NVR Playback Mode offers temporary access to recorded footage from individual classrooms to enhance safety and security. It's important to note that the NVR is distinct from the Kloud-12 teacher dashboard used by regular classroom camera users. For general use and routine instructional observations, we suggest utilizing the Kloud-12 dashboard and its teacher-scheduled recordings. NVR Playback Mode is reserved for approved administrative users to address classroom incidents.*
In NVR Playback, the user can:
- Select cameras from the NVR camera list to access recorded footage.
- Navigate through past footage spanning the last 30 days by using a calendar interface to select different months and days for retrieval.
- Utilize controls for zooming, audio adjustments, snapshot capture, as well as clipping and downloading specific footage segments.
*Accessing NVR Playback requires logging into your NVR account, which is restricted to approved administration personnel. If you don't have an NVR account, contact your district for guidance. For assistance with account-related issues, you can reach out to Kloud-12 at support@kloud-12.com. We'll coordinate with your school district to assist you further.
See Getting Started with the Kloud-12 NVR for more info on NVR Accounts & First-Time Setup before proceeding.
Using NVR Playback Mode
Log into your school's NVR with the address and account credentials provided by Kloud-12. Depending on the generation of hardware your school's NVR uses, you may need to switch your usual web browser. Newer Generation 3 and Generation 4 NVRs are compatible with all browsers, including Chrome.*
*Older, Generation 2 NVRs are phasing out of customer use. Gen 2 NVRs will only offer functionality on Microsoft Edge when used in Internet Explorer Mode, specifically, which requires one-time browser setting adjustments.
*A Note for MAC Users Regarding NVR Playback
There is no Playback capability for the NVR in MAC OS. MAC users must first download a file, and can view the downloaded file through VLC Media Player for MAC, as a workaround for Playback Mode in the NVR dashboard itself.
Kloud-12 NVR Playback Basics - for Generation 3 & 4 Hardware
1. Mode Indicator: Navigate to the NVR's Playback Mode screen in the menu bar. Gen 3 and 4 NVRs have very similar dashboards. The screenshots below highlight the basic functions of each version.
2. Video Stream Window: By default, all video windows will show a blank placeholder.
3. Viewing Screen Selector: Select one or more camera feeds for viewing. On Gen 3 NVRs, you can toggle single or multi-view with the icon in the toolbar. On Gen 4 NVRs, you can simply select one or more camera channels from the list by clicking on the camera name.
4. Camera Channel List: Select a camera from the classroom/camera channel list. *If you don't find the specific classroom you're looking for in the list, it might be connected to a secondary NVR. Each NVR can support up to 32 channels. If there are more than 32 classroom cameras, additional NVR devices will be utilized to manage them. Our team will provide you with login details for each device, indicating the classroom cameras assigned to it for your reference.
5. Footage Selector Calendar: Use the calendar to browse through the footage history of the desired camera channel. If there's recorded footage available for a particular day, you'll notice a red dot or triangle marking that day. Typically, most NVRs retain approximately 30 days of recorded footage history for each channel.
6. Video Controls: On Gen 3 NVRs, hit the "Play" button next to the camera name to start/stop the video stream. On Gen 4 NVRs, after selecting a camera channel, click the "Play" button at the bottom of the left sidebar.
7. Active Footage Window: Camera video streams will not initiate until you select a device from the camera channel list and hit the play button.
8. Volume Button: The volume button on the right of the toolbar will mute/unmute the camera's audio to the selected Live View window. If you do not hear audio, please make sure your computer's audio is also enabled. *Don't see the NVR audio button? Please reach out to our team at support@kloud-12.com. We can confirm that your NVR account has permissions enabled for audio access if this is permitted in your district's policy.
9. Footage Time Bar & Time Controls: The time bar provides an hourly breakdown of the video footage and enables you to navigate to a specific time using video controls, or by clicking anywhere on the blue bar. For Gen 3 NVRs, you can use the video controls to accelerate playback up to 4x, decelerate it to 1/32x, rewind, stop, and pause. On Gen 4 NVRs, you can adjust intervals from 5 seconds to 1 hour, alter playback speed, skip forward or backward by interval, watch in reverse, and utilize the regular play, stop/pause functions.
Newest NVR Versions: Gen 4 Dashboard for Playback
Older NVR Versions: Gen 3 Dashboard for Playback
Additional Tools in NVR Playback
Once you feel confident navigating camera footage, you'll find additional features accessible through the dashboard tools, including taking snapshots, zooming in on the view, and clipping footage to download. To use these functions, click on the icons in the toolbar.
1. Download a Playback Snapshot by clicking the camera icon in the toolbar.
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- On Gen 3 NVRs, you will see a pop-up saying "Snapshot Successfully!" in the lower right corner, and can locate the image file in your computer's downloads folder. It's a good idea to rename the file to something descriptive, like a room number and date, for easier reference during file review.
- Gen 4 NVRs will display a "Snapshot Succeeded" pop-up with a direct link to the file. Simply click the link to access the file's location. You may want to drag and drop the file to your desktop for quick access and use right-click to rename it with room and date specifics.
2. Zoom the Playback window by clicking the magnify icon. After clicking, you can scroll with your mouse button to zoom in or out and drag to reposition the view in the selected window as needed. You can also drag your mouse to create a box anywhere in the video stream window, and the zoom tool will magnify within the outlined area. To reset the view, click the magnify icon again.
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- On Gen 3 NVRs, you have the capability to zoom in during Live View. However, if you capture a Snapshot while zoomed in, the resulting image will revert to the original view. A workaround for this issue is to zoom in on the downloaded snapshot image file after it's been saved to your device.
- On Gen 4 NVRs, you can zoom in Live View and take a Snapshot that will create an image file of the zoomed view.
3. Clip & Download a Footage File by clicking the scissor icon in the toolbar. You can drag and drop the time bar to select the beginning and end of the clip. When finished, click the download arrow or disc icon to save. For more detail on these steps, see Using the NVR - Clip & Download Footage
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- To PLAY a downloaded footage file (from both Gen 3 and 4), right-click the file and select "Open with" > "VLC Media Player," or you can open VLC and drag and drop the video file into the media player. For more on VLC, see Using the NVR - Troubleshooting Common Issues.
4. Stretch the Fisheye View to fit the video window by clicking the stretch icon. Click the icon again to toggle back to standard view size.
For more on Kloud-12 NVRs, see:
Using the NVR - Clip & Download Footage
Using the NVR - Troubleshooting Common Issues
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