Tuning Domes for Top IP Performance

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 3/25/2011 | Article type: Tech Corner

The migration to IP from analog affects dome performance. High-resolution cameras, fisheye lenses and network constraints influence optimal dome operation.

Higher resolution dome cameras enable greater detail, but also introduce network issues. In turn, networks facilitate greater connectivity, but may also incur lag. One consideration for IP devices is the cabling distance, which was rarely an issue for analog, said Andrew Pigram, Technical Director at Norbain.

Latency for network dome controls is about 300 milliseconds, due to IP traffic constraints and compression requirements, said Ian Crosby, Product Marketing Manager for CCTV, Bosch Security Systems. This is barely discernible to operators but can be exacerbated if the network cannot withstand video surveillance traffic.

Big-Picture Domes
Network domes include newer megapixel and HD models, which provide greater image clarity but add to the processor load. Depending on what processor is used, a true high-resolution dome may have few other functions to prevent image lag, said Alf Chang, Senior Consultant for A&S magazines. A high-resolution dome may have to sacrifice image correction or analytics to free up processing power. The CPU will be taxed further if the dome offers dual or triple streaming, limiting the functional performance of high-resolution domes.

The top end for high-resolution domes is around 2-megapixel or 1080p HD, as real-time frame rates are still feasible. “The standard in HD is emerging as 720p, because 720p is 1.3-megapixel, which is still four times the image content of analog; so, it's pretty good,” Pigram said.

Low-light performance is another consideration for high-resolution cameras, with CCDs delivering consistent results. “They tend to be 1.3-megapixel in resolution,” Pigram said. “Four- or 5-megapixel technology tends not to be real-time and is typically more like 15 fps. High megapixel count might not be suitable for areas with a lot of movement or low light levels, as the price for resolution is sensitivity.”

Fine Detail
Despite resolution and processor constraints, more pixels do make a noticeable difference. “In many events, when the police went back through footage, the images were not usable,” said Allen Yang, PM at Etrovision Technology. “High-resolution cameras can do real identification.”

HD at 1080p increases the viewing area of standard definition (SD) by six times. “If you zoom in on a D1 image, you will get less detail, but full HD offers greater clarity,” said Garrett Li, Marketing Manager at DynaColor.

A single megapixel or HD camera can save installers time. “In surveillance, the highest cost is installation,” Yang said. “With a 5-megapixel dome, if you have a wide area, you just need one camera. It's expensive but replaces many D1 cameras and reduces installation costs.”

[NextPage]Consumer Standard
Higher resolution sometimes does not necessarily mean fewer cameras. “I've seen projects that went from SD to HD and kept the same number of cameras,” said Jeff Corrall, Product Line Manager for Edge Devices, March Networks. “Since HD is already in the consumer market, it is heading toward the economy of scale of analog. People don't use NTSC or PAL on their TV as much anymore, and in some devices, those standards are disappearing altogether.”

Other vendors felt that HD's advantage lies in enhancing surveillance, rather than replacement of SD cameras. “HD delivers more details per meter than SD and as such produces far better identification and recognition data at the same surveillance range, compared to an SD camera,” Crosby said.

For example, an HD sensor increases the number of pixels per meter, compared to an SD one using the same focal-length lens. As every doubling in resolution doubles the effective distance for focal length, an SD camera with a 36x lens delivers almost the same performance as an HD one with a 20x lens. “Greater surveillance range and more details delivered at the same range are, therefore, a performance leap, rather than a simple cost-reduction exercise,” Crosby said.

The standardization of HD has given it an edge over megapixel. “Megapixel has no standard; you don't have a screen for the 4:3 format any more,” said Iida Atsushi, PM of Security Solutions, Business and Professional Products for APAC, Sony Electronics. “That's why this year we didn't provide any SD cameras — they are all HD.”

While network HD and megapixel domes boost resolution, they cost more for smaller installations. “Some people are very happy with analog for their system; others have the infrastructure and requirement for IP,” said James Smith, European Marketing Manager, Samsung Techwin. “We look at what a dome has to achieve for the user and offer our customers a choice to do that.”

Increased storage demand from megapixel recording requires bandwidth management options. “If you're looking at a street, you can select a portion at a higher resolution, and the rest at a lower resolution,” Smith said. “Multiple streams are also available so that video at different resolutions can be sent to different devices simultaneously if required. We can record events onto built-in memory cards in high resolution and stream live images to a control center in a lower resolution.”

Not every high-resolution dome has to be IP, as the HDcctv standard sends 720p and 1080p streams over existing coaxial cables. However, storage requires the dome to connect to an embedded HDcctv DVR, which is limited by a certain number of terabytes and is harder to expand compared to network storage, said Rich Huang, PM at EverFocus Electronics.

Hemispheric Domes
Hemispheric or fisheye cameras give operators a bird's-eye view on a scene. Any events that take place behind a fixed lens will not be captured; the fisheye lens overcomes this limitation.

However, fisheye cameras have sensitivity issues, which make them unsuited for outdoor applications. “The low-light performance is worse,” Atsushi said. Because of the lens optics, hemispheric domes are better suited for indoor installations in brightly lit areas.

