derived mpeg 4 codec? how to view

[infamo]

So today I got car jacked at gun point right outside my office. I filled all the reports and wat not but we have cameras outside the office. Coincidently when me and my boss went to see the video, the ($15,000 system) crashes. Its linux base(think red hat, I knw very little about linux), I bought the drive home with me and recovered video files off of it but apparently the company, Tempest Microsystems, uses a codec derived from the mpeg4 codec. Is there anyway to view these files except on the linux box they gave me. Cause I dont think i can pull up files from a cd or something to view on the box, it runs a special software that they made.

[celtic_druid]

Should be able to mount the CD using mount and access files on it.

[jman98]

I don't think celtic_druid understands your post. It could have been better written.

Basically, we know nothing about Tempest Microsystems or how they do their video stuff, so unless you happen to get lucky and someone here is familiar with them, I'd say that as a customer you should call them and make them help you. You shouldn't be locked into linux per se just because of the way they store the video to the hard disk, but if they do some proprietary stuff with the video when they write it, you may have issues playing it back on any system without their help. Bottom line - Linux is not the issue here, but you may need help from Tempest to play those files back depending on what they did when their software wrote it to disk.

How exactly did you "recover" these files? I'm curious because a Linux filesystem should not be accessible under Windows and you admit to knowing little about Linux. I'm wondering if maybe your recover process was flawed. Were you actually able to see the contents of the disk drive under Windows?

[Nelson37]

Since it is highly unlikely that Tempest wrote their own codec, it is simply a matter of determining the codec used, and/or using a player that can handle it.

Download and try the VLC player, it will handle most video types and carries its own codecs, these are not installed to the system.

Also, you might want to re-consider the logic in using a "security" system that is so secure no one easily available is able to work on it.

For $15,000, are you using 16 cameras or more? If not, you have been seriously overcharged. System should have been about one-third of that price.

[infamo]

Yeah, it is a 16 camera system. I recovered the files by just plugging in the drive to my vista pc and using R-Studio recovery program.

[infamo]

VLC doesn't seem to work.

[jman98]

If you are lucky, R-Studio got your files, but it is possible in Linux to use file systems that R-Studio doesn't support. You paid good to Tempest. I stand by my advice - make THEM help you. If they can't/won't, you need to find another company to deal with. Nelson37's advice is well worth considering. What exactly have you gotten for your money? You're asking strangers for advice and nobody has been able to help yet.

[celtic_druid]

As I understood it they burnt (or could burn) the recovered files to CD, but were under the impression that they couldn't access the files on a linux system. I was just pointing out that as long as it has a drive, then you can mount the CD and access the files.

Says the app supports EXT2/3 on the product page anyway, so as long as it wasn't reiser... it should have been able to recover something. No way to tell if the files aren't corrupted or not though.

Should have been running RAID I would have thought with mirroring or at least parity. Is there not some kind of IT person at your company who knows the system?

[infamo]

no, not really, its a fairly small company(25 people). I called tempest and they told me I have to go through engineering deptarment for them to realease the codec, and the only way to talk to them is via email.

[Nelson37]

So they are saying it is indeed a proprietary codec, known only to Tempest???

Who the hell authorized this purchase? What exactly do you expect to happen when these clowns go out of business, and no one makes software that plays their files?

Can you get your money back? 16 PTZ cameras, installed and wired, with PVR system, should not be over $10,000. Much less, if you build a decent PC and add the cams, software, and card. The 16-port card was less than $2,000, IIRC, 16 decent PTZ cams $2,000 to $8,000, software and PC less than a grand. Did they sell you color cameras? BW are much better, actually. Higher resolution.

By any chance did somebody whose name reminds you of Pearl Harbor have anything to do with this purchase? If so, PM me immediately as the system crash at the same time as the robbery may very well not be accidental.

Is this the first time you have attempted a playback, how old is the system, and BTW so much for the crash-proofness of Linux. To me, this is kind of like paying extra for a steam-powered ambulance. I would pay extra to haul it away.

And what exactly do you do to get a playable video to the legal authorities?

IMO you are either misinterpreting something or your company has been very badly hosed.
All the systems I have seen are using cards which record through internal processors, usually in WMV. Meaning Tempest would have had to go out of their way to turn this into some proprietary video. The only reason to do this would be to lock you into their software and hardware. IMO this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE, I would tell Tempest you want not only playback software but something to convert it into standard, usable video and if I could not get that or a refund, I would tell them I would be returning the system to them immediately and they would need a new front window.

My guess would be it is indeed a standard codec, but they have scrambled it somehow so only their software plays it. Next guess would be they do not have a conversion method, which means you do not have usable video without hauling the entire system into court, also that Tempest will not be in business long and whoever authorized this purchase will soon be looking for a new job. Unless he or she owns the company.

[celtic_druid]

Well I would think it would be this:
http://www.tempestinc.net/products/9000Series.php
running:
http://www.tempestinc.net/products/tsunami.php

Says that it supports "CD/DVD Backup: Backup recorded files to CD or DVD that can be played in a Windows PC." So they should have some kind of windows playback software. Perhaps:
http://www.tempestinc.net/products/tsunamiWeb.php

[Nelson37]

The only mention of compatible playback is in connection with the "interceptor" Windows client. This would indicate that the main box produces non-compatible video, and that if the box goes down in such a way that an IP connection is not possible, you have several hundred gigabyte of totally unusable video.

Typically these systems use a downgraded quality for the remote client, meaning that the video received and apparently used for playback would be of lesser quality than the original. This downgrade is typical for such systems, however ALL that I have seen and/or worked with allow for a conversion on the actual recording box, using the original video for best quality. In fact, all such systems I have seen have compatible video right off the box, PC playable WMV in almost all cases. A conversion would be necessary for a DVD, but not for PC playback.

So either there is a resident conversion program on the DVR itself, which Tempest has apparently neglected to inform you of, or the only conversion is in the client program. This is just not acceptable for such a system. Box goes down, no connection available, you got no video.