When picking out the best 4K NVR for a new 4K surveillance system you should take some time to think about your purchase. Think ahead as to what features you’ll need. Take a minute, sit down, do the math, analyze your wants vs. your needs, and come up with a solution you will be happy with before you make your purchase.
4K NVRs are not needed for cameras that are 5MP or less, however, some customers have hailed the best 4K NVR to work with their 4MP cameras is our 5xxx series 4K NVR, because of their ability to display up to 34 Megapixels worth of cameras through the integrated HDMI output. That means you can display Eight 4MP cameras in a grid of eight on one TV screen connected to the NVR’s HDMI video output. Of course, you can record them as well without any hesitation since the 5xxx are capable of encoding up to 256Mbps.
CCTV Camera World’s 4K NVRs allow you to record up to 4K resolution across all channels. Unlike traditional analog DVRs that are limited by the number of frames per second (fps) they can record, our NVRs are limited only by the total encoding bandwidth.
Three Main Types of 4K NVR - What's the best 4K NVR for you?
To decide on the best 4K NVR for yourself you need options!
| Three Main Types of 4K NVR | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NVR Series | Encoding Bandwidth | Total Display Capability in Live View or Playback | |
| NVR4XXX Series | ? 256Mbps | 14 MP Combined across all channels at 1x speed | |
| NVR5XXX Series | 320Mbps | 34 MP Combined across all channels at 1x speed | |
| NVR6XXX Series | 384Mbps | 128Mbps in RAID 5 Mode; 64Mbps JBOD; |
|
Both the 4XXX and 5XXX series are available with or without PoE ports to varying degrees.
What does this table mean by Encoding Bandwidth and Total Display Capability in Live View or Playback:
Encoding Bandwidth - Total number of Megabits per second that can be used for encoding video to a recorded file format or decoding video to display recorded playback or live preview.
Display Capability - Either the bitrate allocated to playback or the total number of megapixels that can be displayed in grid view at 1x speed. If a user was to playback in Fast Forward, divide the total display capability by the speed you are viewing.
Ex:
- A user plays back 3x 4MP cameras at 1x speed simultaneously and receives video for each channel.
- A user plays back 4x 4MP cameras at 2x speed simultaneously but only plays 1 channel and receives “over decode ability”* exceptions on the other 3.
*Read more about over decode ability exceptions
Questions to Ask Yourself when Purchasing a 4K NVR Camera System
What is Your Level of Networking Expertise?
Whether you're savvy or not we have the best 4K NVR for you
Not so savvy - 4K PoE NVR
If you do not have advanced computer and networking knowledge or the time to learn the theory you should purchase a 4K PoE NVR.
i.e. a network video recorder with PoE switch built-in that allows for plug & play operation of our IP cameras, including our 4K IP Cameras.
You can watch how easy it is to set up such an IP camera system here.
Really savvy - Any 4K NVR
Non-PoE NVRs will require some proficiency along with in-depth knowledge of computers and networking. This should be handled by an IT professional or a capable networking enthusiast. It is time-consuming when there are dozens of cameras to configure.
It is our experience that hiring someone to run the wire should not be in the same class as hiring a Network Technician. Of course, the rates are higher, but you are paying for the knowledge to actually configure your system.
Just because a contractor has installed surveillance for decades and can run wire in his sleep, does not mean that he knows or understands networking concepts.
What’s your budget for a 4K NVR?
Balance your needs with your budget
Different NVR series have different components. Including but not limited to the processor. The economical NVR4XXX models have a dual-core processor and cannot handle as much incoming video stream bandwidth as the other models which have a quad-core processor.
If it’s within your budget and you plan on expanding to resolutions higher than 4mp, you should purchase one of the NVR5XXX series models as they can encode a total of 256Mbps of incoming total video bandwidth. They can also display up to 34 megapixels worth of video through the HDMI output if you intend to use an HDMI monitor as the primary method of operating the NVR. Whereas, the NVR4XXX series models have a limited ability to display live feeds in a grid-view, namely 14 megapixels directly to a monitor, and can encode a maximum of 192Mbps.
How long would you like to store recordings on your 4K NVR?
Choosing the best level of storage for your 4K NVR
This is a very tricky variable. The storage space required depends on:
- The number of cameras on the system
- Each camera’s recording resolution
- Each camera’s frame rate
- Each camera’s bit rate
- Your recording schedule (Continuous or Motion only)
The good news is that both the NVR4XXX and NVR5XXX series NVRs have models with differing storage capacities accepted. So if you don’t need the capability for 48TB of storage you can trim some of the cost on the 4K NVR.
Comparing The Best 4K NVRs on CCTV Camera World
At the time of this article these are the best 4K NVRs available:
| The Best 4K NVR - 8 & 16 Channel Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | NVRS084KPOE | NVR164KPOE | NVR516P4K |
| Channels | 8 | 16 | 16 |
| PoE Ports | 8 | 16 | 16 |
| PoE+ | No | Yes | Yes |
| Total Encoding | 192Mbps | 256Mbps | 320Mbps |
| Total MP Displayed | 14 | 14 | 34 |
| Maximum Storage | 12TB | 24TB | 24TB |
| Number of HDD | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Max HDD Recognized | 6TB | 6TB | 6TB |
| Processor | Dual-Core | Dual-Core | Quad-Core |
| The Best 4K NVR - 32 Channel Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | NVR32POE4KS | NVR324KPOE | NVR584K32 |
| Channels | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| PoE Ports | 16 | 16 | NONE |
| PoE+ | Yes | Yes | - |
| Total Encoding | 256Mbps | 256Mbps | 320Mbps |
| Total MP Displayed | 14 | 14 | 34 |
| Maximum Storage | 24TB | 48TB | 48TB |
| Number of HDD | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Max HDD Recognized | 6TB | 6TB | 6TB |
| Processor | Quad-Core | Quad-Core | Quad-Core |
| Raid Support | - | - | 0/1/5/6/10 |
| the Best 4K NVR - 64 Channel Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | NVR584K64 | NVR4K64A | NVR644KE |
| Channels | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| PoE Ports | NONE | NONE | NONE |
| Total Encoding | 320Mbps | 320Mbps | 384Mbps |
| Hot Swappable HDDs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum Storage | 48TB | 48TB | 96TB |
| Number of HDD | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Max Size per HDD | 6TB | 6TB | 6TB |
| Processor | Quad-Core | Quad-Core | Intel Quad-Core |
| Raid Support | 0/1/5/6/10 | 0/1/5/6/10 | 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 |
| iSCSI Support for External Storage | No | Yes | Yes |
