Video Recorder Lagging and Stuttering Solution

Have you ever encountered the problem of the video recorder lagging or stuttering? Pairing unsuitable switches, configuring wrong parameters, hard disk failures, etc. All could be the reasons for a lagging or stuttering screen by the video recorder. Learn about the reasons and corresponding solutions below. 

What to do when lag or stutter happens in the real-time preview? 

First things first, please check whether the switch bandwidth is sufficient for the video recorder. 

Stream stuttering occurs when the switch has insufficient capacity. Try to connect fewer cameras to the switch and check if the stuttering issue has been improved. If it works smoothly without lag or stutter after connecting with fewer cameras, it is recommended to replace the switch with one which has sufficient bandwidth. 

A 100Mbps switch is suggested to connect with eight cameras or less. If the project requires more than eight cameras, please decide on a Gigabit switch. 

Stuttering with single screen preview 

It is defaulted to take the mainstream when previewing with a single screen layout. So if a stutter happens, check whether the mainstream frame rate is set at full. 

For a NVR3.0 operation interface: 

Enter the main menu → recording configuration → set encoding parameters → set every channel’s mainstream into full frame rate. 

For a NVR4.0lite operation interface: 

Enter configuration → recording management → recording parameters → set every channel’s mainstream into full frame rate. 

If it is not a matter of the frame rate, check whether there is any packet loss or delay in the network transmission between the recorder and the camera. With the original network and topology remains unchanged, test with the recorder network detection function. 

Stuttering with multi-screen preview 

When the video recorder has multiple small screen previews, it is defaulted to take the sub-stream. So when stutter occurs, check whether the parameters of the sub-stream are set reasonably. 

The recommended bit rate of the sub-stream is within 1024kbps and the resolution is within 4cif. The resolution of the sub-stream and the upper limit of the code stream can be appropriately reduced to 352*288 or 320*240, and 512kbps respectively. 

For a NVR3.0 operation interface: 

Enter the main menu → recording configuration → encoding parameters → set the sub-stream parameter. 

For a NVR4.0lite operation interface: 

Enter configuration → recording management → recording parameters → set the sub-stream parameter. 

What to do when lag or stutter happens in the playback?

In general, insufficient hard disk reading speed and an abnormal hard disk are the reasons for a stuttering playback. You may copy the video file to a computer to see if the video plays smoothly on the computer, and confirm whether it is an issue with the hard disk. *It is recommended to use surveillance-specified monitoring disks for surveillance projects. 

For a NVR3.0 operation interface: 

Select the corresponding channel, start time, and end time of the playback video you want to check with, then click “search”. Choose the playback video from the footage list and back it up. You can check and back up multiple playback videos if needed. After choosing “back up”, select the corresponding U disk name (U disk format: fat32) and files, then click “save”. Play the exported files by the Hikvision player for checking. 

For a NVR4.0lite operation interface: 

Select the time range of the playback video you want to check with, then select the corresponding channel and click “retrieve”. For the retrieved files, check the content you need and click “export”. You can check and export multiple videos if needed. Select the corresponding U disk name (U disk format: fat32) and files, then click “save”. Play the exported files by the Hikvision player for checking. 

What to do when lag or stutter happens on the video recorder operation interface?

Run the video recorder without connecting to a hard disk, and see if the lag or stutter still happens. If there is no lag or stutter anymore, you should replace your original hard disk with a surveillance-specified monitoring disk. 

If the lag or stutter situation remains even after disconnecting a hard disk, it is recommended to restore the recorder to the factory settings or upgrade if updates are available.  

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