Q-See QC444 Technical Manual

User Manual

MODEL QC444

H.264 NETWORK DVR

Variable CIF and D1 Recording Options

Thank You for Choosing a Q-See Product!

All of our products are backed by a conditional service warranty covering all hardware for 12

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING THIS Q-SEE PRODUCT.

months from the date of purchase. Additionally, our products also come with a free exchange

EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO MAKE THIS DVR SIMPLE TO ASSEMBLE AND USE. HOWEVER, IF

policy that covers all manufacturing defects for one month from the date of purchase.

YOU SHOULD RUN INTO ANY DIFFICULTIES DURING ITS INSTALLATION OR OPERATION, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.

Permanent upgrading service is provided for the software and is available at www.Q-See.com.

Be certain to make the most of your warranty by completing the registration form online. In addition to warranty and technical support beneﬁts, you’ll receive notiﬁcations of product updates along with free downloadable ﬁrmware updates for your DVR. Register today at www.Q-See.com!

Please see the back of this manual for exclusions.

About this Manual

This manual is written for the QC444 DVR and was accurate at the time it was completed. However, because of our ongoing effort to constantly improve our products, and the different capabilities of the two models additional features and functions may have been added since that time and on-screen displays may change. We encourage you to visit our website at www.Q-see.com to check for the latest ﬁrmware updates and product announcements.

This manual covers the setup and local operation of the DVR. Instructions for conﬁguring the DVR for remote access, along with instructions for monitoring the DVR using a computer or mobile device, are contained within the Remote Monitoring Guide which is included on the CD that accompanied your DVR and which can also be found on www.Q-See.com.

Throughout the manual we have highlighted warnings and other important information that will assist you in operating your new system in a safe and trouble-free manner. Please take the time to read and follow all instructions and pay attention to alerts as shown below:

IMPORTANT! Red boxes with this icon indicate warnings. To prevent

possible injury or damage to the product, read all warnings before use.

NOTE! Text in blue boxes with the Information icon offer additional guidance and explanations about how to make the most out of your system.

© 2011 Q-See. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. This manual and software and hardware described herein, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable form without prior

written approval. Trademarks: All brand names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their

respective owners.

Q-See is a registered trademark of DPS, Inc. Disclaimer: The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The

manufacturer makes no representations or warranties, either express or implied, of any kind with respect to completeness of its contents.

Manufacturer shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever from misuse of this product.

Version 1.2 5/16/11

2 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4. MENUS 31

4.1 Main Menu 32

1. INTRODUCTION 7

2. CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS 10

2.1 Front Panel 10

2.2 Rear Panel 11

2.3 Mouse Control 12

Virtual Keyboard 13

2.4 Remote Control 14

3. BASIC OPERATION 16

3.1 Operation 16

3.2 Live View 16

3.3 Login, Logout and Main Menu 17

3.4 Recording 19

Manual Recording 19

3.5 Search and Playback 20

Search 21 Playback 22

3.6 Schedule 25

3.7 Motion, Video Loss and Camera Masking Detection 26

Motion Detection 26 Video Loss 27 Camera Masking 27 Event Response 27

3.8 Backup 29

4.2 Info Menu 32

HDD Information 32 BPS 33 Log 33 Version 34 Online Users 34

4.3 Setting Menu 35

Encode 37 Snapshot 39 Schedule 40 Network 40 Default 41

4.4 Advanced 42

HDD Manage 42 Abnormality 43 Record 43 Account 43 Auto Maintainenance 44 TV Adjust 44

4.5 Backup 44

4.6 Shutdown 44

5. HARD DISK DRIVE 45

5.1 Installation/Removal 45

5.2 Calculating the Recording Capacity of a Hard disk Drive 47

APPENDIX 48

A.1 Troubleshooting 48

A.2 Minimum Computer Conﬁguration 51

Q-SEE PRODUCT WARRANTY 52

Questions or Comments? Contact Us 53

4 5

INTRODUCTION

To prevent damage to your Q-See product or injury to yourself or to others, read and understand the following safety precautions in their entirety before installing or using this equipment. Keep these safety instructions where all those who use the product will read them.

CHAPTER 1

WARNING! ELECTRIC SHOCK RISK!

nCheck the unit and any accessories included in the package immediately after opening. If

items are missing or damaged, repackage and return to the point of purchase.

