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Video Insight

Video Insight Support | Video Server FAQ's

Video Server Installation has two basic steps - installing the interface card and loading the software. The following are common questions we receive about installation issues. If you have any other issues, please contact technical support.

Common Support Questions:

How Do I change my IP address?

To change your servers IP address, use the menu under the Tools/Server/Setup/General Tab and enter your new IP address and restart the Video Insight Server.

Do I need to update anything if I change my IP Address?

You need to change two things in Video Insight. Please find the Server Setup page and change the IP address of the Server. Then under the Server Database menu, change the Database IP address to your new IP address. Restart the application.

How do I add more cameras?

Using the Tools/Cameras/Setup menu, check the number of the new camera. The "Location" is any name describing the camera. You can adjust the Recording type or adjust the motion settings as well.

Next step is to add Frames by going to the Tools/Cameras/Frame Settings menu.

How do I enable the Motion Indicator?

The Motion Indicator turns the camera number background Red whenever the system detects motion. To turn the indicator on, go to Tools/Server/Setup/Live Video Tab, check the "Enable Motion Indicator".

How do I setup a Recording Schedule?

You can setup various recording schedules through the Video Insight Server software. Go to Setup/Scheduled Recording, in the window that comes up you will select the cameras you want to schedule, the day or days, the time frame it will record and the type of recording you want (you can choose to have it "Record Always" or "Record Motion"); after you have selected those settings click the "Add" button, and it will add your scheduled recording to the list.

Can I use the Recording Schedule menu to setup overlapping schedules?

Yes, for example you could setup one schedule to record always between 8 and 5 Monday through Friday and then setup another schedule to record always between 9 and 1 on Saturday. Access the Scheduler from the Tools menu.

How do I configure a Facility Map?

The Video Insight Server allows you to import a map of your facility for quick access to your cameras. You are able to drag and drop the cameras into their proper location.

Steps to add a map:

  1. From the Menu select Tools/Facility Map Setup.
  2. Select "Add a New Map".
  3. Select a GIF, JPEG or BMP file type. You may need to resize your image to fit on the screen correctly.

Steps to add a Camera:

  1. After the map has been loaded, click on the image.
  2. A camera icon will appear with a label C-0.
  3. Right mouse click on top of the camera for the menu.
  4. Select "Set Camera Number" and select the corresponding camera.
  5. Select "Remove a Camera" to relocate the camera.
  6. When complete click "Save".
  7. To exit click "Close". (This may take a few minutes to upload the image to the database)
What types of files can be used with the Facility Map feature?

You can upload any .JPEG or .BMP file using the Tools/Facility Map Setup feature.

How do I use Object Search?

Video Insight's Object Search tool lets the user highlight an area and have the system automatically advance the recorded file to the next image where something has changed in that highlighted area. You can access Object Search from the left navigation tree, select the camera and the day you which to search.

  1. Right mouse click on the day (Today, Yesterday etc).
  2. Select "Object Search" from the menu.
  3. From the new window, select the file you want to search.
  4. The first image of the file will be displayed. Using the mouse, holding the left button down and draw a box on the screen where you want to search.
  5. Click the "Search Now" button. The file will automatically advance to the next frame that has movement inside the box.
  6. Clicking "Search Now" again, advances the file to the next instance.
  7. Clicking the "Play" button will play the video from that point forward.

The system will search from one file to another until it finds movement inside the box. You can adjust the sensitivity from the drop down menu if its finding to much or to little. If you need to abort the search, click the "Cancel" button.

How do I search video with Quick View?

The Quick View tool allows you to go directly to a specific camera, date and time to review recorded video. Quick View is available from the View menu.

How do I disable Live Video?

If you do not need the server to view live video, you can disable the live feed to the screen while continuing to record and serve images to remote clients. By disabling the live video, the PCs processor utilization will drop between 30-50%. By selecting this option, the system will automatically boot in this mode until it is disabled by un-checking the box in the View menu. If you have turned user security on, this feature is useful to prevent users from seeing what the cameras record.

Can I record a camera that is not shown on the "Live" video display?

Yes, using the Tools/Cameras/Server Cameras menu you can specify cameras that will be hidden from the Video Server users. The administrator can access these cameras using the Network Client.

How do I use the Motion Log?

