PC-NVR - Failed to start playback. Can not find device information.

[chadbaldwin]

So today, I decided to start setting up PC-NVR and Amcrest Surveillance Pro.

For years, I have been using an FTP server on my home network to record. It's worked fine for the most part, but when it comes to play back...it's horrible...having to scroll through tons and tons of video files, etc.

So I thought I would give the official Amcrest software a shot.....I am not having any luck here.

I've set up PC-NVR, I've added two cameras to it. I've allocated an entire 2TB drive, and I've set up the motion detection schedules. All that is done.

Now, when I go to the playback screen, I can see green sections on the timeline indicating recorded activity...but if I try to play any of those...I get this error message: "Failed to start playback. Can not find device information."

Any ideas?

---

Also...I have just come to the realization, that the green activity that it is detecting, is actually the recorded video on the FTP server??? Why wouldn't it be using the allocated space to record to? I'm so confused.

[jack7]

Is your FTP server and PC-NVR both on the same PC? If so, perhaps there is a conflict like both having the same IP address/port or something, and that's why you are getting strange results in your PC-NVR storage.
Also, you said motion detection was set up and you see green lines. In Playback, yellow lines are motion events and green lines are continuous recording.

[chadbaldwin]

To answer your question. No, they are on separate computers.

For simplicity, I'll be using ASP when referencing Amcrest Surveillance Pro.

What I've figured out so far is...when you are using ASP, and you are in the "Playback" section. If you have it set to the "Device" tab and you are looking at non-PC-NVR cameras...it is actually pulling from the FTP server THROUGH the camera (I confirmed this when hitting the search button and checking the logs on the FTP server).

So it's actually telling the camera to check the FTP server to see where there has been activity, and then ASP is then mapping that out on the timeline.

As far as the colors being green vs yellow, etc, I don't know why it's showing the wrong color. Perhaps it just assumes green when it's pulling FTP through the camera.

Unfortunately...even though it's successfully using the camera to query the FTP server and fill in the activity data...it's not able to playback the video. I'm still getting the error message from the title above.

[chadbaldwin]

So I guess I have two problems.....
1) Why is ASP able to use the cameras to query the FTP server for recording activity....but it's unable to play back any video, returning the error originally posted about.

2) Why is PC-NVR not working at all in regards to recording to local disk. I've even tried resetting a camera to default settings, and making sure it is not recording to anywhere else...even then, it still does not record via PC-NVR.

Would be REALLY nice if I could get playback to start working....it's obviously mapping it out on the timeline correctly, but no idea why it's not playing it back.

In my opinion, ASP should have a feature that lets you point it at any local folder as long as it follows the correct folder structure, and then plays video from there.

[jack7]

Scenario:
Camera is set up for motion detect(MD) and to record MD files to FTP. It works.
PC-NVR is set up to record MD files.
Camera sends MD records to FTP and to PC-NVR.
ASP does not communicate with FTP.

Now, how should PC-NVR be set up to make it record and Replay. I'll send you some snapshots and instructions later this afternoon. I have to leave now...

[Revo2Maxx]

I am not sure but if I remember right there is option for other means of storage in asp... While I don't want to mess up my system again by using it because I have found that ASP has been the cause of my Date and Time to get all out of wack.. Since I stopped using ASP and PC-NVR my date and time has stayed stable and on track without me having to change it daily...

So I wonder if what is happening is that the option for other storage is being used for playback that isn't supported and that is why there is the failed to start playback... I remember when I used it I had to choose what method of playback I wanted. If I wanted off the device I could get it, or off the PC0-NVR if there I could get it as well...

[jack7]

chadbaldwin,
Since Revo2Maxx says ASP and PC-NVR don't work for him and there's some mystery storage, then I'll cancel explaining how to set it up as I said I would in my last post.