vMax View
User Guide
Table of Contents
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View
Installing vMax View - p.3
Additional Considerations Before Using vMax View - p.6
Upgrading vMax View - p.6
Getting to Know vMax View
Login and Launch - p.7 User Interface - p.8
Playback Window Menu - p.11
Configuring vMax View
Configuration Options - p.13
Saving Your Preferred Configuration - p.14 Loading an Existing Configuration - p.14 Resetting Default Configuration - p.14
Viewing Video
Media Storage and Workflow Considerations - p.15 Opening Video Files from DVR Hard Drives and SD Cards - p.15
Viewing Video Files - p.17
Viewing Telemetry Data
Viewing Telemetry Information in the Playback Win- dow - p.18
Telemetry Data Options - p.19
Selecting Additional View Options
Video Display Resolution - p.21 Zoom and Dock - p.22
Archiving Video Files
Archiving Video by Date and Time - p.23 Archiving Video by Location - p.25 Selecting Privacy Zones - p.27
using Archive Wizard
Opening Archive Wizard - p.29 Archiving Video Files - p.29
Viewing Video Archives
Opening an Existing Video Archive - p.32 Validating an Existing Video Archive - p.33 Viewing Files with Different Players - p.34 Seon Self Playing Archives - p.36
Saving Still Images
Saving Still Images with vMax View - p.37 Viewing Saved Still Images - p.39
Reference Tables
System Requirements - p.40 Archive File Types - p.41
Video Recorder Event Descriptions - p.42 Abbreviations and Acronyms - p.43
Service and Support
Training - p.44
Documentation and Warranty - p.44 Technical Support - p.44
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View vMax View
3. When the License Agreement window is displayed, review the agreement and, if you accept, select I accept the Agreement to continue.
4. Then click Next.
Installing vMax View
1. Insert the vMax View software CD into your CD-Rom drive. The installer should launch automatically. If it doesn’t, access Seon vMax View V.x.x.exe from your CD and double click on it. The Seon vMax View Self Extractor appears with a temporary unzipping location. Click Unzip.
2. When the Seon vMax View Setup Wizard appears, click Next.
To install vMax View on a computer for the first time:
vMax View requires administrator rights to the computer to install or upgrade the software but non-administrator users can run the software. Closing all programs and temporarily disabling virus protection before installing vMax View is recommended.
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View vMax View
7. When the Select Additional Tasks window appears, select Create a Desktop Icon if you want immediate access from your desktop.
8. Select Enable Login Support if you require login support for vMax View at your location.
9. Click Next.
5. A new Setup Destination Location window is shown.
Seon recommends allowing installation in the default directory but you can always click on the Browse button to navigate and select a different location for vMax View if needed.
6. Click Next.
10. When the Setup confirmation dialog appears, click OK at the bottom of the window.
A Ready to Install window appears.
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View vMax View
11. When the Ready to Install screen is displayed, verify the preferred settings and click on the Install button.
vMax View will be installed on your computer.
12. A new window informs you when the installation is complete. Click Finish to exit the Setup Wizard.
Installing And Upgrading Vmax View vMax View
Additional Considerations Before Using vMax View
The Administrator must ensure that users authorized to log into vMax View have full read/write access to the folder where vMax View is installed on the PC.
The image on the right shows the folder properties window.
Use your PC browser to locate it and edit it if needed.
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If you launch vMax View and your PC is running Windows 10 but .NET4.5 is not installed, you will get a message prompting you to download and install this framework from Microsoft. To do so:
• Make sure you have an Internet connection.
• If you are connected to the Internet, click Download and Install this Feature.
• Once the installation is complete and verified, click Close.
• Restart vMax View.
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Upgrading vMax View
Seon will notify customers when a new version of vMax View becomes available. To upgrade vMax View, contact Seon Technical Support by phone or email. When your account information is verified, Seon will send you the executable installation file. After download is complete, locate and double click the application file. Then, within the Open File-Security Warning window, click Run.
• When the Seon vMax View Setup Wizard appears. Click Next.
• Follow the same steps 2 to 12 described for Installing vMax View in the previous section.
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
Login and Launch
TIP: Login and Passwords
The default user name and password provided by Seon is “admin”. For security purposes, Seon recommends users to change default login and passwords. Seon is not responsible if the changed password is lost or forgotten.
Getting to Know vMax View
Remember that the login function in vMax View is optional. Login is disabled by default during installation. To enable login when installing, review the tutorial Installing or Upgrading vMax View.
To launch vMax View:
If the login support was also enabled during installation, the vMax View Login prompt appears. Otherwise, the vMax View user interface will be displayed.
