Luminite have produced a range of illuminators that have been specifically designed for the CCTV market place.The ILLUME range of IR and white light, LED illuminators fulfills most of the lighting requirements of event-driven CCTV applications. Working in harmony with CCTV cameras installed around a secure site the ILLUME range helps to produce clear video at night. Adjustment to the lighting levels and intensity allow the IR illuminators to operate over both short and long-distance for any specified illumination requirement. One of the major issues with IR illuminators deployed to veiw just a small distance is image “white-out” this will invariably cause issues relating to over exposure in cameras. However the ILLUME range gives the flexibilty that allows intensity to be increased for longer distances, a major benefit for specifiers who suspect clients needs may change or where greater illumination is needed due to variants in lighting levels.The ILLUME WL, white light series, comprises of 3 units with viewing angles and illumination ranges of 10° by 50m, 30° by 30m and 60° by 15m. The ILLUME IR illuminators known as the infra-red series, also comprises 3 units, however these ir illuminators have viewing angles and illumination ranges of 10° by 100m, 30° by 60m and 60° by 30m. The range of ILLUME products is designed for external use and to this end all the illuminators come in robust, IP67 rated, high-quality, weatherproof housings. Single, double and triple mounting brackets are available, enabling narrow and wide angle settings for the double and triple. BUY an IR illuminator
HDcctv is evolving at an incredible rate. We have already discussed how the HDcctv alliance is guiding installers on the use of megapixel lenses in order to ensure the best images possible. Today as we further question Todd about HDcctv and where it is all heading , we wanted to know how the HDcctv alliance is addressing the future and how it will continue to challenge other technologies in order to ensure HDcctv over coax continues to be an attractive option for HD upgrades for installers and end users alike. We continued the interview by asking about Remote monitoring of HDcctv.
HDcctv
2) With HDcctv Recorders a lot of focus is spent on the quality of
locally recorded images and this obviously affects bandwidth and
storage – but there is a huge market for remote monitoring that
analogue covers right now, will recorder manufacturers consider
features such as throttled/reduced quality transmission for remote
monitoring?
TR: Certainly, HDcctv DVRs typically provide all the remote IP video capabilities of conventional CCTV DVRs. DVRs typically allow the operator to specify the tradeoffs among transmitted frame rate, resolution, and quality (amount of compression) to optimize the use of available off-site bandwidth. One of the appealing aspects of DVR-based architecture is that the DVR allows those bandwidth optimization tradeoffs for all cameras on the local site to be managed in one device; with MP IP cameras, by comparison, optimizing the use of available off-site bandwidth requires carefully configuring each IP camera, as well as possibly the NVR, in a harmonized manner.
3 ) Is it possible for MP resolution to increase in the future and if
not will HDcctv be able to compete with ever increasing IP camera
resolutions at decreasing prices?
TR: There are two ways in which the HDcctv standard is addressing higher-than-1080 resolution video.
In the near term, HDcctv 2.0, due to be completed in early 2013, provides for a 75Mb/s data stream to be transmitted from the camera in parallel with uncompressed HDTV signal. An HDcctv 2.0 camera could send higher-than-1080 video in this data stream in a compressed form, possibly as IP video.
In the longer term, future versions of the HDcctv standard may take advantage of improved cable driver / equalizer chip technology to send uncompressed video at higher pixel rates than HDcctv 1.0, which could translate to higher resolutions and/or higher frame rates.
4 ) Over the last 5 years the use of cat 5 and ballum technology has
meant less coax out in the field. We know plans are afoot for HDcctv
over cat 5 but when will this be viable and ready to sell to end
users?
TR: HDcctv CX provides for native transmission over 100m Cat-5e cable. The HDcctv CX standard is in preparation now, and we expect it to be completed by early 2013. Chips implementing the standard will be available within six months or less of the standard being completed, so HDcctv CX-compliant products should be available in the first half of 2014.
5) One argument for IP is PoE .Is there any development of technology
that would send power to the camera down the coax like the old line
fed systems?
TR: Yes, all of the current developments (HDcctv 2.0, HDcctv CX, and HDcctv XR) are being defined in anticipation of being able to send relatively high current up the cable in HDcctv 3.0. In the case of HDcctv CX, we expect to be able to leverage proven PoE+ solutions directly.
