Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for the ZMODO 8 Channel D1 DVR Security Camera System w/4 outdoor Day/Night 600TVL Hi-Resolution cctv Surveillance Cameras & 500GB Hard Drive (8CH-4 Cameras 500GB), by Zmodo, purchased from Amazon in early 2014; this system includes Zmodo's 8 Channel Standalone DVR model ZMD-DD-SBN8, which includes a 500 GB hard drive. I am offering this very specific information to help to avoid any confusion, because the reality is that in the world of CCTV video security systems, there are only a very few manufacturers of these products, and yet their products are offered under a variety of brand names by various resellers. So, while my review is for a specific ZMODO-branded system, this same hardware is also likely offered under a dozen other reseller/brand names as well, and thus, as a result of this fact, you may well end up finding this current review appearing on Amazon Marketplace not only for some ZMODO systems using the same DVR, but also under a half-dozen other brand names as well, including brand names ranging from "Funlux 8 Channel D1 DVR Security Camera System...." to brand names as funny and outlandish as "Happy BellyCandy 8 Channel D1 DVR Security Camera System...." and "BigEye Smiley Day 8 Channel D1 DVR Security Camera System....". Okay.... Got it? And now for my review.... First, I ask you to bear in mind while reading my review that I am a techie; I am a scientist and an electronics engineer and I have wide and lengthy experience with electronics systems, video, computer systems, programming and networking (i.e., IS/IT realms). As a result of this, things that I found easy in the setup might not be quite as easy or intuitive for someone who has little in the way of technical skills or experience. You may wish to bear this in mind while reading my review. Also, being an engineeer and a techie, I can easily recognize good quality technical hardware. A relative recently gave me one of these ZMODO 8 channel 4-camera 500GB hard drive systems as a gift; before they purchased it for me, they had first consulted with me and asked me to pick which brand and model video security system I wanted; we had already agreed that it would be an 8-channel 4-camera DVR package, with a hard drive of at least 500GB capacity, that was capable of both displaying vido and recording at D1 resolution (704 x 480 pixels), which is the highest analog CCTV resolution available. as a result of this offer, I spent several days online, studying the features of the various brands and models available, and I finally chose this ZMODO system, even though it was not listed on Amazon as an Amazon Prime item, but rather, would have slower delivery, and also despite the fact that the listing page at Amazon Marketplace clearly stated that the vendor did not usually ship until at least 3-4 business days after the order had been received. Once I had made my choice, my relative then went ahead and ordered the ZMODO 8-channel 4-camera 500GB system that I had chosen, via Amazon Marketplace. Now that the esystem has arrived and has been set up and running for several days, I can say with confidence that I do not regret my decision to pick the ZMODO system above all the competitors in its price range. After having spent the past 5 days setting up the system and playing with it, I can say with complete confidence that I am very impressed with this system, from A to Z, that is, from top to bottom; from cameras to the high-quality cables provided, to the DVR itself. Everything seems to havbe been very well-designed, and very-well crafted. The cameras, cables, power supplies and the DVR all seem to be very high quality, and very sturdy and robust. Setup was ridiculously easy, and fiddling with and modifying settings for various features post-setup has been easy, and the user interface (UI) is well-designed and tends to stick to intuitive and common-sense routes, so there are few surprises, and it is almost always very easy to figure out what to do next, and how to do it, when setting up the system or trying to adjust a setting. I encountered absolutely no problems or surprises at all during setup. There was never any need, at any time during initial setup nor since then, to contact ZMODO's tech support/customer support, and so, unfortunately, I cannot give you any feedback on their tech support/customer support services! I also found it very easy to access the video stream from the cameras via both the local LAN router, and also using my PC via the Internet (but, as is true with almost all DVR systems, if using a PC via the Internet, you will need to use only a late-version Internet Explorer browser to view the video stream, because almost all of the modern DVR systems need some special features (the Active X features and controls) available in Internet Explorer. This fact bothered me a bit when I first discovered it, because I tend to vastly prefer to use Mozilla Firefox as my primary browser, and I was a bit irritated at first when I discovered that I would need to use Internet Explorer as a browser for viewing the video stream. However, in practice, this has worked out fine, and I have discovered, from doing a lot of research on the web, that almost all modern security camera DVR systems available on the market have this same quirk: they all need to use Internet Explorer as the browser for watching the video stream. Since initially setting up this system, I have done some furthr research online, and have discovered that it is actually possible, with some additional work, to set up the Firefox, Chrome