The New HD Predator. The inside story

We have been trying to get hold of him for a few weeks but we finally caught up with an exceptionally busy Mark Rees the Marketing Director of 360 Vision Technology to ask him about his brand new HD Predator camera. As you will see and hear the all new Pred is now better looking and feature loaded. Nothing more than you would expect from the chaps at 360 vision. So lets take a look.

Below are a few questions that we put to Mark so we can see how all the pieces of the new HD Predator fit together.

New HD Predator
putting the pieces together

The Interview

1)      Integrated : Mark, the new HD predator is out and we need to know all about it but firstly how successful has the Predator been for you since its original release?

Hugely – we have managed to establish strong supply partnerships throughout the world – recent success includes over 300 in Russia for Forest Protection, over 450 in Glasgow Council for inner city and Commonwealth Games protection and also an upcoming OEM partnership that will see Predator rebranded and introduced into Latin America

In addition, HD Predator has only been available for 18mths but in that time we have already sold in excess of 1500 units!

2) Integrated :That is impressive however did it take you personally by surprise with the markets that you have found for the Predator camera range?

We were always fairly confident of good sales but what started out as simply a PTZ camera has now turned into a ‘brand’

Predator is now a range, not a camera……..similar to BMW with their car ranges…… like them, we have derivatives, similar to 3 series, 5 series etc

Predator is now available as Predator HD, Predator Thermal, Predator Radar, Predator Surveyor…….basically, its Predator at the core and supporting technology giving its variant

With this in mind, it has expanded our business into unbelievable opportunities and applications – marine, ports, aviation, military, borders, city schemes, rapid deployment, mining, petrochem etc etc

3) Integrated:  HD, White light, IR, thermal, multi-coloured , Of all the cameras you manufacture within the Predator range which one has proved to be the biggest seller and why?.

HD without a shadow of a doubt !

As mentioned before, we have sold over 1500 units in 18 short months – why? Simple, we were first to market with a rugged HD – well before our competition – and as such, we have used that 18mth period to refine, improve, develop the software even further – so now we are in an excellent position of being constantly ahead of our competition who are only now just launching their HD variants

We now have 3 HD modules to offer – each with specific differences – so we now don’t just offer a ‘one size fits all’ HD camera, but variants that are appropriate to low light, high volume traffic, bandwidth and other HD considerations – this all whilst our competition offer just one module!

We are ONVIF listed (our competition isn’t yet) and we have used the 18mths to make it our business to work with leading VMS companies to ensure compatibility………we now are very often recommended by those VMS guys simply because we do not compete with them, we don’t offer a complete solution, we let the end user decide on the VMS and we simply make our kit play nicely with the VMS ! Its a very simple formula but has been hugely successful

4) Integrated : Very impressive Mark with this in mind we know the Predator camera is selling worldwide which must put quite a demand on your factory, how have you managed to cope and has this meant many changes within your Runcorn operation?

We have recently purchased an identical sized factory within a few yards of our current facility – this has allowed us to double capacity

We have grown manufacturing volumes by 40% so the new facility was key to continued growth – increase in space, increase in staff, increase in component inventory

Whilst expanding hugely, we are still able to supply HD or analogue Predators within 5-7 working days, with thermal in around 2-3 weeks

5) Integrated: That is very encouraging. Earlier we mentioned worldwide sales but which country has shown a the greatest demand and b) The biggest growth over the last year?

The answer to both is probably the Middle East – they desire high quality and therefore jump straight to HD……… their infrastructure is expanding meaning opportunities are appearing literally daily……in addition though, we must recognise and acknowledge the sad and horrific events that are happening in the World through terrorist activities and as such, our thermal and long range thermal cameras are being strongly specified for Border surveillance and protection

That said, Russia is an emerging market for us, as is Canada through petrochem/mining

6) Integrated: You seem to have overtaken your rivals in the ruggedized dome market place. Do the sales figures back this up and if so is the release of the new HD Predator your way of keeping ahead of the competition?

Yes, within the UK we are the leading volume manufacturer of ruggedised products

HD is certainly the driver and the introduction of new HD technology (UltraHD) in the early Spring will also add other opportunities

Our HD program has allowed us to recruit 3 more software engineers and their focus is solely on developing the HD range……..recent additions include onboard storage/recording with upto 256GB Flash storage INSIDE THE Predator ! Others include audio speaker output for 2 way voice annunciation…….things that add value to the Predator camera

But we focus on complementary technology to offer conceptual advances – Radar, Video Analytics, Perimeter – and this has offered leverage in other countries

7) Integrated: So what is new about the “new HD Pred”. The first thing we noticed were the changes to the way the product looks but what is the latest tricks that you have installed under the bonnet?

Predator Image Quality

 

I mentioned recording and audio, but the new Ultra Low light module is stunning – here is an example

What you are looking at is the standard HD Predator (top left), the BOSCH HD MIC 7000 (bottom left) and the new Ultra Low Light HD Predator (top right) – this is all with NO illumination at all

pred image 2.jpg

Adding in our intelligent illumination (upto 150m White light and IR   OR upto 175m IR Only) gives even more detail in the image

8) Integrated: Some visual proof of what has been achieved however in addition the Predator has been used in some unique applications but what is the strangest project you have been asked to fulfill ?

Russian Oligarchs Mansion, TV company using it to do traffic reports, Crown Prince Yacht in the Middle East – all not necessarily strange but certainly interesting!

9) Integrated: Mark, some impressive installations but what has the feedback been so far on the new HD Predator and are you confident sales will increase as a result?

Incredible feedback, snapshots like above where we are fully prepared to go toe to toe with our competition allows a growing but medium sized British manufacturer to not only take on the big boys but actually stay ahead of them!