1. Click on the vMax View icon that was created on your desktop during installation.
2. If the Login window opens, enter the User name and password provided to you by the system administrator.
3. If needed, select a language from the drop down list.
4. Optionally, select the box to have vMax View remember your user name and language.
5. Click Login. vMax View will open.
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
User Interface
Before moving on to Viewing DVR Video, it is important to get familiar with the user interface.
vMax View presents a toolbar displaying File and Options drop-down menus where users can find some of the main functionalities. A Help menu also provides access to further information.
Once vMax View opens, the screen is displayed as in the following figure. Let’s explore the software features:
1. Load Video File: Displays the name, capacity, and DVR type of any hard drives and SD cards connected to the computer so that users can search and load the appropriate file. Clicking the file folder icon allows browsing for video through the File Menu window.
2. Calendar month: Selects month and year. Clicking on the arrows moves to following or previous month. Clicking and holding the month being displayed shows a list of the 3 previous and 3 following months.
3. Calendar day: Selects day of month. Days on the calendar are highlighted as follows:
Green - Day containing video Gray - Data recorded
Red - Alarm recorded
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
5. Video Display: Several view options, including 1, 4, 6,13 or 16 channels are available. Scroll buttons allow cycling of camera views.
6. Audio: Selects a source camera for audio output through the drop-down menu options. Volume can also be turned up and down with the slider or muted with the corresponding button.
7. Video Data: Displays Events, Alarms and Telemetry through three separate menus under their respective tabs:
• The Events menu presents a drop-down box listing:
Recorded Session Events DVR system Information clips
All Events and Information recordings
• The Alarms menu lists alarms and associated video.
• The Telemetry menu displays:
GPS and associated video Speed and associated video Signals and associated video Idle and associated video G-Sensor and associated video
• The Information menu is reserved for displaying custom solutions.
8. Performance Meter: Presents a visual indication of how the CPU resources are being used, changing from green to yellow and finally red as the maximum capacity is reached. When the Performance Meter is full, a message that reads
“Maintaining Real Time Playback” is displayed on the right. This feature helps users know that the application is limiting the channel frame refresh rate to what the computer can support, thus playing video without any delay.
TIP: Review System Requirements
It is important to review the Minimum System Requirements and make sure the PC complies with the recommendations in order to avoid unexpected CPU loading issues when running vMax View.
Watch the meter whenever you want to check your computer’s performance. If necessary, you can improve the performance in vMax View by decreasing the number of channels being displayed on the playback screen or, if high definition files are being played, reduce the resolution of one or more camera views.
9. Playback Controls: Enable Play and Pause, Seek Forward and Reverse, Fast Forward and Reverse, Frame Forward and Reverse, and Loop functions. The following figures identify each of these functions:
Seek Reverse - Jumps video to beginning of selected clip.
Fast Reverse - Reverses video at 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x or 32x speeds.
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
Frame Forward - Forwards video slowly at 1/8x, 1/4x or 1/2x speeds.
Fast Forward - Forwards video at 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x or 32x speeds.
Seek Forward - Jumps video to end of selected clip.
Loop - Continuously plays the same clip until further action is taken. By default, video plays from the selected starting point until the end of the archive.
10. Select video segment: Allows entering start and end points of the video clip to be archived. Time data can be manually entered in the corresponding text boxes or selected by clicking on the Start Clip and End Clip icons while the video is being played.
11. Archive: Allows saving the selected video segment. Once Archive is clicked and the save dialog is displayed, different types of file become available in the Save as Type drop-down menu.
12. Day/Hour toggle button: Switches time scale on the Timeline (Segment Graph) between daily and hourly.
Pause - Stops video.
Play - Starts video.
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
14. Daily/Hourly Timeline (Segment Graph): Tracks exact moment of video recording being played over 24h or within an hour. These two options (daily or hourly) are selectable through the day/hour toggle button (see feature 11).
The hourly graph may display sections showing different colours:
Green: Continuous data clip.
Red: Alarm event.
White: Recorder information or system error event.
Magenta: GPS route information. This only applies to data recorded with DVRs with firmware version 2.0 or newer.
15. Playback Window: Displays recording from 1, 4, 6, 9, 13 or 16 sections. This is based on the channel count of the DVR type used for recording.
Playback Window Menu
In addition to all the features that can be quickly accessed in the main screen, several other features become available when right-clicking on a viewing section of the Playback Window:
• View Camera - Selects a camera channel from 1 to 16 to play in the selected viewing section.
• Display Mode - Selects from 1, 4, 6, 9, 13, and 16 video channel views. If no camera was assigned to a video channel, No Media Available appears over the black background.
Notice that this feature is also included in the main vMax View tool bar under the Options tab.
• This Camera‘s Audio - Plays the audio from this camera.
Getting To Know Vmax View vMax View
• Display Telemetry - Selects from the following telemetry options:
GPS information on a map.
Current Speed in MPH or KPH (as set in the DVR).
Vehicle Signal status (up to 10 signals).
