One area that DVR technology has gained wide acceptance in is surveillance and monitoring. DVR based surveillance systems can be used in businesses and homes where monitoring is needed ensure safety. By hooking up with a PC, this technology allows you to constantly monitor a particular area from a remote location. If you want to find out what is happening in your office in Atlanta while you are in London, you can hook your DVR surveillance system into the Internet and see live images. With this technology, video can be stored for three months or more. The need for videotapes, which are susceptible to damage and data loss over a period of time, is not necessary.

The essential components of a typical DVR surveillance system include motion sensors, multiplexer, image zoom controls; color quad processor and CCTV camera connections. DVR surveillance systems having image zoom controls that can move and turn from side to side ensuring that you dont have to put more than two cameras in a room. You can also configure your surveillance device to record motions via motion sensors. Thus, the need to record everything for 24 hours is eliminated, as the device will only switch on when there is activity in the area being monitored. This will also save on disk space. The saved data can be written onto a CD or any recordable device.

VCR based surveillance systems provide poor quality video, and there is no stream-by-stream separation into image options. In DVR systems, every motion can be separated into an image in common formats like jpg. This makes recognition of faces or movements easier. Videos can be stored for sequential retrieval according to time and date. For example, a robbery took place between 7 and 8 pm in a store equipped with a DVR system. The owner need not go through the hours of recordings that are stored in the hard drive. This is because each of the stored segments can be retrieved according to the date and time of storage. These features cost more and all devices may not come equipped with them. Some DVR based systems offer audio to listen to conversations taking place in a room being monitored.

With all of these features, it is no surprise that many corporations, malls, banks and homes are installing DVR based system. In the near future, enhancements will make the DVR system even more effective and lower prices.