UK boutique hotel operator rolls out standardized surveillance at 14 locations

Editor / Provider: Samsung Techwin | Updated: 5/21/2013 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels, a luxury hotel franchise in UK with 14 distinctive hotels ranging from bijou boutique to large-scale luxury, located in London, Heathrow, Guildford and Manchester, recently upgraded its more than 700-camera analog video surveillance system with a new standardized analog system consisting of Samsung Techwin cameras and 40 DVRs. The hotel has entered a long term single source supply relationship agreement with Samsung, to equip all its hotels with Samsung video surveillance solution.

The safety of guests and staff has always been the hotel's top priority and Radisson has never hesitated to invest in the latest video surveillance technology. However, this resulted in many different types of cameras and recording devices from various manufacturers being deployed across its hotels. Mohamed Elsebahy, Group CCTV Manager, held a strong opinion that significant operational advantages could be achieved by a process of standardization. The hotel researched whether it would be possible to single source all the components of a video surveillance system from one manufacturer, said Elesbahy.

The starting point for the detailed research as to what products would best match Radisson's demanding requirements was the video recording solution. Although images from the 700 plus domes installed across the 14 hotels can be viewed live at control rooms located at Heathrow and London, the key objective has always been to record activity captured by the cameras so that any incidents or suspicious activity can be investigated, and if appropriate, video evidence can be retrieved and passed onto the police for prosecution purposes.

Samsung's DVR, which can simultaneously record real time images across all of its 16 channels at 4CIF was chosen after a four month trial, however, the hotel required certain adjustments. “We identified from our operational perspective some shortcomings in the list of features available in the VMS that is provided with the DVR,” said Nick Kalsi, Technology Consultant of the hotel. “What we felt was missing was the ability to name the DVRs, make brightness adjustments and also to manage the printing of images via the software.” Samsung customized the DVRs to meet the hotel's specifications.

Images from the 700 domes are recorded at different frame rates depending on the type and level of activity anticipated at each camera location and all of the images are stored for 30 days. So far 200 units have been replaced with either IR internal domes, WDR indoor domes or with vandal-resistant external domes. The remaining 500 units will be replaced in the near future as part of a phased upgrade program.

"Working closely with a single manufacturer has proved to be a great success as they have been able to provide objective advice on the correct camera model for every location,” said Mohamed Elsebahy. Local police officers have also commented that the video surveillance system at Heathrow hotel is one of the most reliable of many hotels on the A4 strip. Radisson is in the process of testing Samsung's NVRs with a view to migrating from an analog based system to a networked IP solution.

EverFocus partners with Digiever for better networked solutions

Editor / Provider: EverFocus Electronics | Updated: 5/17/2013 | Article type: Security 50

EverFocus is pleased to announce their new partnership with Digiever. For almost 20 years, EverFocus has been a leading integrated security solution manufacturer of CCTV cameras, DVRs, HDcctv, IP surveillance solutions, access control systems, as well as surveillance and access control peripherals. With Digiever DIGISTOR NVR series' support, EverFocus' network cameras can now satisfy various surveillance scenarios requests, and users can easily adapt the operation under more circumstances.

Established in 1995, EverFocus has been working diligently in the security business for almost 20 years now, with branches in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, India and China, EverFocus provides rapid response with optimal solutions to meet customers' satisfaction. The skilled R&D team works diligently to bring safety to our life through innovative ideas and advanced technology.

"We are pleased to gain an innovative partner in Digiever. This corroboration helps us to provide robust and powerful solutions for a wide range of applications. Digiever's platform is able to maximize benefits of the full lineup of EverFocus cameras, and allows us to bring value to an even wider customer base." said Joe Jen, Manager at EverFocus. The integration of EverFocus and Digiever is exciting, as it is the first cooperation for both parties. It will bring better service and more satisfied solution for more customers.

"We are excited by the integration between Digiever and EverFocus, as the integration has been smooth and successful. The integration with EverFocus provides users of both parties with solid surveillance bundle solution” said Allen Tseng, Product Manager of Digiever. "As the most reliable and ideal provider of Linux-based standalone NVR solution, Digiever keeps working on expanding the compatibility of IP cameras from reputed global brands and continues to support IP camera partners. Digiever devotes to giving users experience of more efficient network surveillance solutions. "

EverFocus works closely with third party technology partners to satisfy customers' needs in vertical markets such as mobile, city surveillance and banking solutions.

