View Video Viewing 01

Viewing DVR Video Files

Media Storage and Workflow Considerations

Users might need to follow different workflows to view media from a DVR. Depending on the model, Seon DVRs can save recorded media in a hard drive or an SD card.

In addition, media extracted from these devices can also be archived as video files in another storage location.

Let’s see the requirements for each of these options:

  • If you want to view media recorded and saved in a DVR hard drive, you will need a Seon HDD dock. This device allows you to transfer data from the hard drive to your PC. Transferred media can then be viewed in vMax View if this is already installed in your computer.
    To know more about the Seon HDD dock, please visit the Documentation Library and read the HDD Dock Quick Start Guide.
  • If you want to view media recorded and saved in a DVR SD card (compatible DVRs only), you will need an SD card reader to transfer data to your PC so that it can be viewed in vMax View.
  • If you want to view existing video archives, you will only need to have access to their storage location and open the files with vMax View. To know more about this topic, please read the Viewing Archived Video Files section.

NOTE: Wireless Users

Notice that some specific users such as those operating vMax Commander may also have wireless access to video and related data recorded by DVRs through a custom network.

Opening Video Files from DVR Hard Drives and SD Cards

To open media from the DVR hard drive, connect this to your computer through a Seon HDD dock. To open media from an SD card, use an SD card reader connected to your PC. Then, launch vMax View and follow these steps:

  1. In the vMax View drive window, click the down arrow on the right of the File Selection box. vMax View sees the information from compatible DVR hard drives and SD cards, if the DVR model supports this option. Select the appropriate media.
  1. Click the File icon. vMax View starts loading the drive data and a progress bar appears.

WARNING: Unable to Load Video

When vMax View detects media from an attached DVR (hard drive or SD card) that is not compatible with its current version, it will pop a warning message stating that the program is “Unable to Load Video”. If this happens, please contact the Seon Service team to update your vMax View software.

Depending on the storage capacity of the drive, loading media may take a few minutes. Once the file is loaded:
  • The Video Display screens (by default, based on the channel count of the DVR type used for recording) load the most recent recording on the drive.
  • The Date and Time search area indicates when video was recorded and the start time of the most current recording on the drive.
  • The Video Data sections populate with information from the drive.
  1. If needed, select a calendar date containing the video you want to watch and click Search.

Alternatively, select an event or alarm date and time by double-clicking on it under the respective Events or Alarms tabs.

Viewing Video Files

Once the file has been loaded, the video is ready for watching.
  1. Use the playback controls to view the video. You can review all these functionalities in more detail in the User Interface section within the Getting to Know vMax View tutorial.
  1. You can select a Source Camera for audio output through the corresponding drop-down menu.
  1. Depending on the number of cameras installed in the vehicle, there may be multiple video channels displayed. You can select the Video Display that shows the number of video channels required in the Video Display area or use the scroll buttons to find the most suitable option.
  1. You can also display telemetry information by clicking on the corresponding icons under the Telemetry tab. To do so:
    • Within the Video Data menu, click Telemetry.
    • Click on the preferred icon to access the required information. Remember that this menu can show GPS data, Speed data, Signals, Idle data and G-sensor data.

vMax View can also display more detailed telemetry information within the Playback Window. To review how this feature works, please read Viewing Telemetry Information in the following section.

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