Blossom of HD-SDI Revitalizes Security Market

Editor / Provider: Evangeline Xie | Updated: 5/7/2012 | Article type: China Corner

High resolution has become an irreversible trend in security industry, which is a great motivation for the development of network camera. However, due to some technical restrictions, it’s getting hard to cope with the construction of network surveillance system. With the technology becoming mature, along with the similarities to analogue system, HD-SDI rises in response to the appropriate time and conditions.

Breaking into New Market
From 2010, HD-SDI gradually came into view, many manufacturers strive the effort to fortify R&D of HD-SDI and promote it on a large scale, which has aroused the attention of installers and end-users. Multiple products have been launched, some related features begin to be known by them. Especially at the end of 2011, HD-SDI manufacturers gained a prominence in many big exhibition events.

In order to raise the awareness of users for HD-SDI, the manufacturers are occupied by the promotion and demonstration. Though the market demand has not lived up to their expectation yet, they keep looking forward to greater potential. It has been revealed that there would be more marketing events in the future year to come. “So far, it is evident that that HD-SDI does exist, but users have low level of cognition about it, the next mission for us is to go for a large endeavor in product design and application,” said Tian Guang, Vice President of Bocom.

In the past year, HD-SDI has seen tremendous growth in technology with great market influence. “Obviously, end-users are keen to HD-SDI,” said Wan Yunfeng, Manager of Planning Department in Winhi. “A good prospect must be waiting for HD-SDI in China's market, because some Chinese end-users are more prone to the immediacy, that is not the case for overseas security market, where the delay is quite normal within an acceptable range.”

HD remains a hot issue in security industry through these years, many manufacturers have predicted a promising future of HD-SDI. Considering the current status of HD-SDI in China, the manufacturers can be divided into two categoriestransformation from analogue manufacturers, they are doing much research on developing HD-SDI products in analogue way. Until now, these players work on either analogue or HD-SDI. The second team is equipped with full product line such as Dahua and Hikvsion, HD-SDI is an added device for perfecting the existing product lines as this helps to seize the market share, generally, its analogue and IP products own sound channels with multiple types.

Setting the Position
Given that HD-SDI manufacturers tend to take the total solution as their development approach, partly reflecting that promotion of HD-SDI is divided into two ways. On one hand, the sales patterns of analogue cooperate with the existing installers, integrators and distributors, giving them guidance and training. On the other hand, the manufacturers provide solution.

“HD-SDI is a must-have in the burgeoning market in 2012, regardless of its limited demands without a strong respond, but it still attracts the attention of some users from the fields where higher standards are required for stability, immediacy and security such as bank, airport, highway, and etc,” said Wang Jingze, Product Manager of Tiandy.

For Chinese installers and end-users, they prefer to know about HD-SDI from real application rather than its concept. Until now, the large-scaled application of HD-SDI has not been put into full play. “HD-SDI is still under developing, both manufacturers and installers or users are concentrating on the technical research, but the practical application of HD-SDI will be necessary for better understanding its performance, manufacturers should actively deploy the projects of relatively small scale,” said Gong Yaoxin, Product Manager of Beijing Hanbang Technology.

Keep in Step with IP
As is often the case, the contrast between IP and HD-SDI is always made by installers and integrators during the product promotion. But the fact is that there are fewer conflicts in practical application, due to their unique segments of application, the replacement of each other does not exists. "The two types of products are cater to the different customers, the fierce competition would not possibly happens,” said Luo Zhijun, Sales Engineer of CNB.

“IP still suffers 'delay' problem, for example IP auto-tracking speed dome can't realize real-time surveillance. With uncompressed image resolution, HD-SDI speed dome provides real-time auto-tracking solution,” said Tiger Chu, Overseas Director and Vice President of Beijing Hanbang Technology. For the future HD-SDI market, Chu believes that it will be a trend and takes shorter time for market acceptance, compared to IP products. Within five years, the global market share of HD-SDI should be accounted for 10 percent.

