Redundancy and Reliability in IP Video Systems
Wed, 28/07/2010 - 2:17pm | Tim Norton
Recently I was invited to present an IP Video solution as an alternative to an analogue matrix in a 24/7 control room. The target client has been using analogue matrix switchers for the past 15 years and had some concerns about the ability of an IP based system to give the same results.
The specific concerns were:
- Reliability
- Latency of PTZ control
- Ability to recover from a major failure
Time Lapse Recording
The first camera is a HD model with a 125 degree lens
The second camera is a SD model with a 70 degree lens
New Compact NVR – Ideal for field cabinet installation
Thu, 10/06/2010 - 2:44pm | Tim Norton
IndigoVision, the leading manufacturer of complete IP Video security solutions, has launched a new addition to its range of Network Video Recorders (NVRs). The Compact NVR-AS 3000 is a Linux-based standalone device that delivers a powerful recording solution in a compact unit with a very small footprint.
ONVIF Standard shows wide acceptance from manufacturers
Fri, 14/05/2010 - 11:26am | Tim Norton
Since the launch of ONVIF in 2008, the organization has attracted more than 180 member companies,
reflecting the great market interest for interoperability and standardization. “There is a constant need to
educate the market on these topics and by participating at events such as IFSEC we make the
knowledge easily available to the right target groups,” says Jonas Andersson.
IndigoVision is faster to commission
Fri, 23/04/2010 - 10:35am | Tim Norton
In larger systems, the major contributor to the cost of the project is the labour. Not the electronics.
A typical IndigoVision system will be commissioned and handed over 8 hours faster based on a 50 encoder IP video system with 30 days storage, a second NVR for fail over redundancy and 3 operator workstations from power up.
CCTV HLI – Is it just a buzz word?
Mon, 05/04/2010 - 5:51am | Tim Norton
The concept of integrating CCTV and access control to provide seamless operation has been thrown around for about 4 years now but has it really achieved what was expected?
The term High Level Integration simply means instead of using a piece of wire from every sensing device to tell us something happened on an external system, we are bringing in a data stream on either a RS232, 485 or Ethernet, which is extremely generic. Many tender documents have a statement like “must communicate with the access control system via a HLI”, which could mean anything complies from one alarm action to reporting on every fine detail.
Virtual Matrix allows for a 9800 camera video wall
Instead a video wall can be build from an array of PC workstations, each with 4 monitors, controlled from master workstations. A total 98 slaves can be controlled from one or more masters, making the total number of cameras that can be viewed 9800.
Tags: News
Does Size Matter? New 720p HD 25ips 10X PTZ
Fri, 12/03/2010 - 9:35pm | Tim Norton
I recently had the opportunity to preview the 720p HD real time IP-PTZ with 10X zoom and true day/night switching.
First thoughts was that 10X would not be large enough to compare with the 35X SD IP-PTZ that is the industry norm. The reality is that the 10X combined with the HD resolution significantly out performs the 35X SD camera. Additionally the 16:9 aspect ratio gives more useable video, which combined with the progressive scan results in a much better match to viewing on LCD monitors.
CCTV image quality for identification
Fri, 05/02/2010 - 10:18am | Tim Norton
Having represented the CCTV industry for 20 years, it still astounds me why many installers of video surveillance still do not understand the requirements to make a CCTV image useful. The above image is a good image but it does not meet the requirement.
Industry standards do exist but outside of government are seldom followed.
They categorise CCTV into 4 main applications
- Observe - Generally observe/monitor behaviour within a broad area
- Detect - Verify an incident after an alarm or report
- Recognise - Monitor/track an individual person, object or vehicle
- Identify - Capture enough detail to identify a person, object or vehicle
IP Video - Don’t believe the spec !
Thu, 04/02/2010 - 12:27pm | Tim Norton
Since the acceptance of IP video, terms like MPEG4, H.264, 4CIF, D1, MJPEG, QCIF, CIF, DVD quality HD, Mega-pixel & MJPEG have been thrown around as statements of image quality.
Unfortunately these terms have absolutely no relation to actual image quality. In fact in most IP product specifications there is no true measure of the final image quality. We used to measure the quality of a camera in lines of resolution. In current terms 540 lines in colour is a reasonable resolution out the back of the camera. But when we record this to a DVR or IP solution, we don’t mention the number of lines anymore. We refer to the resolution in CIF, 2CIF, 4CIF, D1 or some other High-Definition or mega-pixel resolution.