Safety Vision OBSERVER 2100 User manual

OBSERVER® 2100
DVR Monitor User Guide
Document Version 2.0

OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 1

OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Important Notices
Title: Observer®2100 User Guide
Firmware version:
Document version: 2
Revision: 0
Safety Vision attempts to provide information contained
in this manual based on the latest product information
available at the time of publication. However, because of
Safety Vision’s policy of continual product improvement,
Safety Vision reserves the right to amend the information in
this document at any time without prior notice.
This material is condential and the property of
Safety Vision. It is shared with your company for the sole
purpose of helping you with the operation of the described
equipment.
Safety Vision makes no warranty of any kind with regard
to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability and tness for a particular
purpose. Safety Vision shall not be liable for errors
contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages
in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of
this material.
Safety Vision expressly disclaims all responsibility and
liability for the installation, use, performance, maintenance,
and support of third-party products. Customers are advised
to make their independent evaluation of such products.
No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced,
or translated to another language without the prior written
consent of Safety Vision.
Safety Vision® is a registered trademark of Safety Vision, LLC. All
other products or name brands mentioned in this document are
trademarks of their respective owners. For more information
about Safety Vision and its products, go to
www.safetyvision.com or call 800-880-8855.

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 3 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Table of Contents
Introduction 5
Components 6
SD Card 7
Installation 8
Bracket Installation 9
Removal of Shipping Magnet 9
Using the Front Panel 10
On-Screen Display 11
Main Menu Functions 11
Player (Video Playback) 13
Settings Menu Overview 15
Settings Menu 16
Record 16
Display 18
Memory 20
System 21
Using the PC Player 23
Appendix A: Specications 26
Appendix B: Dimensions 27
Appendix C: Recording Times 28

4OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE

5
OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 5
Introduction
The Safety Vision Observer 2100 DVR Monitor combines
an 8” LCD touchscreen monitor, control box, digital
video recorder (DVR) and emergency battery back-up,
all into one easy-to-install unit. The full-featured DVR re-
cords video while also providing the assistance of a rear
vision system. The compact case is rated IP67 allowing
it to be integrated into a variety of dierent vehicle ap-
plications.
The large 8” LCD touchscreen can display all four
cameras at once and still provide sharp images for
each channel. It can also be quickly switched to single,
double, or triple channel display. The conguration and
playback menus are intuitive and easy to use with the
touch interface. A control panel provides access to the
most frequently used functions and includes a day/night
sensor.
Recorded video comes complete with metadata that
provides accelerometer data, GPS location, active trig-
gers, and time stamp.
Features
• Battery back-up ensures events are recorded even
when power is lost
• Automatic day/night sensor adjusts brightness
• Four event triggers easily customizable to a variety
of vehicles
• LCD technology ensures bright and sharp images
• Secure locking door protects storage media

6OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Components
1 - Security Door - Secures the SD cards against theft or
tampering.
2 - SD Card Slots - See procedure on the next page.
3 - Door Lock - Insert the included key and turn it all the
way to the right to unlock the security door. Close the door
and turn the key to the left to lock it again.
4 - Shipping Magnet Screw - A magnet prevents the
backup battery from discharging during shipping and must
be removed before use. See procedure in the Installation
section.
5 - Touch Screen Display - Lightly “tap” the screen to
input commands. Do not exert excessive pressure on the
touch screen.
6 - Front Panel - The Front Panel includes capacitive
buttons as well as the Recording Indicator LED and an
ambient light sensor. See a full description in the Using the
Front Panel section.
7 - Power Harness Connector (blue) - Connect the
power harness as described in the Installation section.
8 - Camera Harness Connector (black) - Connect the
camera harness as described in the Installation section.

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 7
SD Card
Four SD cards can be inserted into four slots
behind the security door on top of the DVR.
The Observer 2100 requires Class 10 (often also
labeled “Full HD”) SD cards to properly record
video. Only use SD cards supplied by Safety
Vision.
The Observer 2100 can accept four SD cards up
to 32 GB for a total capacity of 128 GB.
Use the following procedure to access, remove
and insert SD cards:
1. Insert the key and turn it 90°clockwise to
open the security door.
2. Insert cards straight in as illustrated, with
the label facing the front on the DVR
Monitor.
3. Lightly push down on the SD card until a
“click” is felt, then release.
4. Insert SD cards into the slots in sequence,
with the rst card in Slot 1, the second in
Slot 2, and so on.
5. Close the security door and turn the key
90°counter-clockwise to lock it.
To remove an SD card:
1. Lightly push down on the SD card until a
“click” is felt, then allow it to spring out of
the slot.
The SD card partly ejects.
2. Pull the SD card straight out.
Once removed, insert the SD card into an SD
card reader connected to a computer. The
computer recognizes the SD card as an external
storage device.

8OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 8
Installation
Number Wire Color Label
1Gray Trigger 3 (9 ~ 30V DC, via direction light, etc.)
2Blue Trigger 4 (9 ~ 30V DC, via direction light, etc.)
3Green Trigger 2 (9 ~ 30V DC, via direction light, etc.)
4Orange Trigger 1 (9 ~ 30V DC, via direction light, etc.)
5Brown ACC Power (12 ~36V DC, via ignition)
6White Speed Pulse (via tachnograph, 10~ 200 Hz)
7Red B+ Power (12 ~36V DC, via battery)
8Black Ground

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 9
Bracket Installation
A magnet is installed on the backside of the DVR
Monitor to prevent discharge of the back-up
battery during shipping.
1. Secure the bracket to a stable surface
with screws, rivets, or other appropriate
mounting devices.
2. Slide the Observer 2100 unit into the
bracket and secure it loosely with the four
supplied screws.
3. Adjust the viewing angle and ensure
cables have enough slack.
4. Firmly tighten all four screws.
Removal of Shipping Magnet
A magnet is installed on the backside of the DVR
Monitor to prevent discharge of the back-up
battery during shipping.
5. Using the included L-wrech, unscrew the
bolt on the back of the monitor.
6. Remove the magnet using the end of a
paperclip or similar device.
7. Use the L-wrech to replace the bolt
securely to ensure a tight seal.
The DVR Monitor’s back-up battery is now active.
NOTE: Do not install the Observer 2100
DVR Monitor in an area that could
interfere with the safe operation of the
vehicle.

10 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Using the Front Panel
1/2 - Recording Indicator LED/REC (Recording
Start/Stop) - Press the REC button to begin recording all
channels. The Recording Indicator LED illuminates next to
the REC button to indicate this mode is active. Press the REC
button once more to stop recording. Files recorded in this
manner are stored in the Normal folder.
3 - E. Save (Event Recording) - Press the E. Save
button to begin recording an event. The Recording
Indicator LED illuminates next to the REC button to indicate
this mode is active. An event records time both retroactively
before and after the E. Save button is pressed. The amount
of time recorded is set in the Event Rec. Time Set menu. Files
recorded in this manner are stored in the Event folder.
4 - LCD (Screen On/O) - Press the LCD button to turn
the screen on or o while the DVR continues to record. The
screen can be set to turn o automatically in the Screen On
Time menu.
5 - Display Mode - Press the Display Mode button to
cycle through the available camera channel displays. Multi-
channel displays are set in the Screen Position Setup menu.
6 - Main Menu - Press the Main Menu button to display
the Main Menu options on screen. See the next section for
more information.
7 - Power - Press the Power button to turn the unit on and
o. When the Power button is pressed while the power is
on, conrm the prompt that appears on screen and then
press the Power button again to turn the Observer 2100 o.
8 - Illuminance Sensor - The illuminance sensor detects
ambient lighting conditions and automatically adjusts the
brightness of the Touch Screen Display.

OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 11
Main Menu Functions
Press the Main Menu button to display the main menu
on-screen as shown above. To select a menu item, lightly
tap the screen surface with your ngertip. Do not exert too
much pressure on the screen.
When in a split screen view, tap an individual channel to
display it full screen. Tap it again to revert back to the split
view.
Player
Tap the Player button to enter the Player mode, where
recorded video and images can be reviewed. See the Player
(Video Playback) section for more information.
Setting
Tap the Setting button to enter the Settings Menu, where
the Observer 2100 can be congured. See the Settings
Menu section for more information.
(cont.)
On-Screen Display
1 - Date and Time - Date and time can be set using the
Date & Time setting in the System tab of the Settings Menu.
2 - Status Indicators - Indicators illuminate when the
following functions are active: Rec (Recording), Play, Hold,
and GPS.
3 - Volume Display - The Volume Display appears when
adjusting the volume using the Vol main menu function.
4 - Main Menu - See detailed descriptions in the next
section.