Use the proper power source. Only use the power adapter supplied with your system. Do

not use this product with a power source that applies more than the speciﬁed voltage (100240V AC).

nNever insert anything metallic into the DVR. Inserting anything into the DVR or its case can

be a source of dangerous electric shock.

nDo not operate in dusty areas. Avoid placing the DVR in places that are dusty.

nDo not expose this product to rain or use near water. If this product accidentally gets wet,

unplug it and contact an authorized dealer immediately.

nKeep product surfaces clean and dry. To clean the outside case of the DVR, gently wipe

using a lightly dampened cloth (only use water, do not use solvents).

nDo not operate this DVR without the cover securely in place. Do not attempt to do any

repairs to the DVR yourself. If there are unusual sounds or smells coming from the DVR, unplug it immediately and contact Q-See technical support. Under no circumstances should the cover be removed while the device is connected to a power source. You should only remove the cover to install/replace the hard disk drive (See Chapter 5) or replace the standard 3v lithium cell battery on the motherboard. These are the only user serviceable parts. You may need to replace the battery if the internal clock resets itself after a power outage

nHandle DVR box carefully. If you accidentally drop your DVR on any hard surface, it may

cause a malfunction. If the DVR doesn’t work properly due to physical damage, contact an authorized dealer for repair or exchange.

nMake sure there is proper air circulation around the unit. This DVR system uses a hard drive

for video storage which generates heat during operation. Do not block air holes located on the bottom, top, sides and back of the DVR as they are designed to keep the system cool while running. Install or place this product in an area where there is ample air circulation.

nProvide proper ventilation. This DVR has a built-in fan that properly ventilates the system.

Do not cover or impede this fan.

6 7

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS

This combo DVR integrates a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and LCD screen together. It is an excellent digital monitor with a sleek appearance and innovative capabilities which are functional and reliable.

It uses an embedded Linux OS to maintain stable operation and a popular H.264 compression algorithm to produce high quality low bit stream footage that is easy to manage and efﬁcient to transfer over the internet. It can use various functions such as record, playback, and monitoring at the same time and produces audio and video synchronization. This product has advanced technology and strong network data transmission functions.

This combo DVR utilizes a high quality LCD capable of producing rich and vivid images. It’s convenient 19-inch screen enables maximized viewing capabilities. This is an ideal system that can be used in an in-home environment and a variety of business environments that require enhanced monitoring capabilities such as: super markets, convenience stores, transportation, etc.

This product offers the following features:

Smartphone Compatible

Access live footage directly from your iPhone, or other Smartphone. Your DVR can also be set to e-mail your hand held-device whenever speciﬁc activity occurs, such as motion detection.

Included Mouse and Remote Control

In addition to the front panel button controls, system can also be booted up and shut down using the included remote control or mouse. Mouse operation function supports intelligent operation by enabling copy and paste functions.

Storage Function

Encrypted ﬁle format to ensure data security and avoid vicious data modiﬁcation.

Compression Format

Supports multiple-channel audio and video. Independent hardware decodes the audio and video signal from each channel to maintain video and audio synchronization.

24/7 Scheduled Recording

Choose which days of the week and hours of the day you want to set your DVR to record or not record.

Multiple Playback Options and Advanced Search Functions

Supports real-time recording on each channel independently. Search through recorded ﬁles while you are playing live footage, monitoring through a remote location using a supported internet browsing application and backing up system ﬁles. A variety of playback modes include: slow play, fast play, backward play and frame by frame play.

View Your Video Feed Online with No Service Fees

View your DVR’s live or recorded video footage on any Internet accessible computer with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome (using IE plug-in).

Stay Notiﬁed with Customizable Email Alerts

Set your system up to notify you when an event has occurred at the location you are monitoring. Notiﬁcation alerts can easily be adjusted to your speciﬁcations.

Advanced Motion Detection Activated Recording

Advanced motion detection settings ensure that false alarms are not triggered. The easy to use motion detect set up screen allows you to mask out certain areas which experience heavy movement in order to avoid false alarms and avoid unnecessary record triggering.

Multiple Backup Options

A built-in USB port gives you the option of backing up and transferring your video footage using a ﬂash drive or external USB hard drive. You can also connect to an external CD/ DVD writer to burn your ﬁle footage right onto a compact disc or DVD disc. Files can also be accessed from your DVR system to a remote computer location by logging on remotely.

Connect to a TV or PC Monitor Easily

This system comes with VGA and BNC video out ports to allow you to connect to a TV or computer monitor for viewing purposes. You can utilize both outputs simultaneously.

Network Monitoring

Supports network remote real-time monitoring (available bandwidth permitting) and remote record search.

Alarm Activation Function

Several relay alarm outputs enable you to pair your system with an on-site alarm system.

Communication Ports

s Standard Ethernet port allows you to access the DVR from a network or the Internet.

