When anyone buys a CCTV system, the first thing they think about is cameras. Then they think about the DVR, and after that possibly the cabling they will need. Only at the end do they think about the actual monitor, and often end up deciding that they will simply use an old computer monitor or even television to watch the footage on. This is a big mistake though, as the monitor is one of the most integral parts of any CCTV system, as this article will show you.
Over the past few years, CCTV cameras have become much more technologically advanced, offering much higher resolutions and therefore providing much crisper pictures. Why does this matter when buying a monitor though? Well, if the monitor doesn’t have a resolution that matches the camera’s resolution, the pictures won’t be displayed in the quality at which they have been recorded. This means that you won’t see the detail and sharpness that the cameras have brought to the footage. While this won’t bother some, others will need to rely on the details to see, for example, what people are wearing and to recognise faces otherwise the CCTV system will be rendered useless.
It is also important to realise that computer monitors are not designed to withstand the demands that a CCTV monitor goes through. The vast majority of CCTV monitors are on 24 hours a day, 7 days a year, working like Trojans to allow you to watch the footage. Computer monitors aren’t built to take this kind of strain, so you might suddenly find yourself with no monitor one day if you continue to use a screen not made specifically for the job.
The final reason to choose a CCTV monitor over a generic computer screen is the fact that it is already equipped with the correct connections to receive CCTV pictures. Sure, some computer monitors are too, but why take the chance? On a typical CCTV monitor you’ll find connections for BNC, VGA and DVI, plus a growing amount also come with HDMI connections as well. This means that you’ll always be able to watch footage, regardless of the connections you are using.
So, buying a specific CCTV monitor might seem like an unnecessary expense originally, but in the long run it really pay dividends, as you will have a robust monitor that is not likely to break and that is designed to do its job perfectly.