Advantages of hybrid digital video recorders

Many people ask, “Why should I go with a hybrid DVR instead of keeping my conventional DVR?”

If your goal is to plan for the future, and you have a limited budget, there are many benefits to a hybrid digital video recorder (DVR). Upgrading may make sense even if your current DVR is only a few years old and everything seems to be working just fine:

Benefit # 1: Most cameras are analog, and they have many years of service left in them. If you upgrade to a hybrid DVR, you can still use your existing cameras and then migrate to IP cameras slowly as your budget allows. Eventually, you can take advantage of the new technology by purchasing a new IP camera and installing it on your hybrid DVR system.

Benefit #2: Many schools have multiple buildings with unlimited bandwidth inside the building but limited bandwidth between buildings. The cost of adding additional bandwidth between buildings can exceed thousands of dollars per month. With a hybrid DVR, you can deploy the unit at a remote site close to the existing cameras and without bandwidth concerns between buildings.

Benefit #3: Hybrid DVRs have minimal setup and configuration time. Consequently, getting the system up with live video and recording is relatively quick and painless.

Benefit #4: Hybrid DVRs lower initial equipment cost and subsequently lower maintenance costs. Their total cost of ownership is less than that of systems using servers.

Benefit #5: Necessary training time is less than that of a pure IP solution. Most integrators will provide on-site training for administrators and operators. Usually, most end users will be able to operate and configure the system in a few hours, depending upon the manufacturer.