UniView IPC3235SB-ADZK-10 in SS - nogo if 3rd stream enabled
As outlined in the main SecuritySpy forum, I recently replaced a Dahua 5Mp cam with the UniView model above.
It's cheaper, has autofocus, variable zoom, better low light performance in natural light, but loses a bit in resolution (2880x1620 vs 2592x1944). The more 'square' aspect ratio of the Dahua has advantages for my particular application, but the effective visual deficiencies of the Dahua let it down.
Anyway, this post is about 2 vs 2 UniView streams & SecuritySpy:
Each camera does 3 streams; high-res primary, & 2 more streams, typically 720p & D1 ('tho the Dahua will do 1080p on its 3rd stream).
Out of the box, the Dahua worked on all 3 streams, but gave mediocre results for a modern(-ish) 5Mp camera. It was released in 2019, & hasn't had a firmware update since. I should have suspected "end-of-life" then! I docked around, trying to squeeze more performance by reducing frame rate, increasing bit rate, experimenting with compression (H264, H265, H265+, CFR, VFR@max quality). H265+ was a disaster - file sizes were enormous & live performance worful! Given the optics, lack of focus& low-light performance were not good, 'twas time to look elsewhere.
Out of the box, the UniView showed 3 streams on its own web interface software, but SecuritySpy would not connect - "Error 998"!
After much late-night investigation, I disabled the 3rd D1 stream - & it works brilliantly!
The question now is: What is it about the 3rd stream that stops SS connecting to it?
I've tried every permutation I could think of & can't get the IniView to work with all 3 streams enabled with SucuritySpy.
Has anyone else had similar issues with UniView cams? I had read about them working only at 25 or 1fps & no other values. I've tried a few alternatives, but bot exhausted all combinations.
Was just reaching out to see what others had found.
TIA...
Comments
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This is a rather strange problem - a 998 error is a problem with an ONVIF reply that the camera is sending. It's not something we have seen with any other camera.
To clarify, are you saying that with the 3rd stream enabled, none of the stream will work in SecuritySpy due to this error? If so it's even stranger, because enabling the 3rd stream shouldn't affect the 1st or 2nd!
Do you need to use this 3rd stream? Generally I would say that a stream of such low resolution wouldn't be useful. But if you want to work on getting the working, we can certainly have a look for you. The first step would be to email us a debug file (SecuritySpy menu > Debug submenu > Create Debug File On Desktop), and let us know the name you have given to the camera in SecuritySpy. Then we will be able to suggest a manual setup to bypass ONVIF.
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Hi Ben, yes - confirming that all UniView configurations I have tried with 3rd stream enabled generate a 998 eror. I have been time-focussed on getting a workable installation working, which is now live & working. I have 6 cameras: 4 x 1080p Swann bullets, 1 x Dahua 5Mp fixed-lens dome, & the new UniView 5Mp Varifocus cam.
All 5 older cams support 3 streams (whether I want them or not). Its only the UniView that doesn't work with the 3rd stream enabled.
BTW, all cameras are reporting in SS as H264, despite being set to H265. I think the ONVIF support from the cameras might be the problem (rather than SS itself). All these products want you to use their proprietary software; their ONVIF support might be the issue. I don't have the experience (or time) to investigate further.
I will do a debug file in the next day or 2 with all cams working (with only primary stream enabled, 'cos I don't need the others ATM). Then I'll enable UniView 3rd stream & look at the debug file. Once I've done screen caps of all relevant config streams I'll send it all to you for a look.
Please appreciate that I am very happy with what I have got working here, it suits my needs quite well. So this report is, for me, just an academic one, for you & the community.
BTW, before I retired I did many years in s/w development & s/w evaluation/QC. I know nothing is perfect - I just get frustrated when I can't root out the cause of this sort of problem.
Will be in touch soon with some debug files...
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Oh, with UniView 3rd stream disabled SS reports the first 2 streams are H264 2880x1620 & H264 1280x720, despite them being set to H265. My analysis there's an ONVIF mismatch...
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The descriptions for each ONVIF stream come from the camera, so if it's reporting a name containing "H.264" for a stream that actually delivers H.265 data, then this is a camera issue, albeit a minor one that doesn't affect the actual streaming of video. We have seen this a few times across different camera makes and models - probably the developers of the firmware simply overlooked updating the ONVIF stream names when they updated the firmware for H.265.
