XC10A Image Quality

[TimHayes]

Hello,
I hooked up a couple of XC10A cameras to my system and the image is horrible. Very out of focus and fuzzy. I tried them once at my office and once at home with the same result. I have 3 of these cameras and they all have the same image quality. I also noticed that inside of the activehome software there is no icon for the xc10a (I assume it is an older camera) so I was wondering: 1) do I need an additional or different driver in software or is it likely someother part of the system? I tried the cameras in differing levels of light and it did not seem to make a difference. I tried to focus the camera but that made no difference.

The system is:
XC10A camera
VR31A...(or it could be the 36A not sure, don't have it in front of me) receiver
USB connector between receiver and computer
Activehome pro with Iwatchout plug in

The backstory is that I purchased these off eBay (yeah, I know) and it could be that they are just junk. But before I throw them away and write it off as a lesson learned, I want to make sure I am not missing something simple.

[HA Dave]

.... before I throw them away and write it off as a lesson learned, I want to make sure I am not missing something simple.

Dont throw them away!!!

[I am] not sure what your expectations of image quality are. Are you using the older VA11A... or the better image quality VA12A? Do you have a (small) picture you could post here?

[TimHayes]

Dave_x10_L,

My expectation of the image quality is that I should be able to make out who someone is in the video and that the image should be sharp enough to make our detail. Since I intended to use this as a security camera I need to be able to make out those details. I am not sure about if I am using the VA11A or the VA12A but I will find out and let you know. I also did save some of the video and will make a still image tonight and post it.

Thanks,
Tim

[TimHayes]

Here is an image I captured this afternoon. The system information is:

VR31a
va11a usb adapter
Activehome 3.236
Iwatchout 3.236
Camera XC10A

So is this the quality I can expect from this setup or is their something I can do to make it better?

Thanks,
Tim

[HA Dave]

Here is an image I captured this afternoon. The system information is:
va11a usb adapter
So is this the quality I can expect from this setup or is their something I can do to make it better?

Based on my own experiences, your equipment, and what the lighting looks like (IMHO)... That would be (more-or-less) the quality I would expect.

[TimHayes]

Dave_x10_L,

Thanks for the information. So if the quality is not what I want or need is there anything I can add to these units (the VA12A maybe..) to make the quality better or would I just be better off buying a newer x10 camera system like the low light B&W ones?

Thanks,
Tim

[HA Dave]

... is there anything I can add to these units (the VA12A maybe..) to make the quality better

The VA12A (if your using a Vista PC) will help. Much pricier CCD cameras can improve image quality also.

But before you buy anything... you may want to look at Video Enhancement Software. Look for free stuff or trial downloads. Or even move your video into windows moviemaker software... and see what you can do with it there.