last year at IFSEC 2011 HD CCTV was very much a minority side show that attracted little or no attention from the vast majority of visitors who spent their time browsing the aisles for something new and exciting to sell. Apart from the Everfocus EPHD 08 NH HD cctv dvr there was nothing to speak of, although to be fair the Everfocus HD CCTV concept did attract a minority of people but we are not too sure they were taken seriously as a product/concept that would take off.
Move forward 12 months and it seems Everfocus were forward thinking prophets of the future. HD SDI CCTV was everywhere at IFSEC 2012. There were over a hundred different exhibitors showing their HD SDI range of CCTV products and this included big players such as Samsung and Grundig. Entrants of this caliber into the HD SDI market mean the technology has to be taken seriously now.
It was interesting talking to the guys who were showing their products. Many were members of the HDcctv alliance, a group who are trying to standardize HD SDI so each manufacturers products will work seamlessly with one another, something seen as crucial in order to promote HD SDI and compete against analogue .It was even more interesting that many exhibitors were not trying to compete with IP. Its seems there is now an acceptance that HDcctv is going to compete and replace analogue in the 4 to 16 camera market place. It seems interest in larger systems is going to be limited, leaving this totally different scene to the IP boys.
HD CCTV uses existing coax, and HD over coax is a tempting way to upgrade legacy systems. Its cheap, easy, produces great results with no latency and no need for compression. Any CCTV engineer can fit it without the need for IP skills and remote support. It’s simple and the pictures are stunning.
So if you are a customer who is thinking of upgrading to HD CCTV then you need look no further than HD SDI technology, it may yet prove the best CCTV option for you and your company.