Vehicle Idle status.
G-Sensor data.
This information is displayed in the selected view channel. Telemetry data may not be available on some DVR models.
• Map Style - Selects from Streets, Satellite, Hybrid or Terrain views. This feature becomes active only when GPS data is being displayed.
• Save jpg image - Saves video as a still image.
• Print image - Prints saved image.
Configuring Vmax View vMax View
Configuration Options
Configuring vMax View
vMax View offers the possibility of setting custom configurations so that users can have the preferred view options displayed every time they launch the program. Let’s take a look at how default and custom configurations may differ:
A. Default - Displays 8 camera views only, based on the channel count of the DVR used to create the video file.
B. Custom - Displays 8 camera views and a map with GPS information.
Configuring Vmax View vMax View
Saving Your Preferred Configuration
Loading an Existing Configuration
Once you have set your view options the way you prefer:
To load an existing configuration, repeat step 1 and click on Load Configuration once the Display Configuration mode is shown. When the Load Configuration window appears, select the preferred Configuration, then click Load.
1. Access the Configuration menu by clicking Options in the toolbar and then Configuration. The tool will open the Display Configuration mode.
2. Click Save Configuration. Notice that saving your configuration will also save your archiving settings, which can be selected by means of Archive Wizard. See Using Archive Wizard to review this topic.
3. A new window opens. Enter a configuration name.
4. Type in a description (optional).
5. Click Save.
Resetting Default Configuration
To reset the Default Configuration, repeat step 1, click on Reset Configuration once the Display Configuration mode is shown. When a warning message pops-up, click OK.
Viewing Video vMax View
Opening Video Files from DVR Hard Drives and SD Cards
Viewing Video
To open media from the DVR hard drive, connect this to your computer through a Seon HDD dock. To open media from an SD card, use an SD card reader connected to your PC.
Then, launch vMax View and follow these steps:
Users might need to follow different workflows to view media from a DVR. Depending on the model, Seon DVRs can save recorded media in a hard drive or an SD card.
In addition, media extracted from these devices can also be archived as video files in another storage location.
Let’s see the requirements for each of these options:
• If you want to view media recorded and saved in a DVR hard drive, you will need a Seon HDD dock. This device allows you to transfer data from the hard drive to your PC. Transferred media can then be viewed in vMax View if this is already installed in your computer.
To know more about the Seon HDD dock, please visit Safe Fleet Document Library and read the HDD Dock Quick Start Guide.
• If you want to view media recorded and saved in a DVR SD card (compatible DVRs only), you will need an SD card reader to transfer data to your PC so that it can be viewed in vMax View.
• If you want to view existing video archives, you will only need to have access to their storage location and open the files with vMax View. To know more about this topic, please read the Viewing Video Archives section.
1. In the vMax View drive window, click the down arrow on the right of the File Selection box. vMax View sees the information from compatible DVR hard drives and SD cards, if the DVR model supports this option. Select the appropriate media.
Media Storage and Workflow Considerations
NOTE: Wireless Users
Notice that some specific users such as those operating vMax Commander may also have wireless access to video and related data recorded by DVRs through a custom network.
Viewing Video vMax View
Alternatively, select an event or alarm date and time by double-clicking on it under the respective Events or Alarms tabs.
3. If needed, select a calendar date containing the video you want to watch and click Search.
Depending on the storage capacity of the drive, loading media may take a few minutes. Once the file is loaded:
• The Video Display screens (by default, based on the channel count of the DVR type used for recording) load the most recent re- cording on the drive.
• The Date and Time search area indicates when video was recorded and the start time of the most current re- cording on the drive.
• The Video Data sections populate with information from the drive.
WARNING: Unable to Load Video
When vMax View detects media from an attached DVR (hard drive or SD card) that is not compatible with its current version, it will pop a warning message stating that the program is “Unable to Load Video”. If this happens, please contact the Seon Service team to update your vMax View software.
Viewing Video vMax View
Viewing Video Files
Once the file has been loaded, the video is ready for watching.
1. Use the playback controls to view the video. You can review all these functionalities in more detail in the User Interface section within the Getting to Know vMax View tutorial.
2. You can select a Source Camera for audio output through the corresponding drop-down menu.
3. Depending on the number of cameras installed in the vehicle, there may be multiple video channels displayed. You can select the Video Display that shows the number of video channels required in the Video Display area or use the scroll buttons to find the most suitable option.
4. You can also display telemetry information by clicking on the corresponding icons under the Telemetry tab. To do so:
• Within the Video Data menu, click on Telemetry.
• Click on the preferred icon to access the required information. Remember that this menu can show GPS data, Speed data, Signals, Idle data and G-Sensor data.
vMax View can also display more detailed telemetry information within the Playback Window. To review how this feature works, please read Viewing Telemetry Information in the following section.
