The New HD Predator. The inside story

We have been trying to get hold of him for a few weeks but we finally caught up with an exceptionally busy Mark Rees the Marketing Director of 360 Vision Technology to ask him about his brand new HD Predator camera. As you will see and hear the all new Pred is now better looking and feature loaded. Nothing more than you would expect from the chaps at 360 vision. So lets take a look.

Below are a few questions that we put to Mark so we can see how all the pieces of the new HD Predator fit together.

New HD Predator
putting the pieces together

The Interview

1)      Integrated : Mark, the new HD predator is out and we need to know all about it but firstly how successful has the Predator been for you since its original release?

Hugely – we have managed to establish strong supply partnerships throughout the world – recent success includes over 300 in Russia for Forest Protection, over 450 in Glasgow Council for inner city and Commonwealth Games protection and also an upcoming OEM partnership that will see Predator rebranded and introduced into Latin America

In addition, HD Predator has only been available for 18mths but in that time we have already sold in excess of 1500 units!

2) Integrated :That is impressive however did it take you personally by surprise with the markets that you have found for the Predator camera range?

We were always fairly confident of good sales but what started out as simply a PTZ camera has now turned into a ‘brand’

Predator is now a range, not a camera……..similar to BMW with their car ranges…… like them, we have derivatives, similar to 3 series, 5 series etc

Predator is now available as Predator HD, Predator Thermal, Predator Radar, Predator Surveyor…….basically, its Predator at the core and supporting technology giving its variant

With this in mind, it has expanded our business into unbelievable opportunities and applications – marine, ports, aviation, military, borders, city schemes, rapid deployment, mining, petrochem etc etc

3) Integrated:  HD, White light, IR, thermal, multi-coloured , Of all the cameras you manufacture within the Predator range which one has proved to be the biggest seller and why?.

HD without a shadow of a doubt !

As mentioned before, we have sold over 1500 units in 18 short months – why? Simple, we were first to market with a rugged HD – well before our competition – and as such, we have used that 18mth period to refine, improve, develop the software even further – so now we are in an excellent position of being constantly ahead of our competition who are only now just launching their HD variants

We now have 3 HD modules to offer – each with specific differences – so we now don’t just offer a ‘one size fits all’ HD camera, but variants that are appropriate to low light, high volume traffic, bandwidth and other HD considerations – this all whilst our competition offer just one module!

We are ONVIF listed (our competition isn’t yet) and we have used the 18mths to make it our business to work with leading VMS companies to ensure compatibility………we now are very often recommended by those VMS guys simply because we do not compete with them, we don’t offer a complete solution, we let the end user decide on the VMS and we simply make our kit play nicely with the VMS ! Its a very simple formula but has been hugely successful

4) Integrated : Very impressive Mark with this in mind we know the Predator camera is selling worldwide which must put quite a demand on your factory, how have you managed to cope and has this meant many changes within your Runcorn operation?

We have recently purchased an identical sized factory within a few yards of our current facility – this has allowed us to double capacity

We have grown manufacturing volumes by 40% so the new facility was key to continued growth – increase in space, increase in staff, increase in component inventory

Whilst expanding hugely, we are still able to supply HD or analogue Predators within 5-7 working days, with thermal in around 2-3 weeks

5) Integrated: That is very encouraging. Earlier we mentioned worldwide sales but which country has shown a the greatest demand and b) The biggest growth over the last year?

The answer to both is probably the Middle East – they desire high quality and therefore jump straight to HD……… their infrastructure is expanding meaning opportunities are appearing literally daily……in addition though, we must recognise and acknowledge the sad and horrific events that are happening in the World through terrorist activities and as such, our thermal and long range thermal cameras are being strongly specified for Border surveillance and protection

That said, Russia is an emerging market for us, as is Canada through petrochem/mining

6) Integrated: You seem to have overtaken your rivals in the ruggedized dome market place. Do the sales figures back this up and if so is the release of the new HD Predator your way of keeping ahead of the competition?

Yes, within the UK we are the leading volume manufacturer of ruggedised products

HD is certainly the driver and the introduction of new HD technology (UltraHD) in the early Spring will also add other opportunities

Our HD program has allowed us to recruit 3 more software engineers and their focus is solely on developing the HD range……..recent additions include onboard storage/recording with upto 256GB Flash storage INSIDE THE Predator ! Others include audio speaker output for 2 way voice annunciation…….things that add value to the Predator camera

But we focus on complementary technology to offer conceptual advances – Radar, Video Analytics, Perimeter – and this has offered leverage in other countries

7) Integrated: So what is new about the “new HD Pred”. The first thing we noticed were the changes to the way the product looks but what is the latest tricks that you have installed under the bonnet?