EverFocus wins IP Camera Excellence Award at Secutech International 2013

Editor / Provider: EverFocus | Updated: 5/6/2013 | Article type: Security 50

EverFocus awarded the camera Excellence Awards in IP camera contest at 2013 Secutech in Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall last week.

2013 Secutech, International Security Expo held from Apr. 24 -26, attracted over 520 manufacturers and professional visitors from 19 countries to Taiwan. EverFocus - an a&s 2012 Security Top 50 manufacturer -- received 2013 Secutech Camera Excellence Awards with their EAN3300― a 3 Megapixel IP Camera. With this award, the well-known CCTV manufacturer made a clear announcement to the world that they are ready for the IP battle, and once again proved their continuous hard work in IP producing is paid-off.

Earlier this year, the EverFocus EPN4220 IP speed dome received this year's Taiwan Excellence Award. Winning another IP camera Excellence Award at Secutech shows that the expansion of their product line is continuing successfully. The award proved their R&D engineers have also developed an extensive expertise in IP products.

During the contest, organized by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media, cameras of various brands were set up to monitor the color saturation and restoration, effective frame rate, camera shutter speed, and resolution performance. The contest also had an on-site live demo component, that not only served as a clear buyer's guide for IP Cameras but also a big encouragement for EverFocus and its business partners.

The EverFocus EAN3300 is a box-type IP camera delivering 3 Megapixel image resolution. It features WDR functionality, which can provide clear images even under back light circumstances where intensity of illumination can vary excessively. H.264/M-JPEG multi-stream output is available for simultaneous live monitoring and high-resolution recording. The EAN3300 is designed for simple installation and supports all types of indoor mounting applications.

The HD-SDI Demonstration was also a highlight of the Secutech. HD-SDI cameras and DVRs were installed to monitor banking activities in a simulated environment. EverFocus showed off their EPHD04 DVR and EQH5202, providing a total banking solution and achieved resounding success in this demonstration.

The EverFocus EPHD04 DVR supports 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 resolution HDcctv cameras and offers real time HD recording and playback for all cameras at 1080p resolution. At the same time, all cameras are available for remote live display with reduced bandwidth. The built-in HDcctv DVR web server enables live display and playback of video footage without the use of specific software - a PC with web browser is all you require. Users can search video by date, time and event or filter by type of recording quickly and efficiently.

US hospital prescribes unified security

Editor / Provider: Tyco Security Products | Updated: 5/1/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

One of the largest hospitals in U.S., the Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH), has chosen an integrated security solution from Tyco Security Products. The solution that incorporates products from two Tyco brands, Software House's security and event management system and 22 American Dynamics NVRs will be used to secure the hospital's 1,500-bed flagship teaching hospital and more than 12 sites as part of its parent organization, Yale New Haven Health System. The system was implemented by system integrator Johnson Controls.

In selecting Software House's security and event management system and American Dynamics NVRs, YNHH will now be able to centralize the management of its security systems, both access and video, from the hospital's individual sites on the network. “This new system not only provides critical information to our department so we can make timely, strategic decisions, but it also offers system intelligence to provide data to the rest of our organization,” said Marvin White, Manager of Physical Security, Protective Services.

Working with Johnson Controls, YHNN's multi-tiered access control migration plan includes updating the access control credentials for more than 12,000 workers in the network, impacting more than 1,000 doors and readers. YNHH chose Software House's controllers, which are space-saving, time-saving tools in its small data closets because of the products' remote programming capabilities. The hospital also deployed Software House's business intelligence reporting suite to produce customized reports from the security and event management system .

Additionally, the hospital is migrating some of its DVRs to American Dynamics NVRs during the transition, YNHH will manage its IP and analog systems through one single interface using the American Dynamics VMS.

Once the transition is complete this spring, YNHH will have a system that will grow along with the hospital for years to come because of the scalability of the security and event management system and NVRs.