Viewing Telemetry Data vMax View
Viewing Telemetry Information in the Playback Window
Viewing Telemetry Data
To display telemetry data in any view section of the Playback Window:
1. Right-click on that view section (preferably an unused section).
2. In the drop-down menu, move the cursor to Display Telemetry and select the preferred data option (see figure below).
The selected option will be displayed in the corresponding view section
Telemetry data is information about vehicle location and performance captured from sensors located in the DVR and the vehicle.
As explained in the previous section, Viewing DVR Video Files, users can access telemetry information under the Telemetry tab, located within the Video Data section on the left side of the screen.
However, vMax View also offers the alternative of viewing telemetry data in the Playback Window for user convenience. You can see these two possibilities in the figure below.
Viewing Telemetry Data vMax View
GPS. Vehicle position tracking and data is collected using the GPS locator in the DVR. The vehicle’s position and route (segment in magenta) displays in map view when the HDD is connected to vMax View or a video clip is opened and one viewing channel is set to display GPS telemetry.
GPS data is also displayed in the Video Data Telemetry tab.
Speed. Both current speed and excessive speed events can be displayed in miles per hour (mph) or kilometers per hour (km/h).
Recorded speed events are also displayed in the Video Data Telemetry tab.
Signals. Up to ten signals can be connected to the DVR. Double click a signal name to edit it. To show and hide signals, click the plus/minus (±) symbol on the header of the signals window and select or deselect as preferred.
Signals are also displayed in the Video Data Telemetry tab.
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Telemetry Data Options
There are five different Telemetry data options that users can select in vMax View: GPS, Speed, Signals, Idle and G-Sensor.
Let’s see the information these options provide in more detail and how they are displayed in the Video Display area with the aid of the following figures:
Idle. When a vehicle with a DX series DVR is stationary with the engine running for a length of time, that interval can be detected. This may trigger event and alarm recordings depending on the Idle Limit Timer. The Idle Limit Timer setting
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Viewing Telemetry Data vMax View
G-Sensor. Detects forces on the DVR created by vehicle movement (G-forces).
Recorded G-Sensor events are also displayed in the Video Data Telemetry tab
This illustration shows how G-forces affect the bus from the front, rear, sides, top and bottom. G-Sensor defaults are:
Front X+, Rear X- Left Y+, Right Y- Top Z+, Bottom Z-
You can also use the Front and Bottom drop-down menus to assign + or - axis as preferred.
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NOTE: G-Sensor information depends on DVR/NVR configuration
• Devices with internal G-Sensor units (including the HX, NX, DX, TLHD and TX series), and H series equipped with the external G-Sensor MDL, report motion from front to rear (X), left to right (Y), top and bottom (Z), and the force of motion (V).
• MX and TL series DVRs equipped with the external XELR-8 G-Sensor report an alarm when acceleration thresholds are exceeded.
In addition to the general G-Sensor information window, you can also have a more detailed extended view. To display this:
• Select the single view option in the Video Display area.
• Right-click on the view area and select Display Telemetry and then G-Sensor.
Selecting Additional View Options vMax View
Video Display Resolution
Selecting Additional View Options
vMax View can display either high or low resolution video from TH8, HX16 and NX16 recorders. TH6, TH4, TH4C, DX, TX, MX, and TL drives display in high resolution only. SD card video records in high or low resolution, depending on the DVR model.
For more information, please see the documentation for your DVR.
There are two ways to select the resolution:
In addition to the general features that vMax View displays on its main screen, other additional options may help users view video files and get more accurate visual information. Let’s take a look at them.
TIP: Resolution and System Resources
Playback in high resolution requires more processing power. If you experience playback problems with multi-channel video, select high resolution for channels of interest, and display other channels in low resolution to reduce the load on your computer’s system resources.
1. Select all.
• With video from TH8, HX16 and NX16 recorders displayed, click Options and then Resolution to access the resolution menu.
• Click All High or All Low to have all cameras display in the same resolution.
2. Select each.
• In a selected video display channel, select H or L to view the video in high or low resolution as preferred.
Selecting Additional View Options vMax View
Zoom and Dock
vMax View allows users to zoom in and out between - x0.25 and + x8 on any camera view. Zoom in (+) and Zoom out (-) icons appear on the upper-left corner of the window when the mouse cursor is placed on it.
vMax View also offers the option to dock and undock any camera view. The respective icons are displayed on the upper- right corner of the window when the mouse cursor is placed on it.
Archiving Video Files vMax View
Archiving Video by Date and Time
Archiving Video Files
3. Locate the beginning of the event in Play mode and click Pause. Then click on the Start Archive Clip icon.
4. Locate the end of the event in Play mode and click Pause. Then click on the End Archive Clip icon.
5. Click on the Archive button. You can also select Archive in the File drop-down menu located on the left of the main toolbar once the beginning and end of the clip have been set. A Save dialog will open.