With optimization and better functionalities of HD-SDI, a new realm of high definition will be unveiled. Though HD-SDI is featured by no delay, it still presents some problems in limited transmission distance and storage. All these bottlenecks make HD-SDI unable to satisfy the market that demands a higher cost. It can be put into the full play only in those vertical markets which require real time and security to a large extent.

Based on the product feature of HD-SDI, the customers will be developed accordingly, for example, some vertical markets that require the clear image in real time such as banking, high-end projects, military and so on, HD-SDI just provides the right solution to the application above. “We will keep exploiting the market of HD-SDI, trying to develop total solution with a focus on the real time demand of these special markets,” said Yang Shengwei, Product Manager of Dahua Technology.

Incorporated in Total Solution
Due to the fact that end-users have a limited knowledge about HD-SDI, the present market is still immature, the practical requirements are hard to be addressed. As a result, the mainstream of the domestic companies all choose the full solution pattern which is integrated with front-end, back-end, transmission and administration together with display and storage for the installers. “The most distinguished feature of HD-SDI is determined by its promotion and application, whether the manufacture can seize the market depends on its ability to provide full HD solution,” added Yang. “From the ways we see HD-SDI, the difficulties are market demand, system infrastructure and vertical markets,” said Yao Guoliang, Vice General Manager of Shenzhen Jiaxinjie Electron Co., Ltd. “Currently, the demand of this product is still on a small-scale. HD-SDI product design requires from a system-structure standpoint, instead of a single product. Therefore, we provide a HD-SDI solution to our partners from front- end to back-end.“

Carry Forward into Future
So far, the market of HD-SDI has not scaled out in the application, but it is a fact that there are more users showing interest in this field, the small-scaled application will come into the spotlight. “Based on the statistics of HD-SDI business and the communication with the manufacturers, the demand for HD-SDI will go through an increasing release,” said Wang Jingze, Product Manager of Tiandy.

As the market of HD-SDI in China hasn't been scaled out, manufacturers are fully ready for the promotion and launching the new products, in 2012, more channels will be built with the technical training followed by the implementation of the projects, such engagements are under deploying in close order, indicating their great confidence for China's market.

High-End Quality and Variety Makes a Difference in Malaysia

Editor / Provider: HIKVISION | Updated: 5/4/2012 | Article type: China Corner

The global economy is currently facing a number of challenges — this should come as no suprise to anyone. As such, the number of companies looking for a competitive edge is greater than ever before.

Maureen Khoo, Project Manager at IS Solutions and Consultancy Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, is responsible for Prince of Wales Island International School security project had found this very edge in Hikvision products. "Chinese products have a reputation for focusing on low cost, yet Hikvision solutions are very different. Hikvision offers us, and our customers, what we are looking for: high-end solutions" said Ms Khoo.

This international school offers: a British-based secondary education, full dormitory accommodations, and a large campus that rivals many international schools. With these many amenities, school administrators were keen to add a comprehensive security solution to the package.

For outdoor areas, Hikvision's DS-2AF1-517-B 36X WDR speed dome was selected. "Regardless of the time of day, this gives us a very detailed picture of who or what we are looking at" said Ms Khoo. Also, "the ability of Hikvision's WDR technology guarantees unprecedented image quality — in varying lighting situations — to meet the school's security needs" added Miss Khoo.

Rounding off the camera aspect of this solution is the DS-2CC575P(N). A high definition & low light dome camera and the DS-2CC577P(N) a high definition & WDR dome camera. With over 150 units between these two models on campus, they secure both general and niche-type areas. While camera placement is an important issue as direct sunlight can diminish the quality of the picture, both of these cameras excel based on the fact that they only require minimum light to function.

Attaching these cameras into a central control room is the DS-9016HFI-SH

embeddedhybrid DVR. The DS-9016HFI-SH offers the ability to record, and view, in real-time — but in both analogue and IP. Supporting up to 8 SATA hard disk drives, and up to 2TB each, has given the school "the ability to easily store HD video and quickly retrieve cannot be understated, most local manufactures cannot come close to matching Hikvision's storage space," said Khoo .

