Why does my DVR not show a picture?

When properly installed the DVR does not output a video picture, displays a “NO VIDEO” image or has a blank blue video screen. Yet if the video input signal is connected to a monitor it displays a video picture. At first you might think that the DVR is defective, that is very unlikely.

What to do if your DVR is not working?

If you have confirmed that your power supply is working properly and that the ports on your DVR are also working properly, the next step would be to determine if you have a bad power or video cable. Using a test monitor is one way to do this.

How do you connect a DVR to a camera?

Disconnect only the BNC video cable from your camera and attach the spare cable. Disconnect the other end of the video cable from your DVR or monitor and attach the spare cable. Test to see if there is video. If there is still no video, use the power portion of the spare cable to run the power.

How can I get my DVR to work on my monitor?

Check if your monitor / TV and DVR / NVR system support VGA Cables. If they both do, connect a VGA cable between the monitor / TV and DVR / NVR. If your DVR / NVR supports DVI only, connect a DVI cable between the DVR / NVR and the monitor / TV. TIP: You can also purchase adapters to convert DVI to HDMI or VGA for your TV or monitor.

What to do when your DVR won’t show an image?

If you connect up a different camera and the camera fails to show an image, then the cable is suspect. Mark it and move on. If the previously working camera still functions when connected to the cable, then the original camera is suspect. Set it aside.

How to troubleshoot a CCTV camera with no picture?

Here is a guide for CCTV troubleshooting no picture issues. The guide is used for hard wired security cameras that use BNC connectors and coax cable. It applies to analog CCTV cameras and HD coax security cameras. Here are some initial questions that you should answer when troubleshooting a security camera that has no video image.

Can a camera change the signal on a DVR?

Certain new cameras will have the capability to change the type of signal they output to maintain compatibility with less advanced DVRs. These cameras will usually have a control on their attached cabling (usually a button or stick control) that you can use to adjust the signal output.

Why does my DVR not work when I change the power supply?

If all the cameras fail to work on the same port, change power supplies and set the power supply that did not work as suspect. If they still fail to work after you have changed through all your power supplies, proceed to Port Test.