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.
Over the years we have been through a number of downturns in the UK economy and one industry that has ridden this better than most is the electronic security market place. It has long been the belief that as money gets tight and unemployment rises this can be a catalyst for crime to increase and for manned guarding to be cut back in preference to electronic security, mainly CCTV. This recession though has had a slightly different tilt on it. The influx of cheaper electronic security from the far east has badly hit the traditional suppliers and installers especially here in the UK. We have seen the demise and re-birth of Norbain, big players such as Pelco and March networks disappear almost without trace and analogue CCTV that had in reality reached the end of its natural reign suddenly have a renaissance in terms of sales.
CCTV cameras
This though has come at a price to many involved in the business of CCTV. Margins are now small to non existent standards are dropping and quality is suffering. IP CCTV that many thought would be the making of the industry has really struggled to secure a foothold even with the added benefits of HD.
Is this a local problem though by which we mean one that is mainly UK based? It does seem to be. This does make sense though . The UK was a saturated market long before the rest of the world started to catch up. The hope was IP and HD CCTV solutions would drive the market forward. Consumers however are just making do. Service contracts are as hotly contested as ever but there are plenty of opportunity for service based companies to make hay while upgrades are on hold.
There is some good news though. Security systems have a life on them and many old analogue DVRs out there are getting tired….very tired. Sooner now rather than later many companies are going to have to make a choice. To upgrade or to abandon their CCTV systems. Although a few may decide they can do without CCTV for the foreseeable future most will be thinking they have to start spending on infrastructure at some point and this decision cant be too far away.
So do they go IP or analogue or do they opt for HDcctv? This has been the perennial question now for sometime. The thinking has to be that some form of HD solution is the way forward. With some of the big IP CCTV players seemingly abandoning the UK market place in favour of big projects abroad perhaps an HDcctv upgrade using existing coax would be something that installer would be trying to pitch to end users. To do this however they need choice of both HDcctv cameras and DVRs and HDcctv equipment that is certified alliance kit seems to be reasonably hard to come by here in the UK.
So the jury is out but HD cameras in one form or another will prove the way forward for the industry. All we need though is for someone to be able to tell us when ? Any thoughts?
So HDcctv has suddenly hit the headlines. It all started when Andrew Rennison the surveillance camera commissioner questioned the way CCTV has suddenly become a much more powerful tool. With HDcctv images giving us hugely detailed definition, together with facial recognition technology now available that can track and monitor targeted individuals, the question asked by Mr Rennison was how effectively the industry as a whole was able to control the data? Of particular worry to Mr Rennison and anti CCTV campaigners was to what use were the much improved images being put? Are they being used to track and target innocent individuals? Are innocent people suddenly coming under unnecessary scrutiny by the authorities? Is big brother really watching us all now? Well some may be paranoid enough to think so . The majority of UK citizens though will just be happy that images are clearer , more detailed and a whole lot more effective. As a result bringing criminals to justice and acting as a much more effective deterrent.
The British Security Industry Association has also had their say and spoke of their disappointment over the remarks made by Mr Rennison. The BSIA are clearly worried about the detrimental effect these remarks might have in terms of sales of CCTV for their membership. Andrew Rennison also questioned the effectiveness of CCTV overall casting doubt that was perhaps quite unnecessary.
In a letter to the editor responding to a front page article in last weeks Independent newspaper warning that HD CCTV in public spaces puts human rights at risk, the BSIA said:
“It was disappointing to read Mr. Rennison’s statements questioning the effectiveness of CCTV cameras in detecting crime, an assertion which is countered by the fact that over 3,000 arrests were made as a direct result of CCTV technology following last year’s August riots, in addition to the pivotal role it also played in the investigation of the 7/7 bombings. Examples such as these demonstrate that, in public areas, CCTV does play a positive role in providing public safety and supporting our hard-working police in their endeavours to detect and solve crime.”
The BSIA also went on to say that controls are already in place to ensure Data is handled correctly and this is governed by strict laws included in the data protection act.
It is our belief that both of the above parties have justified concerns. Data in our opinion is not always controlled correctly and the ability to remotely access images and drag these across the Internet or load them onto a memory stick mean there are all sorts of images that have slipped through the net and are now “uncontrolled”. This should rightly be of concern to the industry, but at the same time it is easy to build in safe guards to allow proper auditing and indeed prosecutions if data is not controlled by those in positions of responsibility.