Ms. Khoo stated that she relied "on Hikvision's expertise in providing a unique security solution that fit our individual needs." The DS-6308DI Decoder Server complements this DVR as both an efficiency measure, and as a tool to improve security productivity. One of the main requirements was to boost the capacity of the number of cameras able to reach the guard house.

Additionally, if there is a power failure to the school — which periodically happens in Malaysia — the DS-6308DI will automatically reboot the security system with the programmed security settings. This saves the school and the security provider the trouble and inefficiency of reprogramming everything after each power outage.

From high technology to aesthetics: Hikvision ensures facilities such as the Prince of Wales Island International School a quality comprehensive solution that promises both efficiency and safety.

HD-SDI or Megapixel Network Camera?

Editor / Provider: Sunell | Updated: 5/4/2012 | Article type: China Corner

HD-SDI and megapixel network cameras are being widely debated among manufactures, end-users and media. However, which one will be more suitable for future video surveillance system as both HD-SDI and network camera can reach megapixel resolution, and both attract attention in the video surveillance market. This article is Sunell's opinion. The article will analyze and compare these two products from five different aspects, including, capability, performance, cost, ease of use and reliability.

Capability
Network camera can achieve video capturing, encoding, video stream network distribution and storage. Embedded Web browser features video applications and network camera, itself, even supports intelligent analytic functions.Consequently, network camera has all the core features of the video surveillance system. Therefore, theoretically, a video surveillance system can be constructed by only using the network cameras.

Some people might not agree with this: if the network camera can build the video surveillance system independently, what are NVR and VMS for? The reason of NVR's existence is due to storage capacity limitations of SD cards in network cameras, and potential risk of its data leakage. As capacity of the SD card keep increasing and network security technology continues to develop, there will be revolutionary changes of video storage in the future.

The VMS system's main function is to act as a centralized management for devices. This function can be distributed and deployed to network cameras, while CPU performance increases as well as the development of cloud computing technology. Therefore, network cameras are the core in the network-based video surveillance system.

On the other hand, the function of the HD-SDI camera is only video capturing, which is identical to the conventional analogue cameras, the only difference is the image resolution has improved from D1 resolution to megapixels. Hence, HD-SDI DVRs are crucial in the HD-SDI-based video surveillance system.

Performance
HD-SDI camera's advocates emphasize two points — image quality and latency of live video. As HD-SDI cameras' live video has not been encoded, the image quality is better than network cameras' in principle, but this is from a mathematical point of view. Due to the limitation of human eye to identify image details, there is almost no difference between megapixel network cameras and HD-SDI cameras.

As for latency of live video, it basically does not exist for HD-SDI cameras. While for network cameras, the theoretical latency of network cameras at 30fps is 140 milliseconds, and 60fps is only 70 milliseconds. However, in real applications latency of network cameras is normally more than one second because of unstable network. If network camera developers pay enough attention to this problem and can reach the theoretical minimum latency, then there is no difference between network cameras and SD-HDI cameras.

Cost
A transmitter module, which modulating megapixel digital video signals to HD-SDI signals, is needed in HD-SDI cameras, while HD-SDI DVR has a corresponding receiver module which demodulating HD-SDI signals to megapixel digital video signals. This is extra cost for HD-SDI system, but multiple HD-SDI cameras can share one video encoding chip of HD-SDI DVR, while every network camera needs an independent video encoding chip. If it is possible to lower costs of multiple channel megapixel video encoding chips, it will compensate the extra transmitter and receiver cost of HD-SDI systems.

At this moment, the cost of HD-SDI modulating chip and multiple channel megapixel video encoding chips are considerably high, which leads to a non-affordable HD-SDI system. On the contrary, the chip price is based on quantity. The camera which enjoys greater market share would be able to offer a lower price.

Ease of Use
A potential advantage of HD-SDI based video surveillance systems is that traditional surveillance systems can easily upgrade by replacing analogue cameras and DVRs with HD-SDI cameras and HD-SDI DVRs. However, the bandwidth of HD-SDI signal is far beyond the analog video signal. Therefore re-wiring may be needed if the current coaxial cable is not good enough. What kind of potential risk that this problem may cause is still uncertain.

