March Networks new HD Nanodome

Oooh, we like cute, small, neat new gadgets!

And yes, the new March Networks HD Nanodome looks like it will be a neat little gadget!

But, apart from being a gadget, will it deliver value for money in a tough and competitive IP industry?

 HD Nanodome

the main point here is ‘1080p’ – yep, full HD resolution out of this little baby!

and early indications are that the price is going to be VERY competitive………….cheaper than some standard SD (Standard Definition) PIXC IP cameras!

Could March be stealing a ‘March’ on the HD Industry!!!!??

Let us know!

March Networks enter the Hybrid arena

Not content with offering IP VMS solutions, March Networks announce the imminent arrival of their Hybrid 7532 DVR

Ok, so this isn’t new territory being trodden here – but, this unit comes from the March Canadian stable of High End DVR solutions – products that for years have been trusted by the North American Retail and Financial sectors in their thousands.

Offering up to 32 IP inputs or a blend of 16 IP and 16 regular analogue (or analog for our North American friends!), this integrates seamlessly with the VMS and Sitemanager platforms.

Who will use it? Well, consider this – if you have a legacy analogue system, you can either upgrade to IP cameras and forget your current kit (expensive) or you can add IP Encoders to each analogue camera to IP enable it (cheaper, but depends on how many analogue cameras you have) or you can use a Hybrid system – simply plug in existing analogue cameras, add new IP cameras if expanding, and replace broken analogue cameras in the future with IP !! Simples!!

Looks another good unit from the well known March Networks brand!

IP camera Choices?

Here’s a conundrum….

Do you, as a valuable IP surveillance Installer, install a system because of the camera choice or because of the Software / Recording choice?

We posted a while back about how in the good old days, it simply didn’t matter whose camera you wanted to use, whose DVR (actually, multiplexer and VCR!) you wanted to use etc etc

Today, we have stunning HD and Mexgapixel ip cameras coming from the likes of March Networks, Arecont, Avigilon, Sanyo etc and on the other hand, great Software VMS solutions from the likes of Milestone, IndigoVision, March etc

Don’t get me wrong, each PIXC manufacturer is trying real hard to get their cameras compatible with everything and anything….and there is RTP/RTSP standard protocol that ‘sort of’ gets around things (streaming video but without the settings/config capabilities)

ONVIF promises to deliver a ‘uniform’ experience – we don’t think it can happen fast enough really…… the industry, particularly the IP camera industry, will get choked if it doesn’t open itself up more to co-existence and compatibility….

Arecont v Avigilon Battle of the HD Camera Giants!

Arecont vs Avigilon.

Both HD camera experts….both American….both high quality product offerings….both begin with ‘A’…….!

So which one?

Well, like most system selection questions, it is pretty much always down to a question of taste…

But, we think there may be enough differences to perhaps make the selection easier

Arecont….

Out and out IP camera manufacturers…..take a look at the extensive list of different products, almost to the point of exhaustion! But, there is no doubting that their products are awesome…. we tested their 2megapixel AV2110 Megapixel IP camera….and quite simply, it was stunning……sure, there are higher megapixel PIXC offerings out there, but put simply, when a camera produces a high quality image, is there a limit reached that does not need to be extended??

On an earlier post, we discussed the trade off between high quality vs bandwidth and really, with pictures as pin sharp and easy to set up as the Arecont AV2110, then it is a struggle to look elsewhere……

But…..

Avigilon….

Same selection of camera offerings……and boy, some beauties in that range – we checked out at IFSEC 2010 the 16megapixel 16-PRO-HD-C unit, looking at a section of crowd at a football match (ok, ‘soccer’ for our Atlantic friends!)……..

The thing that perhaps starts to separate these guys is that Avigilon are perhaps a little more ’rounded’ in the complete system solution offering…..they offer the software, NVR, encoders etc etc to enable a complete end to end solution….and lets face it, most installers appreciate the ease of dealing with one supplier – March Networks springs to mind……

Don’t get us wrong, Arecont have worked VERY hard to get themselves integrated into pretty much everyone – and that gives credence to their mentality that they want to concentrate on simply making brilliant cameras…….. on the other hand, Avigilon are showing that they can offer complete systems that rival other CCTV software, NVR and encoder manufacturers, taking away the need to have to shop around or re-train….

Interesting choice…….more will be heard from these 2 great companies no doubt.

CCTV Software replacing Hardware?

We’ve seen a huge increase in IP specifications of late

But what about the back end? The recording side of things? The control interface?

We are all bamboozled with the latest megapixel this and HD that, but what about the ‘heart’ of the system?

Recent moves, from companies such as March Networks, involves taking the hardware away and offering a software based solution…….VMS…….Video Management Software…..Video Management Solution……Video Management Security…….call it what you wish, but it is software that is gathering pace in the recording and management arena….

Allowing the installer and end user the ability to select their own hardware – Server based PC’s with industrial components built to the specification recommended by the software manufacturer – we think this is a really interesting way forward.

Most reputable Server suppliers – and we mean the Dell’s, HP’s and Sun Microsystems of the world – can offer excellent additional on site repair and replace support……often within the same working day……

The software manufacturer is pleased, because profit is not eroded in ever increasing hardware costs…..

The end user is pleased because additional, sometimes same day service is offered within the system cost…..

VMS……this could catch on !

What do you think?