Should I get Arlo Secure?

[poolecw]

I have several  Arlo 2 Pro cameras with no subscription plan.  Videos are available for a seven day rolling period.  I am really dissatisfied with the playback quality.  Zooming in causes the images to become really pixelated.  There would be no way to identify person at this quality level.  Is the poor quality due to it being "free"?  If I pay for an Arlo Secure subscription,  will I then be able to get better playback quality?  I don't want to sign up for a subscription only to find out that the playback quality didn't improve.

[StephenB]

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@poolecw wrote:

If I pay for an Arlo Secure subscription,  will I then be able to get better playback quality?  I don't want to sign up for a subscription only to find out that the playback quality didn't improve.

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My own cameras are under subscription, so I can't say for sure.  But I think you will see some improvement in the stored recordings, but not in the live streaming. 

I just spot-checked a couple of Pro 2 recordings - the video bitrate was about 600 - 700 kbps. You might want to check a couple of yours, just to see how that compares.  With Windows, you can right-click on the mp4 and then select "details".

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@poolecw wrote:

 Zooming in causes the images to become really pixelated.  

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Some of this is due to the use of optical zoom.  The sensor is only 2 megapixels (1080p).  But the low bit rate does factor into this.  Personally I'd like to see a subscription option for a higher bitrate.  Or a setting to reduce retention in return for a higher bit rate.

[poolecw]

Thanks for the reply.  The bitrate of a downloaded video is 569 kbps.  Is this a function of the camera or the Arlo system?  I just don't see the benefit in throwing money away for more cameras and/a subscription if I'll never see any improvements.

[StephenB]

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@poolecw wrote:

Is this a function of the camera or the Arlo system?  

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Compression is done in the camera, but the profile used might depend on whether the camera is in a plan (or not).

In either case, the bit rate is variable (VBR), so it depends on the source as well.  You might need to check several downloads to get a good sense for the range.

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@poolecw wrote:

I just don't see the benefit in throwing money away for more cameras and/a subscription if I'll never see any improvements.

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Understood.  But since my own cameras are in a subscription, I don't have an easy way to compare.  You could of course subscribe, and then cancel if you don't see a significant change.  They will give a prorated credit for the unused portion of the current month.