Italian cathedral protects premises and relics with IP video

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 10/26/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone Systems' open platform IP VMS is being used with Sony network cameras by the Andria Cathedral in Italy for security surveillance and to display religious services to congregations sitting in the chapel and side naves to the central church.

The Cathedral of Andria rests in the Puglia region of southern Italy, an artistic and historic treasure for which a video surveillance system was requested. Dating from the 12th century, the cathedral contains a famed precious relic, "The Holy Thorn," believed to be from the Crown of Thorns forced on the head of Christ before His crucifixion. It also holds the tombs of two wives of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, Yolanda of Brienne and Elizabeth of England, as well as a 13th century icon of the Madonna and a 15th century bust of Francesco II del Balzo, Duke of Andria, attributed to the sculptor Francesco Laurana.

Given the importance of the building and its historical treasures, church authorities commissioned a special technologically advanced surveillance system for the main goal of monitoring the premises during night conditions. Side benefits were quickly found for faithful visitors of the services.

The cathedral was equipped with 32 Sony video cameras, a serie of PTZ models. These are both HD and full HD. Thanks to special IR LEDs, the cameras achieve night vision even in pitch darkness.

The video from all of the cameras is archived in Milestone XProtect VMS and viewed live through XProtect Smart Client interface. In addition to serving as daytime and nighttime security video, the system allows church-goers in the lateral naves to see the religious functions held in the presbytery and side chapel, displaying the high quality live images of the services to the adjacent areas.

The images are relayed to six 40-inch screens attached to the central columns of the cathedral, which can also be video-projected in a large adjoining chapel. The system can furthermore be used to show DVDs, audio/video guides, cultural and tourist presentations -- a benefit that is much appreciated by visitors.

"Operating in sites of major historic and cultural significance is especially satisfying, all the more so in cases like this where the religious dimension is deeply important," explained Alfredo Donadei, Senior Channel Account Manager, Video Security in Europe, Sony Electronics. "The solution was designed and installed in the cathedral by Tecnoimpianti Pizzolorusso, with whom we have a long-standing collaboration. The system stores all the video surveillance data in a special server, managed by Milestone XProtect Professional software. For better security and data management, the server has been equipped with four HDDs of various capacities, configured in RAID modality."

"The church authorities are extremely satisfied, not only with the security performance of the system, but also with the extraordinary quality of the images transmitted," said both Gianluca and Francesco Pizzolorusso, owners of Tecnoimpianti Pizzolorusso.

Iowa museum safeguards $2-million artifacts and visiting public with HD surveillance

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 10/22/2012 | Article type: Security 50

With a history dating back to the 1850s, the Sioux City Public Museum has evolved from its original focus on natural science to a broader emphasis on preserving the areas heritage, offering a variety of educational programs, events, and historical exhibitions valued at more than $2 million. Having outgrown its former location in a prominent Victorian-era mansion, the Museum moved to a modern and open-concept building that has become one of the premier cultural destinations in Siouxland downtown site in April 2011. With more than 5,000 visitors each month, the Sioux City Public Museum has made public safety and asset protection top priorities. Avigilon high-definition surveillance system chosen for its management features, ease-of-use, and image clarity has played a key role in helping the Museum meet its security goals.

Protection Key in Downtown Neighborhood
Located in the heart of downtown, the Sioux City Public Museum is a 55,000 square foot facility with an outdoor plaza, loading dock at the rear, and skyway connected to public parking. “Because of the size of the building, as well as its location in an area known for attracting a transient crowd, we wanted an advanced, high-definition surveillance system to monitor people coming and going from our facility around the clock,” explained Steven Hansen, museum director at the Sioux City Public Museum. “We use the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to deter criminal behavior and to safeguard our valuable artifacts.”

Based on research and a strong recommendation from the City of Sioux City facilities manager, Hansen chose to work with Electric Innovations, a local provider of surveillance system design, installation, and service who installed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to monitor the entrances, permanent exhibition area, temporary exhibition area, and loading dock. “We needed an advanced, high-definition surveillance system that would provide broad coverage, overcome architectural challenges in our open-concept building, and remain unobtrusive,” explained Hansen. “Providing excellent local support, Electric Innovations has installed the best quality surveillance solution possible to deliver optimal system performance.”

