hd camera Archives - Page 3 of 3

CCTV Digital Recording – do you really need 31 days?

Many years ago, the options for CCTV recording were limited

Time lapse VCR, coupled with a Video Multiplexer, meant in essence 1 picture per second per camera maximum…..you couldn’t have different settings for different cameras, it was a global setting……everything backed up to your commonly available VHS tape.

The VCR manufacturers recommended replacing the VHS tapes every 10 uses – but more often than not, calls to a site to fix faulty VCRs led engineers to observe 31 VHS tapes that probably had never been changed since the installation was completed.

But, 31 tapes was convenient……rows of shelves with ‘week 1 Monday’ etc marked neatly on the spine of vertically positioned VHS tapes…..keen operators would add the daily cycle of removing yesterdays tape and replacing with today’s to their early morning to-do list……along with the panic if they were going to be late and the tape would run out leaving the system non-functional until the tape swap – ‘Mike, I’m late, swap the tape in the Video Recorder before Stan finds out’!!!!

Along came clever manufacturers such as Dedicated Micros and Tecton, who introduced amazing digital recorders that meant the daily routine was no longer required…….PC Hard Drives replaced the fragile VHS tapes……high quality images replaced the fuzzy images on used Tapes…..31 days recording at 1 picture per second per camera was now possible in glorious digital !!

Things have changed enormously since those first DVR days…..

DVRs now can have individual settings per camera, meaning important cameras, I.e. Cash office in retail, can benefit from more pictures per second….. Settings can also be time scheduled, allowing cameras to record continuously in one time zone and then motion only record out of hours – thus stretching record durations even further….

Add in the ability to set different qualities of picture resolution and the systems of today are truly flexible by comparison

But why are we still an industry hell bent on 31 days recording ?? Are we really stuck in the 31 day tape shelf mentality?

Too many tenders are released that stipulate ‘minimum 31 days recording’

But ask yourself this, back in the day, when were you asked to review ‘Week 2 Tuesday’ tape for vandalism to the front door?? Because, 9 times out of 10′ it wouldn’t be ignored for 31 days that the front door had been vandalised – more likely the next day at the most before Janice in Accounts let’s you know she couldn’t get in!!

Don’t get me wrong, there are applications that simply must have long term archives – banking and retail have policies that require transactions are accessible for long periods after they occur…..but in the main, most CCTV installations are designed to offer visual verification for ‘now’ or ‘nearly now’ incidents…..

With Hard Drives getting cheaper, the only real problem facing DVR manufacturers is the physical size available to hold HDDs inside…..most DVRs allowing 4 or 6Tb of internal storage without the need for external additional storage……

But, cameras are getting higher resolution…..megapixel IP Cameras, PIXCs, HD cameras, call them what you want but higher file sizes are what they offer……

Surely it would be better to record at the highest resolution and fastest picture update than to record for durations that simply aren’t needed? Reduce the duration to a week, maybe 2 if there are holidays, and see the recorded footage in the quality the manufacturers want you to see it in.

Don’t worry, the door will still get vandalised, Janice from Accounts will still let you know, but now it will be in glorious, high resolution, near real time quality!!

Let us know what you think – but get off the 31 day train !!!

CCTV sales squeezed by government cuts.

CCTV Sales take a hit.

Government spending across all areas of its budgets are soon to be cut. This will be like no other cuts we have ever seen before. Some say it is an inevitable consequence of over spending by the previous regime, some say it is not necessary. Whatever you think it is going to happen and this will filter through to effect new CCTV sales.

State spending cuts.

Speaking to many in the industry, one of the biggest concerns is the cut in spending on state funded new builds, especially schools and government buildings. The previous government had many spending plans and this was seen by many in the security industry as the catalyst that was going to kick start the IP camera revolution. New builds are of course the IP CCTV natural market place. Although more expensive than analogue, the big selling point has always been that they are cheaper to install so cost savings would have meant more sales amounting to millions of pounds. This now has all gone, at least in the foreseeable future. So is the new network IP camera revolution about to grind to a rather painful halt?

