Tag Archives: HDCCTV

HDCCTV perfect for the UK CCTV installer

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HDCCTV . Why it will sell more cameras than IPCCTV in the UK.

How many miles of coaxial cable currently service CCTV camera systems here in the UK? Well I don’t know and I would suggest that this has never been documented. But lets consider. CCTV has been actively sold into UK business’s on a large commercial scale since the early 70’s and there must be hundreds of thousands if not millions of miles of coax still servicing perfectly good CCTV systems right now.

Is HDCCTV better than IPCCTV?

IPCCTV must not be discounted in fact in most other countries across the world IPCCTV will take off , it already has and we embrace this technology completely. But in the UK we have a slightly different scenario right now and that’s why HDCCTV will be the main technology installed here over the next 10 years.

HDCCTV installers in the UK.

So what’s unique about the UK CCTV market place and why will HDCCTV be so popular. Well we have already mentioned the vast amount of legacy coax that is waiting to be used. In addition, as salesmen we hear the same story time and time again. Customers want quality images, customers want to be able to zoom in on an image ,either in live mode or in recorded mode and see a face or see a number plate, they all hate pixelation as it effectively renders current analogue CCTV systems useless and is the biggest downfall of analogue CCTV. What’s more everyone in the UK knows it.

Cheap HDCCTV?

So why don’t all these disgruntled customers go over to IPCCTV and megapixel cameras, surely that’s the way forward? Well again as we mentioned earlier there are a couple of factors here in the UK that are ideal for HDCCTV to find its footing. 1) cheap analogue CCTV from the far east currently supplied by the likes of Maplins and other cheap Internet sites mean that many companies struggle to justify the huge difference in cost between the two technologies (analogue CCTV and IPCCTV). HDCCTV can give quality images but maintain current infrastructure, so costs can be kept right down in an upgrade situation. Secondly UK installers are struggling with IP. From experience I can confirm that contrary to popular belief IPCCTV takes much more resource than many would care to admit. The plug and play concept of IP is not quite as its made out to be and most installers are finding it very difficult to get the cooperation of IT departments in order to get network points adjacent to cameras or use existing switches and networks. So much so, its now almost the norm with IPCCTV to run your own local network for the camera system and supply your own POE switch, this completely defeats the point of IPCCTV in many cases and makes the whole job far less profitable.

Servicing IPCCTV

Further problems still exist with servicing, If you have a national contract every engineer you have needs a laptop, IT training, remote access and current software and so the list goes on. Software conflicts are a complete nightmare and a CCTV installer without its own IT support will not be able to overcome many of the problems that are facing him. That’s why IPCCTV still has not taken off in the UK.

HDCCTV sales

So how does HDCCTV find its way into the mainstream security market place? Well here in the UK we have sales guys. Sales guys love to sell the sizzle! HD is a buzz word that consumers know and have seen at home on their own TV sets. All who have experienced this technology will agree that its quite brilliant in the quality of images that are provided. So straight away HDCCTV is something the end user will feel comfortable with.

Price of HDCCTV

Price of an HDCCTV system will be important. Again we all know we have to pay more for HD, this is already accepted by the end user, but if we are able to keep this cost reasonable by using an existing coax infrastructure then we have a sale. Add to this the fact that CCTV engineers don’t need re-training and will feel entirely at home with the installation then again we have a winner. No software, no laptops, no IT department to deal with. Just on and off site with maximum profit and no costly revisits to upgrade software or program an IP address. This means on going service will be easy and profitable… even more reason for the CCTV industry to embrace HDCCTV.

HDCCTV alliance

 

HDCCTV – what’s it all about?

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HDCCTV over coax…the perfect solution?

Having been around since 2009, you could be forgiven for thinking that this technology simply hasn’t caught on…..the Betamax of the CCTV world

But, having seen some kit at IFSEC, and looking further into the technology, it strikes us that this Betamax is not destined for the same fate.

First of all, what is HDCCTV ?

It’s the concept that allows uncompressed, real time HD and megapixel images to be transferred over conventional and existing coaxial cables and BNCs……. The better the cable quality, the further it will travel

RG59 promises distances of 150m+, with CT125 and above offering even further…..and if you need even further, you simply put in a repeater…..and unlike some technologies, there is NO limit to the repeaters!

And uncompressed? Because technically the camera is wired directly to the recorder, similar to conventional CCTV, point to point, there is no ‘network’ and bandwidth considerations to make – remember that RG59 cable? That’s capable of 1.5Gbps per second and that is enough to transmit 25fps real time, uncompressed glorious HD video to the recorder – no latency, no network packet losses….perfect.