Samsung Techwin updates VMS

Editor / Provider: Samsung Techwin | Updated: 4/29/2013 | Article type: Security 50

A recently introduced updated version of Samsung Techwin's SmartViewer Central Management Software is able to support the company's IP network video surveillance devices, as well as its analogue cameras, domes and DVRs

SmartViewer V4.0 is designed for video surveillance systems with up to 36 cameras and enables any authorised user with access to the Internet to view live or search for recorded video captured by connected cameras via a Samsung DVR or NVR.

Users can choose to simultaneously display images from up to 16 cameras in various split-screen modes and can save a ‘favourite' configuration for future use.

A key feature of SmartViewer V4.0 is a device manager which automatically scans for connected IP cameras, encoders and NVRs and enables the importing/exporting of device settings. It also facilitates the remote updating of a device's firmware and can therefore save time and money by negating the need for an installer to carry out a site visit. Other user-friendly features include drag & drop camera selection, H.264, MPEG-4 and MJPEG support, a real-time event list and a 24 language display.

"Customers will find SmartViewer V4.0 very easy to use,” said Peter Ainsworth, Senior Product Manager for Samsung Techwin Europe. “Our software engineers have given it the look and feel, and in many respects it is a simplified version of, our SSM (Samsung Security Manager) software which we know from customer feedback is helping users worldwide achieve maximum benefit from their video surveillance systems.”

Mongolian bank banks ATM security on EverFocus solution

Editor / Provider: EverFocus | Updated: 4/22/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

From now on, staff and customers at Mongolian Khan Bank are better protected with the installation of IP-based video surveillance systems on its ATMs.

Due to increasing ATM robberies in the past few years, Khan Bank worked with EverFocus Electronics for the first time to install IP-based surveillance cameras on their ATMs to improve security. More than 250 IP cameras were installed at Khan Bank's 21 provincial branches. Two models were chosen: Outside the cabin, EHN3260 is capable of capturing people around the machine while customers are operating it; NVR-202, on the other hand, is much smaller in size, making it perfect for the confined space inside the ATM stall.

The EverFocus compact size NVR-202 offers real-time recording and display of up to 2 IP cameras. Videos are recorded in MPEG-4, M-JPEG and H.264 formats at a maximum rate of 60 fps. The footage is stored in a highly compressed format that can be viewed on the monitor in order to avoid time loss in case of any requirement at the ATM site. Also, video inputs can be simultaneously viewed on a single screen using the multiview feature. For investigations and preventive measures, video footage is to be monitored by a team of security experts, to retrieve evidence in crimes such as credit card skimming, armed robbery, card swapping and the use of explosives on ATMs.

EHN3260 is an outdoor, vandal-proof IP dome delivering image quality up to 2-megapixel. It is equipped with a P-iris Lens, which enables the camera to automatically and precisely control the iris opening in all lighting conditions for optimal depth of field and image quality, including sharpness and clarity. It supports both H.264 and M-JPEG compression formats. The weather-proof IP68 rating makes EHN3260 water-, dust- and weather-resistant — perfect for extreme outdoor environments. Its WDR capability provides clear images even under back-light circumstances where intensity of illumination can vary excessively.

The EverFocus IP cameras guarantee the highest level of customer satisfaction for various vertical applications. With new video surveillance, the stakeholders at Mongol Khan Bank can now rest better knowing ATM operators and users are better protected.

Sponsored by:

EverFocus Electronics is an integrated security solution manufacturer. Our lineup includes of CCTV cameras, DVRs, HDcctv, IP surveillance solutions, access control systems, as well as surveillance and access control peripherals. EverFocus has offices globally, including the U.S., Germany, China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the U.K.

Asia Update: VIVOTEK grows hand in hand with IP video

Editor / Provider: The a&s Editorial Team | Updated: 4/17/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

VIVOTEK is a security veteran who has continuously developed and matured with the IP surveillance sector over the past 10 years — the most pivotal and important time for the security industry. VIVOTEK owes much of its success to profound industry insight, and its deep commitment to developing core technologies and establishing brand awareness.

