Category Archives: IP CCTV

Megapixel IP camera, PIXC Focus – the clear picture!

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Megapixel IP cameras – crystal clear pictures with excellent post zoom capabilities.

But, how much attention is paid to the quality of lens used?

And, back to basics, how many are focused correctly?

I saw a great camera recently, the picture was pin sharp, the colours vibrant, the focus absolutely spot on……………but was it? Night fell, the TDN (True Day Night) IR Cut filter kicked in and the picture was less than great! fuzzy around the edges, and the previous pin sharp objects were, well, not pin sharp anymore………….

Back in the day (around the times of horse, cart, gas lighting and CCD cameras) an experienced engineer would have a ‘night glass’ to help set up cameras……….now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that engineers should start working all hours through the night, but a simple piece of welding glass or similar near dark glass device would help the engineer align both focus and iris (if electronic) during daylight hours………….if the picture is good at night, it will be good during the day

But it doesn’t stop there…………what lenses are being used with these new high quality cameras?

We’ve seen really cheap, entry level lenses being used on these cameras…………now, that’s kind of like watching normal resolution television on a HD TV……it works, but you don’t get the same experience!!

SO, make sure you select the right lens for the camera………..treat it to a purpose built Megapixel lens…………or at the very least, a good quality well made aspherical lens…………

Don’t think saving a few quid on the lenses will deliver the same results!

Aspherical Lenses
Aspherical lenses

Avigilon

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Avigilon Camera HD Pro

AVIGILON

At the end of 2004 the Avigilon storey begun. In just 6 years the company and products had evolved enough to be ranked in the Deloitte Technology fast 50 growing technology companies in Canada. An enormous percentage growth in revenues of 33,664% speaks volumes as to why Avigilon are ranked as one of the best success stories to come out of Canada in the last few years. In addition Avigilon was also named in Red Herring’s North American 100 list in 2010 as one of private industries most promising technology  ventures in North America.

We were lucky enough to speak to Avigilon and ask then what they thought the future holds for IP video surveillance and Megapixel IP camera solutions.

March Networks new HD Nanodome

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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

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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!

iPhone, iPad and CCTV

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We blogged some time back now about iPhone/iPad requests for CCTV accessibility…………….

Just recently, a new app ‘app’eared (like what I did there!) in the Apple App Store that gives access to the 360 Vision OpenVision range of DVRs and NVRs



Called iDVR-Vue, it draws on the fluidity of the iPhone/iPad interface to offer a really intuitive way to view cameras on your installed H or T DVR, or even your Hybrid/NVR system.

Connection setup is as easy as selecting the model, entering the static IP address (this is normally provided by your ADSL or ISP provider), and putting in the Username and Password and clicking connect

First connection presents a Quad display………..if you have more than 4 cameras, a simple swipe across the screen moves the display onto cameras 5-8, a swipe again onto 9-12 and finally 13-16…………. and if any of the cameras are PTZ domes such as the Predator or Black Hawk range, then tapping on that quad image brings the camera to full screen where the fun really begins!

Anyone that has used the iPhone/iPad will know that the screen is great for touch control……….. a swipe in any direction sends the camera moving in the same direction…..the further you move across the screen, the quicker the dome will move………….Zoom is very much like viewing pictures, pinch to zoom in and out and the dome camera will respond by zooming in and out!

We’d like to see preset and tour initiation and also maybe some playback/search controls, but we are told that will be in the next release in the App Store

The real beauty to this? IT’S FREE !

We like free, it shows a manufacturers commitment to offer additional services to what is often considered a grudge purchase

And let’s face it, who these days does not have an iPhone or iPad!!!

Also available for the Blackberry range