With the advent of affordable IP cameras and storage devices, the drastically enlarged surveillance market has given birth to a mammoth amount of surveillance data that needs to be properly maintained. Ease of access and management has become the name of the game.
With the advent of affordable IP cameras and storage devices, the drastically enlarged surveillance market has given birth to a mammoth amount of surveillance data that needs to be properly maintained. Ease of access and management has become the name of the game.
Affordable IP products from major manufacturers have helped accelerate the digital migration, said Tim Biddulph,
IP Product Manager for Europe, Samsung Techwin. "The main driver behind the migration from DVRs to NVRs is standardization. The vast majority of current buildings utilize a structured cabling system designed to support all the systems within, from telephones to building management. It is only logical that security systems should also use the same infrastructure."
New projects, as well as upgrade projects, in EMEA are gradually moving to IP, while in the Americas, government and enterprise sectors have already adopted IP solutions, said Evelyn Kao, Product Manager at Qnap Systems. "However, some developing countries are still using analog solutions," for presumably even lower prices and technical entry barriers
While larger projects are demanding networked solutions of some sort, analog is still the dominant choice for smaller installations or home applications, Biddulph added. However, with the advent of network home cameras and cloud solutions, even these sectors are starting to go with IP.
"Worldwide NVR sales will certainly expand. Among others, Asia's migration to IP systems is remarkable, and such a trend will reinforce the growing number of NVR sales," noted Alex Iida, Senior Manager of Visual Security Solutions for APAC, Sony
Electronics.
NVRs are also starting to be used in more scenarios, especially with the launch of 4- and 16-channel units that look and feel much like analog DVRs, Biddulph said. With a monitor output and DVD writer, these NVRs make IP solutions easier for smaller installers and operators.
Another factor is PoE-enabled NVRs that allow for plug-and-play. "We are the first manufacturer to develop and successfully implement PoE NVRs. The plug-and-play capability makes everything much easier, especially for the SMB and DIY markets," 
said Colin Wang, PM for NVRs at Dahua Technology.
These days, NVRs are rack-mountable and are even available in one-rack unit sizes. Many NVRs are open platforms to facilitate maximum flexibility and scalability, which is especially useful when deploying large or enterprise solutions. Many of the embedded NVRs' functions bear resemblance to their DVR predecessors. In addition, many NVRs' GUIs are exactly the same as DVRs, so switching from DVRs to NVRs does not put any unnecessary burden on users as they do not need to change their usual routine or undergo additional training.
For 16 channels and under, only basic IT knowledge is required. With PC-based NVRs, the number of channels is "unlimited," and even more convincing is the VMS providers who offer free software that is preinstalled in their NVRs. For an even smaller number of channels such as 4 or 8, one can opt for a PC-based NVR approach by using a desktop PC and entry-level VMS; however this set up offers limited flexibility and functionality.