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Time and Date Display on video (Timestamp)

Preface: The property management company I work for purchased 8 Arlo cameras to set up around the apartment complex I manage. 

 

The current system does not provide an easy way to tell the exact time a specific time that an image within a video clip was captured, nor does it provice an easy way to navigate to a specific time within a video. The only mention of an exact time is the time listed when the camera began recording each clip. To find out when a still image within the video was captured, you must mentally add up the amount of time you are into a video and the start time of the clip. Example: I want to find the time 6:32 within a video clip. The video clip states that it starts at 6:30, so I navigate two minutes into the video.

 

My suggestion is to either add a time and date stamp to the video recording, in an unobtrusive area of the video, perhaps customizeable to which corner it appears in. Alternatively, rather than the time slider at the bottom of the clip playback stating the time into the video clip, it displays the real time the video was taken. Current setup for video playback begins at 00:00:00 and advances to 00:02:00, if video length is set to 120 seconds. Instead, it could start at the real time the video capture was taken and continue along at real time. Example: Video starts at 06:30:27 and the slider at the bottom of the playback advances to 06:32:27.

 

This would aid in finding a specific time in which an event reportedly occurred, as well as serve for better evidence when assessing a charge against a tenant for littering, as you could print out a screenshot of the video with a timestamp and attach it to a document for issuing a charge. It would also aid in police investigations or as evidence when in litigation. Police often come to my office to request video footage of a certain time and date, and this would assist them. We also have a problem with illegal dumping of mattresses and furniture, in which case we would need a timestamped image to present to police.

 

Thank you for reading this suggestion, and I hope that a timestamp could be implemented as an optional feature for the Arlo camera system in the future. 

J. Benson,
Ullrich Real Estate

Comments
swissguy
Novice

Please add a date/time stamp.

jk16
Onlooker

I wholeheartedly agree. I am using Arlo footage to prove that my dogwalker is shortchanging me on time. This is REALLY hard with no time stamps. To prove this, I had to send a screen shot of my Library (which includes the time stamps), then links to individual videos (no time stamps), then pray that the company believes me. My other option is to grant the company owner access to my whole system online, which is not ideal. Arlo, please fix this!

Place a portable alarm clock with LED display somewhere in the camera view. Maybe a clock om the wall. It may help.
rkm
Apprentice
Apprentice

This is a VERY SIMPLE thing to implement and literally can be done within a few hours... I don't know why this hasn't been done yet... 

theberber
Guide

yes please - i really need this as i specifically bought the system to record my neighbours activities in unsocial hours. Ive been asked to do this by a lawyer so the actual date and time is critical to any prosecution. Ive just downloaded recordings from 06.00 this morning to my dropbox and its stamped them at 19.12. I'm a Mac user.

 

Netgear team this is super super critical - how can i over come it. I'm afraid the epoch thingy looks daunting to me. I need simple

theberber
Guide

For legal reasons I need to save and download my recordings - to pass to my lawyer. I am a Mac user. When i download and transfer to dropbox these files are saved with the current time. I read a post that said the file name is an epoch code or something. I am not a tech person I am your average user. Every other file, jpeg, pdf, worddoc etc will always show the original time and date. As a pice of security equipment this surely is the most basic of requirements considering files are only kept for 30 days. When can we expect this to be implimented?

jguerdat
Guru
theberber
Guide

thanks for reply - so for every recording i have to spend extra time inputing the filename and getting that info. where do i then store that with the file. Remember with lawyers time is money - as it is with me to. This could be part of the file so easily. why do i have to do more work?

theberber
Guide

well ive just tried it and guess what - it gave me the save time that i downloaded to dropbox. what do you suggest now? Ive had this system for 3 days and frankly i'm close to actioning my 14 day internet return policy

opennms
Novice

I know it's all "old skool" but most security cameras have a date and time stamp as an option (it's even available on my car's dashcam). Should be easy to add (relatively) and a lot of people want it.