Arecont release new HD cameras

Arecont Vision from the US have released a few new innovative HD cameras to add to their range.

The Arecont AV1325 (1.3MP) and the AV2825 (2MP 1080p) offer a conventional look and feel to security cameras, wrapped up in an IP66 housing, cable managed bracket and integral IR LEDs to aid the True Day Night chip inside…….. offering the usual Arecont crystal clear HD image in either 1.3 or 2MP offering.

Arecont HD cameras the AV8185 and AV8365 vandal proof units offer vandal proof, IP67 True Day/Night perfomance, along with the AV8185 Internal version dome – all of these delivering 4 x 2MP streams to provide a 180degree panoramic scene…….

adding a slightly different slant to the same theme,Arecont HD cameras also include the AV 8365 and AV 8360 deliver the same 4 x 2MP streams, but this time in a 360 degree ‘quad’ format for full ‘surround’ video…..

The interesting and also innovative feature on all the 180 and 360 cameras is the ability to transmit all the streams down the one single ethernet cable – smart!

Arecont Vision are a great company with great products and are also very open to 3rd party integration – preferring to simply developing clever kit than trying to embody an entire system – although, they do offer great viewing and recording solutions too !

Megapixel IP cameras – the death of PTZ?

Recently I took a look at the Arecont AV8185 180 degree Panoramic 8  PIXC camera…..wow, what a completely astonishing beast it is ! It got me thinking….a single camera that can span through 180 degrees both pre and post recording with amazing detail…… some of their AVI samples show retail environments and warehouses where, on full wide angle, objects at distance are merely specks on the picture….but using zooming techniques, detail can be achieved at huge distance without compromising quality……. So, could one single 180 degree camera replace a PTZ camera?? Well, in essence, yes it can….. the advantage to a 180 or 360 degree camera is the ability to see EVERYTHING and zoom later, as opposed to the PTZ dome or similar only seeing what it is looking at – move it to another area and it is no longer looking the other way……and whilst the optical zoom produces great images on PTZ cameras, newer megapixel technologies are producing similar results post zoom through electronic magnification…. But, and there is a but…….megapixel IP cameras cannot ‘follow’ someone…..so, no matter where a person is within a scene, there is no ‘dynamic’ zooming or detail enhancement….it is simply a camera that is looking at everything and if real detail is required, then the operator just has to hope it will show up on post zoom… So what is the answer?? Well, maybe megapixel should complement PTZ cameras? co-exist? Work together??? Scenario…… 1 x Megapixel 180degree Panoramic camera looking at EVERYTHING 1 x PTZ camera, centrally located 1 x Analytic box/widget/software that takes the feed from the EVERYTHING seeing megapixel camera, feeds it to the PTZ camera to DYNAMICALLY move, zoom and track the object….. Utopia ! Of course, real utopia would be for the PTZ to ALSO be using megapixel or HD cameras…..and we hear rumours of such products coming up soon from the likes of 360 Vision, March Networks and similar… but how much are they?….. what is the price?………if the price is right ….. the best of both worlds? Maybe !!