The motion log is a very powerful tool that allows you to rapidly review recorded events. The system creates an entry that includes the camera name, time and duration, every time a camera detects motion. For example, if you review the video in the morning from the previous night, you can start by looking at the motion log. Clicking on an entry plays just that piece of the video and gives you a quick snapshot of the night's events. The motion log can keep as many days of history as you feel is necessary and all entries are stored in the Microsoft SQL database. You can enable the Motion Log on the Server Record Tab found at Tools/Server/Setup

How do I control a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera?

You can control Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras from the Video Server, Network Client or Web Client found under the View menu or by directly clicking on the live video image. These controls allow you to move the camera in all directions and save preset locations for quick access. In addition, you can cycle through presets in a specified interval. You can setup up to 16 PTZ cameras per server under the Tools/Cameras/PTZ setup screen.

How do I use the Movie Maker?

It is not necessary to convert or export Video Insight files to view them, however the Movie Maker allows you to edit recorded files, removing unnecessary footage or combining multiple video files together. Movie Maker can be accessed from the File menu with detailed instructions available from the Help menu inside the application. If for security reasons you would like to remove Movie Maker, you can delete the program from the Program files subdirectory of your system.

How do I enable Security?

The Video Insight Server has 2 layers of security that protect the data and authenticate usage. The first layer of security is Video Insight user names and passwords. The second level is Microsoft Windows user names and passwords that are used to prevent unauthorized access to the Network.

  • Enable Viewer Security - To prevent users from accessing the Server using the Network Client, you can "Enable Viewer Security." This will prompt all users to enter a user name and password before entering the Network Client. You can assign each user rights to view live or recorded video on a per camera basis. When prompted for a password use.
  • Disable Web AVI Player - The Web AVI Player allows you to watch recorded video using Internet Explorer. By clicking "Disable Web AVI Player" you can remove the option from the Web Client menu and prevent all users from accessing recorded video.
  • Enable Server Security - Enable Server Security to prevent users from changing camera settings or other server settings as well as preventing users from stopping recording or exiting the application. When ever one of the restricted areas is accessed, the user will be prompted to enter a user name and password before continuing. The user must have "Administrator" privileges to change Server settings. You can setup individual usernames and passwords. The default username is "Administrator" and the password is blank (No password)
How do I keep users from changing camera settings?

From the Tools/Security/Setup menu, enable Server Security. The user will be prompted for a password each time the Tools menu is accessed. Use the Tools/Security/User Manager to setup individual users.

How do I add permissions to an existing user?

If you add a camera after a user has been setup in the system with restricted access, you can use the Tools/Security/User Manager and add permissions for the new camera.

Can I restrict users from controlling my PTZ Camera?

Yes, by using the Tools/Security/Setup menu you can enable the "Network Client Security". This will prompt each user for a password when accessing the server remotely. Then using the Tools/Security/User Manager you can assign specific permissions to each camera and remove the PTZ control option.

How do I return from viewing in Full Screen?

You can maximize the viewing area by clicking on the "Full Screen Display" from the View menu or hitting the F11 key (exit full screen with F11). This mode will expand the images to full screen and hide the left navigation. Once in this mode, you can navigate between the layouts by using the F1-F6 keys. By enabling server security you can prevent users from exiting the full screen mode.

How do I print?

Video Insight allows you to print an image shown on the screen by clicking "Print Picture" from the File menu. Click the print button and follow the standard Windows printer dialogue.

How do I verify a watermark?

To ensure that video files have not been tampered, you can enable a Watermark to be applied to the video. Once enabled, a unique checksum is hidden on the file and upon reprocessing, will not match the original number if the file has been altered. To verify the watermark, go to the Tools menu and select "Verify Watermark".

I have all my cameras at 640x480, why is the image jumping?

This typically indicates that the PCI bus is overloaded. Try lowering your frame settings or changing some of the cameras to 320x240.

How do I adjust the brightness and contrast?

Use the Video Settings box from the Setup menu or by right mouse clicking on the left navigation tree.

How do I configure the SQL server if I have two Video Insight Servers?

As long as the Video Insight servers can communicate with each other via a LAN, you only need one SQL database per location. When you install the second server - proceed directly to the Video Insight Server Install. When prompted for the SQL database, enter your current servers information.