The dewarping software for fisheye domes must transform the spherical dome image into a rectangular format for displays. “Hemispheric cameras enable users to see a big area,” said Erik Fr?nnlid, Director of Product Management, Axis Communications. “Unfortunately, the resulting resolution is low in pixels per square meter since the number of available pixels is spread over a huge area. Zoom can only be done digitally, and the result is a very low and, usually, unusable resolution.”

[NextPage]Operation Concerns
PoE Dome Controls
PoE or high PoE simplifies installation, as it eliminates the need for a separate power cable. “Only one standard Cat-5 cable is needed for carrying power, as well as video and PTZ controls,” Frannlid said. Standard PoE (802.3af) is about 15 watts, while high PoE (802.11at) goes up to 30 watts.

The limited power from standard PoE is insufficient for driving most pan-tilt dome motors. “IP manufacturers are increasingly making domes work at lower power consumption,” Pigram said. “They're not quite fully functional and tend to be for internal use.”

Outdoor PTZ domes area
challenge for PoE, due to range and power requirements. “We see PoE and high PoE as very useful for indoor junior domes but of limited use outdoors, due to the power needed to run heaters and the losses due to the distance from the power source,” Crosby said. Heated domes could use as much as 50 to 60 watts — power that PoE cannot deliver yet. Finding the right network switch for standard PoE is not a problem, but gets trickier for high PoE. “There are PoE solution vendors who provide higher power through nonstandard solutions, but those are not as easy to obtain as a standard solution and are generally cost-prohibitive,” Corrall said.

Intelligent Networks
Along with transmission, smooth dome operations depend on network infrastructure. “You must design the network efficiently so you don't get problems with latency,” Pigram said. This means the right storage solution is used so users can record according to their needs.

Network domes enable more
management options, depending on operator preference. Dome controls should integrate a user-friendly interface. “Some have virtual keyboards on the screen; some people integrate analog keyboards; and some are happy with a mouse to click on the screen,” Pigram said.

As IP replaces analog, there is less reliance on traditional methods of controlling cameras with keyboards and joysticks. “With higher resolutions and integration with other security systems — like access control, analytics that can detect and alarm on predefined events, and faster access to recorded video — there is less need to actually have a person watch video screens, and customers are, therefore, changing the way they interact with their security systems,” said Dave Stanfield, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Pelco (a Schneider Electric company). “Having said that, there are still applications where real-time monitoring is important. In those cases, we continue to see the need for very precise, low-latency controls afforded by analog capabilities. These applications typically result in a hybrid system that is digital on the recording side, but analog on the control side.”

Advances in processing mean analytics are becoming a standard feature for network domes. “Motion, tamper, movement, trip wire — those kinds of detection will be built in,” Pigram said. However, false alarms make analytics helpful but not a must-have.

Video analytics should be critically evaluated. “Analytics-driven alarming has to be very carefully applied and should not be the only source that one relies upon in critical environments,” Stanfield said.

[NextPage]Challenges and Trends
Dome installation involves the physical labor of installers, who will usually scale great heights to place them. Reducing installation time is helpful, with more ergonomic designs or domes that come completely assembled out of the box.

Another trend is greater integration capabilities. “My advice to manufacturers has got to be ease of installation and integration,” Pigram said. “For installers and end users, it's all well and good to put in IP, but how to expand is the question.” Compatibility between IP devices can cause problems for future upgrades, which could get expensive as systems grow.

Interoperability standards such as ONVIF and PSIA promise to streamline the integration of domes with third-party VMS and storage. “The cost of basic network technology is still quite high compared to analog,” Pigram said. “You can't plug and play in the same way. ONVIF is emerging as the standard of choice in Europe, although ONVIF versions 1.01 and 1.02 are not backward compatible, which is somewhat confusing.”

Technical Issues
Domes offer installation advantages, but bubbles limit lens size. “The better the lens, the bigger it is,” Yang said. “But a dome cannot be huge. So in a limited space, you need to deliver a greater field of view.”

Pan and tilt controls for very high zoom lenses require great precision. The more the device moves, the harder it is to get the positioning on the motors accurate enough to match that high of a zoom, Stanfield said. “The smallest movement on a pan-tilt camera zoomed out far enough could move 20 to 30 feet, so it's hard to keep things in view.”

Market demand is growing for smaller PTZ domes. With more components fitting snugly together, another challenge is developing cameras for extremely high operating temperatures, Fr?nnlid said.

Bubble materials will face higher scrutiny, as plastic's insufficient clarity affects how light passes through. “The bubble in a traditional dome is actually another lens,” Stanfield said. “As the industry movestore solutions above 1.3-megapixel, manufacturers of PTZ domes have to start looking at bubbleless designs. Bubble clarity is not nearly as important for fixed domes as for movable domes because they only look through a small area of the bubble. But when you zoom in and out, or pan and tilt, the relationship of the lens to the bubble changes. It's then that the higher resolution reveals the imperfections of the plastic.”

Here to Stay Domes provide an unimpeded view, with increased adoption in traffic monitoring. Speed domes in particular will see strong uptake, Huang said.

Smarter analytics and resolution increases will yield more accurate video analytics for domes. “These advances will allow us to move reliable analytic use from perimeter protection to crowded scenes in the next five years,” Crosby said.