Predator Image Quality

 

I mentioned recording and audio, but the new Ultra Low light module is stunning – here is an example

What you are looking at is the standard HD Predator (top left), the BOSCH HD MIC 7000 (bottom left) and the new Ultra Low Light HD Predator (top right) – this is all with NO illumination at all

pred image 2.jpg

Adding in our intelligent illumination (upto 150m White light and IR   OR upto 175m IR Only) gives even more detail in the image

8) Integrated: Some visual proof of what has been achieved however in addition the Predator has been used in some unique applications but what is the strangest project you have been asked to fulfill ?

Russian Oligarchs Mansion, TV company using it to do traffic reports, Crown Prince Yacht in the Middle East – all not necessarily strange but certainly interesting!

9) Integrated: Mark, some impressive installations but what has the feedback been so far on the new HD Predator and are you confident sales will increase as a result?

Incredible feedback, snapshots like above where we are fully prepared to go toe to toe with our competition allows a growing but medium sized British manufacturer to not only take on the big boys but actually stay ahead of them!

10) Finally Mark tell us why you think the Predator will continue to grow within the ruggedized market place and how you plan to keep ahead of the competition?

 

The 3 D’s…….Develop, Develop and Develop! Simply remaining conscious of emerging technology and implementing it with speed !

 

Predator150SW

 

Thank you very much mark for that insight. It seems the Pred in all forms is here to stay and indeed dominate the ruggedized market place. Great stuff.

The Predator PTZ camera, Jack of all trades and master of all of them !

Thermal predator
Jack of all trades

Sometimes in the Security arena a product arrives in the market place that really captures the imagination of those in the industry. The Predator CCTV camera with all its variants is one of those products.   Launched to compete with the Bosch MIC product range the Predator ruggedized PTZ camera has been able to morph into a camera that really can fit into most applications.

The 360 Vision PRED can be fitted at airports, harbours, military sites. Schools university’s and hotels. It can be purchased as an HD camera, have built in IR, A white light that gives a fantastic deterrent feature and this camera can even come with thermal capability.   There is so many ways to use the Predator CCTV camera. Those who deploy mobile security are mounting these cameras to their vehicles and harbour masters are utilizing the thermal aspect of the cameras to give them a distinct advantage when monitoring our seaports.

The PREDATOR CCTV camera is designed to work on a multitude of recording platforms and it will integrate seamlessly into existing systems. It comes as standard with Multi Protocols including Pelco, Ultrak and DM. This allows complete integration with most DVR’s. If your existing set up is an IPCCTV system then there is an IP version of the Predator and because this is ONVIF compliant any video management system can be integrated into quite easily.This includes Avigilon and Milestone two of the most popular VMS systems out there.

Perhaps the largest untapped source yet of sales within the security world is thermal. 360 vision have recognized this and the Predator Thermal is available in either 320 or 640 pixel resolution. This definition is more than enough to pick up heat sources at distances of 2.5K in absolutely zero light conditions. When used by on-site security guards this is an extremely powerful tool. One feature that has been asked for by many is temperature sensing from the thermal core that will lead to an alarm condition. This can be particularly useful in the waste industry and in areas where expensive plant needs to be protected against fire. The new 320S offers temperature sensing with up to 10 ‘Temperature Alarms’ to monitor Preset positions. This means that if the temperature rises or drops below a pre-defined temperature range, then an alarm condition that can be created and transmitted to a central station triggering a reactive response and hopefully limiting any damage that may be caused.

Predator thermal security camera

To complement the Thermal range there is also another offering that gives fantastic pictures at night. The IR version of the Predator now has 125m of IR illumination. Added to this camera is also the Ultra Bright White Light LEDs meaning images can be produced in both monochrome and colour. A great feature but we believe the white light offers much more than just colour images at night. It brings a whole new deterrent value to your security system. Imagine as this light follows an intruder, either automatically through the use of alarm presets or manually as a guard is able to follow every move an intruder is making. It really does hand the advantage to the guard and business owner and remove any doubt for the intruder that he is being watched, recorded and more than likely going to be caught committing any crime he may be considering.