Administrators and exhibition staff at the Sioux City Public Museum manage the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) monitoring the system live throughout the day from their desktop computers. A permanent monitor has been set up in the main reception area to monitor visitors as they enter and exit the permanent exhibit space. The Museum installed 15 Avigilon 1 MP and 2 MP cameras in the main exhibit areas as well as in hallways, key entry points, and at the loading dock, and store 29 days of continuous surveillance footage on an Avigilon Network Video Recorder (NVR).

Without a permanent security staff, the Museum's administrators are responsible for the facility's security in addition to all other operational responsibilities, so ease-of-use was a key requirement for the new system. “The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system is very simple to use, providing each of us with a variety of camera views right from our desktop, making it much easier and less time-consuming to monitor throughout the day,” said Deanna Mayo, administrative assistant at the Sioux City Public Museum. “Because each user can select relevant camera views from their own desktop, we can ensure broader coverage of the Museum at all times.”

“While our needs are pretty basic, we can quickly and easily identify people and events because of Avigilon's simple and intuitive user interface,” confirmed Mayo. Avigilon Control Center provides full control over surveillance video playback, making it easy for users to quickly retrieve evidence and speed up response times. “Avigilon Control Center software is 1,000 percent more effective than our previous analog-based system,” added Hansen.

Hikvision IP cams now compatible with Avigilon VMS

Editor / Provider: Hikvision | Updated: 10/18/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Hikvision, the supplier of video surveillance products and solutions, is proud to announce that our ONVIF-conformant IP cameras now have the ability to seamlessly integrate with Avigilon’s Control Center Software. This integration now provides customers with the freedom to better choose the specific combination of products to best fits their needs.

Hikvision ONVIF-conformant IP camera models – bullet cameras, dome cameras, and box cameras – all boast a bevy of advanced features, such as high resolution, wide dynamic range, low light capability, ease of installation, and many more. Moreover, our IP cameras provide users an open-standard based solution and great flexibility to select components for their security system. With the Avigilon Control Center software, users can now remotely monitor and control most of the key features of their Hikvision IP cameras; such as PTZ, two-way audio, alarm inputs, outputs, etc. Advantages of the software include multi-megapixel and high dynamic imaging, HD recording and playback timeline, data protection and storage management, to name but a few.

“We are very proud to cooperate with Avigilon. Hikvision IP cameras already provide clear video, while the Avigilon Control Center is engineered to manage HD videos, and efficiently handle bandwidth and storage. Through this cooperation, both technologies are fully realized,” said Keen Yao, International Marketing Director of Hikvision. “Additionally, this cooperation with Avigilon will truly benefit our mutual customer base and helps them achieve a more flexible and scalable IP-based surveillance system.”

“As an innovative leader in high-definition video surveillance solutions, we believe openness benefits our customers and partners, and this integration will provide them access to the most appropriate solutions,” Keith Marett, VP of Marketing and Communications at Avigilon. “By ensuring our products are ONVIF-compliant, we are helping bring the industry closer to standardization.”

GeoVision full line of IP cams now ONVIF-conformant

Editor / Provider: GeoVision | Updated: 10/17/2012 | Article type: Security 50

All series of GeoVision IP cameras now support ONVIF, which has extended GeoVision's integration to 3rd-party NVR/VMS. With the release of firmware v2.0, all series of GeoVision IP cameras are now ONVIF conformant.

GeoVision IP cameras have been bundled with free full-featured 32-channel GV-NVR, company's professional video surveillance management system, as a complete installation solution for surveillance projects. With the support to ONVIF, the solution provides even greater value in terms of installation flexibility for security professionals. The implementation to ONVIF is in addition to its current support to RTSP and PSIA protocols. By supporting ONVIF protocol, more than 70 models of GeoVision IP cameras will be open to 3rd-party NVR/VMS.

Bosch teams with Arvoo to provide ALPR solution in EMEA

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 10/15/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Bosch Security Systems and Arvoo, a Dutch imaging products specialist, announced their partnership by providing an integrated ALPR solution to the EMEA region. Both companies bring their unique strengths to the table: while security cameras from Bosch provide high-quality pictures, Arvoo technology delivers fast and accurate ALPR analysis. The cooperation comprises a dedicated Arvoo ALPR integration for recorders and VMS from Bosch. This new alliance offers gas stations, hotels, stores, government facilities, city toll booths and other customers an all-in-one and easy-to-use solution to monitor and track vehicles on their premises or drive ways.

