What is the Difference Between a DVR and NVR?

A Digital Video Recorder, most commonly called a DVR, is a device that saves the images from your security cameras to a hard drive. HD-SDI cameras capture an analog picture. The DVR converts the analog picture signal into a digital signal and then compresses it and stores it.

A Network Video Recorder, most commonly called an NVR, is similar to a DVR in that it store the images the camera records. IP cameras capture a digital signal, not an analog signal. Therefore the NVR doesn’t convert the signal from analog to digital, it just compresses and stores the signal. DVRs and NVRs range from 4 Channel, up to 32 Channel. The number of channels dictates the number of  security cameras your system can support.