12 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
TV Out
The TV Out function allows output of recorded
images to an external television or monitor.
Use male-to-male A/V cables to connect the
Observer 2100 as shown. Then tap the TV Out
button. Video and image playback appears on
the external monitor while the on-screen display
and menu options remain on the Observer 2100.
To return to normal operation, tap the TV Out
button again.
Capture
Tap the Capture button to capture a still image
of the channel(s) currently displayed. Captured
still images are stored in the Capture folder.
Vol
Tap the Vol button to display the volume window. Tap the -
or + buttons to increase or decrease the monitor’s volume.
Tap the speaker icon to mute or unmute the sound.
Hold
Press the Hold button to lock out all touch screen options
and front panel buttons, except for the Main Menu button.
Tap the Hold button again to unlock all options and buttons.

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 13
Player (Video Playback)
File Selection
Tap the Player button on the Main Menu
to access recorded video and images
and play them back for review. You
cannot record data while using the Player
function. When Player is rst selected, the
calendar view appears.
To select video or images for playback:
1. Tap the day or days the video
was recorded on. Days that have
recorded data are marked with a
triangular yellow icon in the corner.
2. Press File.
The le list view appears.
3. Select from Normal or Event video,
or Capture for captured still images.
Matching les appear in the list.
When many les are present it may
become necessary to navigate the list
by tapping the scroll bar or the Page Up
and Page Down buttons.
The le’s name, duration (in HH:MM:SS
format), and size are displayed.
Additionally, the SD card number the le
is recorded on appears. This is useful for
when removing the SD card(s) to review
les on a PC. (Only the le name and
SD card number appear for captured
images.)
4. Select the le or les you want to play back by
tapping the white box.
Additionally you can tap the ALL Check button to select or
unselect all les in the list.
5. Tap the Play/Pause button to begin le playback.
Additionally, you can tap the Delete button to delete
selected les, or the Protect button to prevent selected les
from being easily deleted.

14 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Video Playback
After opening a video le, tap the buttons to control video
playback. The playback speed, a progress bar, and time
elapsed are displayed above the playback control buttons.
Tap the Previous or Next File buttons to play the next video
le in sequence (if multiple les were selected).
Tap the Pause/Play button to pause and resume playback.
Tap the Rewind and Fastforward buttons to slow down or
speed up playback, respectively.
Tap the Capture button to capture a still image of the
channel(s) currently displayed. Captured still images are
stored in the Capture folder.
Tap the Vol button to display the volume window. Tap the -
or + buttons to increase or decrease the monitor’s volume.
Tap the speaker icon to mute or unmute the sound.
When in a split screen view, tap an individual channel to
display it full screen. Tap it again to revert back to the split
view.
Images
When viewing captured images, they are displayed in a
slideshow. The pace of the slide show is set in the Album
setting in the Display menu.
Tap the - and + buttons to zoom in or out of an image.
Tap the Rotation button to rotate an image 90°clockwise.
Tap the < button to return to the le list, or tap the X button
to exit the Player function completely.

OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 15
Settings Menu Overview
From the main menu, tap the Setting button to enter the
Observer 2100’s congurable settings. You cannot record
or review data while adjusting the settings. The following
display shows how the settings menus are organized.

16 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Settings Menu
Record
Settings in the Record menu allow you to congure how
and when the Observer 2100 records, in addition to video
quality, event duration, and more.
Rec. (Recording) Setup
Power On Auto Rec. (On/O)
Turn this setting on to have the Observer 2100 automatically
continuously record when the vehicle’s accessory (AC) switch
is in the on position.
Continuous Rec. (On/O)
When Continuous Rec. is on, the Observer 2100
automatically deletes the oldest recorded data to make
room for new recorded data when space becomes
unavailable (commonly known as “wrapping”). Turn
Continuous Rec. o to display a prompt when storage
capacity is reached.
Event Rec. (On/O)
Turn Event Rec. o to disable the ability to save event les
(both G-Sensor-triggered events and by pressing the E. Save
button)
Event Rec. Time Set. (15sec/30sec/1min/5min/10min)
Set the duration of an event recording. Events save the set
duration both before and after an event is triggered. For
example, if set to 15 seconds, an event records 30 total
seconds.
Security Setup
Security Mode (On/O)
Turn Security Mode on to enter Security Mode when the
vehicle’s ACC switch is turned o. If G-Sensor Rec., Motion
Rec., or Trig 4 Rec. is turned on, an event is covertly recorded
(no idicators on the Observer 2100 will be active and it will
appear turned o) when the Observer 2100 detects any of
those triggers.
G-Sensor Rec. (On/O)
Turn G-Sensor Rec. on to automatically record an event
when the Observer 2100 receives a shock. G-Sensor
sensitivity can be adjusted in the System menu.
Motion Rec. (On/O)
Turn Motion Rec. on to automatically record an event when
Security Mode is on and when any of the cameras detect
motion. Motion detection sensitivity can adjusted in the
System menu.