10) Finally Mark tell us why you think the Predator will continue to grow within the ruggedized market place and how you plan to keep ahead of the competition?

 

The 3 D’s…….Develop, Develop and Develop! Simply remaining conscious of emerging technology and implementing it with speed !

 

Predator150SW

 

Thank you very much mark for that insight. It seems the Pred in all forms is here to stay and indeed dominate the ruggedized market place. Great stuff.

HD cameras but no Video Analytics

HD Camera manufacturers are struggling to offer Video Content Analytics on their HD / Megapixel IP cameras……… they don’t tell you why – it is simple, their hardware cannot cope with it and needs updating……….probably too much stock of legacy kit though

At least one company (VideoIQ) has cut out the middle man and gone straight to hardware that can support it – clever people

iCVR Video IQ camera
iCVR Video IQ camera

Hybrid CCTV starts the green shoots of recovery.

Hybrid CCTV.

CCTV suppliers, manufacturers and installers have endured a barren couple of years. We have seen many good companies go to the wall and some bad ones as well. Add to this the strain that wholesalers have suffered, lots of them have been taken for tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds as their customers (the installers) go bust.

Sistore MX hybrid DVR
Hybrid CCTV

Its also the end user that has suffered. Pressured into taking the cheapest quote due to the economic climate they have seen CCTV systems installed to poor standards and then find that within a few months the installer has gone to the wall leaving them with a very unpleasant legacy and few choices but to find another installer to take on the servicing of the security equipment.

This year however we hope to see a change for the better and a situation that will benefit all. We are at a cross roads for the industry and everyone is wondering how the next two to three years will develop. Analogue CCTV systems are still by far the dominant surveillance system out there but IP CCTV is making a relentless march and inevitably this type of system will takeover. However we believe it going to be Hybrid CCTV that is going to dominate proceedings now and in the short to medium term. CCTV manufacturers are also finding that the shift away from analogue is taking much longer than expected and are seriously having to re-think their strategies.

The thing is Hybrid CCTV solutions offer end users the flexibility they need. Many want to move to IP CCTV but have little or no budget to do so. However the thought of HD and megapixel IP cameras is whetting their appetite for change and Hybrid CCTV solutions mean they can combine the best of both worlds.

We predict that some very big players will start to produce 32 way units that will accommodate a 16/16 split to enable them to start selling their HD cameras, slowly at first but once the benefits are realized by the end user we expect upgrades to start taking off.

So there is hope, the weak have failed and the natural process that is the survival of the fittest has left the CCTV industry in good shape and ready to fight off competition from IT integrators. So with good installers and great new technology we are sure that Hybrid CCTV will help to fuel a strong recovery over the next 5 years.

CCTV BLOGS from the last year.

CCTV Blogs  from the integrated CCTV team.……. Well its been a good year for innovation and advancement in the world of CCTV and here at Integrated CCTV we have been lucky enough to be able to tell you all about it. From advanced analytics to Thermal CCTV cameras we have covered it all here.

So for those who have missed some of our best CCTV blogs of 2010-2011 then here are some of the CCTV reviews for you to look back on.

Thermal CCTV is going to get big here……………..we review why and who the main players are in the thermal market

Thermal CCTV…..click here for more info

Thermal CCTV
Thermal CCTV is here

The iPhone has single handed changed the way we can view CCTV images remotely but what has been remarkable is how sales have increased purely down to…… The iPhone factor

iPhone is selling CCTV …see how

Dahua iPhoneGetting some of the top companies to talk with us was important last year and they don’t come much bigger than Avigilon. Rick Ramsey granted us an interview and gave us some great facts about how he saw the future of HD cameras, IP cameras, Megapixel IP cameras and CCTV in general.

Avigilon CCTV blog

Avigilon Camera HD Pro
Avigilon CCTV

Metal MIC V the Predator…….Nothing better than a clash between two great rivals and the 360 vision technology Predator and the Bosch MIC are two excellent cameras. But how do the compare? We carried out a review of both cameras in our epic CCTV blog Metal Mickey V Predator.

Bosch V 360 vision.

Thermal Metal Mickey
Metal MIC

And its great rival…but which came out on top?

Thermal CCTV cameras
Predator Camera

It has also proved a difficult year for the CCTV industry and we were able to blog about why the CCTV industry is being squeezed at the moment. Some interesting points in this blog, but what do you think have things changed so greatly and will the the CCTV industry fight back to recovery?

CCTV gets Squeezed from all angles….but see why……..

CCTV industry

2010 was the year we saw Panasonic launch its iPro range and one of the big success stories was the WJ-NV200 NVR recorder. Since its launch the fantastic features it has built in has seen it shoot to the top of its class…….take a look and see what you think.

Panasonic WJ-NV200

panasonic WJ-NV200
WJ-NV200

So just a few of the CCTV blogs from our site from last year. Use the search bar to look for other products not listed here or feel to contact us if you would like to find out more………….

Video IQ iCVR IP camera

VideoIQ have come up with a fantastic solution to recording IP video.The iCVR camera together with some cutting edge encoders are able to record event generated video on the edge of the network eliminating the need for third party DVR, NVR or VMS software.

iCVR Video IQ camera
iCVR Video IQ camera

By using advanced analytics the iCVR HD camera produce and record HD images without the need to use the network, meaning bandwidth use is reduced to the absolute minimum. With the need for a central storage solution eliminated and advanced analytics that are able to learn events and increase accuracy over time, the iCVR is very simple to install and easy to use. It would seem that edge device recording is without question the way forward and Video IQ are well ahead of their competitors. Check out the iCVR camera and on board recording solutions on the Video IQ website….well worth a look.