Domes have enjoyed steady usage for surveillance. As technical improvements have overcome positioning and mount problems, quality domes can perform reliably. However, site-specific concerns should be factored into product selection, with IP infrastructure affecting network dome performance. Understanding how dome parts work together and how to prevent failure will go a long way toward smooth dome performance.

Quality Domes Hold No Viewing Limits Ⅱ

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 3/25/2011 | Article type: Tech Corner

Lens
A lens with auto back focus is essential for image quality. “For a fixed dome, what's really important is a good lens that's easy to adjust,” Corrall said. “You can go to any focal length, and it will stay in focus. That's important to installers and makes sure the focus is always crisp.”

The dome's lens must also have enough resolution to support the image sensor. As higher resolution is seen mostly in fixed network domes, standard definition (SD) lenses will not focus light properly on image sensors with more pixels. This will result in blurred edges and loss of corner detail.

Full high definition resolution at 1080p is 16:9 or 2.1 megapixel, which is a wider aspect ratio compared to 4:3 in SD. “The corner detail needs to have sufficient TVLs,” said Allen Yang, PM at Etrovision Technology.

Bubb le Trouble One of the easiest ways to distinguish a dome's quality is by looking at the dome bubble. “Bubbles are made of either polycarbonate for superior strength or acrylic for superior clarity,” Crosby said. “Acrylic allows for the greatest performance with IR illumination. Both low-light and IR performances are affected by any tinting that the bubble may have. The more tinted, the more covert, but the lower the sensitivity.”

Under normal conditions, customers prefer smoked bubbles, but clear domes are accepted for outdoors, Atsushi said.

Corrall agreed, noting that many people do not expect an effect from smoked bubbles. “It can be like viewing through sunglasses.”

The bubble should be as flawless as possible, so the camera has a clear view no matter where the lens is pointing. “Under high magnification, a dome cannot lose focus,” Huang said. “A commercial bubble may work at 20x, but does not work at a higher magnification.”

A bubble's material determines where it can be used. “A town center is different from a petrochemical site; it could be polycarbonate, lexan or stainless steel,” Pigram said. “Whether it's curved, plastic or glass makes a big difference for the optical quality.”

The bubble must be easy to install as well. Some vendors include a cord or insurance line attaching the bubble to the back box, so it does not accidentally get dropped and break.

[NextPage]Speed Dome Differentiators
Speed domes do not have the field-of-view limits of fixed domes, as most can pan up to 400 degrees per second. However, being fast is not always a plus. “If you put a dome in a location, set it to patrol and it moves too fast, you cannot capture details,” Yang said.

Considerations include preset accuracy, response to controls,masking and zoom ratios, Pigram said.

The biggest challenges for moving domes are the camera module and power supply. Waterproofing must be noted, as moisture may seep into the power supply and cause failure, or fog up the bubble with droplets, Chang said. Indoor domes may overheat and fail with processors, image sensors and pan-tilt driver units in close proximity, so the dome's construction material should be noted.

Speed domes must have reliable operation, Smith said. Some speed domes enable automatic tracking, which is helpful if an operator is not present. However, possible false alarms make auto-tracking domes suited for less busy scenes.

Motor Motion
The weakest point in speed and PTZ domes is the pan-tilt driver for accurate positioning, particularly for network domes. “We try to match IP domes to analog speed dome accuracy,” Atsushi said. “A few years ago, no one could achieve it, but now it is nearly the same.”

Other key criteria for speed domes are the maximum and minimum speeds, along with the number of steps, Crosby said. The acceleration and deceleration curves will affect how quickly the dome moves to maximum speed, slows to minimum speed and when it sets its position. Speed domes should be equipped with a reliable slip ring.

Some countries require privacy masks to be set over homes or sensitive areas. “Privacy zones are also an important consideration, especially for public-space installations where residential units are in close proximity to the areas being monitored,” Smith said.

PTZ Differentiators
PTZ cameras allow for features such as IR illumination. One advantage of the PTZ is the flat glass, Pigram said. “You don't get the distortion and internal reflection that you get from a curved surface.” The flat glass also improves clarity, as wipers can be added.

However, PTZ is not ideal for high-resolution imaging. “The trouble with anything high-resolution is it exaggerates and amplifies the problems you have,” Pigram said. “You have to make that choice if you want a dome or move to a bullet-style camera. If it's a very challenging application at night or you need to see real resolution, you need to take the lens and bubble into consideration.”

Speed domes and PTZ cameras are auto-focus cameras, Atsushi said. Advances in consumer recorders have been adapted to auto-focus lenses for surveillance cameras, keeping images clear despite the changing point of view.

[NextPage]Soft Powers
In-house design can reduce cost for the PTZ camera block, which is usually the most expensive component. “Our own R&D allows us to control cost, and feature development is not limited by thirdparty vendors,” said Garrett Li, Marketing Manager for DynaColor.

Beyond components,good software affects dome image quality as well. Manufacturers A and B may use the same DSP and an identical image sensor, but still get different results. “I can show you two cameras using the same hardware but running different software, and the images can look like they're from two completely different cameras,” Corrall said. “Without quality software inside the camera, the quality of the components used doesn't really matter.”

Image stabilization is required to correct the vibration while the PTZ is moving, Corrall added. “A user-friendly interface helps installers save time while setting presets.”