Available for any ALPR application, the Dinion Capture Series cameras from Bosch are specially designed to capture high-resolution images of a license plate even when the vehicle is travelling at speeds of up to 225 km/hr. Neither low light nor bright sunlight nor headlights pose a challenge to the quality of the pictures as the cameras are equipped with advanced ambient compensation technology. They are plug-and-play, thus reducing both the costs and time spent on their installation. The cameras can then easily be linked to a stand-alone management system via IP or analog connection.

The Dinion Capture's HD images are subsequently analyzed using Arvoo's advanced analytical technology and processed with dual DSP, generating accurate plate information swiftly. “The integration of Arvoo high-performance ALPR technologies into Bosch solutions enables simpler, smaller, more affordable systems, increasing safety and security of parking, access, traffic monitoring and surveillance applications,” said Mattias Rouw, Marketing Manager at Arvoo. “ALPR is performed no matter the cars are lining up or traveling at high speeds.”

New Jersey low-income estates go high-tech with Hikvision

Editor / Provider: Hikvision | Updated: 10/12/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Alarms Unlimited
The legacy of Alarms Unlimited goes back well beyond the 1950s when the security company started providing security solutions to residential estates. Even though the company has since branched out to the commercial sector, it maintains its portfolio in its residential clientele. Among its recent projects, one in particular laid the foundation for its collaboration with Hikvision, a China-based surveillance technology company with a worldwide presence. This project was set in New Jersey, where several low-income housing projects were direct beneficiaries of the state-of-the-art technologies from Hikvision.

Our story begins with crime as the main antagonist in New Jersey. Residents in low-income housing estates were traumatized by the incidence of drug offences, robberies, and murders. So often were residents gripped with fear that public law enforcement services alone were insufficient to set their minds at ease. Even if suspected criminal activities were reported, law enforcers had no way of reviewing the scenes in the premises. Furthermore, there was a time lag between the time of reporting and their arrival. Although security cameras are common today, it was difficult to lay wires around the premises in a discreet fashion and integrate them into a larger system. It is no wonder that these residential precincts were in dire need of a foolproof security solution that could serve both as a record of incidents and a deterrent for deviants to engage in criminal activities on the premises.

Alarms Unlimited, with its extensive experience in the residential security market was entrusted with the task of securing these premises in New Jersey. And the long-established company brought in Hikvision by embracing its line of surveillance technologies, installing them as a part of the CCTV systems throughout these low-income residential estates.

Where there’s crime, there’s a camera
Alarms Unlimited opted to include three Hikvision surveillance technologies from its top of the line range of products. Several DS-2CD752MF-IFB vandal-proof cameras, DS-2DF1-672 network cameras and the iVMS2000 software were used as a collective system. At strategic locations throughout the apartment buildings, the two models of wireless network cameras were deployed. The DS-2CD752 vandal-proof network dome cameras were installed to capture the ongoing activities. With their powerful imaging capabilities - f a 1/3" progressive-scan CMOS at 1600 x 1200 pixels, an electronic shutter speed of 1/25s to 1/100,000s and an angle view of 101° - 30.4° - it would have been virtually impossible for anything to go unnoticed. Furthermore, with its robust physical make up, criminals would find it hard to vandalize or pry them off the ceilings. The DS-2DF1-672 is a popular product that can capture 25 frames per second in HD720p with 3D intelligent positioning. It has a 360° continuous pan feature and a tilt range of -5° to 90°. The camera functions perfectly in a wide temperature range (-30°C to 65°C or -22°F to 149°F), making it extremely well suited to the seasonal changes in New Jersey. Last but not least, the iVMS2000 software supports the imaging functions of these cameras and facilitates a wireless security network, monitored closely in a single location with real time feeds from multiple cameras on a single screen 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

It’s all under control
For low-income residents, the collaboration of Hikvision and Alarms Unlimited was a Godsend. The capabilities of Hikvision’s network cameras, powered by their software addressed the multiple challenges that seemed too overwhelming at first. The new wireless surveillance system navigated the buildings’ architecture with ease and was an effective means of recording ongoing activities around the clock. Public law enforcers can now easily review the reported incidents. Deviants are discouraged from engaging in unlawful activities within the premises; these underlie the perfect triumph for Hikvision and Alarms Unlimited in New Jersey. George Cifuentes, representative at Alarms Unlimited, explained that “Crime has drastically reduced since the cameras have been put in; (police) have caught numerous people for drugs, several robberies and an attempted murder.” And finally, with the system in place, more low-income renters will be attracted to these apartments!