HDcctv over cat 5e would be a big leap forward especially in new build situations. The thought behind the advancement of the technology is relentless. We continue soon with more questions for Todd Rockoff, until then ………………………….
We recently carried out an Interview with Todd Rockoff of the HDcctv alliance . We asked a number of questions that we will serialize over the next two weeks. We wanted to know how the HDcctv alliance was making progress and what is being planned and what we can expect in the next two years or so. We started by asking Todd our first question about HDcctv lenses. The answer is comprehensive and will give CCTV installers a good insight into what they will need to specify.
1 ) Todd, when it comes to lenses there currently seems to be few
guidelines. What lenses are the correct lenses to use – will the
alliance regulate or at least stipulate the required lens
specification for use with HDcctv cameras?
TR: HDcctv is an electrical/mechanical interface standard for connecting devices within a secured site. An HDcctv interface transports an HDTV signal without any degradation. HDcctv compliance is a property of devices (such as cameras, repeaters, IP encoders, DVRs, and monitors) and not of their individual components. That approach allows manufacturers maximum flexibility in designing those products. As a result, the HDcctv standard does not directly constrain lens characteristics in any way.
HDcctv compliance guarantees 100% multi-vendor interoperability, but as with analogue CCTV cameras, manufacturers compete on video quality. The lens, the image sensor, and the image signal processor (ISP) all contribute to a camera’s video quality. The lens is an integrated component in dome cameras and board cameras.
The HDcctv Alliance plans eventually to define “HDcctv 1080” and “HDcctv 720” compatibility levels, with associated certification tests. The idea is that an “HDcctv 1080” compatible camera, for example, would measure a full 1920 x 1080 pixel array in each frame. If any camera component, including the lens, lacked sufficient resolution, then a 1080 or 720 compatibility certification could not be obtained.
For an HDcctv box camera today, it makes sense to choose a CS-mount lens of appropriate resolution. Be careful never to fit an old CCTV lens to an HDcctv camera! The result would be fuzzier video than necessary, failing to take advantage of the high-definition sensor and ISP. Similarly, to the extent that higher-resolution lenses are more expensive, there may be no need to fit a very high resolution lens to an HDcctv camera, because that would be overkill. On the other hand, some buyers find better results with slightly over-spec lenses. For example, sometimes a lens rated at 5 megapixels might give better results than a lens rated at 3 megapixels for a 1080p25 camera, whose native resolution works out to 2.2 megapixels.
I wish there were a more prescriptive approach to lens selection. Ultimately, just as buyers find their own comfort levels with camera price and performance, so should buyers explore price/performance tradeoffs in lenses for HDcctv cameras. One thing is for sure: product availability continues to grow, so there are plenty of alternative HD lenses from which to choose.
We say…………….So the above guidance on HDcctv lenses will help CCTV installers make some informed decisions on lens choice in order to get the very best images out of HDcctv systems. More questions we have put to Todd will be published soon but if you have any comments or feedback on HDcctv lenses please let us know.
Benchmark the test house for CCTV products has produced its latest assesment on the Clarius Ir illuminator. The assessment as you will see describes the ir illuminator manufactured by advanced technology as a workhorse more than a Derby winner and in the light of day this is a back handed compliment for this product. Lets be honest when it comes to illumination we need something that does exactly what it says on the tin and with the Clarius ir illuminator range we certainly have that.
Built to last with a self cleaning lens the ir illuminator be installed in even the most hostile of enviroments. Low maintenance costs and a ten year life span mean that your ROI is rapid and in this respect the Claruis range provides excellent value for money. The Benchmark test proved that the light spread from the illuminator was consistent and the range was actually better than specified. The 6 core cable made for easy connections and the built in photo cell reacted well within tolerance meaning no wasted energy. The Claruis ir illuminator is of a build quality that impressed the team at Benchmark and scoring over 80% was a good achievement . In a world where IR illumination is becoming more important due to light pollution the Clarius ir illuminator is becoming ever more popular with installers. HD cctv is also meaning that the cameras will need more light in certain situations and in a world now that is saving energy wherever it is possible we need to remember that CCTV systems that used to rely on ambient street lighting to operate may now find this lighting switched off between certain hours at night, so IR illuminators will become an even more crucial link in the goal to provide quality CCTV images for the end user.