The current society is an information society, all new buildings have considered a layout of information points, and it will become very easy to construct a network-based video surveillance system. HD-SDI advocates sometimes claim the traditional installers have no necessary expertise of IP system. Actually, it is not as hard as they think. A lot of IT providers are expanding to security industry, which will help conventional security system integrators on the network construction. With deeper convergence of video and end-users' information, the system integrators with IP network expertise would show its values.

Some people complain that configuration of network camera is complicated. It is not an inherent problem for network cameras. East of use is the key factor to IT products and it lies in software design. By optimizing the software, this issue can easily be solved.

Reliability
In a HD-SDI based system, it consists of a HD-SDI DVR and several cameras. However, a failed HD-SDI DVR will break down whole system. In a network-based system, every camera is regarded as an independent subsystem, which means network-based system provides higher reliability.

Conclusion
Some DVR manufacturers prefer to support HD-SDI cameras because they wish to maintain the existing DVR market share and product advantage. Those players from IT industry usually prefer network cameras because they expect to optimize their experience in the networking industry. Which is the future, network cameras or HD-SDI cameras? Sunell think it is not necessary to make any final conclusion. What we need to do is to have an open mind on both developments. By analyzing both advantages and disadvantages, we can have a better understanding of the video security market and can keep on providing customers with near-to-perfect video security solutions.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Albuquerque Enhanced Guest Safety With Avigilon Surveillance System

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 5/9/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Avigilon announced that the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque will deploy the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system. Known for its assortment of entertainment and gaming attractions, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque will use the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to ensure the security of guests at their hotel and 100,000 square foot casino.

“To ensure that our guests have the safest possible experience and we're getting the best return on investment we chose the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system,” said Michelle Jojola-Barwick, surveillance director at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque. “Not only will the Avigilon system provide our security personnel with best image quality to prevent potential security and liability issues, but with Avigilon we can also leverage our existing assets and minimize investigation time,” added David Schmidt, CCTV supervisor at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque has begun the migration path to full HD with an Avigilon end-to-end solution that provides a 70 percent annual reduction in power consumption. The system includes the Avigilon Control Center software, approximately 250 analog video encoders to enhance existing equipment, hundreds of high-definition cameras, multiple workstations and servers for up to 30 days of storage. Security operations at the casino will use the Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) with High-Definition Stream Management? (HDSM) technology to manage the system from their workstations. From there they will monitor gaming machines and tables, restaurants, entertainment venues, hotel public areas, parking lots and a variety of locations throughout the casino and resort. With the clarity of the Avigilon HD cameras, the casino can capture unsurpassed real-time and recorded detail at 30 images per second that meet regulatory standards. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque will also install Avigilon Network Video Recorders (NVRs) to store up to 30 days of continuous surveillance footage.

Home Security Market Boom Attracts New Players

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang | Updated: 5/10/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

- Video monitoring and home automation features will expand the market beyond traditional security by 2016
- New Vendors — telcos/ISPs/cable TV companies- join the home security market.
- The DIY surveillance camera market is forecast to reach roughly $1 billion by the end of 2012.

US households are paying $10 billion annually for home security services, according to a Parks Associates study, with about 20 percent of the total households covered by 2015. Value adds such as video monitoring and home automation features will expand the market by 30 percent beyond traditional security by 2016. The cable/ISP companies like Comcast, Rogers Communications, Time Warner Cable and Verizon Communication are now offering similar services to their subscribers.

Vendors welcome these new “players” — telcos/ISPs/cable TV companies — with open arms. “The convergence of nontraditional industries and brands into this space means more choices for consumers, greater availability through new channels, and better overall awareness,” said Zak Wood, Director of Global Marketing, Trendnet.

These new players help create more market needs as they promote their own monthly offerings very aggressively. “As these companies have a broader reach and are better equipped to communicate with home users, more people now know what is possible and how home solutions can help in day-to-day life,” said Simon Carr, Commercial Director for Y-Cam Solutions.