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 17
Trig 4 Rec. (On/O)
Turn Trig 4 Rec. on to automatically record an event when
Security Mode is on and when trigger 4 receives input.
Etc. Setup
Audio Rec. (On/O)
Turn Audio Rec. on to record available audio from the
camera microphones when recording video.
Function Key Light (On/O)
The Function Key Light setting turns the backlighting of the
front panel buttons on or o.
Video Quality (High/Normal/Low)
Select High (D1), Normal (half D1), or Low (CIF) video quality
settings. Higher quality video les provide for sharper
images but take up more storage space. Refer to Appendix
C: Recording Times for more information.
Frame/sec (NTSC: 15/20/25/30, PAL: 10/15/20/25)
Select the framerate video is recorded at in frames per
second (FPS).

18 OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE
Display
Settings in the Display menu control how the Observer
2100’s screen operates and how objects appear on it.
Menu Display Time (On/3 sec/5 sec/10 sec/15 sec/1 min)
Select the amount of time the Main Menu buttons appear
on screen before disappearing. Selecting On displays the
Main Menu buttons indenately until the Menu button on
the front panel is pressed again.
Screen On Time (On/1 min/2 min/3 min/5 min/10 min)
Select the amount of time the screen stays on without any
input. (Data can still be recorded while the screen is o.)
Selecting On keeps the screen on indenitely until the LCD
button on the front panel is pressed.
Screen Adjustments (Brightness and Contrast)
Adjust the screen’s brightness and contrast on a scale of 0 to
10 using the - and + buttons.
Register Ch. Name
The Register Ch. Name allows entry of custom names for
each channel. Tap a channel name to display a keyboard
and enter a name up to 12 characters long. Tap Enter when
complete.
Additionally, select On or O under Display Ch. Name is
display or not display the channel names on screen.
Screen Position Setup
The Screen Position Setup option allows you to designate
where each camera image appears on the multiscreen
display. For each screen position, select the camera image
you want to appear, or select None.
Additionally, you can switch camera 4 with camera 5. When
channel 5 is selected, it replaces the camera 4 option in each
position (it is not possible to switch it with other camera
channels).
RearView Trigger Setup
The RearView Trigger Setup option controls which cameras
are displayed when each of the four triggers are active. First,
select Trig.1, Trig.2, Trig.3, or Trig.4 at the bottom. Then as
in Screen Position Setup, select where each camera image
appears when the respective trigger is active.
Border Line Setup (Thin, Thick, None)
Select between thin and thick lines that appear between
images when multiple channels are displayed, or select
None to turn them o.

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OBSERVER 2100 USER GUIDE 19
Parking Lines Setup
Parking Lines Setup allows you to congure parking
guidelines to appear as an overlay over the camera image
when one of the four triggers is active. For each trigger,
select or deselect the Display option to turn the parking
lines on or o. Then tap the Calibration option to show how
the lines are displayed. Use the arrow keys to move the
position of the lines, then tap OK to save.
Additionally, select between Thin or Thick parking lines.
Dimmer (On/O)
Turn the Dimmer on to automatically adjust screen
brightness due to environmental conditions as detected
by the ambient light sensor on the front panel. Turn the
Dimmer o to maintain screen brightness as set in the
Screen Adjustments option.
Trigger Delay Time (0-9 seconds)
For each trigger, use the ^ and v buttons to select between 0
and 9 seconds of delay when it becomes active.
Album (O/3 sec/5 sec/10 sec/30 sec/1 min)
Select the time each image is displayed in the slideshow
that appears when viewing captured images in Player mode.
Select O to turn the slideshow feature o (necessitating
manually advancing through selected images).