HD surveillance solution protects travelers and airport assets in Saudi Arabia

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 10/12/2012 | Article type: Security 50

King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) is Saudi Arabia's third largest airport and occupies an area of 105 square kilometers. Because of its proximity to the cities of Mecca and Medina, the airport is the gateway to Saudi Arabia for a large number of visitors from around the world. In 2010 alone, KAIA serviced more than 17 million passengers. Over the past several years, the airport has undergone a series of renovations to enhance passenger service and ensure their safety. Most recently, KAIA deployed the Avigilon HD Surveillance System in its 13 parking lots and all duty free shops and restaurants to more effectively secure travelers and protect airport assets.

Tasked with selecting a new surveillance system for the airport's parking lots, terminals' lobbies and duty free shops, Al Musbah, a local provider of security solutions, had one goal in mind. “We wanted a high-performance, reliable, and easy-to-use solution to capture irrefutable evidence for quick and successful investigations,” said Adel Safadi, manager of CCTV & Video Analytics Systems at Al Musbah. The ability to take quick action when an incident occurs—whether it's an accident or theft—is a critical factor in reducing disturbances and maintaining high customer service levels.

A total of 274 Avigilon HD cameras ranging from 1 MP to 16 MP provide complete coverage of the airport's parking lots, terminal lobbies, and duty free shops. Eleven Avigilon HD 16 MP cameras, three Avigilon HD 11 MP, 29 Avigilon HD 5 MP, 43 Avigilon HD 2 MP, and 31 Avigilon HD 1 MP cameras monitor the 2,000 vehicles that enter and exit the parking lots daily. In the airport's lobbies and all market shops area, 24 Avigilon HD 5 MP cameras, 44 Avigilon HD 2 MP cameras, and 87 Avigilon HD 1 MP cameras deliver complete coverage. All Avigilon HD cameras are streamed and monitored around the clock in the airport's state-of-the-art control room. Security personnel manage the Avigilon HD Surveillance System using Avigilon Control Center Enterprise Network Video Management Software (NVMS) with High Definition Stream Management, which was built from the ground up to manage HD surveillance video.

High quality, low bandwidth
While very impressed with Avigilon's image quality, the airport was initially concerned that bandwidth requirements would be too high. Al Musbah wanted to ensure that the system installed could efficiently manage the transmission and display of high definition video, so the benefit of the additional detail would not be lost.

By leveraging Avigilon Control Center's High Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology and grouping the cameras to form a sub-network that connects to the high bandwidth fibre network, Safadi was able to easily overcome any concerns. Using HDSM, the Avigilon HD Surveillance System only sends the requested pixels, so the workstation does not become overwhelmed with processing unnecessary data. “Thanks to Avigilon Control Center and High Definition Stream Management, security officers are able to navigate through the 274 cameras easily on very little bandwidth,” said Safadi. “The use of JPEG2000 compression gave us the ability to view multiple cameras on very little processing power at the viewing station, while still maintaining unbeatable image quality.”

HD ensures fair judging in competitive canoeing in Slovenia

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 10/4/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Avigilon announced that the Canoe Center in Solkan, Slovenia, one of two national centers for wild water kayaking and canoeing that attracts 30,000 visitors each year, has deployed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system as a video analysis tool for coaches and judges to assist in training, resolve potential disputes, and ensure fair judging at all events. The Avigilon high-definition video surveillance system was selected for its superior image quality, user-friendly interface, ease-of-integration, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

“Image quality was the crucial factor in our decision to go with the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system, which has been very well received by our judges who now have an effective tool to review questionable trajectories and resolve disputes for 100 percent fair judging,” claimed Branko Brezigar, sports center manager at the Canoe Center. “As the only training facility to ensure 100 percent fair judging, we have a strong competitive advantage when applying to host major International Canoe Federation (ICF) events.”

