IFSEC 2012 exhibition review

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Over for another year!

IFSEC 2012 shut its doors after yet another excellently attended show.

But how excellent was it really?

Well, we visited each day, dodging the rain showers wherever possible!

On arriving at the superbly located Birmingham NEC, it seemed that each day, despite the arrival time, East car park 4 was our destination!

Excellent and frequent shuttle buses (saved getting wet!) swept us to the entrance in under 10mins – on the one occasion where the queue was more than 2 shuttle buses long, the entrepreneurial local Taxi drivers pulled up and offered rides for £1 per person !!

On arriving at the Halls, swift entrance was gained using the pre-registration number allocated if you were efficient in booking ahead – scan the bar code or enter the number and one of the lovely ladies called out your name and handed the printed pass – valid for the 4 days of the show.

Entrance was only a zap away and then into the huge and almost intimidating Halls – we started each day in Hall 5.

First job, fire up the IFSEC 2012 iPhone APP to get at the list of exhibitors that we had made beforehand

And there was problem number 1 !

We had seen the App before do it’s usual (and time wasting) thing of updating this and that, downloading this and that etc, but we were in the confines of office wifi – standby on a severely stretched 3G signal that was being shared by half the population of the world and the app took a good 20-30 seconds to get to the stage of being useable ! bearing in mind that this process was the same EVERY time the app was needed, even if already running!!

Note to IFSEC App developers – ensure that the APP only updates ONCE and only perhaps on wifi ???? PLUS……use the Push feature of iOS devices instead of pulling everytime the app runs!!!

Once passed the splendour of HUGE stands such as Tyco and Norbain (and a BIG shout out to Samsung for the hugest video wall ever!) the usual Asian section provided an in sight into this years talked about Tech……..namely HD-SDI / HDcctv recorders, cameras and transmission widgets.

Nearly all stands (compared to VERY FEW last year) were extolling the virtues of HD-SDI / HDcctv as the new method for High Def CCTV images………. many interesting conversations took place on compatibility – all centring on the Genum chipset that seems to ensure compatibility amongst various manufacturers – SEEMS ??? well, at one point, we asked a camera supplier to borrow a camera to take next door to his Korean neighbour making DVRs…….sure enough, it worked, we could not however advise this will always be the case so HDcctv compatible seems to be the way forward here.

But, HD-SDI is definitely now more prominent – we expect to see major UK distributors push this retro-fittable tech out to their customers during 2012-2013

Another area of concern was meeting areas – ok, I guess if you are a big corporate exhibitor, hiring a meeting room is de facto, but if you are looking for a quick conversation with a new supplier, where do you go? We were planning a discussion with a leading Korean manufacturer……we thought combining with some refreshment would be relaxing……no seats in the heavily busy internal cafe/rest areas so headed out to the lobby area. EVERY cafe/eating area packed………. options included sitting side by side around the outside walls !!!

Surely some meeting areas with refreshments makes sense?

So, Hall 5 was where the main action was but to be honest, we were strangely warming to the exhibitors in Hall 4 !! Seemed to be more of the IP based guys (Axis, Milestone, IndigoVision) were up there and somehow, it kind of felt more ‘techy’ up there, like a club that announced “downstairs for cable, upstairs for IP!’

Milestone and Axis were showing various new technology – Axis with a HUGE PTZ camera and their Thermal offerings……..Thermal seemed to feature very well throughout the show, mainly because of its superb analytical capabilities. We saw several companies such as Flir and 360 Vision demonstrating their products on various partner stands to good reception.

Milestone had an interesting ‘wall’ of affiliated partners – companies such as IFSEC award winners Ipsotek showed their excellent analytics and Milestone integration to good effect!

The usual bevy of beauties lined the stands – obviously employed for their amazing product knowledge. So, what was the thought on this years IFSEC?

Well, apart from the troublesome app and the lack of meeting areas, really rather good – the new tech appearing is refreshing, the layout over 2 Halls was spot on and the show had enough to fill 4 days of interest easily.

Roll on IFSEC 2013!

White light illuminator ,IR illuminator

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White light illuminator, IR illuminator or even halogen lighting. Which ever form of lighting you chose to compliment your HD CCTV system it is crucial to consider your CCTV lighting plan with the same level of thought as you choose your HD SDI cameras and your recording solution.
An HD CCTV system without an White light illuminator is like a conductor without his orchestra. One needs the other.  Without lighting you will not see anything and colour is impossible to reproduce. HD CCTV is far more sensitive to light levels than analogue and installers need to let their customers know at point of sale. Don’t just hope ambient lighting will be sufficient. It wont!
In response to the obvious need for CCTV lighting many HD SDI camera manufacturers are including IR illuminator LED’s within their camera unit itself. Anything from 12-96 IR LED’s can be seen fitted to many HD SDI cameras now depending on the distance the installer is trying to achieve. These cameras work well and we would recommend them , however there is always a scenario where a White light illuminator will be needed, this is of course where colour images at night are important.
Here at HD CCTV solutions we stock one of the most robust range of white light and IR illuminators on the market. Manufactured in the UK, these tried and tested CCTV illuminators are ideal where an HD CCTV system is being deployed.
So think CCTV lighting when designing HD CCTV systems and think White light illuminator for colour IR illuminator for covert lighting , easy to install highly cost effective and efficient and a compliment to any CCTV system you are installing.