Balancing Act
Selecting the best dome is not rocket science, but the fastest processor, most sensitive image sensor and best dome drive will add up to major sticker shock. As most applications do not require comprehensive functionality, actual usage considerations will determine what dome can deliver at an acceptable price point. Product quality and reliability remain essential for value no matter what the price is, but different components will result in different costs.

Dome selection boils down to site and budget considerations. Some of the same issues also apply to IP domes, which have gained market share. In our next article, we examine performance concerns for network-enabled domes.

Quality Domes Hold No Viewing Limits Ⅰ

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 3/25/2011 | Article type: Tech Corner

What makes a dome good? A&S examines performance and installation issues to illustrate how fixed, speed and PTZ domes make the cut in an increasingly IP-enabled world.

Dome cameras are characterized by their distinctive bubbles, offering installers an extra option for demanding sites. They can be adapted for different applications, depending on user requirements and monitoring purposes.

Fixed domes are much like box cameras, except for a rounded form factor for easy installation and aesthetics. Mostly deployed for indoor surveillance, installers can adjust fixed domes for lens position, viewing angle and focus. Once the dome is installed, operators can only view a set area.

Speed and PTZ domes overcome the viewing limitations of fixed domes. They can monitor specific scenes or targets by size, position or both. Other uses for speed and PTZ domes include patrolling specific routes at a set time, or integration with intrusion detection for alarm verification.

PTZ cameras are not always housed in bubbles, offering more lens options and camera functions. However, they are usually larger, heavier and pricier than speed domes. As speed domes are housed in a single unit, they have a smaller form factor, more mounting options and greater pricing flexibility.

Ease of Installation
Regardless of dome type, the cameras must be easy to install. As most domes are suspended from ceilings or poles, they require installers to climb ladders, or utilize basket cranes or cherry pickers. This altitude limits the time and amount of tools installers can use placing the dome, which can be quite heavy, said Rich Huang , PM at EverFocus Electronics.

Installation is a two-step process for most domes. “Construction and industrial design affect performance,” said Alf Chang, Senior Consultant for A&S magazines and a former integrator. First, the housing is placed,and then the camera is fitted into the back box and enclosure.

The mount, or where the camera attaches to the back box, has a crucial effect on performance, Chang said. Metal mounts tend to be too rigid and cause too much interference. Plastic mounts can be too soft and loose, which may result in the camera dropping out of the mount and landing in the bubble. Understanding what materials a dome is made of can reduce maintenance calls.

Reliability is another benchmark of a good dome. “We look at good value for money, whether it's for the top-end, medium or budget applications,” said Andrew Pigram, Technical Director at Norbain. “But you can't sell rubbish to anyone.”

[NextPage]Fixed Dome Differentiators
Fixed dome selection looks at image quality, resolution, progressive or interlaced, and sensitivity, Pigram said. “Linked to those is whether you have a sophisticated DSP with noise reduction, which is related to performance.”

A dome's back-box construction will affect heat dissipation. “Too many ICs will overheat the camera and shorten its lifespan,” Chang said. Inferior materials will also cause interference, such as a bad lens connector, which should be inspected before purchase.

One way to infer how hot a dome might get is by looking at power usage. “Low power consumption is important to save power, but also for thermal operation,” said Jeff Corrall, Product Line Manager for Edge Devices, March Networks. “If you heat up a camera, it could malfunction. Or it may function properly, but its overall life cycle is reduced if the components are outside temperature specifications.”

A more prosaic benchmark is the dome's ability to lock position, said Ian Crosby, Product Marketing Manager for CCTV, Bosch Security Systems. The better the dome stays put, the better it will prevent shock and vibration effects.

Processors
A dome's processor determines its functionality. As chips have gotten faster and smaller, more features are now built into dome cameras, such as slow shutter, wide dynamic, Sens-up or digital noise reduction. “Some features are better on the edge, but they will depend on your computing power,” Huang said. “You need to select a faster or bigger CPU for analytics.”

A dome line may be divided into high-end and budget models by DSP. “Security is a relatively low-volume business, but requires many types of cameras,” Huang said.

Axis designs its own ASIC chip and this gives the company an edge in the market, said Erik Fr?nnlid, Director of Product Management, Axis Communications. Its processor features software for image correction, such as a corridor format that optimizes scenes that are more vertical than horizontal, such as hallways or tunnels. Modular designs and use of the latest technologies, as well as good forecasting and planning, allow Axis to source components in large quantities, which keeps prices manageable, Fr?nnlid added.

Samsung Techwin also has its own semiconductor foundry, using the same DSP chipset for its dome range. “We have ranges of both analog and network domes, including megapixel versions, arriving very soon,” said James Smith, European Marketing Manager.

[NextPage]Image Sensors
Another deciding factor in dome selection is the image sensor. Whether the sensor comes with an image processor will affect image quality, along with the sensor 's format, Chang said.

Resolution and frame rate are considerations in sensor selection. “Low-light performance is also important,” Corrall said. Global shutter on CMOS chips has better image results compared to rolling shutter.

However, CCD sensors still outperform CMOS ones in most low-light conditions. “For image sensors for fixed domes, good low-light performance requires CCDs,” Huang said. “But as CMOS improves, that will change.”