Users can archive video and telemetry data previously recorded by a DVR. See the Archive Type Files table in the System Requirements and Specifications section to learn about archive formats.
NOTE: Archive Validation
• The validation feature is not supported for video recorded on H or NX series.
• Archive video created in vMax View 4.2.0 and up or downloaded from a DVR by vMax Commander v5.7 and up is checked for validity whenever users create an archive. When the video is validated, it can be archived. However, if the video is corrupted or modified, it can be archived but that archive cannot be validated.
• For more details on this topic, see the Validating an Existing Video Archive section.
To archive video files based on Date and Time:
1. Once vMax View has loaded the file from the DVR hard drive or SD Card, locate the start date and time of the video you want to archive with the Calendar and Time Search tools.
2. By default, vMax View archives video from all cameras in the view but you can select one or more camera views. To include multiple camera views, press and hold Ctrl and, simultaneously, click on each required channel.
If multiple cameras are selected, vMax View will display an optimized view of the corresponding channels when viewing the archived file. See Viewing Archive Video for more details.
Archiving Video Files vMax View
9. If you select Windows Media Video (.wmv) or Audio Video Interleaved (.avi), you can enable text, audio and privacy options. To do so:
• Within the Text Overlay section, select Enable Overlay if you want telemetry information to be included in the video archive file, and select a color from the drop-down menu if needed (see A in the figure).
• Select Archive with Audio to include camera audio.
This option is selected by default (see B in the figure).
• Choose Select Privacy Zones to create blurred areas in the video (see B in the figure). If you enable Select Privacy Zones, the privacy zones window will appear when you click Save. To learn more, see the Selecting Privacy Zones tutorial.
10. Click Save. The Archive progress bar appears and the file is archived in the selected location.
If you choose Seon File Format or Seon Self Playing Format (.exe), none of these options will be available. In this case, proceed to the next step.
NOTE: Archive Fail
6. In the Save window directory, choose a location where you want to save the archive file.
7. Enter a Name for the archive file.
8. Select the archive file format from the Save As Type menu. You can save it in a video format, or save the GPS data (without video) as a file in .txt, .xls, .kml, or .gpx data formats for viewing the GPS information in other applications.
Archiving Video Files vMax View
Archiving Video by Location
When users know the location of an event and want to archive video from a vehicle in the vicinity, they can select archive start and end points from map view in vMax View. The map view displays GPS data from DVRs using version 2.0 or newer firmware.
To archive video and telemetry data using the GPS map view:
1. In a video channel in the viewing area, right-click and select Display Telemetry, then GPS.
2. In the map view, locate the position where you want to start an archive and click to select the archive start time.
3. In the map view, locate the position where you want to start an archive and click to select the archive end time.
4. In the Save window that opens, browse and select the archive saving location.
5. Enter a Name for the archive file.
6. Select the archive file format from the Save As type menu. You can save it in a video format or save the GPS data (without video) as a file in .txt, .xls, .kml, or .gpx data formats for viewing the GPS information in other applications.
Archiving Video Files vMax View
7. Only if you select Windows Media Video (.wmv) or Audio Video Interleaved (.avi) formats, you can enable text, audio and privacy options. To do so:
• Within the Text Overlay section, select Enable Overlay if you want telemetry information to be included in the video archive file, and select a color from the drop-down menu if needed (see A in the figure).
• Select Archive with Audio to include camera audio. This option is selected by default (see B in the figure).
• Choose the option Select Privacy Zones to create blurred areas in the video (see B in the figure). If you enable Select Privacy Zones, the privacy zones window will appear when you click Save. To learn more, see Selecting Privacy Zones in the following section.
8. Click Save to create the archive.
If you select Seon File Format or Seon Self Playing Format (.exe), none of these options will be available. In this case, proceed to the next step.
TIP: Archive Wizard
There is another method to archive video files in vMax View that involves the use of Archive Wizard, a tool that helps users to easily export clips to the previously mentioned formats. To learn more about this workflow, please see the Archive Wizard tutorial.
Archiving Video Files vMax View
Selecting Privacy Zones
The Select Privacy Zones tool allows users to blur certain areas on the recorded video to preserve passengers’ privacy.
However, users must archive video clips in Windows Media Video (.wmv) or Audio Video Interleaved (.avi) formats in order for this option to become available.
To create privacy zones while archiving a video clip, follow these steps:
3. Drag the mouse cursor on those areas that need to be blurred on each camera view. You can select multiple areas following this method.
4. Reset your Privacy Areas by clicking on the Clear Selections button if needed or return to the regular operation menu by clicking on the Exit button.
5. Click on the Next button to the left of the screen. A progress bar will be displayed while the file is being archived.
