The discussion around “Should You Use Software-Only Video Management Systems” at ipmarketvideo.info got me thinking about a feature we’ve been talking about over here at Envysion for a couple of years now, the “Downloadable NVR”.

A downloadable NVR appliance may offer a valuable mix of “software only” and appliance hardware.  Given the number of software appliances over at VMWare’s Appliance Marketplace, this is not a new idea, but perhaps one that just haven’t been done much with NVR’s/DVR’s.  Here’s one way this could be done:

- Go to a website

- Download the NVR software and burn onto a CD

- Put the CD into a PC and boot it up

- About five minutes later, the PC is now a dedicated NVR

- The NVR automatically appears in your Envysion Video Web application account

This has the value of reliability and easy of maintenance of embedded software, but without the specialized embedded hardware that locks you in to a hardware vendor.  Perhaps it’s also valuable due to the ease of obtaining the software.

What do you think?