To differentiate, some vendors develop their own image sensors, while making themselves less vulnerable to sourcing fluctuations from component suppliers. “We provide image sensors for both CCD and CMOS,” said Iida Atsushi, PM of Security Solutions, Business and Professional Products for APAC, Sony Electronics. Pan-tilt mechanisms are also made in-house, saving sourcing time; on the other hand, they add to development cost.

The line between CCD and CMOS is almost always drawn at resolution, with analog and network domes delivering different results. “An analog image is interlaced, so if an analog dome is connected to an encoder, you only see about 400 TVLs,” said Caroline Kuan, Marketing Specialist at DynaColor.“IP domes are at least 600 TVLs, which make a difference in image quality.”

True network cameras use progressive scan, Fr?nnlid added.

Bosch Security Systems Descends at the German Airport

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 3/10/2011 | Article type: Infrastructure

Bosch Security Systems has received an order to install and put into operation the safety systems of the new Airport Berlin Brandenburg International BBI. The scope of the order includes the planning and installation for the fire alarm system, electro-acoustic emergency warning system, emergency exit door controllers, intrusion detection system, video surveillance, access control and building function control.

Berlin Brandenburg International BBI currently represents the most important infrastructure project in Germany's capital region and is Europe's largest airport construction site. It is being built to better connect Berlin and the entire region with major destinations in Europe and throughout the world. Further, it will be an important factor in the regional economy: BBI is expected to create up to 40,000 new jobs.

“Security is of upmost importance not only in the air, but also on the ground. We are proud to be able to share our expertise and implement highest safety levels for both passengers and workforce at BBI”, said Mauro Lima-Vaz, Head of Bosch's Berlin sales office.

Bosch has extensive expertise in airport safety and security. The company's technology has been installed in Terminal 2 at Munich International Airport, in Dubai International Airport's new Terminal 3, in the DHL freight hub in Leipzig and others.

Bosch local security network will be installed for optimum protection against fire hazards, with around 19,000 automatic and manual fire alarms and a whole host of fire control systems. They will be connected to a total of nine networked universal security systems. The networked public address and evacuation system with around 11,500 speakers is planned for passenger information and evacuation in the event of a hazardous situation. The public address will also be used for voice announcements for passenger information and for the gate paging stations.

In addition, an intrusion detection system will be installed that works with 150 local security network rings and six universal security systems. The information for surveillance is recorded using around 1,200 emergency call couplers. The video surveillance consists of 300 network dome cameras, 260 HD video cameras as well as another 900 video cameras of different types. It is managed by the Bosch VMS. Bosch will install more than 600 kilometers of copper cable for the fire alarm and intrusion detection systems as well as the electro-acoustics.

The new Airport Berlin Brandenburg International BBI will most likely go into operation in June 2012. With 280,000 square meters of terminal and pier space, a baggage sorting hall of 20,000 square meters, as well as a 9,500 meter conveyor line, it will be one of the largest European airports.

Sunell Lays Out PTZ 101

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Sunell | Updated: 3/10/2011 | Article type: China Corner

Sunell describes how high-speed PTZ domes work in physical security.

High-speed domes or PTZ cameras describe cameras which can pan, tilt and zoom by refocusing lenses. According to their moving speed, the cameras are usually divided into three categories: high-speed PTZ, uniform-speed PTZ and low-speed PTZ.

1. Preset
Users often need to monitor important locations, such as doors or windows. Saving the camera's position and zoom magnification at a specific location is called a preset. After setting presets, users only need to enter the preset's number to the PTZ camera from a keyboard for the cameras to rapidly reach the preset location. Speeds are generally 200 degrees per second or more.

2. Cruising and Scanning
PTZ cameras can automatically cruise between several preset positions for a “tour.” They can also scan between two points, along a line or in another mode.

3. Clear Image
PTZ images should be clearly visible. Color saturation should be as close to the actual scene as possible.

4. Privacy Masking
Surveillance cameras must protect the privacy of citizens, such as residential homes along a public street. These locations requires programmable privacy zones to respect citizen privacy. Setting this function for static cameras is easy. However, PTZ cameras operate in a 3-D world, requiring the camera to have programmable setting, based on both positioning and zoom magnification.

5. Environmental Considerations
PTZ cameras are installed indoors or outdoors, requiring different mounting options. Waterproof IP54 or IP66 protection may be required. The camera must also work in high and low temperatures. Outdoor cameras must have lightning strike resistance. Cameras in windy environment should have antijitter image correction, or image stabilization.

6. Easy Maintenance
Dome cameras must be easy to install, allowing quick removal of internal parts. Once installed, remote upgrades should be supported, so there is no need for users to remove the device. Network domes should also support soft address function for RS-485 addresses. The need to modify DIP switch position and address functions should be accessible through a simple menu interface, saving installation time.

7. Infrared
For extremely dark environment, IR PTZ cameras are needed. There are two types of IR: Active infrared and passive infrared. Active infrared technology uses IR LEDs to illuminate objects. This has several drawbacks, including a halo effect in the image quality and limited viewing distance. IR LEDs consume high amounts of power and produce too much heat.

