seek times when accessing the
hard drive to search, archive, and/or playback video. This results in faster performance.
Q: What is H.264 video compression?
A: H.264 video compression (also known as MPEG-4 AVC or MPEG-4 Part 10) contains a number of new
features that allow it to compress video much more effectively than older H.263, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4
compression standards. H.264 compression is a standard that provides more flexibility, more compression,
easier transport of video data over networks and more storage of video on Hard Disk Drives.
Maintenance
Q: How can I reduce the risk of power surges from lightning strikes damaging my DVRs?
A: There are several third-party external surge-protection devices you can use to reduce damage caused
by lightning. We strongly recommend that you use these devices with DVRs operating in a lightning-prone
geographical areas.
Service and support
Q: Where can I find the latest documentation?
A: Go to our website www.gesecurity.com. From the Customer Support menu, select the Resource Library
link. After you register and log on, you may search for the documentation you need.
Q: Where can I find warranty information on GE Security equipment?
A: Go to our website at www.gesecurity.com. From the Customer Support menu, select Return and War-
ranty Policy Statement or Terms and Conditions Policy Statement.
Q: How do I return GE Security equipment for repairs?
A: You will need to request an RMA (return material authorization) by contacting the appropriate customer
service center listed in the Return and Warranty Policy Statement. Go to our website at
www.gesecurity.com. From the Customer Support menu, select Return and Warranty Policy Statement.
Q: Does GE Security provide product training?
A: GE Security provides online and classroom training for selected products. To view available online train-
ing for GE Security products, go to our website at www.gesecurity.com and select the Training link.

TruVision DVR 10 Frequently Asked Questions 6
Q. Technical support
A: 888 GE Security (888.437.3287), toll-free in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
+1.503.885.5700 outside the toll-free area, or contact your local dealer.
www.gesecurity.com