Equipment must be built to log all data movements and the clever manufacturers out there will build in these features in to their HDcctv products. This will also be of relevance in private industry and any regulation that is correctly enforced will mean those providing cheap equipment without the ability to restrict and record the data will fall by the wayside. Another reason to have compliant standardized HDcctv equipment.
In summary HDcctv is a fantastic concept and once you have seen a properly installed HDcctv system you will not go back to analogue. The technology has started to take a hold especially in the UK and the trend is now irreversible. So whether it be for public places or private industry Mr Rennison should be ensuring that the images we do record are fit for purpose, properly controlled and used to prevent crime wherever we can. This means good installers and properly regulated and certified equipment should be used at all times. This in turn will ensure public confidence, increased sales but most importantly, huge deterrent value and reduced crime. Something all those involved must agree is going to be a very good thing indeed.
Surveillance Equipment Chip Makers Invest US$30m in HDcctv Compliance HDcctv.
News that HDcctv Alliance chip-maker Member companies have committed more than $30m to deliver chips for HDcctv compliant surveillance equipment in the coming year will certainly make many in the CCTV industry sit up and take notice. The press release at 0900 Australian Eastern Standard Time today, announced that four of its industry leading semiconductor Member companies have committed more than thirty million US dollars into the development, manufacture, and marketing of chips that will enable HDcctv-compliant equipment to be manufactured more cost effectively.
HDcctv uniting HD cctv over coax
So how have sales grown?
HDcctv camera and DVR sales have grown expodentially from zero sales in 2009 to over 150,000 units sold so far this year. Continued growth demands 100% multi-vendor interoperability, which HDcctv compliance certification ensures. The 4 companies involved, EqcoLogic, Eyenix, Nextchip, and Semtech today revealed the rollout timeline for ten newly designed chips for cameras and DVRs that will facilitate HDcctv compliance certification. These chips,scheduled to be in the hands of CCTV equipment designers in 2013, will make it more likely that HD surveillance equipment can be certified HDcctv compliant and will interoperate freely out of the box. Something all installers should welcome.
Availability of chips implementing the HDcctv standard accelerates the HD surveillance market, one that is already seeing massive interest. Conventional CCTV systems are designed by security installers, who mix and match surveillance products made by various manufacturers. Time spent adjusting cameras and DVRs to begin capturing video is part of an installer’s costs. If HDcctv cameras and DVRs do not work together straight out of the box, the installer’s costs rise. HDcctv compliance ensures that products from various manufacturers will interoperate upon power-up. Compliance certification is important to all installers and manufacturers. For installers, the compliance mark in a product brief means plug-and-play, which holds down costs. For manufacturers and their OEM customers, compliance certification means fewer no-fault-found returns, this increases profit and must be welcomed.
Interoperability.
To be certified HDcctv compliant and eliminate any doubts about transmission performance and interoperability, a camera or DVR must implement certain functions. Chips that power today’s HDcctv products were designed before the HDcctv 1.0 standard had been defined, so they did not necessarily have the functions embedded that are required for compliance certification. This means that a large proportion of Generation 1 HDcctv cameras cannot be certified compliant. HDcctv equipment buyers will benefit from Generation 2 HDcctv chips implementing the functions needed for compliance certification. There are ten Generation 2 semiconductor products listed and these represent a total investment in chip design, semiconductor manufacturing ramp, and customer assistance that exceeds 30 million U.S. dollars.
Quotes from Industry Leaders
Don Shaver, Semtech marketing director says “Early on, we delivered chips that made it easy for development teams to migrate CCTV cameras and DVRs , but it took three years for most of the world’s CCTV equipment factories to produce at least one Generation 1 HDcctv model,”. “As a founder and Steering Member of the HDcctv Alliance, Semtech has led the HDcctv standard definition process. Semtech’s GV7601A is the industry’s first fully integrated receiver that implements extended reach (XR) capability. GV7601A and other Generation 2 products targeting HDcctv compliance will impact the end market more quickly than Generation 1 products have, because security installers are seeing the simplicity of HDcctv and have experienced high-quality HDcctv live views for themselves.” “We recognized the potential for the HDcctv market very early,” commented Hweihn Chung, Nextchip R&D director. “Too early, in that we weren’t able to provide for HDcctv compliance in NVP2400. We are excited that our NVP2410 chip (‘Eagle2’) – already on our customers’ lab benches – can implement pathological test pattern generation, CRC, StreamID, and so forth. This means Eagle2-based HDcctv cameras will pass all HDcctv compliance tests, provided that the camera-internal electrical pathways are implemented correctly.” “Interoperability among manufacturers’ equipment is essential for the HD surveillance market to reach its growth potential,” observed Peter Helfet, CEO of EqcoLogic. “EqcoLogic has a track record of leading the development of standards, and we are proud to make a significant technical contribution to the HDcctv 2.0 physical layer definition. As the surveillance market continues to migrate to HD, we anticipate widespread adoption of our QCO30T/R5-XR chips, and we are committed to enabling interoperability of all our customers’ HDcctv products.”