Passive infrared technology effectively overcomes the shortcomings of active infrared technology by sensing the infrared radiation of objects. However, it is expensive. Only customers with mission-critical applications can afford it, such as military users.

IP video surveillance is an industry trend. Thanks to the power of IP, network PTZ cameras will offer users some revolutionary features:

1. High Definition
Traditional analog PTZs output CVBS video signals, limiting image resolution to 720 x 576 (PAL) or 720 x 480 (NTSC). However, network PTZ cameras encode digital signals from image sensor, which do not limit resolution It supports high-definition resolution from 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080. HD PTZ cameras will give broader and clearer views to users.

2. 3-D Positioning
Through IP, network PTZ cameras are easier to control. Beside a traditional keyboard, using a mouse is a better way to control PTZ functionality. If the PTZ camera supports 3-D positioning, users can just click on images through a PC for the PTZ camera to focus on that region.

3. Wireless
Wireless IP network technologies, such as Wi-Max, Wi-Fi and 3-G, enables PTZ cameras to be installed anywhere. This eliminates the distance bottleneck, as users can upload live images from anywhere.

4. Intelligence
A smart PTZ embedded with intelligent analysis, such as object extraction and recognition, can tracking objects automatically or trigger alarms. High-level application can deploy several smart PTZs to work together in monitoring large areas. Once a camera detects something unusual, it can notify another camera to track the object.

IQinVision Megapixel Cameras Take Care of Texas Handicaps

Editor / Provider: IQinVision | Updated: 2/24/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

IQinVision, a provider of HD megapixel network cameras, completed a major video surveillance project with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS). The installation comprises more than 3,200 H.264 HD megapixel cameras installed in 336 buildings on 12 separate campuses located throughout the state. Knight Security Systems has been instrumental in the success of the project proposing, designing and installing the surveillance system over a 17-month time period.

The project includes IQeye dome cameras, servers, operating software and an end-to-end network infrastructure with 35 miles of fiber optic cable to connect all the buildings together on each campus. Knight and IQinVision won this contract by offering a solution using new technology that achieved DADS' security goals while saving the state money.

“The timing of the project allowed us to do a couple of interesting things that benefited the state,” said Chris Hugman VP and Executive Project Manager for Knight Security Systems. “We used IQeye megapixel resolution cameras throughout. Secondly, we were able to incorporate the latest H.264 video encoding which gives better bandwidth and storage efficiency. The result has been superior quality images with manageable network and storage requirements, and the customer has been very pleased with the clarity and performance.”

Image quality is critical to this customer. Early in 2009, the Texas State Legislature mandated that DADS install a video surveillance system to document and ensure that residents on the 12 campuses, many with physical, mental and emotional handicaps, were being well treated.

The installation utilizes IQinVision cameras, OnSSI VMS, Zyxel network switches and Dell servers to provide the interactive video-monitoring interface. By installing IQeye HD megapixel cameras, DADS was able to use fewer cameras when compared to standard definition cameras and still cover more area. By using H.264 compression, Knight was able to put more cameras on a single gigabit link and the state is able to maintain an extended video archive without paying for exorbitant storage capacity.

The 12 DADS campuses have between 6 and 62 buildings, and the number of cameras in each building ranges from one to more than 70. Each campus has its own independent system with a central monitoring room, necessitating an architecture that was scalable to meet the requirements of each campus.

“You cannot put a price tag on providing DADS personnel such highly enhanced capabilities to monitor and better ensure the safety and well-being of the residents who have been entrusted to their care,” said Pete DeAngelis, President and CEO, IQinVision. “That said, we are pleased that IQinVision's quality engineering, service and support made our cameras the clear choice for such a critical applications as this.”

Avigilon Surveillance System Integrates with HRM's IT and Security Infrastructure

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 1/20/2011 | Article type: Infrastructure

Avigilon, a supplier of HD and megapixel video surveillance systems, announced that the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has deployed the Avigilon HD surveillance system on the ferry transit system at several recreation centers and at a metro transit service garage to protect its critical assets. The surveillance system was selected for its management features and ability to integrate with HRM’s existing IT infrastructure, intrusion and access control systems.

“HRM owns millions of dollars’ worth of assets and property that are accessible to the public, so it is vital that we ensure that they are protected and used properly, while also ensuring the safety of the people who routinely use our facilities,” said Randy Stoddard, Manager of Corporate Security at HRM. “Offering an IP-based, HD surveillance solution, Avigilon was chosen for its performance capabilities and because it could leverage our existing network and integrate with our intrusion and access control systems to facilitate installation, reduce costs and meet IT standards across the board.”

HRM security personnel manage the surveillance system using Avigilon control center NVMS. The municipality installed more than 200 megapixel Avigilon HD cameras. These cameras have been installed at three recreation centers, wirelessly on three ferry boats and their corresponding transit terminals and at its new metro transit service garage, which also has an Avigilon 180-degree panoramic HD dome camera. Monitoring traffic flow and protecting assets are the primary security goals at both the recreation centers and transit garage, while passenger safety is the top priority at the ferries. HRM stores 14 days of footage on 14 servers located across the municipality and monitors the system at a central control room and onsite at each location.

