NVR (Network Video Recorder)

NVR

What is a NVR?

A NVR (Network Video Recorder) is an internet protocol based device that sits on your network it is a software program that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other mass storage device. An NVR contains no dedicated video capture hardware. However, the software is typically run on a dedicated device, usually with an embedded operating system. NVRs are often mistakenly called DVRs probably because both NVR and DVR are software applications popularly used for recording videos in digital formats to storage media

What is the difference between a NVR and DVR?

NVRs are similar to DVRs but with several distinct differences. An NVR's video input is from a network, as opposed to a direct connection to a video capture card or tuner. The main distinction being video on a DVR is encoded and processed at the DVR, while video on an NVR is encoded and processed at the camera, then streamed to the NVR for storage or remote viewing.

DVR is the main engine of CCTV security systems while NVR is the main engine behind any IP video surveillance systems. However, there are hybrid NVR/DVR security systems which incorporate functions of both NVR and DVR. They are usually referred to as NVRs as well.