HDcctv . Why it will sell more cameras than IP CCTV in the UK.
How many miles of coaxial cable currently service CCTV camera systems here in the UK? No-one is sure and I would suggest that this has never been documented. But let’s consider some facts. CCTV has been actively sold into UK business’s on a large commercial scale since the early 1970′s and there is hundreds of thousands of miles of coax still servicing perfectly good CCTV systems right now.
Is HDcctv better than IP CCTV?
IP CCTV must not be discounted, in fact in most other countries across the world IP CCTV is selling well and we embrace this technology completely. But in the UK we have a slightly different scenario right now. We need HD solutions but not always delivered by IP. That’s why HDcctv could be the main technology installed in the UK over the next 10 years with the right investment and marketing.
HDcctv installers in the UK.
So what’s unique about the UK CCTV market place and why will HDcctv be so popular? Well, we have already mentioned the vast amount of legacy coax that is waiting to be used. In addition, as salesmen we hear the same story time and time again. Customers want quality images, customers want to be able to zoom in on an image, either in live mode or in recorded mode and see a face or see a number plate, they all hate poor images and no definition as it effectively renders current analogue CCTV systems useless. It is the biggest downfall of analogue CCTV. What’s more, everyone in the UK knows it.
Cheap HDcctv?
So why don’t all these disgruntled customers go over to IP CCTV and megapixel cameras, surely that’s the way forward? Well again as we mentioned earlier there are a couple of factors here in the UK that are ideal for HDcctv that will enable this unique technology to find its footing.
There are very poor margins in analogue CCTV right now however….
HDcctv can give quality images but maintain current infrastructure, so costs can be kept right down in an upgrade situation. Secondly UK installers are struggling with IP installations. IP CCTV takes much more resource than many would care to admit. The plug and play concept of IP is not quite as its made out to be and most installers are finding it very difficult to get the co-operation of IT departments in order to get network points adjacent to cameras or use existing switches and networks. So much so, its now almost the norm with IP CCTV to run your own local network for the camera system and supply your own POE switch, this completely defeats the point of IP CCTV in many cases and makes the whole job far less profitable.
Servicing IP CCTV
Further problems still exist with servicing, If you have a national contract every engineer you have needs a laptop, IT training, remote access and current software and so the list goes on. Software conflicts are a complete nightmare and a CCTV installer without its own IT support will not be able to overcome many of the problems that are facing them. That’s why IP CCTV still has not taken off in the UK.
HDcctv sales
So how does HDcctv find its way into the mainstream security market place? Well here in the UK we have sales guys. Sales guys love to sell the sizzle! HD is a buzz word that consumers know and have seen at home on their own TV sets. All who have experienced this technology will agree that its quite brilliant in the quality of images that are provided. So straight away HDcctv is something the end user will feel comfortable with.
Price of HDcctv
Price of an HDcctv system is important. Again we all know we have to pay more for HD, this is already accepted by the end user, but if we are able to keep this cost reasonable by using an existing coax infrastructure then we have a sale. Add to this the fact that CCTV engineers don’t need re-training and will feel entirely at home with the installation then again we have a winner. No software, no laptops, no IT department to deal with. Just on and off site with maximum profit and no costly revisits to upgrade software or program an IP address. This means on going service will be easy and profitable… even more reason for the CCTV industry to embrace HDcctv.
One of the major issues with IR illuminators deployed to veiw just a small distance is image “white-out” this will invariably cause issues relating to over exposure in cameras. However the ILLUME range gives the flexibilty that allows intensity to be increased for longer distances, a major benefit for specifiers who suspect clients needs may change or where greater illumination is needed due to variants in lighting levels.The ILLUME WL, white light series, comprises of 3 units with viewing angles and illumination ranges of 10° by 50m, 30° by 30m and 60° by 15m. The ILLUME IR illuminators known as the infra-red series, also comprises 3 units, however these ir illuminators have viewing angles and illumination ranges of 10° by 100m, 30° by 60m and 60° by 30m. The range of ILLUME products is designed for external use and to this end all the illuminators come in robust, IP67 rated, high-quality, weatherproof housings. Single, double and triple mounting brackets are available, enabling narrow and wide angle settings for the double and triple. BUY an IR illuminator