“Eyenix is proud to support the HDcctv Alliance. Standards compliance means an out-of-the-box plug-and play customer experience, which, in turn, drives sales,” said Dr. Jon Hwang, CEO of Eyenix. “In addition to providing for camera compliance certification in our EN777 chip, Eyenix is excited to offer a multi-channel receiver ASIC chip for HDcctv-compliant DVRs. Our investors see enormous potential for HDcctv semiconductor sales.” “Security customers care about colour reproduction, sensitivity, sharpness, dynamic range, privacy masking, ease of use, and so on,” commented Todd Rockoff, executive director of the HDcctv Alliance. “Local-site video transport technology becomes a direct concern to customers only when it creates problems such as arise from non-interoperability,” he continued. “An equipment executive’s first reflex is to differentiate his products from those of the other manufacturers. The Alliance’s mission is to encourage competitors to overcome that reflex and cooperate when it comes to device interface technology. We’re working to help makers’ executives appreciate that everyone – customers, installers, and competing manufacturers alike – benefits from the interoperability that HDcctv compliance certification ensures.”
Generation 1 HDcctv products incorporate chips whose designs pre-date HDcctv 1.0 • Most pre-HDcctv-1.0 chips do not implement all the functions needed to certify a camera as HDcctv compliant.
Why are HDcctv camera prices similar to those of CCTV cameras? •
The camera architecture and dominant make-cost factors in HDcctv and CCTV cameras are identical, so manufacturing costs are very close at similar volumes.
Why do Generation 1 HDcctv DVRs cost more than CCTV DVRs? •
HDcctv presents 6 times as many pixels to process • HDcctv presents 6 times as many pixels to store •
No specialized multi-channel receiver (RX) chips were available when Generation 1 HDcctv DVRs were designed.
Why do manufacturers expect Generation 2 HDcctv DVRs to cost about the same as CCTV DVRs?
More pixels to process than CCTV: Higher-performance pixel-processing chips are now available • More pixels to store: Hard disk drive prices are declining; meanwhile, compression chip performance is increasing (even as prices continue to decline) • Need specialized multi-channel receiver (RX) chips.
The first HDcctv-ready Quad Receiver ASIC was introduced in April 2012.
What are the advantages of HDcctv cameras over MP IP cameras?
HDcctv cameras deliver the highest-quality HD live views • HDcctv cameras and DVRs are as easy as regular CCTV cameras and DVRs to install and set up • HDcctv cameras and DVRs can usually re-use legacy cabling.
What are the disadvantages of HDcctv cameras for HD surveillance?
HDcctv cameras can be more expensive than MP IP cameras for large spaces that are sparsely covered with cameras • No wireless solution is yet available for HDcctv • HDcctv cameras transmit only HDTV video: 720p25/30/50/60 and 1080p25/30. Customers who need higher frame rates or higher resolution must turn to MP IP cameras.
How much has each company committed to each product?
The semiconductor manufacturers have not published this information on an individual basis • A typical fabless semiconductor product requires about US$10m investment from design start to mass production ramp • US$30m for the ten Generation 2 chips is therefore likely a very conservative estimate.
Certified HDcctv-compliant products.
Only certified HDcctv-compliant products bear the distinctive HDcctv compliance mark, which guarantees electrical transmission characteristics, interoperability with other manufacturers’ HDcctv-compliant products, and compatibility with future-generation compliant products.
Useful links:
• Alliance membership list www.highdefcctv.org• Technical specification http://www.highdefcctv.org/hdcctv-specification•
Compliant product finder http://www.highdefcctv.org/compliant-product-finder • Upcoming events http://www.highdefcctv.org/eventso Schedule a meeting with a Member or executive director Todd Rockoff at rockoff@highdefcctv.org HDcctv Alliance Media Contact: Leslie-Ann Campbell +1-408-680-6023 campbell@laclairecommunications.com
Who is involved?
