Panasonic WJ-NV200 NVR Review

One of the major obstacles to the uptake of IP has been the sheer difference in knowledge required to fit a system. Historically, the DVR was the centre of the system, with monitors, cables and all sorts coming out. Wouldn’t it be great if we had an NVR with all of the features of a DVR?

Panasonic’s WJ-NV200 fits the bill. The IP recorder features a rich list of old-school features, many of which you would expect to see on a DVR. It has the ability to be controlled without the need for a PC, can have monitors connected directly from it, and has a great user interface.

The unit itself can record up to 16 cameras at 30fps, has a full HD monitor output and supports face detection. It can record cameras in any of the most common compressions in the market and it can configure itself from a simple mouse click.

16-channel recording
Panasonic has targeted the 16 camera section of the market as it allows them to keep the price of the NVR low whilst also appealing to the analogue market who are used to fitting 16 channel DVRs.

The WJ-NV200 allows for all 16 cameras to be recorded at 720p HD, meaning higher resolutions on the system vs analogue contemporaries. The NV200 also supports 30fps per channel (real-time) and has audio support per channel.

When we look at 16 cameras recording in 720p and real-time, we see benefits straight away. Most DVRs are not real-time, typically 8-12fps recording at 2CIF for example, here we have far higher quality images with a super smooth refresh rate, with the option for audio as well. Simply put, analogue cannot compete here.

The NV200 allows for 2 x 3TB hard drives to be installed, if we were to use 16 cameras in 720p HD, we could record them for 30 days at 15fps. Alternatively we can get a solid two weeks recording at real-time at 720p.

Multi-formats
The WJ-NV200 supports H.264, MPEG4 and MJPEG allowing you to use legacy cameras, new cameras, cameras that might be being used for video analytics elsewhere, but more importantly, it means many possibilities.

The current list of supported cameras is limited to Panasonic only, however an ONVIF firmware is due for release imminently allowing users to experiment with third-party cameras on this system.

HDMI and BNCS monitor outputs
We now come across the first feature that lends the NV200 to the analogue school of thinking, monitor outputs! Rarely do we see a network recorder that doesn’t require the operator to manage it via a PC or network but the NV200 has two monitor outputs.

The primary output is a full 1080p HDMI connector, allowing us to make use of any modern monitor while the second is a BNC output. This is designed for use as a live monitor and as such, we can choose to have a single spot picture or to sequence through our camera images. This is ideal in the security world as we always want a live monitor (think of supermarket entrances where customers can see themselves being monitored) so the BNC connection is perfect for this.

USB mouse control
One of the major advantages a DVR has over its IP counterpart is it allows control of the unit by sitting in front of it and pressing buttons (or using a joystick). Typically IP recorders need to be on the network with a PC (web browser) or management software running to enable us to make changes.

Click here to view Figure 1.

The WJ-NV200 features a front USB port allowing us to use a standard two- or three-button mouse (with scroll wheel) so we can control the recorder whilst being in front of it. This saves so much time and is very easy as coupled with a crisp HD monitor and the excellent user interface, configuring the recorder is a doddle.

Auto camera detection
Panasonic have created a nice little feature that finds the cameras on the network, adds them into the recorder and then sets the recording up, in just four clicks!

“Easy Start” works in five simple steps:

1. Connect all the cameras to the network and turn them on;
2. Set your time and date;
3. The recorder scans the network to find the cameras and then adds them into the system;
4. The recorder can then set the camera IP addresses for us (if you choose) and then you choose the resolution, refresh rate and duration to record;
5. You choose the order in which camera images are displayed.

Face-matching technology
The NV200 allows us to save up to 16 faces, either from a live image or from existing recorded footage. We find our face, ensure the image is still (or press pause if playing from recorded footage) and draw a box around the face. Once saved, we name the face i.e., “Dave”. We set up camera No. 1 on the system as our detection camera (typically this might be a camera viewing an entrance). The recorder will then notify us every time it detects Dave from camera No. 1.

It is very impressive and also quite accurate, after storing three faces. Panasonic has been pushing their solutions-based approach of ‘Business Intelligence through Video Surveillance’ and to that end, the NV200 also supports a software add-on, WJ-NV20F which adds the next level of detection — age range, and gender detection as well as some other features.

Face Detection is a nice feature that could have great use in the retail industry (known shoplifters could have their faces stored). However, the algorithm was written based on Eastern faces so accuracy on Western faces is approx 80% and is just a little too low currently to be used within most applications. It is a great prototype though.

Build quality and accessibility
Straight out of the box, the recorder feels very well put together, certainly very sturdy. There is no rattle or flimsiness. Hard drive access is at the rear with each bay held by a screw.

The NV200 supports 2TB and 3TB hard drives (Western Digital models) and we found adding/removing the hard drive to be a doddle. The unit detects how many drives it has and automatically formats new drives. The USB slot is at the front, so for mouse control, it really is plug and play. Standard rear connections include the RJ-45 for Ethernet, power (kettle plug) and the HDMI and BNC connections. There is also a large D-Sub for alarms.

Interface and speed of setup
Using the Easy Start wizard, we had a three-camera system setup inside two minutes. The system is idle for a few moments as it goes through each step of the easy start process, the only flaw we found is the detection screen. For the recorder to find a camera the camera must have been powered for less than 10 minutes — any longer than that and it simply doesn’t detect it. Apart from this, the configuration ran through with no problems at all.

Click here to view Figure 2.

The GUI is excellent — the main window has a section for live images (spot or multi-screen) and has some common tools on the right including playback, time and date, and setup. It is very intuitive and easy to navigate through, from going into setup and making changes, to quickly playing back from a certain time and date.

The verdict
The Panasonic WJ-NV200 is a sturdy NVR that works well under load, handling multiple cameras, streams, compressions, and resolutions very well.

The configuration is straightforward and quick. The GUI is easy to use and mouse control is a God-send. If we were greedy then having a second USB port to plug a keyboard in would massively help for character entry. Currently to cycle through characters to enter, we use the scroll wheel, one character at a time. A keyboard would be so much better.

Panasonic, as any major corporation, regularly release new firmware. The latest version allows a user to remotely configure the recorder for instances where use in front of the recorder is difficult (such as rack mounted installs).

Overall the recorder is excellent. It delivers all of the benefits of IP such as support for the new high resolution era of cameras, network access and HD video output. It also appeals to those from the analogue world as they can control the recorder whilst sat in front of it and hang monitors off it. This would certainly help installers with an analogue background in their transition to IP.

The NV200 brings together top quality IP recording with an analogue way of delivering it and so should appeal to both the IP and analogue crowds.