1. After selecting the Start and End point of the clip to be archived and clicking the Archive button, choose Select Privacy Zones within the Save window. Review Archiving Video by Date and Time for more details.
2. Click Save and the Privacy Selection window will appear showing the available camera views (see following figure).
Archiving Video Files vMax View
Now, when you play the archived Windows Media Video (.wmv) or Audio Video Interleaved (.avi) video clip, the selected Privacy Areas will look blurred and passengers won’t be recognized.
Using Archive Wizard vMax View
To launch Archive Wizard:
1. Select the Start and End Time of the clip to be archived by using the playback controls and the Start and End icons as explained in Archiving Video by Date and Time.
2. Select the camera views to be included in the clip. For multiple views, select a first camera view by clicking on it and then press and hold Ctrl and, simultaneously, click on any additional views.
3. Click File and then Archive Wizard in the top tool bar.
1. Review the viewing option descriptions and, depending on your requirements, select from Seon file Format, Basic (.wmv), Advanced (.avi) or Seon Self Playing Format (.exe).
Opening Archive Wizard
Archiving Video Files
NOTE: Archive Validation
• The validation feature is not supported for video recorded on H or NX series.
• Archive video created in vMax View 4.2.0 and up or downloaded from a DVR by vMax Commander v5.7 and up is checked for validity whenever users create an archive. When the video is validated, it can be archived. However, if the video is corrupted or modified, it can be archived but that archive cannot be validated.
• For more details on this topic, see the Validating an Existing Video Archive section.
Using Archive Wizard
Archive Wizard is a vMax View tool that gives users the option to export a selected video clip to four different formats:
• Seon File Format - Proprietary file format suitable for evidence. It needs vMax View to be played.
• Basic (.wmv) - Windows Media Video file format playable on any windows PC without downloading any codecs.
• Advanced (.avi) - Audio Video Interleaved file format that might require additional codecs in some PCs.
• Seon Self Playing Format (.exe) - Proprietary file format playable on any external players with no extra codecs.
Using Archive Wizard vMax View
2. If you select Basic (Windows Media Video .wmv) or Advanced (Audio Video Interleaved .avi) file formats, the Wizard will displayed a File Size window to allow for the selection of video quality. Choose what is appropriate and click Next.
3. The Archive Options menu appears. If you previously selected Basic (Windows Media Video .wmv) or Advanced (Audio Video Interleaved .avi) file formats, you can:
• Enter a File Name for the archive and select the preferred location in the drop-down menu.
• Select the Enable Overlay box to allow telemetry information in the archive. You can also choose Text Colour in the corresponding drop-down menu.
• Select Archive with Audio to enable audio in the archive.
• Select Enable Privacy Zones to create blurred areas in the video where required. To review this topic see Selecting Privacy Zones.
Once finished click Next.
If you selected Seon File Format or Seon Self Playing Format (.exe), these options will be visible but not active. Archive Wizard will display the same menu but it will only allow File Name and Location selection. In this case, enter a File Name, select Archive Location and click Next. You’ll be taken to the summary window.
If you select Seon File Format or Seon Self Playing Format (.exe), File Size is not available and Archive Wizard won’t display this menu. In this case, the Archive Options window will open.
Using Archive Wizard vMax View
5. A progress bar is displayed. When the process completes, the archive is ready for viewing, but remember that different archive formats have different viewing requirements.
4. When the Summary window appears, click Finish.
NOTE: Archive Fail
If the progress indicator stops for more than five minutes, the computer’s storage may be full or the video conversion may have failed. Click Cancel to stop archiving.
Viewing Video Archives vMax View
Opening an Existing Video Archive
Viewing Video Archives
vMax View can play video from DVR hard drives and SD cards, but it can also play existing video archives that have been stored in a computer. Users can operate vMax View to play Seon .avr and .avs archived files, depending on the DVR model used to record the video.
1. From the Video Selection drop down list, select Load File.
2. Click File and then Open to browse through your computer’s local storage to open a Seon DVR archive (*.avr or *.avs).
3. Within the selection window, select a file.
4. Click Open at the bottom of the window.
5. In vMax View, click the Play/Pause button to start the video playback.
To open video previously archived in vMax View or downloaded with vMax Commander, Seon’s video surveillance management software, follow these steps:
WARNING: Unable to Load Video
When vMax View detects media from an attached DVR (hard drive or SD card) that is not compatible with its current version, it will pop a warning message stating that the program is “Unable to Load Video”. If this happens, please contact the Seon Service
Viewing Video Archives vMax View
Validating an Existing Video Archive
Validation is a process that guarantees the integrity of original video footage. After confirming that the file is not corrupted and has not been modified, users could present it as evidence in a court of law if it became necessary.
Seon archive video is automatically checked for validity whenever users create an .avr format archive from the downloaded file. In addition, the vMax View Validate Archive feature verifies the integrity of Seon format archives previously saved as .avr files:
• If the file is validated, it can be archived.