EqcoLogic.
EqcoLogic is a Belgian company, founded in 2005. The company is commercializing innovative equalizer and transceiver technology in numerous markets including machine vision, medical, security and automotive. EqcoLogic is a fabless semiconductor manufacturer, and the company also licenses its core technologies and product designs in certain markets. For more information, please visit www.eqcologic.com
EqcoLogic Media Contacts: Americas time zones: Zeph Freeman +1 (972) 607-4113 zfreeman@eqcologic.com Europe time zones: Peter Helfet +32 2 629 1301 phelfet@eqcologic.com.
Eyenix
Founded in 2002, Eyenix provides systems-on-chips that differentiate cameras for several industries including security, camcorder and mobile imaging. Eyenix develops unique intellectual property through diverse customer needs analysis, drawing on both theoretical mathematics and practical advanced engineering methods to deliver finely crafted solutions. One of the world’s leading ASIC image signal processor (ISP) chip vendors, Eyenix has shipped more than 10 million ISP chips to security camera manufacturers. Eyenix Media Contact: Monica B. Yang +82-3-1204-7333 (ext. 110) buyang@eyenix.com
Nextchip
A fabless semiconductor company founded in 1997, Nextchip specializes in the design of multimedia chips. Nextchip stands among the few leading chip makers in the video surveillance industry and produces image processing chips used in CCTV cameras, DVRs, IP cameras, and other related products. With the goal of becoming the world’s number one company specializing in video processing, Nextchip has developed unique core technologies for video processing over more than 15 years of R&D investment. This intellectual property has positioned Nextchip as the only semiconductor company that possesses all thecore technologies for video surveillance systems, including ISP, Decoder, Vertical Driver, CCD, AFE, SoC, Software platform, etc. Nextchip offers a broad array of semiconductors ranging from highest performance to most economical and can quickly tailor solutions in collaboration with its customers. Nextchip Media Contact: Young-Jun Yoo 유영준+82-2-3460-4700 gisado76@nextchip.com
Semtech
Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, computing, communications and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it and its products have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction. Publicly traded since 1967, Semtech is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol SMTC. For more information, visit http://www.semtech.com/. Semtech, the Semtech logo, and Gennum are registered marks of Semtech Corporation. Semtech Media Contact: Pauline Cadena +1 (805) 389-2755 pcadena@semtech.com
In summary.
HDcctv has come a long way in a very short time. HDcctv will and has already revolutionised the industry. Images over coax that were previously thought impossible are now the norm. Innovators who have been given a very rough ride have proved that “the third way” could well be the best way. To get this sort of investment is hardly a surprise. HDcctv is here to stay.
HD SDI CCTV is going to be one of the main talking points at IFSEC this year. Many companies are now bringing out their HD SDI offerings in time for this years exhibition. Perhaps the most interesting thing from installers point of view is going to be the question why install HD CCTV rather than IP HD. Many CCTV companies have struggled to make the shift from Analog to IP and HD SDI gives them a solution that has not been available commercially until this year. HD SDI CCTV has no latency and the images are of excellent quality. There will be lots of comparisons this year of Analog images verses HD SDI but there is really no contest. High def images are the way forward for the CCTV industry and HD SDI is what many installers have been looking for for a long time now.
Installation is simple , either use the existing coax or alternatively run new coaxial cables just as would have been the case with a standard analog CCTV system. Many have questioned the flexibility of CCTV over coax but in essence most HD SDI DVR s have the ability to network and be accessed remotely via mobile devices.
HD SDI cameras do vary in performance and the HDcctv alliance has made great steps in making manufacturers cameras and HD SDI dvr s compatible. This will push the technology to bigger and better things and mean HD SDI technology will rival IP HD solutions for the market share. It must be stressed that HD SDI CCTV and IP both have there place. For new build and large integrated projects IP will still be the preferred option but the bulk of existing CCTV that has traditional RG59 coaxial infrastructure HD SDI offers a simple upgrade path that will find favour with CCTV installers and end users alike.
So this is the big year for HD SDI CCTV and with HD SDI technology improving by the day it will be interesting to see where we are the same time next year