On the recommendation of AGM, a local provider of surveillance system design, installation, and support, the Canoe Center installed Avigilon HD 2 MP H.264 cameras to cover the 400 meter-long course, enabling judges to clearly identify activity at all gates from any point of view. Coaches and judges monitor the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) with High-Definition Stream Management? (HDSM) technology from two official monitoring stations. The Canoe Center will offer competing teams temporary access to live video and recorded events and will install a dedicated server to archive footage from all major events for historical review. The Canoe Center also plans to deploy the Avigilon Control Center Mobile application on iPad devices to equip judges with a tool for instant review of incidents and for coaches to provide immediate feedback to athletes.

By deploying the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system, the Canoe Center gets superior image quality from high above the course to view the smallest detail. With access to indisputable evidence, competition judges can make informed decisions and resolve disputes with 100 percent accuracy. The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system easily integrates with other event systems including Light as a Service, access control, and intruder prevention systems to provide a centralized solution that facilitates management and improves efficiencies. The Center has achieved significant cost savings due to the lower initial investment cost of the Avigilon system, reduced the need to hire additional gate judges, and will require less system maintenance. The Canoe Center has achieved a ROI because it can provide enhanced training opportunities, achieve conformance with ICF directives, and ensure higher safety standards to attract new visitors and host more international events.

“In the sport of wild water canoeing, competitors are penalized in time for touching or missing gates on the course, which can dramatically impact their results,” said Keith Marett, vice president of marketing and communications at Avigilon. “The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system delivers the image quality, reliability, and scalability needed to withstand the challenging outdoor environment and deliver indisputable evidence to ensure fair judging, making the Canoe Center the course of choice for ICF events.”

Danish bank enhances overall security with March Networks solution

Editor / Provider: March Networks | Updated: 9/21/2012 | Article type: Security 50

March Networks announced that Danske Bank Group, Denmark's largest financial institution and a top-100 world bank, has selected the company's video management software and hybrid recorders for advanced security at its corporate facilities in Copenhagen. The upgrade expands the March Networks solution the bank is currently using in more than 150 retail banking branches across Norway and Sweden, and continues to deploy working with certified solution provider Stanley Security Solutions.

“We are extremely pleased with the performance of our March Networks video surveillance solution,” said Tonny Henriksen, Project Manager, Danske Bank Group. “During the five years that we've been using the systems, they have performed immaculately. The software is also very easy to use, which means that authorized staff right down to the branch level need very little training to quickly access the video they need.”

Following Stanley Security Solution's recommendation of March Networks, Danske Bank deployed the surveillance systems to reap the operational benefits associated with the enterprise-class software. March Networks Visual Intelligence software delivers centralized video management and investigation capabilities across any number of networked locations.

“The requirement for a networked solution came from our staff in Norway, who had to travel long distances to retail branches every time there was an incident requiring video evidence,” said Tom Soederholm, Danske Bank Group's Vice-President of End-User Technology. “With the March Networks solution, they now retrieve video from the most isolated branches without ever leaving the comfort of their office. It saves time and money and is a major improvement over what we had before.”

The solution also met another of the bank's key criteria – the ability to support both analog and IP cameras with hybrid recording platforms that scale easily to match future growth. The 4000 C Series hybrid Network Video Recorders (NVRs) protect Danske's existing analog camera investments, while enabling the strategic deployment of high-definition IP cameras. The NVRs run on an embedded Linux operating system, which the bank's IT group requested to reduce security and performance issues, and incorporate an innovative docking station for faster installation and maintenance.

The bank is so pleased with the solution, it also plans to introduce March Networks Command video management system (VMS) software in its security operations centers to gain further efficiencies. Command's intuitive, web-based user interface provides full configuration and management capabilities in addition to live video viewing and playback.