• If it is corrupted or modified, it can be archived but not validated. This means its integrity can’t be confirmed.
NOTE: Validation Applicability
• Archives created from H or NX series cannot be validated.
• Only .avr archives created in vMax View 4.2.0 and up or downloaded from a DVR by vMax Commander v5.7 and up can be validated.
• The Validate Archive function does not operate or apply when creating new archives from archive files that were created with earlier versions of vMax View.
To Validate a Seon video archive:
1. Click on the vMax View File menu and then Open.
A new File Selection window opens.
2. Within the selection window, choose an archive created in vMax View 4.2.0 and up or downloaded by vMax Commander 5.7 and up by clicking on it and then click Open at the bottom of the window.
3. Within the File menu, click Validate Archive.
An Archive Validation dialog appears, as well as archive status information beside the progress bar.
Viewing Video Archives vMax View
4. If the Archive Validation dialog says Archive has been Validated, click OK and the file will open ready for viewing or re-archiving.
5. If the Archive Validation dialog says Archive has been corrupted or modified, click OK and the file will open. This file can be played but cannot be validated.
Viewing Files with Different Players
Since video clips can be archived in various formats, such as Windows Media Video, Audio Video Interleaved, proprietary Seon File Format or Seon Self Playing Format, users might need to operate different players to view those files. Such video players are also equipped with different features and don’t show the same graphic characteristics.
Let’s take a look at how each of these formats is displayed:
1
Windows Media Video (.wmv) and Audio Video Interleaved (.avi) files are played by the computer’s default video player. The screen displays the options that were selected during the archiving process, such as Telemetry or Privacy Zones (see blurred areas in the image). No additional features are available.Viewing Video Archives vMax View
3
A stand alone player is used to view Seon Self Playing Format (.exe) files. In this case, the interface looks similar to vMax View and displays several types of information, but only a few features are enabled.To know more details about this, proceed to the following section.
2
Proprietary Seon File Format (.avr) files need vMax View to be played. The user interface is exactly the same as described in the tutorial Getting to Know vMax View and users can take advantage of all the features at their convenience.vMax View will display differently depending on the number of channels selected when archiving the file. The screen will be optimized to fully display those selected channels.
Viewing Video Archives vMax View
1. On the left, signals are displayed while the file is been played.
2. On the right, telemetry data can be seen throughout the footage.
3. Below, file and DVR information are shown.
Video Data
1. Play/Pause.
2. Reverse by approx. 1 sec.
3. Forward by approx. 1 sec.
4. Jump to Start of video.
5. Jump to End of video.
6. Loop play mode.
1. The Video Display area selects one or multiple camera views. All camera views from the original DVR video selected for output when the archive was generated are available.
2. The Audio section selects audio channels.
Seon Self Playing Archives
When users double-click a Seon Self Playing (.exe) archive, the file is viewed in the Stand Alone player (shown below). The interface, similar to vMax View, presents the following features:
Playback Controls
Video Display and Audio
Saving Still Images vMax View
Saving Still Images
A still image captured from a video file to identify people or events happening on or near the vehicle is often more useful than watching the source video file. Since users can easily pause video at any time, the process is also very simple. These images can be saved as .jpg or .bmp files as preferred.
Saving Still Images with vMax View
To save still images in vMax View:
1. In the view area, select the video channel you wish to use as a source for the still image. If you want to use multiple channels, press and hold Ctrl and, simultaneously, click on all the channels to be selected.
2. Use the Playback Controls to find the segment of the video you are interested in and click Pause when appropriate.
3. Right-click on a selected channel. A pop-up menu will show different options.
4. Select Save .jpg Image.
Saving Still Images vMax View
5. When the Save window appears, select a location and enter the preferred file name to identify the image.
6. Select .jpg or. bmp from the Save As Type drop-down menu.
7. Select Save Images as Individual Files if you want to save each channel view separately, or as a Single File if you prefer to have all the images grouped as a grid.
8. Click on the Options button on the lower right corner of the window to display the Text Overlay dialog and select the colour and text fields you want to include in the image.
9. Click OK.
Saving Still Images vMax View
Viewing Saved Still Images
To see what your saved images will look like, find them and double-click on them. If you decided to include yellow text overlaid on the still images, depending on the telemetry options you selected, these will be similar to the following figures:
Two Images Saved as a Grid One Single Image
Reference Tables vMax View
Reference Tables
System Requirements
Processor • Intel® Core™ i3 or better for DVRs with 8 or fewer cameras, Intel® Core™ i7 or better otherwise (4-cores recommended).
Operating System • Windows 7 or higher (64-bit version required).
• Microsoft .NET version 4.5 or higher support.
