Time and Date Display on video (Timestamp)

[J_Benson]

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

[Paul_S_B]

I too found that lag varies at the say site with different devices.  My iPhone 6 lags only 2 second, but the iPhone 4 lags by 105 seconds! in the same location!

[CPMestate]

Time and date would be great on the image as we like to use for evidence purposes to catch anti-social behaviours /criminality and help police with a prosecution.

[b00573d]

This has been requested since 2015 and it is still only a "future consideration". Very sad!

[WatchingYou]

This is not "Very sad!" as you put it but totally irrational. Netgear have shown NO interest in rectifying this short fall.
I urge everyone looking to buy security cameras to look elsewhere until then can catch up with the real world and produce a product that can actually be used to convict in a court of law.

[SimonHart]

Judging by Netgear's behaviour regarding this requirement, it is my opinion that the superimposed date/time stamp that is required to allow the images to be used as evidence is simply not possible to be implemented on the Arlo system as it stands.

Rather than face a huge and expensive re-engineering task, Netgear, as company policy, has decided to follow the following script when dealing with requests for this feature:

• Deliberately misunderstand the question, and so answer a different question which wasnt actually asked, if that doesn't work then
• Point out that the saved file has an epoch number for which there is a converter script available, if the enquirer is still not put off then
• Recommend that the idea be raised in the 'Ideas Exchange' as a feature request - despite the fact that it has been in there since 2015 and has been ignored.

The above is cleaned from several support tickets that I raised and have had to go through those steps each time. The latest one is still open and I have pointed out that this 'idea' has been ignored since 2015.

Netgear needs to 'man up' and admit that they can't do it OR do it - stop faffing about and start behaving like a professional company.

[WatchingYou]

Well said Simon. All users that want this feature should return the product back to the suppliers and request a refund as the cameras are not sold fit for purpose. (Can't be used to convict).
I am sure Netgear would start taking notice then.

[ZackSmith]

It would be helpful to have a timestamp on the video, embedded in the image.  This is a security camera so being able to provide a video with that information is important.

[ZackSmith]

This setting is needed ASAP.

[maurice2211]

Count me as another user that would like to see the timestamp ON the video or image! Kudos added.

[John_Lundstrom]

Another input from a corporate as well as governmental source:

I manage security for a downtown urban area's public transportation and parking system. We utilize a CCTV system for most of our surveillance but I acquired several of these units (with possible interest in obtaining more).

I wish to utilize the units to obtain actionable evidence, this is extremely difficult to do without a timestamp system, which I believed would be standard on all such technology (especially by now). I am willing to have some patience as I know, also being an engineer, that some things take time but if we could do it with VCR's and coaxials it can (and must be) done here.