By leveraging existing IT resources, HRM is able to save installation and maintenance costs and migrate over to full HD as network requirements and budget allows. The HD surveillance system can also be integrated into HRM’s intrusion and access control systems to create an integrated security solution. By dedicating a portion of its network to the system, HRM was able to create a wireless surveillance solution for its ferry system, which is connected remotely to the central control room for 24/7 monitoring. With the ability to digitally zoom in for superior image clarity, the surveillance system in many instances replaces the need for a PTZ camera because it can zoom in to capture details without losing the broader field of view. Avigilon control center management features help HRM staff reduce investigation times from hours to minutes.

“As a municipality, HRM encompasses many different types of facilities, from headquarters to transit systems to recreation centers that present different security challenges but all share a common thread: the IT infrastructure,” said Alexander Fernandes, President and CEO at Avigilon. “By deploying the HD surveillance system, which can integrate with its existing IT network, HRM has taken a unified approach to protecting its people, property, and information.”

Instek Digital, Veracity and 2020 Vision Protect UK Museum

Editor / Provider: Instek Digital | Updated: 1/17/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

The Great North Museum: Hancock brings together the North East's premier collections of archaeology, natural history, geology and world cultures under one roof. It incorporates collections from the original Hancock Museum and Newcastle University's former Museum of Antiquities and the Shefton Museum. The museum reopened in mid 2009 and in the first 12 months of operation it had 850,553 visitors. Today it is recognized as one of the top 20 free visitor attractions in Britain and the top attraction in the North East.

Like most museums today the Great North Museum: Hancock is built to a very open plan design, encouraging maximum interactivity and learning opportunities. Many of the artifacts are not in cases and there are no barriers preventing visitors getting close to exhibits. With the significant increase of visitors; targets of receiving at least 30,000 educational contacts per year; and the total value of the permanent exhibits and equipment in the new museum exceeding US$46 million; the new surveillance system needed to be designed for people management, visitor safety as well as for security of exhibits.

With this in mind the Great North Museum PM and Senior Manager for the Great North Museum and Discovery Museum, Steve McLean, worked with the Security Manager of Newcastle University, George Westwater; and taking advice from both the British Museum and Natural History Museum's security advisers; to design the museum with safety and security in mind.

It was important to meet the security stipulations so that the new museum would also be able to house visiting exhibitions including objects from the British Museum and other National Museums and Galleries.

To this end, the building was designed to be able to lock down and secure specific zones and galleries relevant to the building's usage through a series of ceiling-to-floor metal shutters. For example, delivery of visiting exhibitions is conducted at the rear of the building where there are multiple layers of security from retractable bollards to code and key-locked doors, all covered by surveillance cameras.

It is important that the building remains fully secure in potentially vulnerable scenarios like visiting-exhibition movement or evening corporate events. One major advantage of securing the site to the specification is that little upgrade work is likely in the near future and there is a potential to reduce insurance premiums because it is specified to such a high level.

Data Protection Act 1998 requirements prevented museum staff from viewing recorded surveillance images so all proactive monitoring and analysis of recorded images was to be carried out centrally at Newcastle University's 24-hour manned surveillance security control room some 300 meters away on the University's main campus, which is registered with the Data Protection Commissioner to monitor the university's main campus on which the museum sits. This meant that the museum's security system needed to integrate with the university's existing security infrastructure.

On the museum site itself, the surveillance system was to be used principally for access control purposes so that, for example, museum staff could visually verify a school party before letting them in at a school's entrance at the rear of the building.

Cameras had to be positioned sympathetically so as not to draw attention. It is possible to view live images via three different monitors displaying four cameras in quad view, placed at the reception desk of the museum and towards the rear in an administration office. Museum staff would need to request recorded images from the central surveillance security control room if they suspected a security or safety breach.

Although the museum has no dedicated security staff on duty during the hours of opening it has a guaranteed team of nine staff in the building who all are trained to carry out security checks. They also carry radios with silent panic alarm buttons linked to the University's security team. A further six fixed silent panic alarms send alerts through to Northumbria Police in case of a threat. In addition, extra staff deployed for visiting exhibitions are issued with radios and personal panic alarms, also routed directly to the police. A RFID tag system is used on the books in the museum library which holds several hundred very valuable books, ensuring that this rare collection of books can be viewed and studied on the premises by the general public.

“Before the project there was no public access to areas such as the museum's library of rare books. The great thing about our security system is that it enables us to make the museum collections much more accessible to our visitors than ever before,” said Sarah Glynn, Museum Manager, Great North Museum: Hancock.

“It helps us to make the artefacts highly accessible. The new security technology, including Instek's DVRs and display processors, enables us to provide access to all and to create a safe environment for our collections, visitors and staff.”

As part of the ambitious renovation of Great North Museum: Hancock, 2020 Vision was commissioned to install all cameras and a dedicated collector point or ‘node' for the museums' surveillance images. The node consists of a 48-channel Honeywell camera control matrix for switching between cameras and controlling their movement. This is networked with Instek DVRs, video processors, a video distribution amplifier along with a fiber optic patch panel and fiber optic transmission equipment.

This node collects images from one installed JVC PTZ camera fixed onto an eight meter tubular steel column and seven fixed cameras to cover the entrances, exits and car parking space outside the building; and a further 36 Honeywell fixed dome cameras were also deployed internally to cover all key exhibits, a total of 44 new cameras in all were connected to the new system.

