Category Archives: IP CCTV

Panasonic CCTV

Posted on by

Panasonic -WV-NW5025.

A great new IP camera solution from Panasonic is now available. The Panasonic super dynamic Mega SD is a 3 megapixel camera and is a vandal resistant dome camera.

Complete with H.264 technology the WV-NW5025  is a perfect solution for an IP/ analogue hybrid system.

A long history of quality.

For many years Panasonic have provided top range cameras to the CCTV market and were one of the first to start developing IP solutions for the industry. Panasonic recording solutions are now also highly advanced and this is apparent with the release of their WJ-ND200. This unit is of a revolutionary space saving design and can accommodate up to 16 cameras from 4 simultaneous clients. The NVR supports disk mirroring and provides unrivalled flexibility when it comes to recording solutions.

Website.

Check out both the above IP solutions at the Panasonic website.

CCTV and Emizon

Posted on by

Dual path broadband monitoring for CCTV.

CCTV monitoring using a DVR as the main recording device and transmitting medium is becoming ever more popular. It seems like the ideal solution and it is in many ways but one thing is often omitted from the spec and installers neglect the most important security feature . This is the broadband connection to the central station.

Emizon , the broadband monitoring solution.

Emizon have found a niche that caters for this weakness. Monitoring a CCTV communication path is part of BS8148 but many installers steer away from these regs and leave the line unmonitored. Often the customer will only find out about the weakness if his broadband line fails and they suffer a break in. That is why an IP CCTV communicator for monitoring the line is so crucial.

Other features.

In addition Emizon can also talk back to the unit to carry out resets on the DVR remotely, a great facility to help installers reduce site visits. Broadband lines are now pretty much standard across the UK  and we will not be moving onto any other technology any time soon. Most other companies who provide monitoring solutions are modifying their products to suit broadband unlike Emizon which has been specifically designed FOR broadband and so has an obvious edge.

Software.

Because the Emizon has been designed around a software platform rather than hardware it is easily adaptable to any subtle changes in communications of the future. Firmware upgrades are easily uploaded to the TCD at the touch of a button.

Dual path broadband monitoring investment.

Emizon expect as their customer base grows to be able to increase investment  in order to remain at no 1 in the IP monitoring market place. This means improvements get passed back to the end user. Keeping more competitive enables Emizon to invest in the latest technology and keeps the product totally in line with the latest changes that effect an ever expanding broadband market.

Legacy equipment.

One thing that we all take for granted but have failed to mention is that Broadband is a very fast transmission medium it means pictures reach the central station faster. There is a great deal of equipment out there that currently uses old ISDN technology the upgrades to broadband will be thick and fast but these lines must be monitored . With this in mind there is a large marketplace for Emizon to fill and based on the professionalism of the staff and the feature rich product they have. The future is looking very bright

Emerging Video Technologies – Megapixel Cameras Pt3

Posted on by

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??!

Emerging Video Technologies – IP Cameras (Standard Definition) Pt2

Posted on by

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

Potential Benefits: The most important advantage of using IP cameras is the ability to directly connect these cameras to an IP or computer network. By contrast, analogue cameras require the use of an additional computer (usuall either an encoder or DVR). In certain scenarios, using IP networks can significantly reduce the cost of installation. In general, the greater the distance that video needs to be transmitted, the more likely IP cameras will be beneficial.

Remote viewing of video, though generally marketed as a benefit of IP cameras, is really not an advantage compared to many of today’s DVRs. Whether one uses analogue cameras and DVRs or IP cameras, video can still be viewed remotely with only minor technical differences.

COST: IP cameras usually cost 30-70% more than equivalent analogue cameras. These costs are often more than off-set in larger scale systems or when the cameras must stream video over great distances

  • End User Risks: While the technology is fairly mature, the main risk lies in operational / integration issues. Risk no.1 is that existing recorders do not support IP cameras or only support a very limited type of IP cameras. Risk 2 isthat the existing IP network in one’s facility is insufficient to handle the IP cameras through lack of bandwidth (although, this risk is rather easy to overcome in most situations)
  • Installer Risks: Lack of technical skills on an Installer’s existing staff is the strongest risk to deploying IP cameras. With traditional electronic security systems, an installer may find it sufficient to have only 1 or 2 highly trained IT Technicians (out of a staff of 10-30). However, with IP cameras, a far greater percentage will require IT skilss to conduct even the most basic installation / service activities.

What are your opinons??!

Emerging Video Surveillance Technologies – PIXC revolution! Pt1

Posted on by

An interesting guide has just been issued from http://ipvideomarket.info/ entitled ‘Emerging Video Surveillance Guide 2010’

it details ‘What to Look for and what to Look Out for’ so over the next few days we will detail some of their opinions – for the full guide, head over to their website and simply sign up to receive the free PDF!

Emerging Technologies

  • IP Cameras
  • Megapixel Cameras
  • IP Based Storage (NAS / SAN)
  • Storage on-Board IP Cameras
  • Mesh Wireless IP Networks
  • Panoramic Cameras
  • Video Analytics
  • Business Intelligence
  • Remote Video Monitoring
  • Managed Video / Hosted Video Surveillance
  • Physical Security Information Management

they are keen to point out that the directory is purely meant as a survey of key risks for the ‘non-expert’

we think it is a great discussion document in this emerging Security arena…………………more to follow…………….