One final feature that highlights 360 Vision’s sense of fun as well as a clever commercial tool is that you can buy the Predator camera in just about any colour you may want. Add to this a new innovation where by you can get any pattern transferred onto the camera. It maybe camouflage or perhaps need to fit with the brickwork pattern of the building it is being fitted to. This now means you can have a camera that will either stand out or blend in to any situation that maybe required, this it has to be said is quite brilliant! predcolours220x190 The HD predator is just the latest addition from 360 vision so in essence we can say the Predator is colourful, practical and effective, most of all though, it is a camera that is proactive NOT reactive, something we all want and need these days.

Do Thermal CCTV cameras really have a place in the world of security today?

We have recently seen a rise in the number of companies starting to promote Thermal CCTV as a viable option to help end users protect their premises against crime and intrusion. This trend is currently a trickle but some in the industry seem to believe that Thermal CCTV really does have value and should be at the forefront of every specifiers mind. Difficult to believe when thermal cameras can retail from anything from £4000 to £25000 installed.

Thermal camera image

 

So let’s start with the different types of Thermal CCTV cameras on the market. We have a choice it seems. Thermal PTZ domes and Thermal statics. Some of the domes also combine a standard colour camera to compliment the thermal. The static thermal CCTV cameras tend to come with a variety of lens options and definition, the majority though concentrate on using lenses that mean the scene width will be narrow, feeling that perimeter protection is likely to be the main area where these cameras will sell.

 

At the fore-front of the industry we have the big manufacturers such as Flir, 360 Vision and Bosch. These giants of the industry have spent millions in development  but some smaller guys are starting to break through and this is encouraging. What makes these manufactures want to invest so much in thermal when as we said earlier the prices are seemingly high to the end user? To be honest it’s one of those things you need to see to actually make you release the power of thermal. These cameras can see in ZERO  light conditions, look through fog and rain, pick out movement in trees and bushes but most importantly they work brilliantly in conjunction with on-site security or high end analytics. The best until last though, the distance that they can realistically detect an intruder can be measured in Kilometres rather than meters and this makes them exceptionally cheap compared to their colour camera rival.

Thermal predator

 

We asked earlier if they have a place in the market . Recent research has predicted that the use of thermal technology could increase by up to 25% in the next 5 years. A growth that will have quite an impact and reward those who have spent lots of time and money researching and producing Thermal CCTV camera technology.

 

The sort of scenario where we expect these cameras to be deployed are wide open spaces on critical infrastructure sites where intruders can do untold damage to electricity, communications or military establishments. As we said earlier perimeter protection suits thermal quite brilliantly it gives the watching guard the sort of information they need to do their job,  lighting up the screen with a clearly defined image of an intruder in absolute darkness.

 

Central stations to are beginning to capitalize on Thermal CCTV camera technology to. With false alarms being a central stations biggest nightmare Thermal plus analytics is giving reliable alarm triggers and the clearly defined images leave the operators in no doubt if there is a human presence on site or not.

 

We have all seen the police camera action videos , so we all know just how good these images can be. Well now it’s not just the police who can apply this technology its actually the average business trying to protect its assets . That is good reason to belief then that Thermal really is the next big thing.

 

 

 

IFSEC 2013 is here and so is the HD Predator

IFSEC 2013 is upon us!

And one of our Site Sponsors, 360 Vision Technology, have given us a sneak preview of what they are up to up at the NEC this year!

Making it’s official pre-launch debut is the exciting new HD PREDATOR !

We heard from the 360 guys and here is the outline spec:-

  • 1080p 2MP Sony colour/mono AutoFocus camera
  • 30x Zoom (Brand New module, not the commonly used 20x Sony unit)
  • ONVIF 2.2 Profile ‘S’ IP Compatible

we spoke with Mark Rees and asked what is the expected compatibility – he told us that right now, anything that is Profile ‘S’ on the ONVIF 2.2 platform will control and operate the Predator’s PTZ functions – including their patent pending White Light/IR LEDs and Wiper functions! Mark said this was a game changing product in that no other ruggedised PTZ camera was available with the range of functions, on a hugely compatible IP Platform and with HD 1080p resolution too !

Also launching their ‘Any Colour, Any Quantity’ message, 360 Vision really do have a great choice of products for the ever increasing world of IP !

We have been promised a review the HD Predator right after IFSEC where we can report more on the quality of that great looking new Sony 30x HD camera!
predcolours220x190