NOTE! Depending on your point of purchase, your DVR may have the hard disk drive already installed. If your drive was packaged separately, or if you wish to upgrade your installed drive up to a 2TB drive, please see Chapter 5 at the back of this manual which covers installing the drive.

8 9

CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS

2.1 FRONT PANEL

1 2

3 4 5 6

CHAPTER 2

2.2 REAR PANEL

1 2

3 4 5

CHAPTER 2 CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS

7 8

PICTURE 2-1

Number Item Function

Function

Button

2 IR Sensor Infrared Receiver for Remote Control

3 Escape Button Exit any menu or current operation

4 Enter Button

Directional

Buttons

6 Power Button Puts DVR into Standby mode or wakes it up.

7 Status Lights

8 USB Port

Single Channel Viewing Mode: Opens Color Adjustment

Virtual Keyboard: Backspace function

Viewing Mode: Go To Menu

In Menu: Acts as mouse click

Navigate through menus.

Change selections in pull down menus (Up/Down buttons)

Toggle settings (Up/Down buttons)

Alarm: Not functional on this model

Net: Red light indicates that network connection is lost

HDD: Red light indicates that hard drive is operating

Power: Red light indicates that DVR is powered up

For use with ﬂash drive when backing up or updating ﬁrmware. Not for use with mouse.

6 7 98

PICTURE 2-2

Number Item Function

1 Video In Ports BNC Connectors for video feed from cameras (4)

2 Audio In BNC Connectors for audio feed from microphones (2)

3 Audio Out BNC Connector for audio output

4 USB Port USB port for mouse

5 Power Switch

6 Video Out BNC Connector to television

7 Network Ethernet cable connection to network

8 VGA Video Out To connect to a VGA monitor (19” or larger)

9 Power Input Connect 12V DC power supply here

Turns DVR on or off. Use Shutdown menu function or front panel power button before switching off.

10 11

2.3 MOUSE CONTROL

This DVR can be controlled through the USB mouse, the remote control or by using the buttons on the front panel of the device. We have found that the majority of our customers prefer to operate their DVRs using the USB mouse because of its ease of use and ﬂexibility and our manual is set up with this in mind. The remote control allows you to perform most of the day-to-day functions from a convenient distance. It functions as a typical remote control with additional buttons allowing you to navigate through menus and control functions. We recommend that you conﬁgure your DVR using the mouse controls, reserving the remote control for operations such as live viewing, ﬁle search and playback.

The mouse operates in a manner similar to how it is used on a conventional computer; pointand-click, right-click, double click and so on. How these functions are used is based on the context of where they are used. Some examples are:

LEFT CLICK: Selecting an item

Opening a menu

Checking a box or motion detection status

Selecting letters, numbers or symbols on the virtual keyboard.

VIRTUAL KEYBOARD

The virtual keyboard is contextual. For example, it will only show digits when the ﬁeld is for numeral entries. In ﬁelds where letters and symbols can be entered, users can switch between various formats – numbers, upper case, lower case and symbols – by selecting the white keyboard symbol that will appear to the right of a ﬁeld where text can be entered. The symbol itself will change to show which keyboard format is available next.

Available keyboards include:

2 3

54 6 87 9

NUMBERS

a h o u

UPPER CASE

LETTERS

d k

CHAPTER 2 CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS

DOUBLE CLICK: Selecting an event for playback

Selecting a screen to zoom into from multi-screen mode

RIGHT CLICK

Opens Pop-Up

MOUSE WHEEL Page up or page down

Switch items in check box

Increase or decrease numerical value in numerical input box

CLICK-AND-DRAG Select motion detection zone

Select privacy mask zone

Exits any window. Exits

any menu or reopens previous menu.

Shortcut Menu

View 1 View 4

Color Setting

Search Record Main Menu

PICTURE 2-3

1 /

2 :

3 .

4 ?

5 -

7 @

8 #

0 &

SYMBOLS

The keyboards are used by clicking on the desired character. Spaces are entered using the

symbol and characters are deleted with the key. Clicking outside of the keyboard

will close it.

H O

PICTURE 2-4

LOWER CASE

LETTERS

E L S Y

T Z

G N

12 13

2.4 REMOTE CONTROL

The buttons on the Remote Control operate in the same manner as on a conventional DVR remote. Some buttons have multiple functions depending on which menu is being accessed.

Num Name Function

1 Multiple-window

switch

2 0-9 number key Input password, channel or switch channel.