and Safari browsers in order to be able to view the video stream, but it involves donwloading and installng some special add-ons for those browsers. If you should wanmt to do that, you will find, via a quick Google search, numerous websites that offer tutorials (both in text format and YouTube video format) that show you how to modify the Firefox, Chrome or Safari browsers so that they can receive video streaming from a DVR via a LAN or via the Internet. Speaking as an engineer and a techie, all that I can tell you, in closing, is that if I should need to purchase another CCTV DVR video security system, I would once again choose this ZMODO line in a heartbeat! The quality of the cameras, cables and the dVR itself is very high, and they are each very sturdy and robust! I also want to note a minor error in the detailed specifications offered for this system on the current Amazon Markeplace listing page for this item (as of April 2014). While the detailed product specs indicate that the DVR is capable of displaying video at D1 resolution (the highest analog CCTV resolution), but also indicated that the system records at a CIF resolution (which is a far lower resolution). This is not true. While the default resolution for recording that is set up by the manufacturer is indeed CIF resolution (they do this to increase the amount of storage time/space available on the 500 GB hard drive), it is very easy to go into the Settings section of the control panel and change the recording resolution to D1 resolution. While you are at it, if you are interested in the highest quality playbacks from recordings, you may also wish to look at a related item listed on the menu about two items above the recording resolution: the item is labeled something akin to "recording quality". This setting relates to the amount of compression used, and the resultant quality, and the factory default (again, it was set up this way to save hard drive storage space) for this item is normally set to "Low". You may wish to do as I did, and change this setting to either High or even to Best, although recording at these settings will use up hard drive space at a faster rate than with lower settings. Another minor problem with the system specs listed on the Amazon Marketplace listing page: they do not explicitly state that the DVR comes supplied with a PC-style mouse, and also an IR remote control device for accessing the various menus and control panel on the DVR more easily. BTW, one word of advice before closing my review: I found that the printed paper manual for the DVR that was supplied with the package measured only about 5" x 7", and the print -- as is so common with almost all user manuals nowadays -- was very small and thus hard to read without a magnifying glass. So, rather than struggle with reading the tiny print in the paper user manual, I went online to the ZMODO website and rather quickly located the listing page for the model ZMD-DD-SBN8 DVR that is supplied with this package, and then clicked on the Download tab, and, from the choice of two manuals available for download, I chose the User Manual in PDF format, and downloaded it. I now simnply keep the manual open in Adobe Reader on my PC, and I find that it is a thousand times easier using the PDF format manual than the printed manual with its tiny print font size. If I should notice anything else worth mentioning here as I continue to use the system, I will come back here as time permits and add updates to this review. LATE NOTE, added on 12/03/2014: I am writing this from a vantage point perhaps 8 months after I had first posted this review: It is a bit sad that a great majority of the comments in response to this review have been rather basic questions posted by people unwilling to perform their own due diligence and unable to even bother reading the relevant product listing at Amaazon Marketplace. Another significant chunk of questions has come from people seeking free consulting services from me to assist them in choosing or setting up a CCTV video security system. Just as an FYI, I do not render free consulting, and thus I totally ingnore all questions that fall in either of the two categories mentioned. Finally, a small minority of comments have been posted by persons who are, in essence, trolling. These trolls are people who ended up purchasing a CCTV video security system without having first performed due diligence, that is, without having first thoroughly assessed their own needs for a video security system (i.e., features wanted and needed, budget available, etc.), and also without having first fully researched the field of CCTV video security systems to learn the basic terminology, lingo, concepts, features, standards and conventions, and also to learn the basic types of products available. These trolls, as noted above, tend to forge ahead blindly and mindlessly and purchase a video security system without their having performed any due diligence, and then the best part is that a month later, when they realize that the system that they purchased does not adequately meet their needs, they come back to Amazon and leave a somewhat negative and complaining comment under my review, in effect trying to blame my review for having "tricked" them into purchasing the wrong system the first time around! These posters are nothing but trolls -- people who not only failed to perform due diligence prior to having made a purchase, but who also have a major sense of self-entitlement, often meshed with a tendency to whine and complain -- and I never repsond to such trolls personally.