A digital video recorder (DVR), sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder (PVR), is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card, SSD or other local or networked mass storage device. The term includes set-top boxes (STB) with direct to disk recording facility, portable media players (PMP) with recording, TV gateways with network and local recordings, recorders (PMR) as camcorders that record onto Secure Digital memory cards and software for personal computers which enables video capture and playback to and from a hard disk drive.

Can record straight to a video tape recorder which are able to record analogue signals as pictures. If the analogue signals are recorded to tape, then the tape must run at a very slow speed in order to operate continuously. This is because in order to allow a three-hour tape to run for 24 hours, it must be set to run on a time lapse basis which is usually about four frames a second. In one second, the camera scene can change dramatically. A person for example can have walked a distance of 1 meter, and therefore if the distance is divided into four parts, i.e. four frames or "snapshots" in time, then each frame invariably looks like a blur, unless the subject keeps relatively still. Analogue signals can also be converted into a digital signal to enable the recordings to be stored on a PC as digital recordings.

Wiring and cable might not be the flashiest part of a security system but it is a critical part of the overall solution. There are plenty of things to consider when selecting and installing wire and cable to ensure your security system works optimally. At a minimum, wire will be used to provide power to your camera installation and most of the time, wire is also used to transmit the video camera signal back to the DVR. To determine the appropriate cable for your security camera installation you must first know whether your system is analog or digital. Next, you need to know if your camera is going to be powered locally (connecting to it's power source within a few feet) or remotely. If you are connecting the camera to a remote power source, you should consider running your video and power cables together. Video security cables are available with the power and video cables run side-by-side (known as Siamese Cables) or all under one jacket. These will make installation much easier than trying to pull two separate wires.