More than 450 banks and credit unions worldwide currently use March Networks systems for security and fraud detection. In addition to powerful video management and recording, the solution includes Searchlight software applications that significantly reduce losses from ATM skimming, cash harvesting and other theft. The March Networks Searchlight portfolio includes Financial Transaction Investigation, which synchronizes ATM and teller transaction records with high-quality video to streamline case management and investigator performance. It also includes powerful Skimming Detection, Image Tracker and License Plate Tracker applications that enable banks to proactively detect fraudulent activity at ATMs and strengthen case evidence quickly by correlating facial images, transaction information, colors and license plate data.

Making HD less of a gamble for casinos

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang | Updated: 9/21/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Under current economic conditions, figuring out a cost-effective and future-proof technology migration path is not easy for any industry. “Because so many operators are still using analog, it is very difficult to integrate HD into the current infrastructure,” said Scott Paul, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Pelco by Schneider Electric. “A cost-effective means of transporting the existing analog cameras into the digital system and maintaining the existing analog system is essential. Educating and training operators to go digital and understanding the new operation is also essential.”

Integration
When converting to a digital system, whether it is HD or not, the first challenge is the infrastructure. “Typically, most analog systems run via coaxial cables, which are incompatible for running technology that is Ethernet based,” said Scott Bartlett, CEO of Southwest Surveillance Systems. “Instead of changing all the wiring, we use baluns that give us the ability to convert the Ethernet signals over the coaxial cable braids. This keeps us from having to replace all the wiring and in addition, enhance our distance limitations.”

Another challenge lies in the monitor room as running both an analog system as well as a digital system can be very problematic. “Some casinos are trying to use their existing monitors or workstations to convert digital to analog (which creates terrible video signals) and then pump the digital signals back through their analog video matrix. Others are running two separate systems and keyboards. Neither situation is a good one,” Bartlett said. “We have used video scalers such as Barco and RGB to perform all the converting and scaling for the video. The video scalers take multiple inputs and convert the signal, whether it is analog or digital to a DVI output thus providing the maximum resolution available without the up or down converting.”

Transmission/Networking
It can be expensive to convert existing analog infrastructure with and/or to establish robust and reliable IP infrastructure. “Even adding a few IP cameras requires a thoughtful, forwarding thinking network design and plan,” said John Katnic, VP of Global Gaming at Synectics. “Even if it costs a bit more upfront, engineer a robust network solution that can scale to the projected system size and will provide the resiliency required by regulators.”

In addition, network based video management requires higher caliber IT-trained technicians to design, configure and maintain. “And because gaming regulators often prohibit IT departments from touching the gaming network, surveillance departments are often underequipped to manage these IP-based solutions and have to play catch up on the fly,” Katnic cautioned.

The use of multicast routing on the network side in casinos is another thorny issue. “Depending on the manufacturer, there is a lot of multicast traffic on the networks. This can create huge bottlenecks and communication errors if the network is not designed properly. The byproduct of this is tearing or choppy videos. Even though most like to blame the networks when things do not work properly, we find that the network is seldom the actual issue,” Bartlett said. “It is also critical to ensure that, in the casino HD video space, that single mode fiber be installed from the intermediate distribution feed (IDF) rooms to the main distribution feed (MDF) room. This will ensure that 10-, 40- and even 100-Gbps backbones will not be an issue. If multi-mode fiber is installed from the IDF to the MDF and you want to install a 10-Gbps backbone, the distance will be limited to 100 meters.”

Latency
Network latency can be caused by a multitude of factors from routing to camera settings. “At the end of the day, casinos that are still using an analog system are typically experiencing about a 60 millisecond delay so no matter what, they will experience a greater delay when they go digital,” Bartlett said. “This latency will be exacerbated by poor network design or improper camera settings or even poor quality cameras with inadequateWDR capabilities. “

Cameras that lack adequate WDR capability will inevitably cause a lot of noise on the video signal. The noise equates to motion/high bandwidth and thus creating high network traffic and storage requirements. “High-quality HD cameras are a must in my opinion. I know there are literally thousands of IP cameras on the market but there are not that many that can truly meet stringent gaming requirements,” Bartlett said. “It is the responsibility of system integrators to thoroughly test the cameras and network equipment they want to use in order to ensure that regardless of what the spec sheet says, they can meet the requirements in real life.”