The node is linked back to the control room via an eight-core fiber optic backbone. Two fibers provide a 10-base 10/100 LAN network for retrieval of recorded images from the node and is required for access control and intruder alarm signals, VoIP for help points and public address. Each of the other pairs of fibers is used to create up to five real-time peer-to-peer video channels and an RS232 data channel for control of the collector point slave control system for the master matrix. Coaxial cabling is used to all internal and external cameras and then fiber optics from the node which is set up to deliver real-time and recorded images at 25 fps and 4CIF resolution back to the central control room.

“The new surveillance system has performed beyond expectation. This investment has been an important enabler of modernization of this museum. It simply would not have been possible to give total accessibility to many priceless artifacts and books,” said Sarah Glynn, Museum Manager, Great North Museum: Hancock.

“The museum has had no major security problems since its opening in May 2009 which is proof in itself that the system has worked and also enables us to host high-value visiting exhibitions and more corporate events than would otherwise have been possible.”

Bosch Security Systems Watches over UK Fast Food Chains

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 1/17/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

A series of dome cameras from Bosch Security Systems have been installed at a new KFC restaurant in Blackpool following a trial at another location in the town.

The owners of the franchise, that includes three other restaurants, were becoming increasingly frustrated with the existing surveillance systems, so turned to Mark Ashall, Operations Director of Skelmersdale Unique Integrated Systems (UIS) to provide a solution.

Ashall specified a combination of three day/night fixed, vandal-resistant domes to be installed externally and 12 outdoor color fixed domes because of their reliability, image quality and the technical support throughout the installation process. “At first we tested the day/night camera on the ‘drive thru’ - a notoriously difficult area to monitor - and the owner was very impressed,” Ashall said. “When he realized the difference in quality of the images, he wanted Bosch cameras specified throughout.”

Cameras have been positioned at key locations inside the restaurant to protect the premises against theft, break-ins, vandalism and antisocial behavior. Additionally, the traffic entering the ‘drive thru’ is monitored to ensure the main access road is not causing a build up of traffic:

“The quality and clarity of the image offers a versatility which is not found in other cameras,” Ashall said. “Fast food restaurants across the country are blighted by abusive and drunken behavior towards staff and vandalism against the property during the weekend, and these cameras act as a major deterrent.”

NVT Transmission Descends at Middle East Airport Complex

Editor / Provider: Network Video Technologies | Updated: 1/17/2011 | Article type: Infrastructure

Network Video Technologies’ (NVT’s) unshielded twisted pair (UTP) surveillance camera video transmission, has been employed to provide surveillance transmission at five aircraft service and maintenance hangers at King Khalid International Airport.

Located 22 miles north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a comprehensive airport complex that includes three terminals, a control tower and two parallel runways, the five specially equipped hangers are used to carry out repairs and scheduled maintenance on a variety of international and national airlines’ aircraft.

With more than 10,000 square meters of floor space each, the five service hangers can cater to aircraft as large as the latest Airbus A380, Boeing 747-400, or multiple single-engine light aircraft. Assisting the provision of effective health, safety, fire prevention and security procedures at the massive complex, an NVT-based surveillance system has been specified and installed by the Modern Buildings Group. “We planned to use surveillance images from the system for a variety of roles, including security, health and safety and fire/smoke detection via the use of video smoke detection units, so the quality of video we required from the cameras was of great importance,” said Mohammad Amin Almatt of Modern Buildings Group.

“Employing a traditional coaxial-based system at the site would have proven very costly, time consuming to install, and would have meant that an individual fused spur power outlet would have been needed at each of the 25 internal and 10 external camera locations. This would have added significant supplementary costs in equipment and installation time.” “Additionally, camera locations ranged from 200 meters to one kilometer in end-to-end transmission distance to the onsite control room. Employing coax over these distances would have been detrimental to the camera image quality in this mission critical system.”

Utilizing NVT power, video and data technology, the Modern Buildings Group engineers were able to provide each camera in the system with low voltage power, transmit fiber-like quality to the control room and provide camera telemetry, all via a Cat5 UTP network contained within each hanger’s structure. From here, a 25-pair Cat3 UTP backbone is used to transmit images from each hanger, back to the centrally located equipment and control room.

Protecting the perimeter of each hanger, Pelco PTZ dome cameras with UTP outputs are situated on the exterior corners of each hanger. Images from these cameras are used to monitor the hanger environment for any possible unauthorized entry, and to ensure health and safety procedures around the hanger are adhered to.

In addition to onsite monitoring and recording via the control and DVR technology, the images are also monitored by electronic video smoke detection software. The system was developed to overcome the difficulties encountered in environments where traditional forms of smoke and flame detection are considered to be ineffective or impractical such as the aircraft service hangers. False alarms could be frequently created as a byproduct of everyday onsite processes.

“Using NVT technology we were able to provide both the DVR and video smoke detection devices with conditioned, interference free video. Thanks to the continuous and automatic conditioning of the video signal via the NVT technology, the image quality remains consistent and unaffected by changing conditions, such as interference levels or changing lighting conditions – critical for these types of video analytic packages,” Mohammad Amin Almatt said.