3 Record Start or stop recording manually

4 Enter /Menu key Go to default button

5 Direction keys Switch current activated control, go to left or right.

6 Previous In playback mode, playback the previous video.

7 Next In playback mode, playback the next video.

8 Slow Play Multiple slow play speeds or normal playback.

9 Address Click to input device serial number

10 Function/Aux Key In 1-channel monitor mode: pop up assistant function

11 Escape/Cancel Go back to previous menu or cancel current operation

12 Stop In playback mode, stop current playback.

13 Forward Various forward speeds and normal speed playback.

14 Backward Various backward speeds and normal speed playback.

15 Play/Pause Reverse playback or paused mode, click this button to

16 Fast Forward Various fast speeds and normal playback.

Switch between multiple-window and one-window view

In record interface, working with the direction buttons to select the channel to record

Go to the menu

In playback mode, it is to control the playback process bar.

In motion detection interface, functions as a directional key to complete setup

Backspace: Press for 1.5 seconds to clear all contents in current text box.

In HDD information interface, used to switch between HDD record time and other information

Special combined operation in some menus.

(close upper interface or control)

In playback mode, it goes to real-time monitor mode.

realize normal playback.

In normal playback click this button to pause or resume playback.

In real-time monitor mode, click this button to enter video search menu.

Mult Add

., ABC DEF

GHI JKL MNO

PQRS TUV WXYZ

Record Fn

Enter/Menu

DVR

-/--

Esc

12 13

15 16

CHAPTER 2 CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLS

PICTURE 2-5

14 15

BASIC OPERATION

This chapter is intended to get your system operational in a baseline format now that you’ve connected your system and turned it on. It combines information and instructions on several submenus and settings but may not mention all of the functions or options available in a given menu. For many users, these basic operating instructions may be all they need to operate their security system. But, because this system offers many more features, later chapters will cover those additional operations in greater detail.

CHAPTER 3

In Live View, along with the channel(s), you will see the system date and time displayed along with the name and icons indicating the status of each channel. Setting the system date and time and changing the channel names is covered in Section 4.3 under the Settings menu.

Recording Motion detected

Video loss Camera lock

3.1 OPERATION

This DVR can be controlled through the USB mouse, the remote control or by using the buttons on the right side of the device. For the purposes of this manual, instructions will be given for using the mouse.

In operation, the mouse functions in the same manner as one would use a mouse attached to a computer; point, click, right-click, and etcetera. In ﬁelds where data needs to be entered, clicking on the ﬁeld will bring up a virtual keyboard. (See Section 2.3 Mouse Control)

Digital Zoom

When the mouse cursor is in a channel display a white magnifying glass icon will appear in the upper left corner of that image. Clicking on this icon will add a blue check mark to it and you will be able to digitally zoom in on a section of the video feed by clicking and dragging to select the area. Right-click or uncheck the icon to return to normal view. This action can be performed in single or multi-screen viewing modes.

3.3 LOGIN, LOGOUT AND MAIN MENU

3.2 LIVE VIEW

Live View is the default mode for the DVR. It will display the video feeds from up to four cameras and you do not need to be logged into the DVR to view or change the channel(s) on the screen. The actual number of channels displayed depends on the number of cameras you own. You can view a single channel in full-screen mode or four channels simultaneously.

LOGIN

When the DVR starts up, the default video display is multiple window mode. Click Enter or click the mouse and the System Login screen will be displayed.

SYSTEM LOGIN

User Name

Password

admin

2 3

123

54 6

OK Cancel

87 9

Single Screen 4 Screens

PICTURE 3-1

Clicking on any one screen in multi-view mode will bring that screen to full-screen single-view mode. The exception is in eight-view where clicking on one of the smaller displays will move it to the larger display.

In addition to selecting the viewing mode from the Shortcut Menu using the mouse, you can also cycle through the modes using the up and down arrows on the remote or the side of the DVR. The left and right arrows on both the remote and DVR side panel will cycle through which channels are displayed.

Using the mouse, front panel buttons or remote control, enter your user name and password. Whenever the cursor is over a text ﬁeld, a keyboard icon will appear to the right. Clicking within the ﬁeld itself will open the virtual keyboard as explained in Section 2.3. Clicking on the keyboard icon allows you to cycle between numbers, letters (upper and lower case) and symbols when appropriate.

Until new accounts are added, there are three types of pre-conﬁgured accounts available to users who log into the DVR:

• Administrator (local and network) Username: admin Password admin

• Local Administrator Username: 888888 Password: 888888

• User (can only monitor, back up and play back video) Username 666666 Password 666666

You must have access rights – whether as the system administrator or logged-in user – in order to change settings. See Account in Section 4.4 for information regarding user accounts.

PICTURE 3-2

16 17

CHAPTER 3 BASIC OPERATION

+ 19 hidden pages