H.264 vs H.265

[Neville Bailey]

I have installed 3 Hikvision IP cameras and they work perfectly on SS, set up with H.264 and smart event detection.

I read that H.265 saves storage space, so I changed my settings from H.264 to H.265, with all other settings unchanged.

However, I don't see any storage savings at all - it seems no different to H.264.

What am I missing?

 

[WST16]

Are you running the latest camera firmware and are you sure you've chosen the right cameras on SS setup?
H.265 (HEVC) should have better (less) network bandwidth and storage utilization.
Do you have the bit rate type set to variable. You might try that.

You can also try Hickvision's own H.265+

 

[Neville Bailey]

I have the Hikvision DS-2CD2021G1-I camera with firmware version V5.5.92 Build 190227. I cannot seem to find out what the latest firmware is for my model, even on the Hikvision site.

Here are screenshots of my setup in SS:

H.265+ does save a lot of storage space, but it does not support smart event detection like line crossing.

 

[WST16]

Looks like 5.5.98 is the latest (at the bottom of the page).

Just make sure this is the right camera (and the right language). If I'm to do the upgrade, I'd upgrade one and compare with the others for a few days, I'd also check what's new in the settings, especially under events detection on both SS and the camera itself.

Can’t you find the exact camera model instead of generic? Are you running the latest SS camera pack?
Although I had better luck with generic, it’s better to check both.

Are you using (setting) smart events on the camera or on SS? In other words, are you setting the camera to detect and push the events to SS or relying on SS algorithms?

 

[Neville Bailey]

Thanks for the link to the firmware upgrade - I'm in the process of upgrading one of the cameras.

The SS list does not include my model, so I was forced to use Generic. I'm not sure what you mean by "camera pack"?

I'm setting smart events on the camera itself.

 

[WST16]

I meant Device Pack.
You can check SS > drop down menu > application center > running
Compare the version number with latest release (although it should alert you if there's an update).

 

[WST16]

Take note of the below (from the user manual).

“You need to reboot the camera if you want to turn on or turn off the H.264+/H.265+. If you switch from H.264+ to H.265+ directly, and vice versa, a reboot is not required by the system”.

 

[Neville Bailey]

Well, I've downloaded the latest firmware file, but the upgrade process fails.

 

[WST16]

Did you try upgrading with Hikvision's iVMS?

 

[Neville Bailey]

Yes, I did. I also tried the browser and had the same result.

 

[WST16]

Sorry if this is obvious, but did you unzip the downloaded file and use the extracted ".dav" file?

You can also (if you didn't) try Firefox browser and see if it makes any difference.
I read that some users had to go through interim updates to reach the latest for their Hikvision cameras. So you might try to find a version between yours and the latest and try.

 

[Neville Bailey]

Ha ha, yes I did unzip the downloaded file before using the .dav file.

I tried various browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari and Internet Explorer, both on a Mac and a PC, both on WiFi and connected with Ethernet.

Where do I find the interim update files for my camera? I’ve tried looking for them but have not been successful.

Thank you for your patience in trying to help me with this issue!

 

[WST16]

Ha ha, yes I did unzip

Ok. This is the thing about Hikvision. They produce a ton of (new models) cameras each year and their website is a mess. Whoever is handling it should be shot and hung. The camera naming convention is not helping either being fragmented across the world. The cameras are not bad though, not the best, but for the price/features they're ok.

BTW, did you try restarting the camera before hitting it with the upgrade?

I found this on the UK portal. But I'm not too sure. Looks like your version is there with two successors.
Proceed at your own risk

HIKVISION UK PORTAL

www.hikvisioneurope.com

 

[Neville Bailey]

Looks like I am destined not to ever upgrade my cameras.

Yes, I did reboot the camera before attempting the upgrade.

The upgrade failed with the first interim firmware file as well.

 

[WST16]

We’re running out of options here

How about trying another camera (you said you have three all the same model).
Next thing I'd try is to backup the configuration and do a hard reset (using the reset button), and try the latest update one more time using the browser and the iVMS.

 

[Neville Bailey]

Well, well, well ... the other two cameras updated to the latest firmware without any problems!

I tried the first camera one more time, but it failed again.

I will have to get the ladder out to do the hard reset on that camera.

 

[WST16]

That's good news for a change

Are there any differences between the two and the one that refuses to update?
Did you purchase all three from the same place?
Are they connected to the network in the same way (wired/wireless, same switch/same route)?

 

[Neville Bailey]

All three cameras are exactly the same model, but each of them was purchased from a different supplier.

They are connected in exactly the same way.

I just reset the camera to default settings (on iVMS-4200), deactivated it and then reactivated it with SADTTool, then imported the configuration file back in - no joy.

Next step is to try the hard reset.

 

[WST16]

Try the hard rest and update it before importing the configuration and see if it works. If doesn’t and if it’s still under warranty, I’d try to get it replaced or fixed by the seller.

 

[Neville Bailey]

Getting back to my original issue...

I've just checked the size of the recorded files under H.265 (for the two cameras that I managed to update) and they are still the same size as under H.264.