Back in the year 2000, when video conference devices and DVRs were extremely popular, VIVOTEK, after carefully evaluating its own strengths and the market outlook for both of these highly competitive markets, made a critical decision to focus on IP surveillance instead. At that time, IP video surveillance was only in its early development stage. Replying on its strong technological background in media processing and networking, VIVOTEK pioneered to develop a MPEG-4 codec when the market was dominated by JPEG. This major technological advance helped VIVOTEK successfully get in to the ODM business, which provided the company with even more confidence to boldly move forward.

To uphold its competitiveness in the market and produce high quality IP video products, VIVOTEK decided to develop its own core technology and multimedia SoC — a huge investment for VIVOTEK at that time. Their first multimedia SoC was successfully released in 2005. This competitive solution effectively cemented VIVOTECK as a technology pioneer in the IP surveillance market. VIVOTEK's revenue increased quickly after 2005, and in 2006 the company went public. With sufficient funding and man power, VIVOTEK's revenue and profit growth has since boomed and flourished. This success propelled VIVOTEK to emphasize its branded solutions and dedication to penetrate global markets. “At that point, we started to approach distributors and system integrators and actively participate in global trade shows and make acquaintance with project implementation experts,” said Steve Ma, Executive VP, VIVOTEK. Last year, in 2012, sales revenues surpassed US$100 million.

As the IP video surveillance sector experienced an explosive growth over the past 10 years, so did VIVOTEK. These days, market competition has progressively become more and more fierce, and in light of this VIVOTEK leverages its cutting-edge technology to create greater values for its customers. For example, its latest fisheye camera is a union of fisheye lens and dome, which largely satisfies the demands of wide-range surveillance.

This latest camera is equipped with a fisheye lens for wall mounted 180 degree viewing, and it also offers 360 degree panoramic viewing for ceiling/floor/table mounting to provide coverage for wide, open areas. “Fisheye lenses are widely adopted in automotive applications,” Ma said. “In the future, they will be largely used for security.”

VIVOTEK is optimistic about the future of surveillance, as there are plenty of fish in the analog migration sea. As a leading IP brand, VIVOTEK will continue its efforts in offering total solutions, establishing more local service branches, and keeping the world safe and secured.

State of HD-SDI in 2013

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 4/11/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Real-life HD-SDI deployments have been scarce, due to practical issues such as component options, truly full HD performance (1,080p at 25 to 30 fps per channel) and pricing acceptability; the relatively high costs of 8- and 16-channel packages have limited uptake by the traditional channels. Things are changing for the better in 2013, however, and this feature looks into what the future holds for this common broadcast technology in security.

HD is an unstoppable trend, thanks to advances in consumer electronics. Security surveillance has been bitten by the same bug; once you go for sharper images, you never go back. Previously, the only way to get better-than-analog surveillance footage was through megapixel cameras and NVRs. Not any more. According to IMS Research, HD over coax products (SDI, SLOC, 960H) are forecast to capture around 5 percent of the video surveillance market revenues by 2016; with the overall worldwide projection at US$20.5 billion, that means a slightly over $1-billion business.

Price has been a chief stumbling block. Choices in deliverable HD-SDI DVRs were limited and at a premium, until late 2012. “The average price for 4-channel HD-SDI DVRs has dropped about 30 percent,” said Danny Tang, VP of Sales and Marketing at Shany Electronic. “As more manufacturers and chip developers, more models are coming out. We are looking forward to the increased competitiveness this year.”

Tony Lin, Manager of EverFocus Electronics, agreed. “We foresee SDI prices coming down to a level on par with high-end traditional analog devices, with a better chance to win over customers looking to upgrade. We believe the improved product availability will hit squarely in the middle of the traditional analog market. This will include any market that hasn't already turned to IP.”

Applications That Could Benefit
Most of the approached industry contacts found it hard to see large-scale HD-SDI deployments, but some saw unique potential. “Our SDI solution is ideal for recording legal proceedings and can be used across multiple courtrooms simultaneously,” said Vanne Lin, Executive VP at iCatch. “Advantages include ease of use, no lag time or frame-rate interruptions, free from bandwidth limitations, stability and reliability, and high image quality.”

