Since 2006, demand for mobile DVRs has boomed. This has Chinese manufacturers seeking ways to improve products and solutions with enhanced functions.
Since 2006, demand for mobile DVRs has boomed. This has Chinese manufacturers seeking ways to improve products and solutions with enhanced functions.
In response to growing demand for mobile security and surveillance applications in the transport industry, Chinese vendors have come out with easy-to-use solutions for buses and taxis. These combine GPS with alarm signal transmission devices and IP cameras to capture passenger faces.
"Around 1,000 special transportation vehicles for coal mining in Changchun have implemented GPS devices for monitoring," said Xu Yuechuan, Deputy General Manager of the Security Unit at Coship. "The domestic market has really 
taken off during the last two years. There are around 2 million buses; then there are railroads, long-distance buses and chemical transportation vehicles." Enabling images to be used as criminal to reduce crime is key. Take taxis. There are 1,200 taxis with GPS and IP cameras in Wuhan to protect passengers and drivers. A further 3,000 taxis are equipped with GPS systems to enhance on road monitoring. CRTE provides a solution that offers management of up to 1 million vehicles with real-time monitoring and dispatch functions.
Leading suppliers like Coship, Dahua, Easy Storage, Hikvision, Streaming Video and Sunell are also selling products that combine digital signal processors (DSP), built-in GPS and CDMA module technologies. These feature improved D1 resolut ion, real-time recording, blackboxes, multimedia functions, GPS and wireless transmission. Standalone DVR manufacturers, like TVT, which enjoys a solid reputation for H.264 technology and cost-effectiveness, plan to develop mobile DVRs.
Entry Series
Raysharp, which focuses on standalone and mobile DVRs, is targeting cost sensitive markets. According to David Wu, General Manager at Raysharp, mobile DVR manufacturers have major expertise in not only video processing technologies but also skills in overcoming tough power conditions and bumpy roads.
"Raysharp's mobile DVRs have been applied in about 1,000 buses in Nanjing and Jinan," said Wu. "To ensure stability in vehicular environments, our products have passed the following three tests: third-party examinations, actual 
applications over two months and customer testing. We also conduct three-month environmental testing to ensure that our mobile DVRs are stable in -25 degrees Celsius. Our products also have E-mark certification for vehicular applications." Raysharp has 60 R&D staff and 10 percent of annual revenues are invested in R&D. Anti-shock and anti-vibration capabilities are enhanced with militarygrade spring sponges and mechanical, PCB and software designs. Overseas markets now account for 50 percent of sales. "Our mobile DVRs with MJPEG compression and basic functions are popular," said Wu. "GPS and more entertainment and touring information display functions require a whole new system. That is our next step in developing all-feature mobile DVRs."
The MDR50X1 from Easy Storage is a multi-channel mobile DVR that supports adjustable frame display and speed at full D1 (704-pixel by 576-pixel) resolution for each channel. It supports MPEG compression, and displays and records at 25 frames per second (PAL) or 30 frames per second (NTSC). It also captures, displays and records vehicle speeds, including left and right brake and reverse lights. It further supports motion detection, remote access by LAN or Internet, and file storage management. Files can be recorded and s tor ed on 2.5-inch HDDs or CF memory cards using a USB adapter. The unit comes with anti vibration and anti-shock mounting brackets and a remote or keyboard control. Its I/O interface includes four alarm (in) and two alarm (out) ports. Easy Storage will come out with two more DVR series, a multimedia mobile DVR and seven channel mobile DVR. The multimedia series supports radio and DVD entertainment.
Customization
Coship has several types of anti-shock and anti-vibration technologies as well as its own temperature and humidity testing facilities. "We try to polish our standalone DVRs for mobile use by adding features such as CD-RW compatibility, better-looking control panels and improved designs," said Xu. In Shenzhen, the company has sold 1,062 mobile solutions for use in buses. In total, it has installed 10,000 such systems in the Pearl River Delta, including in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhuhai.
