Tag: IP video

IP CCTV from EyeSpy 247

Eye Spy247 has just released their new external IP network camera. Aimed at the domestic and small business sectors, this camera is IP65 rated and is small and compact in design.
The camera can be used to watch pets , children or your vehicle on your drive and of course, your home. If you are in business you would be able to keep you eye on events as they take place in your absence giving you back control while you are away.
Several benefits include the ability to connect to the camera images via BT home hub and many other common routers on the market, auto registration makes this process simple.
IR, means the camera can see up to 10meters in total darkness and in addition to this alarms can be raised through on board PIR detection and sound trigger sensors.
At a price that will appeal to the mass market so far excluded from the benefits of IP CCTV, this camera, with recording options and simple installation, will appeal to many and is looking to be a good buy.

Panasonic IP video

Panasonic i-Pro smart HD.

Panasonic have recently unveiled a new division within its organization called PSNE or if you prefer the full version, Panasonic System Networks Europe. The new division formed in January of this year (2010) and is seen by many forward thinking in the CCTV industry as a very clever move.

Quite simply Panasonic have realized that CCTV as we know it today will look very different in the future. By recognising that the convergence of telecommunications, security and imaging products all needing to come under one portfolio, they have sent a message to the market place. They see  IP video systems integrating with various different edge devices including epos point of sale, industrial and medical cameras as well as home networking products as the way foward.

With this new focus on IP based technology they have produced some excellent network video cameras that are designed to suit just about every application. This has been named the i-Pro smartHD. This range of  IP cameras and monitoring systems means they can easily integrate older analogue products seamlessly with the new IP video based systems.

NVR’s within the new portfolio include the WJ-ND400, WJ-ND300A and the WJ-ND200 all the new equipment is of course ONVIF compliant.

Panasonic trail Axis now a very close second in the sale of IP Camera and ip video systems and see that although the market is still split 80% 20% heavily in favour of analogue camera solutions the trend towards network video systems is an irresistible force. This is now driving many CCTV camera manufacturers to look very closely at what Panasonic are able to achieve in this next year or two, especially as the CCTV market place is thought to be worth anything upwards of 350 million pounds this year.

With IT mangers now taking ownership of newly installed Network video systems the design of any IP video system needs to ensure that the ITC department is kept happy. Getting the IT manager on board as we all know is going to be half the battle when specifying IP surveillance systems however this is becoming easier, especially with Panasonic giving heavy behind the scenes support for its network of dealers.

To ensure Panasonic are able to get their message across to the general public they have invested heavily in the London 2012 Olympics so their famous catchphrase “ideas for life” will soon be ingrained in the thoughts of many installers and new customers who will inevitably start to migrate from analogue to IP camera solutions. Probably an awful lot sooner than they think!

IP CCTV regulation and certification

IP CCTV regulation.

IP video system, IP surveillance system, Networked camera system, Networked surveillance system. No one has yet to actually decide what the CCTV system that we know today is going to be called . CCTV is not really an option because it is no longer a closed CCT system.
Networked security cameras are here and over the next 5 years will start to dominate the security industry’s thoughts. However there are other industry sectors beginning to realize that there are big opportunities out there. Those  from the IT and networking industries are good examples. Excitement is rising amongst these groups as they find it more and more easy to steal business from under the noses of the security world.One important fact however that everyone seems to be overlooking at present is standards. As we know the NSI currently keep a tight rein on us, the installers and ensure sites are audited and certificated to a very high standard. But who is going to enforce this upon Telecoms companies who suddenly decide that IP video is now part of their portfolio. Insurance companies have never successfully driven business to get a certified cctv system installed unlike they have in the intruder market and so in the past it was the fear of cowboys that drove many big companies to push their business the way of CCTV companies who had transparently high standards and thus a good reputation.However, economics are now the driving force behind any companies decision as what kind of surveillance system they will buy. This is now heavily biased in the favour network installers who will issue no certification and although they would be bound by their own high standards to do a good job may not be as aware or even worried about basic security factors that always need to be applied when installing a CCTV system.This leaves CCTV installers in a highly vulnerable position, one that if they fail to address now, will leave many seriously struggling to stay in business. Manufactures will need to seek out new contacts as well or they could find that their rather large investment into IP products could be very abruptly trumped by the likes of Cisco and others like them. These large IT houses must be happily sat back waiting for the world of IP video systems to very simply, deliver itself at their feet.

Emerging Video Technologies – Megapixel Cameras Pt3

Taken from the ‘Emerging Video Surveillance Guide 2010’ from http://ipvideomarket.info/

Megapixel cameras

Potential Benefits: The 2 most fundamental benefits are (1) reducing the number of cameras deployed and (2) increasing the quality of the video, leading to greater identification of suspects / incidents.

Both benefits derive from the significantly higher resolution of megapixel cameras (compared to all analogue cameras and standard definition IP cameras)

Beyond the increased resolution, as megapixel is a subset of IP cameras, the benefits and risks of megapixel cameras inherits those from IP Cameras.

  • End User Risks:
    The 2 biggest risks are (1) over-hyped claims to increased video quality and (2) storage utilisation.
    Often, resellers/distributors will claim that megapixel cameras provide 4, 16 or even 81 times greater resolution.
    While this is ‘technically’ correct when comparing specified pixel count, this is generally not achievable because of 3 practical factors:

    (1) Multiple cameras can be placed in different locations while the megapixel camera’s greater resolution only covers a single area (since it is still a single physical camera!)

    (2) Looking at pixel counts (e.g. 0.3MP for standard definition vs. 5MP) is fundamentally misleading. Most megapixel camera provide only modest increases in visible quality – especially over 1MP

    (3) In low light conditions, the effective visible resolution drops dramatically – to the point where a megapixel image usually provides no greater visible details than a standard definition camera. Additionally, megapixel cameras generally require significantly more storage. At some level, this is simply a matter of paying the additional cost of storage. However, the additional storage needed may be so great that a dedicated storage cluster may need to be used

  • Installer Risks:
    Over-selling the quality of megapixel cameras is the most signicant risk. It is likely that the sale of  megapixel cameras will be based on either reducing the total number of camerasor one capturing specific details (e.g. people’s faces or car licence plates). Installers should be careful about testing actual camera performance including low light abilities, as applicable

What do you think??!