As of late 2024, rumors in the installer forums suggest that with the shift to and more powerful ARM Cortex-A76 chips (found in the new AcuSense 2.0 series), software decoding is replacing hardware decoding. This means future NVRs may allow playback of all channels simultaneously.
The iVMS-4200 software imposes its own limits per user profile. Even if your NVR can handle 32 playback streams, the iVMS-4200 client may be configured to limit playback to 8 channels to prevent desktop performance issues.
He frowned. "I only selected twelve," he muttered to the empty room. He tried again. Same error.
Previous live or playback sessions might not have been properly disconnected, keeping the channel "occupied". As of late 2024, rumors in the installer
If your model is rated for 8 playback channels and you try to open the 9th, you will get this error.
: Reduce the number of cameras you are trying to play back at once. Active Concurrent Sessions : Using multiple apps (e.g., Hik-Connect
He unchecked one camera, bringing the total to eleven. He hit play. The grid loaded instantly. Eleven feeds, playing back smoothly. Even if your NVR can handle 32 playback
Sometimes this error is caused by a bug in older firmware, where the system miscalculates the decoding load.
Understanding the difference between live view and playback is critical. Live viewing uses fewer hardware resources because the recorder simply passes the camera data through. Playback requires the hardware to actively read, decode, and transmit historical video files off the hard drive.
Tell you to check your specific device's limits Explain how to lower the bit rate on your Hikvision cameras He tried again
If the error occurs exclusively on your computer using iVMS-4200, your PC might be failing to decode the video.
When viewing multiple cameras, tap the quality icon (often labeled "HD" or "Basic") and ensure it is set to Basic or Standard for multi-camera viewing. Solution 3: Lower the Camera Resolution and Bitrate