Hikvision error code 800 (solved)

The Hikvision error code 800 usually occurs when the iVMS-4200 software can't handle the IP cameras' data traffic.

When using the software for live camera view or playback a message shows up as "Playback failed. Error code: HCNetSDK.dll[800]".

You can fix the error by adjusting the bandwidth to make sure the iVMS-4200 can deal with the traffic coming from the camera group it's connected to.

What causes the error 800

Here are some common problems related to this error.

An excessive number of cameras

Sometimes the system has an excessive number of cameras that generate too much traffic in the network. It's necessary to consider the bandwidth when deciding the number of cameras installed in the project.

Camera quality

The error code 800 also shows up because the overall system configuration prioritizes quality over bandwidth, which means a spike on traffic can occur.

How to fix the problem

Here's how you can fix the Hikvision error code 800.

Change the camera configuration

You can change the camera configuration to control the bandwidth that comes to the iVMS-4200. Open the camera menu via a web browser or use the DVR/NVR interface for this setup. Go to the Video/Audio menu, as shown below.

Here you can see the parameters that control the camera quality and bandwidth.

The idea is to change these parameters to have enough quality for your cameras and, at the same time, get rid of the error 800. Let's see how to do that.

Resolution

This parameter controls the number of pixels in the image; higher resolution means more quality and means more bandwidth is necessary.

You can lower the resolution if your project doesn't require too much quality, thus saving bandwidth and storage space in the recorder (DVR/NVR).

I recommend dealing with resolution later after adjusting other parameters.

Bitrate type

The camera can use constant or variable bitrate,

Constant bitrate means the camera prioritizes the quality and avoid small image problems such as pixelization but sacrifices the bitrate by keeping it constant.

Variable bitrate means the camera prioritizes the bitrate variation, and the bandwidth will increase or decrease according to the video compression.

The variable bitrate is usually better when the network bandwidth is not sufficient such as remote access. Still, it can also be used on the local system if the intention is to reduce the traffic according to the scene variation.

You can change this parameter to help to solve the problem, but I recommend trying this later if the other parameters (such as the frame rate) didn't fix the problem.

Video Quality

This parameter is available only when the variable bitrate is used.

It controls the image compression thus controlling video quality and bandwidth.

You can also deal with this parameter later if you decide to set up the system to use a variable bit rate.

Frame rate

That controls the number of frames the camera captures per second.

This parameter changes how much bandwidth the camera uses, so it's a good idea to consider how many frames you need to record carefully.

The picture shows an example with 20 FPS, which means the camera is capturing 20 frames every second, and sometimes this not necessary.

Perhaps you 15 FPS or even 12 FPS is enough.

Imagine how much bandwidth the camera can save by reducing the number of frames it captures every second from 20 to 15.

If you consider reducing the frame rate for a group of 10 cameras, it means a total of 50 frames per second or 3,000 frames per minute that is reduced and impact the bandwidth.

Max bitrate

It's possible to set a limit to the bitrate, so the camera doesn't use more than the value that is set in this parameter, but you need to be careful with such setup.

As you can see in the picture, the maximum bitrate the camera can use is 2048, which means a bandwidth of 2 Mbps.

If the other parameter (resolution and frame rate) are set to high and require higher bandwidth,let's say 4 Mbps, it's not a good idea to force the system to use only half of the bandwidth.

This type of configuration brings problems with the video quality, so adjust this parameter carefully.

Video encoding

The type of codec (compressor/decompressor) heavily impacts in the bandwidth.

The H.265 codec compresses more than the H.264 and requires more CPU power to decompress the video on the computer that uses the iVMS-4200.

Try using the H.265 first to fix the error 800 and pay attention if the computer's CPU is powerful enough to handle the decompression. 

Change the iVMS-4200 configuration

Open the iVMS-4200 system configuration and set up the parameter that automatically changes the video stream type.

Go the image menu and uncheck the "Auto Change Stream-Type". 

See the picture below for more details.

This configuration can help to fix the error 800 by keeping the stream constant.

Update the system

Some problem are solved by updating the system.

Ensure you are using the latest firmware for your IP cameras and download the newest version of the iVMS-4200 software.

Conclusion

The Hikvision error code 800 can be fixed by controlling the data traffic from the cameras to the software, so you need to understand what causes the high bandwidth and take the measures to reduce it.

If you need extra help, please visit the Hikvision website.

I hope this article can help you; please share it your friends.