Keeping existing analog cabling infrastructure intact is another advantage. “For example, there are quite a few historic sites in Europe, and changing all the wiring to Ethernet might be out of the question,” Tang said. “We already have some European customers asking for HD-SDI solutions. Japan also shows great potential, due to a large analog installed base. To offer customized solutions and meet local needs, we designed features to include power over coaxial and remote control.”

More cost-effective HD-SDI bundles could spark increased deployment in retail. “In the U.S., chips and PIN codes on credit cards never caught on, and they still prefer to sign slips or checks,” said Alan Hayes, founder and MD of AMG Systems. “This slows down payment processing. Currently, there are considerations in terms of introducing ‘touch panel payment solutions' that the customer simply touches their credit card to a pad. [In this case], there may be a requirement for HD for proof of identity solutions.” Dahua Technology targets market segments that require HD but have huge existing coaxial infrastructure, such as banking, gaming and traffic monitoring. “Korea and Japan are leading SDI deployment in the APAC region,” said Xuping Zhong, Product Engineer at Dahua Technology. “Growth in other countries is moderate in verticals such as banking, casinos and city surveillance.”

Gas stations may also benefit from HD-SDI. “Gas stations mostly install only limited or basic surveillance,” said Lin of EverFocus. “We have noted, however, the need for increasing resolution in this sector, especially in self-service areas. Due the fact that gas stations are potentially dangerous environments, we believe that SDI is the perfect solution because it can provide resolution increases over existing coaxial cable.”

Advances in Components
HD-SDI reference designs are now available from Altera, Ambarella, Hisilicon Technologies, Texas Instruments and Xilinx, possibly making overall solutions more price-competitive. Increasing availability of ISPs also means that integrators and installers may need to pay more attention to different combinations and developments of sensors, FPGAs and reference designs, said Alf Chang, Senior Technical Consultant at a&s.

Design and Installation Considerations
The situation for video system designers has improved markedly over the last year with the widespread availability of HDcctv equipment, which makes any installer experienced with regular CCTV equipment already prepared to make the move to HD surveillance, said Todd Rockoff, Executive Director at HDcctv Alliance. “Despite this simplicity, newcomers to HDcctv should be aware of some technical points in interoperability, cable length, storage and integration. The next-generation HDcctv standard is on track for ratification mid-2013, bringing new capabilities and benefits for integrators and installers. The chips soon to be introduced that implement next-generation capabilities of the HDcctv standard promise to further accelerate the migration of security to HD surveillance video.”

HD-SDI Enabled
Some manufacturers are thinking ahead to offer easy migration or hybrid solutions for installers and end users. For instance, Hi Sharp offers HD-SDI and analog hybrid DVRs so that users can choose the most suitable cameras for different locations.

Shany provides DVRs with 2 channels of SDI and 8 channels of analog, along with embedded management software, to target the SMB market. Tribrid solutions, with IP, are available as well. “We will continue our efforts in easy-to-use remote configuration design and increased transmission distance to cope with the needs of installers,” Tang said. “SDI for nonsecurity applications and SDI speed domes are our R&D focus as well.”

Webgate (a Daemyung Enterprise company) will focus on integration of HD-SDI DVRs and ONVIF compliance to accommodate diverse user needs. “Since our HD-SDI DVR has network connectivity, video from our HD-SDI cameras can be acquired through a DVR or IP encoder,” said Chris Kim, Marketing Manager. “Hybrid products for analog and HD-SDI will lose their merits soon. We are preparing a long-term plan for hybrid products with IP and HD-SDI.”

iCatch concentrates on management software and mobile applications. “We are one of the first to develop 16-channel HD-SDI DVRs with real-time record/playback function in Asia,” Lin at iCatch said. “Users can fully enjoy the bundled CMS feature. In addition, the DVR also supports Windows/Mac OS and app (iOS/Android) platforms, so users are able to keep an eye on what they care about most, regardless of where they are. Users might not care or know whether their surveillance solutions are IP-based or HD-SDI, but they will care whether the surveillance system can be viewed and managed remotely.”