Cheap security means no security.Know when to walk away!

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Cheap security , worthless service contracts. Where is the industry heading?

Its the worse feeling for any business but sometimes security companies need to learn when the time is right to simply walk away from a potential client. There are times in the security business when we as installers need to know when we are being squeezed too hard. It is very tempting to keep cutting costs to keep a “big name” but if a client is looking for the lowest cost of service in order to fulfil their remit and your organization has built a reputation over the years as highly qualified and trained security professionals, giving a service that is second to none, then you need to have the balls to tell your potential client they need to look elsewhere.

Quite simply put, a company/client prepared to compromise service in favour of cost are not looking for an organization who provides your level of service and commitment. It’s always a fine line of course and we are all out there to make our business a success but some buyers are starting to take advantage of  too much good will as companies fight for the ever decreasing contracts on offer.

Most businesses will know when they are being taken for a ride but can’t they help themselves still trying to deliver even if it is at their own expense but they must realize they are just undermining the entire business for a valueless contract. Over the last 3 years or so there have been too many organizations out there prepared to buy business  and they will always bid lower then everyone else.

poor customer service

This results in awful service for end users and everyone is a loser, the good suppliers miss out , the customer gets disillusioned and the company  that wins the tender makes no profit, sometimes they even make a loss. Minimum wages result for engineers and this drives the good guys out of the industry. The problem is when the dust settles and all involved in the tender process realize the mistakes that have been made …its too late……… for everyone.

If this rings true with your organization then give this blog a retweet and lets put a stop to this practice once and for all.

Cobra Alpha HD SDI DVR

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CCTV direct has announced that it is is launching a new range of  HD SDI CCTV equipment at IFSEC 2012. The HD-SDI CCTV range is priced to be almost as cheap as analogue CCTV equipment bring HD to many rather than the few.

The range will include a world first, an HD SDI PTZ dome camera. This will be complimented by a smart IR bullet camera and two HD SDI dome cameras and of course as the Cobra Alpha HD SDI DVR.

The new  Cobra Alpha HD SDI recorder offers HD clarity over coax and is targeted at installers who want to give HD to their end users without some of the complication involved in IP HD systems.

The Cobra Alpha  HD SDI CCTV range is priced to sell against analogue rather than IP and is looking to take a market share of camera systems that are in need of upgrade here in the UK and primarily run over coax.

The Cobra Alpha range offers crystal clear 1080P images and exceptional recording quality. HD SDI CCTV is simple to install and can use both new and existing coax. It is not an IP system so no expert IP training is required. It is an HD definition system for CCTV installers and is quite simply plug and play. This is what CCTV installers have been waiting for, a simple HD CCTV solution without the complication that can come with IP CCTV installations and what’s more at an affordable price.

So the Cobra Alpha HD SDI DVR will prove a big hit with installers looking for a simple solution but with 3 times the definition of analogue.


 

Benefits of HD CCTV over coax

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The benefits of HD CCTV over coax are many. The introduction of HD-SDI cameras and recorders has seen a change in the way many companies are now influencing their customers to buy HD CCTV. IP is no longer the only option and in many cases now no longer the prefered option . We list below some of the benefits of HD SDi CCTV and see why some installers think HD SDI could change the industry as a whole.

Higher resolution is the primary benefit that is gained from HD SDI CCTV. HD-SDI cameras output full HD resolution images (1080p) but unlike IP this is done in real time. This means that HD SDI cameras  can give the end user as much five times the resolution of standard analogue cameras. HD-SDI DVRs are also capable of recording full HD. This means up to (1080p) Full HD resolution images. The primary benefit of this is that the end user will get real-time recording. HD CCTV has now already filled one one of the fundamental requirements of a CCTV system. Quality images that the end user can rely on.

Of course one of the main drawbacks of analogue CCTV is the amount of data that is sub standard. HD-SDI is an HD CCTV solution that provides video signals that are not compressed before transmission. This means that unlike IP there are no distortions within the captured image or frame rate interruptions. Zero latency can be achieved  because HD-SDI transmits a digitized video signal meaning no reduction in quality of the images which often occurs with analogue.

Perhaps the best news for the CCTV industry with the introduction of HD-SDI DVR s and HD CCTV cameras is that they can use an analogue infrastructure. In other words HD CCTV over coax.This makes them suitable for users looking to increase the quality of their current security systems. Why re-cable when HD CCTV can be achieved with little effort and lower costs that installing a new IP CCTV system?
HD CCTV cameras and DVRs are similar to standard definition cameras and DVRs in the way they need to be installed and do not require any additional specialist knowledge or skill. Re-training that has added a heavy burden on the CCTV industry is no longer required. HD-SDI is not prone to issues associated with IP network based video surveillance systems. The installer is no longer dependent on third party IT companies to install or allow access to IT networks. One of the biggest benefits being seen is that no IT or IP network knowledge is required and bandwidth requirements are a problem of the past. We are back to a simple CCTV installation.