I wanted to reply to this earlier, but had to wait a few hours for the acceptance to the board.
So what's with the "hours" of video tape LE viewed that was helpful? These guys were only in the house 9 minutes.
The hours of videotape would be "x" number of cameras recording for "y" number of minutes or hours (depending on the system) = a LOT of video to go through. The house had 9 bedrooms + the outside camera(s) + presumably the living room, back yard, etc.
I'd guess they recorded everything digitally on a 24 hour loop (like most businesses do). How many days back that could be accessed is dependent on the system set up.
I'm sure once they saw the actual crime, they knew WHEN it happened, but needed to see if they could find any other information/evidence leading up to the actual crimes.
Even if you're rewinding it in a fast rewind mode, that's a lot of time and effort.
For those who have asked why all the cameras: 1) security and ability to monitor the family and make sure everyone is safe in a huge home with a large family -- instead of just an audible baby monitor in a room, they could quickly SEE what was going on and 2) evidence against claims by a parent whose child was adopted out who might say the children are abused or neglected.
BTW to all: thanks for the abundance of information discovered and put out. It's amazing what's been found so far.
For those who ask why the "media" isn't saying much: 1) the PNJ isn't the best of "investigative reporting" newspapers -- they tend to just quote the press release or rewrite an offense report (poorly at times, also); 2 )the other media outlets are using the PNJ's stories as an "Associated Press" story and 3) the less information the criminals know the cops or public know about them, the better chance LEOs have at catching them before they destroy evidence or cross borders.