CCTV is about security right? This is the public perception and mainly because this how it has been sold for the last 30 years. Now though with the advent of HD CCTV things are about to get very different for installers and end users alike. ROI is important when buying any product but using CCTV for security purposes only is not going to be cost effective anymore. Often any loss of goods on site is far outweighed by the capital cost of the CCTV itself. Naturally it is always going to be hard to determine how much CCTV cameras do actually save in real terms but many companies have concluded rightly that they need to get much much more out of camera systems and these systems need to go far beyond providing a security deterrent alone.
Although CCTV is primarily about security and reducing crime, this aspect can be dwarfed by other benefits bought about by HD CCTV solutions. The ” where there is blame there is a claim” culture has led to an increase fraudulent cases being bought against companies. This has risen steadily over the past few years. Traditional analogue cameras do little or nothing to substantiate that the claim may be false. HD though is different and especially when backed up with top of the range video management software such as Avigilon or March VMS. The reduction of false claims against a company that may have cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds is just one way HD CCTV can help. Other benefits such as improvements in productivity and enforcement of health and safety are all big pluses. HD CCTV can bring an almost forensic level of detail that cannot be supplied by analogue CCTV. This means that HD CCTV is making and will continue to make a huge difference. Evidence prevoiusly made useless by older cameras and analogue DVR’s is now clearly visible in HD. Add to this functionality that allows the user to zoom in on events without losing clarity and we can begin to see systems that will make CCTV useful in the 21st century. Also the potential of improved productivity in the workplace, something every company strives to achieve. We can expect many to conclude now is the time to invest in their business and gain the information they need to make it work efficiently giving them the edge over competitors.
Like all new concepts and products HD has to be seen to be appreciated however once experienced it would be hard and indeed foolish for any user to go back to analogue.