Hope.

Well looking at the facts it would seem that way but there is some hope on the horizon. Megapixel and HD cameras have undoubtedly brought better quality images to the market and this on its own will encourage people to buy. Remember however always to demonstrate this quality to the end user, talking alone can never sell anything. In addition to this is a rather contentious subject. Historically in times of recession crime rises. It is inevitable, so more crime will be seen across the country industry will have to invest in security. Will it be IP CCTV though?

CCTV, Making do? A bad decision!.

The last two years have been a barren period for new sales of both IP and analogue security equipment especially in the UK. Customers are quite simply just making do, or worse they are letting their systems deteriorate as they either wont or cant afford to keep the systems properly maintained. We know however that once the criminal fraternity are aware that there is limited or faulty security equipment on a site ,that site will get hit time and time again. This leaves the customer with little choice but to take action and often the best action is to spend money on new security.

Olympics 2012.

So what positives can take out of this? Well IP CCTV will become cheaper and this will help sales. The Olympics is round the corner and this will be a big boost to our industry, and finally and most importantly this recession cannot go on forever, can it??

CCTV.What do end users want?

What do end users want/ expect from CCTV ?

Future proofed solutions.

A quality installation.

Internet access to recordings.

Integration to access control /intruder alarms.

Megapixel and HD cameras.

Good compression over the network.

Recorded images that retain maximum quality.

Recorded images that can be zoomed into.

CCTV software thats easy to use.

Remote IT support.

Fast response to faults.

CCTV analytics

Remote CCTV monitoring.

Here at integrated CCTV we know this and we are able to give advice and help on how this can be achieved. With up to date news and reviews on all the latest IP PIXCs, HD solutions , Analytics and how to get the best out of your existing CCTV systems. If you have any questions on CCTV, Access control or security integration it is well worth viewing the site or asking us questions online. We will always be able to find you the answer you need.

CCTV engineer? Security installer? News and advice for you?

Alarm installer?

If you are a CCTV engineer or also have experience in installing access control or intruder alarms we have all the the latest information here at integrated CCTV.

Keep up to date.

Simply register on the site and we will do all we can to answer your questions or simply let you know about new technologies out there. If you would like to guest blog with your experiences within the industry we will happily review them and publish the best ones.

So what can you tell us?

We are moving into an era where Megapixel and HD cameras will start to dominate the market place. Are you being given the training and support from the manufactures that you need? IT knowledge is now becoming as important as the ability to run cables and fix kit to the wall do you think you have been kept up to date? Do you think IP cameras are better than analogue? if not why not?

Comment.

So give us your views and get involved.

Arecont AV2805 Camera

Arecont.

Arecont Vision manufacture and supply a range of high-performance megapixel IP cameras that have taken the industry by storm over the last 18 months in particular. Based in the USA they have seen some stunning expansion in the UK market.

Using clever features such as mega video and surround video they have made some dramatic steps away from what we are used to with analogue CCTV today. Using these technologies Arecont have brought a new way of thinking to the security industry about how to deliver HD and megapixel solutions to the end user. This brings us to their newest camera release the AV2805.

1080p full HD camera

The AV2805 is the new 1080p full HD camera that Arecont have recently released. One of the main benefits claimed by Arecont for this camera is the competitive price. This does however not detract form the performance Arecont claim.

The image quality is second to none and the camera is available in day /night as well as colour versions. Compression methods are selectable and can be either MJPEG or H.264, this allows the camera to be used in a wide range of applications. As always the main benefits are picture quality that allows post event forensic zooming something that sets HD and Megapixel cameras apart from there analog predersessors. The unit produces HD video with 1920 x 1080 pixels for unrivaled clarity.

Conclusion.

Arecont continue to produce new products and new ideas that can only help megapixel cameras become a more accepted and well used in the IPCCTV solution that is becoming more and more widespread by the day.