Channel zero feature is available on any Hikvision NVR, DVR, or IP camera and many users wonder about the purpose of this function and how to use it.
Channel zero feature allows the recorder to combine all the camera channels into one signal video stream. In other words, the channel zero stream is a video feed composed of multiple camera channels in one split-picture view.
This helps the camera system to reduce the bandwidth (lower bit rate and frame rate), thus enabling the system to transmit the video remotely over a congested network.
Once you’ve set up channel zero, you can view all of the channels on one screen via web browser, phone apps can use camera management software. Also, it comes in handy if you need to do remote troubleshooting since via channel-zero you can remotely see what’s going on on the local monitor.
Channel zero feature is available in most reputable brands such as Samsung, Bosch, Axis, Dahua, Hikvision, Amcrest, etc. The logic and instruction are similar across all these platforms.
Channel zero in Hikvision recorder
Using channel zero, you can see all video feeds combined in one single image and it shows up on the local NVR or DVR) screen, web browser, or any other monitoring software that you use. For example, channels 1, 2, and will get combined on one screen.
To enable channel zero in any Hikvision recorder (NVR or DVR), open up the configuration menu and navigate to Video/Audio > Channel-zero and check the box “Enable Channel-zero Encoding”.
Then click the Live View menu, and on the left side, you should see all the channels listed including the one that is labeled “ZeroChannel”. If you click it, you should see the combined stream of all the cameras.
Additionally, you can enable this feature via the NVR’s local interface as well. Go to the Main Menu, and under Configuration enter the Live View section. Select the channel-zero encoding tab. Enable it and adjust the rest of the settings such as frame rate, bitrate, etc (or you can leave them on default).
The live view is shown below. In this case, channels 1, 2, and 3 are combined into one stream (which is the Zero Channel). This channel is generated as one single stream which lowers the bandwidth and can easily be transmitted remotely.
The steps are similar even if your device has a different kind of interface. It is usually located in Display or Video settings. Just look through the tab and settings until you find it.