The upside? Well, all those CCTV systems you have out there with analogue cameras and DVRs can be upgraded simply by removing and replacing the camera and removing replacing the DVR….same cables, same connectors, but HD images!!!

The downside? At the moment, a shortage of choice of both cameras and recorders. Some areas of the industry blame this on uptake, lack of interest, lack of manufacturers…….but we think that manufacturers are missing a trick

It’s not about whether it should be EITHER IP or HDCCTV……..it should be about BOTH…… If an installer has a new build, the sure, a network IP based system, probably works out more cost effectively, probably easier to install, easier to maintain etc

But an existing system? If an end user had a network that is unable or not capable of taking HD cameras with the bandwidth load they bring with them, then replacing existing cameras directly on the existing cable means not only can they enjoy and benefit from HD technology, but it won’t interfere with their network.

So, on our opinion, we think that HDCCTV offers choice….not a replacement, but simply another way to do a similar job….

And with the economy still struggling on to come back to some form of strength, surely it makes sense to be able to breathe life into older systems by re-utilising existing infrastructure? As well as the reduction in labour costs associated with installing new infrastructure….

That has to be a good thing….. And we intend to bring more news on HDCCTV as it becomes available…..the more it is talked about, the less chance this great technology will not go the way of the Betamax recorder!

search for the HDCCTV alliance logo to find out more

HDCCTV

IFSEC 2011 news and reviews

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So here it is again. IFSEC 2011, time flies. Well it was a good journey up . No traffic and straight into the car-park without fuss. Have to say we were well impressed with the organization there. Still £8 for parking and we were all thinking inflation was running at 4.5%!!.

So into the show and checking in was easy. Faced immediately with the Risco stand we thought we would take a look. Lots of wireless intruder options and generally helpful chaps, well done Risco. We had no real plan in mind so started to wonder around and see what caught our eye. Bold communications were advertising that they were celebrating 30 years in the business and their stand certainly outlined that fact. Bold communications are the suppliers of integrated security monitoring software for small to medium sized central stations but also boast some pretty good customers such as the Mitie group, they certainly were able to demonstrate some advanced monitoring technology and and we left quite impressed.

Bombarded with literature we carried on taking in as many stalls as we could but generally attracted to the big names on show. Panasonic stood out and we headed that way. We have to say the stand was impressive, the cameras look great , the DVRs seem to be able to do just about anything, but the guys on the stand just did not seem to understand any of their products, each seeking answers from each other from what should have been simple questions. Not impressed although this observation can only reflect on those we talked to not all the guys on the stand. The Bosch stand was good and the Dallmeier offerings equally impressive, still exhibiting the Netbox we noticed! Walked past dedicated Micros as it just did not seem to have much interesting going on. We wanted to get some information on the Honeywell HRDP DVR did not seem like there was any literature left though, but the staff were helpful, so fair enough. Then we became interested in the HDCCTV on show. Now HDCCTV is a concept where by HDCCTV cameras can be connected to existing coax and the cameras viewed without the need for compression so true HD images can be viewed. Well plenty of  HDCCTV cameras on in the exhibition but no-one seemed to be able to offer us a recording solution, that was until we found Everfocus. They are pioneers of  HDCCTV over coax and offer the complete solution. This technology will sit nicely with smaller installers who have customers craving  HDCCTV cameras but without the cost involved of upgrading analogue to IP, lets see how this HDCCTV technology develops.

Lunchtime……. could IFSEC 2011 beat the offerings of IFSEC 2010? Well….. it was …..ok……..So on we go to the Adpro stand. They have released the new FastTrace 2 , now this one is a winner, a good name and a great product. A Hybrid recorder with transmission that central stations are familiar with and rock solid delivery of images, quality images at that.

Stand of the day was Samsung, fantastic,impressive and must of cost a few quid but it drew the crowds in and with good reason, excellent products to view and very helpful staff. Panasonic, learn from this!!!

Now a few mentions for others. Silvernet, great product.Wireless IP transmission, easy to set up and and some rave reviews about how successful some of thier projects have been. Recommended if you need wireless IP. Paxton as always were there and their new POE IP solutions look like they will make life easier for installers, so well done Paxton. Avigilon………..Quality !

Finally we had the side shows lots of exhibitors who had obviously travelled from afar to show off their cameras, DVRs, IP products etc. but they still lack the clout in the UK enjoyed by the recognised names so they tend to get politely passed by.

All in all a good exhibition, was not so IP focused as last year but the market place is still taking time to move that way , much to many peoples surprise. However IFSEC 2011 as an exhibition certainly held its own and will be worth a visit again next year.