Memory • 4GB RAM or more available to the program (8GB or more total) recommended.
Storage Space • 10GB of available storage space (depending on the amount of video to be stored locally).
Peripherals • USB 2.0 (USB 3.0 recommended), CD/DVD writer drive and software if the archives to be stored on CD/
DVD media.
Video • DirectX Ver. 10 or higher support, 32 bit color quality.
Audio • Sound card and speakers.
Network • 1GBit Ethernet adapter.
Other Requirements • Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to view the vMax View Video Management Software User Guide.
• Internet connection to display Google maps for historical vehicle tracking.
Reference Tables vMax View
Format Description
.avr Seon DVR video file format for HX/NX16, DX-HD, X8, TL- HD, TL4, TL2
Archives one or more video channels and a matching number of audio channels.
Archives video to a local or network computer, or storage device.
Includes all video, audio, alarms, events, GPS, telemetry information.
.avs Seon DVR video file format for
H series As above
.avi Universally playable Audio Vid-
eo Interleaved video format Archives one or more video channels and one audio channel.
Privacy zones option available. See AVI or WMV Format Archives.
Includes signal/speed/GPS telemetry information available as overlay text.
The archived files can be viewed in Apple QuickTime, Windows Media Player, or other media player applica- tions.
.exe Seon DVR video file format for HX/NX16, DX-HD, TX8, TL- HD, TL4, TL2, H Series
Archived video and data as a self playing file.
Archives one or more video channels and the associated audio.
Archives video to a local or network computer, or storage device.
Includes all video, audio, alarms, events, GPS, telemetry information.
.gpx Garmin device viewable GPS
data file Saves the GPS data as a file that opens on Google Earth web mapping application. DVRs v.2.0 or newer firmware.
.kml Google web viewable GPS
data file Saves the GPS data as a file that opens on Google Earth web mapping application. DVRs v.2.0 or newer firmware.
.txt Text format GPS data Saves the GPS data as a file that opens in text viewing applications. DVRs v.2.0 or newer firmware.
.xls Exel format GPS data file Saves the GPS data as a file that opens in Excel spreadsheet application.
DVRs v.2.0 or newer firmware.
.wmv Universally playable Windows
Media Video format Archives one or more video channels and 1 audio channel.
Privacy zones option available. See AVI or WMV Format Archives.
Includes signal/speed/GPS telemetry information available as overlay.
Archive File Types
vMax View provides the following format options for archiving audio/video and telemetry data on a computer’s storage.
Reference Tables vMax View
Video Recorder Event Descriptions
The following table provides definitions for Video Recorder event types that may display in the Events and Alarms sections of the Video Data area in vMax View.
Event Description DXHD DX12 TX8 MXHD MX4 TLHD TL4/2 HX16 NX16 TH4 TH4C TH6 TH8 DH4 DH4C
Almn Off Alarm Off
Almn On Alarm On
EXSpeed Excessive Speed
Occurred
FAN Fan Fault
GPS Crossed GPS Fence
GSN G-Sensor Exceeded
Limit
GSN X- Limit Exceeded
in X-
GSN X+ Limit Exceeded
in X+
GSN Y- Limit Exceeded
in Y-
GSN Y+ Limit Exceeded
in Y+
GSN Z- Limit Exceeded
in Z-
GSN Z+ Limit Exceeded
in Z+
Idle 0 Idle limit not
exceeded/stopped
Idle 1 Idle limit
exceeded/stopped
IG0 Ignition off
IG1 Ignition on
LIVE DVR changes to live
mode
PLoss Power Loss
Rec On Normal Recording
RUn Remote User Login
Signaln Signal Event n
Vlossn Video loss on
Reference Tables vMax View
Abbreviation/Acronym Definition
.avi Audio Video Interleave file
.avr Archive file for NX16 NVR and HX16, DX12, DX-HD, TX8, MX-HD, MX4, TL and TX DVRs
.avs Archive file for H Series DVRs
.bin Binary File
.bmp Bit mapped graphics format
DVR Digital Video Recorder
.exe Executable file format extension
GPS Global Positioning System
.gpx GPS data file format for devices
HDD Hard Disk Drive
JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group image format
.kml Google GPS data file format
MPEG Moving Picture Experts Group video format
.net Microsoft software framework
NVR Network Video Recorder
PC Personal computer
SD Secure Digital memory card
SSD Solid State Drive
.txt Text file format
USB Universal Serial Bus
.wmv Windows Media Video file format
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Service And Support vMax View
Service and Support
Training
To access a collection of Safe Fleet Cloud Application Suite (including Commander, Stream, Live+ and Path) training tuto- rials, visit the Product Training page in our Safe Fleet Community Site.
Additional copies of this guide along with other documentation and product warranty can be found on the Safe Fleet Com- munity website: https://community.safefleet.net.
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.844.899.7366