"Special molding and enclosure protection mean that our products function well even after being soaked in water," stressed Xu. "We provide metal wiring tubes to protect wires from sabotage and trigonometric screws to avoid illegal disassembly as well as alarm triggering to ensure that cameras are not removed."
Coship's CRM-8104D is a four-channel mobile digital video recorder (DVR) that supports dual streaming and real-time D1 recording. The unit features vibration-and moisture-resistant aluminum alloy housing, and is built in with I/O interfaces for connecting with other devices and peripherals. It operates on six-volt to 36-volt DC power supply.
Full Features
Chinese mobile DVRs are also incorporating all-in-one features with GPS, mobile routers, entertainment players, central management software for dispatching and voice talk to enhance time communications. Compact mobile DVRs with SD card storage and GPS are very practical. Take Streaming Video; its MiNi one-channel mobile DVR features RTOS with an SD card slot for a maximum eight gigabytes of storage, GPS and real-time D1 recording.
Meanwhile, Dahua has upgraded its mobile DVRs to provide better transmission that occupies less bandwidth and delivers better image quality. Its mobile DVRs feature a fanless design with low power consumption as well as patented military-grade anti-shock and anti-vibration protection with a seamless housing design that is waterproof and dust-proof.
Hikvision has released its first mobile digital video recorder with a patented anti shock device that is suitable for vehicle monitoring: the DS-8000HMI series. It is suitable for buses, police vehicles, ambulances, taxis and other public transportation, as well as subways, light rail and cash-carrying vehicles or armored vans.
The DS-8000HMI supports H.264 dual streaming, and Web-based viewing, configuration and maintenance over CDMA, EDGE, GPRS and WLAN wireless networks. It features GPS text insertion to display precise vehicle location (longitude and latitude) and speed. It supports flexible deployment options, such as point-to-point applications or, when combined with mobile DVR central management software (CMS) , an end-to-end enterprise vehicle security solution.
Using Texas Instruments' digital signal processing (DSP) technology, the network DVR offers high-resolution vi ewing wi thout ove rburdening available network bandwidth or storage. The DS-8000HMI supports H.264 compression and real-time operatingsys tems (RTOS) wi th embedded microprocessor units (MPU). It operates on 12-volt to 24-volt DC power supply, and comes with power management and protection against current and voltage fluctuations.
"Having been in the mobile-DVR business for five years, we have built up the needed experience to meet market requirements," said Liu Xianyang, President 
of Sunell. For mobile DVR, lessening vibration, while providing continuous recording are main concerns. Sunell has designed sophisticated devices to lessen vibration. Its technology has been patented in China. This not only makes mobile DVR more stable, but also enhances performance in bumpy environments. Furthermore, due to unstable voltage, mobile DVR life is easily affected. With its patented power management system, Sunell reduces unstable power supplies regardless of voltage used.
Furthermore, its intelligent, integrated system supports recording, playback, alarm and motion detection. It also records, displays and calibrates vehicle speed, and receives GPS signals. The series features MPEG-4 compression at D1 resolution. Its high-speed, industrial-grade DSP and Vxworks RTOS promise greater stability and reliability. It has two to four channels of video input, two to four channels of audio input and one channel A/V output. It displays and records at 25 frames per second (PAL) and 30 frames per second (NTSC). Its unique image mirror and surveillance functions work while the vehicle is in reverse gear.
The DVR also stores video on 2.5-inch hard disks or CF cards, while inputting and recording vehicle routes and license plate numbers for easier identification and data management. Its metal bracket protects the HDD against shock.
Product Showcase of Mobile DVRs
DS-8000 HMFI Series Mobile DVR
MDR4000 Series Mobile DVR Solution
AL-DR5004 Mobile DVR
TM8804MOB 4CH Mobile DVR
MDR5041 Mobile DVR
MDR0304 Mobile DVR