“Latency induced via the encoding and decoding process remains a key issue — not present in analog technologies — and is a reason why some casinos still maintain an analog matrix “front-end” and utilise their SD digital recording systems solely for playback/review,” Paul said. “This is still a major issue for the adoption of HD in gaming areas for PTZ. For this reason, many casinos are beginning the transition by starting to implement HD in areas such as entry and exit locations and static camera locations [more than gambling tables].”

Bandwidth
HD cameras recording at 30 fps in HD resolution put huge weights on bandwidth and storage. Different camera manufacturers deal with this issue differently. “Leading IP device manufacturers and their VMS partners offer a variety of ways to efficiently and automatically manage storage, bandwidth and latency by changing camera recording settings (data rate, resolution, frame rate) on the fly based on motion, defined third party alarms or manually initiated VMS macros. However, this is typically up to the selected VMS application to manage. Taking advantage of these types of IP camera functions requires ‘deep' integration between cameras and VMS and should not be considered a given. Some cameras offer dual streaming and when fully integrated with VMS, the camera can send a full HD stream to the recorders for optimum playback quality, and simultaneously multicast a second, less bandwidth intensive SD or CIF stream to the monitor wall or a mobile device to avoid latency or overtaxing available bandwidth,” Katnic said. “In coming years, more IP encoding devices and VMS will support scalable video codec (SVC) which, rather than producing dual or triple streams for varied usage, produces one full-featured, multilayered stream that enables clients to subscribe to the stream quality level appropriate for their bandwidth or application.”

Camera features such as region of interest generally can be of help in terms of bandwidth reduction while event triggering applications save storage space. However, these features are not legally allowed in certain gaming areas. “Most gaming standards require 100 percent motion of video recording in gaming areas so this is typically not an area where value-based configuration or programming is employed,” said Douglas Florence, Business Development Director for Global Gaming, Avigilon.“Depending on the location of the casino in the world, the percentage of gaming versus security/public areas will vary. In a mega resort, 60 percent of the cameras could be managed in this manner, where parameters of pixels per square inch or square foot are set to create an event-based recording mode.”

“We are typically “handcuffed” by gaming regulations and seldom, if ever, can use triggering events, loiter modes, or lower the resolution for gaming specific cameras,” Bartlett added. “These may be acceptable for “back of house” areas but never in money or gaming areas. As drives are getting larger and storage in general is getting cheaper, it does not seem to be an issue as of lately.”

Storage and Redundancy
With technology changing and desire to go from two megapixels to 5, 10 or 20 Megapixel HD, the amount of storage remains to be a challenge. “Storage is expensive (30 to 40 percent of the total surveillance system price), and is directly related to picture quality, which is related to the data rate and retention period for each camera,” Katnic cautioned. “IP HD cameras average 5 to 6 Mbps, which is three to four times more data/storage compared to H.264-encoded analog cameras. HD video requires more servers, software, rack space, electricity, cooling and maintenance. Also, storage servers with high density 2- or 3-TB drives configured in RAID 5 or 6 take much longer to rebuild following a drive failure, which adds vulnerability to retained data and recordings. Just because you can record in HD doesn't necessarily mean you should, especially when you have to justify cost/reliability strategy for the HD cameras.”

The different risks associated with IP systems require careful analysis and resiliency planning. “For instance, traditional analog matrix systems will display live video on the analog wall even if the network and/or DVRs go down. Some analog to digital encoder-based systems will even keep recording when the network fails,” Katnic added. “However, that is not the case with an IP camera-based system. When the network goes down, both recorded and live video will be lost if the cameras do not support edge based storage. All that video will be lost cannot be recovered.”

“Hybrid systems, which involve greater complexity and reliance on network technology, have potential risks too and casinos have expressed concern about being able to meet the mandated regulatory requirements for continuous recording with no gaps in recording. With hybrid solutions, network failures could potentially prevent the operators from accessing playback/reviews, but the analog recording should likely remain unaffected,” Paul said. “Failed DVRs could be easily addressed via a matrix macro to switch the analog inputs to a standby DVR unit if necessary. Solutions such as matrix switching DVR inputs for “fail-over” have now been replicated in digital technology; stand-by technologies, clustering technology and cloud-based storage all pool together to allow for redundancy in recording as well as multicast recording to provide true redundancy. This solution should adequately address these concerns.“