Motorola on next-gen HEVC compression

Editor / Provider: Google/Motorola Mobility | Updated: 4/8/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

For decades, Google/Motorola Mobility has driven the evolution of TV and now multiscreen services through the cloud, network and home. The company will continue this history of innovation with its new real-time high-efficiency video coding (HEVC or H.265) technology. “Now that we've seen the industry-wide approval of HEVC as a standard, we're rapidly moving from creation to implementation,” said Joe Cozzolino, Senior VP and GM of Network Infrastructure Solutions. “It took almost four years from the time MPEG-4 was made an industry-wide standard before the necessary refinements in the MPEG-4 tool kit took place and the standard reached its fullest potential. We're only two months into the approval of HEVC, and we've already reached an unprecedented level of progress.”

Motorola continues to build on its legacy this year after bringing the technology to the global market and showcasing some of the industry's first-ever HEVC demonstrations at industry trade shows. This year, Motorola moves beyond basic technology demonstrations and will exhibit a practical implementation of HEVC with its first HEVC encoding and decoding in real time. One such demo will include a real-time HEVC encoder delivering streaming content to a Google Nexus 10 tablet for real-time decoding and playback. Another demo will include real-time HEVC HTTP live streaming to an Apple iPad (4th generation). A third demo will include an IP-based set-top TV box decoding HEVC. Motorola's demonstrations will highlight how the compression efficiency of HEVC enables high-quality video delivery over bandwidth-constrained networks to multiple platforms.

HEVC video compression technology has the ability to reduce bandwidth by up to 50 percent in comparison to MPEG-4 AVC while still delivering same high-quality viewing experience. In its initial phase, HEVC might have the highest impact on reducing wireless network congestion. By utilizing HEVC, 3-G and 4-G enabled operators will be able to provide higher-quality viewing experiences on almost any screen while saving up to half the capacity current encoding technologies require. Motorola will immediately support video service providers and programmers in testing and launching HEVC-based services to take advantage of the significant bandwidth savings offered by this new compression technology.

Additionally, HEVC can be a significant factor in dramatically reducing storage costs for in-home and networked DVRs. Motorola's engineers are using HEVC to test and develop comprehensive standards-based wireless and multiscreen solutions for a diverse base of service providers worldwide. This next-gen video compression technology was jointly developed by ISO/IEC MPEG and ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG). Motorola is part of the committee that developed the HEVC standard, and has been an active contributing member of MPEG-2 (1993) and MPEG-4 (2003) standards.

Tyco Security/American Dynamics introduces SMB-friendly video management

Editor / Provider: Tyco Security Products | Updated: 4/8/2013 | Article type: Security 50

American Dynamics, part of the Security Products business unit of Tyco, is introducing new ways to manage and interact with VideoEdge video management systems: VideoEdge Hybrid and Desktop/Mini-Tower NVR with VideoEdge Client and victor Express Client.

Previously considered relevant mostly to large, enterprise customers, the VideoEdge NVR portfolio has undergone a transformation over the past two years, to include smaller, lower-cost recording platforms, with two new intuitive client solutions.

The VideoEdge Hybrid is a powerful, high‐performance NVMS that records and manages video from both analog and IP cameras, protecting your video investments. The Desktop/Mini-Tower NVR offers 200Mbps throughput (100Mbps to storage and 100Mbps playback to clients), the highest in the industry. Both recording platforms are ideal choices for small to medium size businesses.

The new VideoEdge Client brings powerful video management directly onto the VideoEdge recorder. This intuitive client allows you to manage and monitor high-performance video streaming, audio, video analytics operations and event management. You can also perform date, time and Smart Searches quickly and easily as well as forensic searches using the onboard investigator mode. Easy to set up and use, the VideoEdge Client is designed specifically for single site, single recorder applications.

For customers securing single sites with multiple recorders, the new victor Express Client introduces a revolutionary way to enjoy the power of video unification without the high price tag or bigger system overhead. As part of the victor unified client portfolio, victor Express still offers the ability to manage video from multiple Intellex DVRs, and VideoEdge NVR/Hybrids from a single intuitive interface. By removing the victor site manager requirement which provides more enterprise functionality such as command center, access control unification and integrated policy management, victor Express provides single site applications a powerful way to manage multiple recorders. Those enterprise features are available with the victor Professional Client.