HD SDI CCTV is going to be one of the main talking points at IFSEC this year. Many companies are now bringing out their HD SDI offerings in time for this years exhibition. Perhaps the most interesting thing from installers point of view is going to be the question why install HD CCTV rather than IP HD. Many CCTV companies have struggled to make the shift from Analog to IP and HD SDI gives them a solution that has not been available commercially until this year. HD SDI CCTV has no latency and the images are of excellent quality. There will be lots of comparisons this year of Analog images verses HD SDI but there is really no contest. High def images are the way forward for the CCTV industry and HD SDI is what many installers have been looking for for a long time now.
Installation is simple , either use the existing coax or alternatively run new coaxial cables just as would have been the case with a standard analog CCTV system. Many have questioned the flexibility of CCTV over coax but in essence most HD SDI DVR s have the ability to network and be accessed remotely via mobile devices.
HD SDI cameras do vary in performance and the HDcctv alliance has made great steps in making manufacturers cameras and HD SDI dvr s compatible. This will push the technology to bigger and better things and mean HD SDI technology will rival IP HD solutions for the market share. It must be stressed that HD SDI CCTV and IP both have there place. For new build and large integrated projects IP will still be the preferred option but the bulk of existing CCTV that has traditional RG59 coaxial infrastructure HD SDI offers a simple upgrade path that will find favour with CCTV installers and end users alike.
So this is the big year for HD SDI CCTV and with HD SDI technology improving by the day it will be interesting to see where we are the same time next year