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Image and Video Display Issues

This guide covers three common image and video display issues in Genesis:

  1. Alarm images from incorrect sites/NVRs
  2. Alarms with no image / empty alarm images
  3. Live view or playback not working

Article 1: Alarm Images from Incorrect Sites/NVRs​

Title: Diagnosing Alarms Sourced from the Wrong Device or NVR​

Quick Checklist​

  • Determine if the incorrect image issue affects all cameras or only a particular set of cameras.
  • Confirm if the image evidence is clearly sourced from a different device or site than the alarm originated from.
  • If images are routinely mixed up from site to site, suspect that the cache is corrupted.
  • If the issue persists, document the affected cameras/sites and escalate to the tech team for cache resolution.

In-Depth Guide​

The presence of alarm images sourced from the wrong device or NVR is a critical issue that suggests a failure in image handling and often points toward a problem with local data storage or indexing.

Diagnosing Image Source Mismatches​

1. Establish Scope of Failure:

  • Check whether the problem of mixed images is isolated to a few particular sites or cameras under a customer, or if it impacts the entire system.
  • Document examples where the image displayed is clearly coming from some other camera or plant.

2. Identify Root Cause (Cache):

  • The most likely cause when an alarm image is consistently mixed up from site to site is that the cache is corrupted.
  • A corrupted cache may need intervention from the technical team.

3. Validation and Next Steps:

  • If you find that images are constantly being mixed up or coming from an incorrect site, note the details, as this indicates something is wrong with the cache.
  • If the problem keeps happening, the tech team needs to address the corrupted cache issue.

Article 2: Alarms with No Image / Empty Alarm Images​

Title: Troubleshooting Missing Alarm Snapshots (Empty Alarm Images)​

Quick Checklist​

  • Verify time synchronization between the device and the platform, checking time zone and DST settings.
  • Check for existing hard disk full or hard disk failure alarms (HDD failure) on the device dashboard.
  • Confirm if the camera has playback capability at the time of the alarm via Genesis, the device interface, and the test client.
  • Review the alarm flow rate to see if network latency or device busyness caused the image fetch request to drop.

In-Depth Guide​

Missing alarm snapshots are often attributed to issues preventing the image from being fetched successfully after the alarm is triggered, including synchronization, network capability, or device storage problems.

Steps for Troubleshooting Missing Images​

1. Check Time Synchronization (Time Sync):

  • Go to the device dashboard and check the time difference between the device and the platform (Genesis).
  • Ensure the device's time zone settings are in sync and that DST is enabled. If DST is not enabled, the device might fail when daylight changes.
  • If there is a large time difference, this may result in a "no image" status because the available video clip is insufficient for capturing the required three images.

2. Verify Recording and Storage:

  • Log in to the device and check the recording configuration, preferably setting it to continuous recording during arming time.
  • Recommend recording for at least 30 seconds (not 10 seconds), as this ensures adequate clip duration despite possible time sync differences.
  • Check the system logs for Hard Disk Full or Hard Disk Failure (HDD failure) alarms. If such an alarm is received, all subsequent alarms will lack an image.

3. Evaluate Playback Capability and Retrieval:

  • Playback Test (Genesis): Open the alarm and click on playback to see if the video stream loads around the event time.
  • Playback Test (Device/Test Client): If playback is not working on Genesis, check playback directly on the device interface or using the device's specific test client (SDK).
    • If playback fails on the device, it indicates a problem with storage configuration or corrupted SD card.
    • If playback works on the device but fails on Genesis, it suggests a Genesis problem which could lead to no images being retrieved.

4. Analyze Alarm Flow and Network Status:

  • Check the alarm dashboard. If the alarm flow rate is very high, the recorder may be too busy prioritizing alarm generation and might drop the request to fetch the images due to network capacity.
  • Verify that the alarms are not marked as redundant, as redundant events are automatically dropped, and the image is not fetched.
  • Network problems or latency are general factors that can result in a "no image" condition.
TermDefinition
Hard Disk Failure (HDD Failure)A critical device issue that, if present, prevents image fetching for subsequent alarms.
Network LatencyA delay in the network which can prevent successful image retrieval, especially if alarm volume is high.
PlaybackThe ability to view recorded video at the time of the alarm, a crucial factor to check when troubleshooting image retrieval.
Redundant AlarmMultiple instances of the same alarm code from the same device within a short period (typically 30 seconds). Redundant alarms are ignored, and images are not fetched.

Article 3: Live View or Playback Not Working​

Title: Diagnosing Video Streaming Failures in Local Mode (H.265 CODEC)​

Quick Checklist​

  • Verify the device's video encoding setting (H.264 vs. H.265) on the device configuration page.
  • If set to H.265, ensure the required CODEC is installed on the local machine for local mode streaming.
  • Check if streaming is successful directly on the device's native platform (e.g., Dahua Care).
  • If using an IP camera, recommend switching to Cloud Only Mode due to device connection limitations.

In-Depth Guide​

Live view and playback failures, particularly in local mode, are frequently tied to network restrictions, device capacity, or missing video decoding software on the client machine.

Troubleshooting Video Streaming Failures​

1. Check Video Encoding and CODEC Installation (Local Mode):

  • Locate the video/audio configuration settings on the camera/NVR device.
  • If the encoding is set to H.265 (a newer encoding version), the user must download and install the corresponding H.265 CODEC on their operating machine (Windows OS).
  • Local mode streaming sends raw packets from the Edge directly, meaning the local machine must be able to decode the stream; without the CODEC, local mode will not run. H.264 is typically supported natively by most systems.
Cloud Mode

Streaming through the Genesis cloud typically works regardless of H.265 due to server-side configuration.

2. Verify Device and Network Connectivity:

  • Log in to the device's native platform (e.g., Dahua Care) and confirm if live video is working there. If live view is not working natively, the issue is on the device side.
  • If the customer is using an IP camera (which has less processing capacity), they may experience problems with local mode as these devices restrict the number of connections allowed simultaneously.
  • If connectivity issues persist with IP cameras, recommend switching to Cloud Only Mode. In this mode, streaming requests route through a single connection via the Genesis Cloud, reducing the load on the device.
  • Be aware that low bandwidth or network problems (especially common in Tower installations) can prevent simultaneous streaming of multiple cameras.

3. Configuration Check (Cloud Mode Audio):

  • In specific cases (like HESTA or VAG), network restrictions might force a customer to use Cloud Mode entirely. If audio is required on these sites, ensure that the device type is configured for cloud mode audio support.
TermDefinition
CODECSoftware required to encode or decode video streams. An H.265 CODEC must be locally installed for H.265 streams to display in local mode.
H.265A video encoding standard that requires a specific CODEC installation on the viewing machine for local mode streaming.
Local ModeDirect peer-to-peer streaming from device to operator workstation, bypassing cloud gateway.
Cloud Only ModeStreaming through Genesis cloud gateway, which handles codec conversion server-side.
IP CameraStandalone network camera with limited processing capacity compared to NVR systems.

Need Help?​

If you continue to experience image or video display issues after following these troubleshooting steps, contact GCXONE Support with:

  • Device ID and site information
  • Screenshots of the issue
  • Time range when the issue occurred
  • Results of playback tests (Genesis, device, test client)