“Compared to working with traditional channel partners such as resellers/dealers and retailers, working with telcos/ISP/cable companies requires more finesse and customizations in order to be better bundled into their service offerings for mass viewers and subscribers,” Jason Yeh, PM at Micronet Communications said.

Homeowners now have more access to consumer surveillance cameras. “We work with online portals, but we also rely on the expertise of security integrators for providing installation services for certain residential units and SMBs,” Carr said. “We're also working with telcos/ISPs/cable companies to reach out to a wider audience, and partnering up and developing with other technology companies that provide solutions that surveillance can connect seamlessly to, be it home automation or NAS options.”

If possible, let end users experience the cameras themselves, Joseph Cheng, GM for China, Edimax Technology said. “Do some research through official and unofficial demos or forums beforehand. Users should find a good vendor who is willing to work with you and take some time to truly understand your requirements, and determine their own trade-offs when playing with and selecting cameras.”

Differentiation
Some network solution providers are entering the home and SMB market, offering DIY kits plus basic video/storage management software and cloud service. “Users can remotely watch video by logging into specific websites with corresponding passwords,” said Tom Shih, CTO of Planet Technology. Other users could rely on telcos/ISPs/cable providers for their hosted service offerings.

Breadth of solutions and responsiveness to market needs are also key differentiators, Wood added.

Moving Forward
The connected-home market is now evolving. “We've seen strong interest and noteworthy growth since early 2010. Across the markets where we sell our home security services, we estimate that we are second only to ADT in market share,” said Tim Thompson, VP of Telephony and Security Operations, Suddenlink.

Telcos/ISPs/cable companies are also making more waves in home security, offering DIY surveillance kits plus broadband subscriptions. One of their greatest advantages is their direct data pipeline. “Home networking and home surveillance could generate other promising opportunities,” Cheng said.

In order to stay in the game, security companies need to offer interactive security services before telcos/ISPs/cable companies take away all potentials. “You've got the top two cable companies in the U.S. offering a robust, interactive home security solution,” said Greg Roberts, VP of Marketing, iControl Networks. “It's critical that security companies adapt this technology to survive. Now!”

With increasing competition, traditional security channel players also need to adapt their mindset to cooperate with telcos/ISPs/ cable companies or provide even more customized home automation offerings.

The connected home is no longer just a concept. “We see substantial growth potential across all categories, and are projecting year-on-year growth of more than 50 percent for the next several years,” Wood said. “In the consumer segment, learning tools and consumer education will always remain key sales drivers.”

IP Video Providers Strengthen Professional Technical Support

Editor / Provider: The Editorial Team | Updated: 5/3/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

Many companies continue to achieve strong revenue growth with IP-based video surveillance systems and solutions. With great sales performance comes greater responsibility, however. Take Norbain, the largest distributor in the U.K. and one of the largest in Europe, for example. The company has adopted a tailored, charged approach to technical support, since late 2011, to ensure continued high levels of support and customer satisfaction in response to increasing complexity of security products and system configurations, which has “made it increasingly difficult to continue providing this level of support at no additional cost.”

“The help line aims to give customers the benefit of rapid access to technical support aligned to their individual business requirements,” said Keith Purvis,Operations Director for Norbain, in a prepared statement. The new, pay-as-you-go service model is applicable to all products that Norbain distributes, including its own brands. The company further bolsters IT channel support with newly hired divisional director and sales manager.

Soft Power
VMS developer Milestone Systems also hired a global support director, Michael Flanagan, to “scale out the company's support capability for its worldwide channel to provide more self sufficiency, flexibility and predictability.” The company's increasing number of installing partners around the globe has created demand for “flexible support options that are better tailored to each partner's various needs.”

One size does not fit all, Flanagan said. “The key is to deliver tiered levels of support that match the needs of each partner. More self-service resources will empower our partners to better help themselves and our customers. Cost-effective technical support offerings will also include priority queuing, committed response times and 24/7 capability. Clear, consistent and visible guidelines for global support availability will allow partners to optimally manage requirements and expectations. Open-platform IP video surveillance software is still a young market with enormous potential in the future, so the needs for technical support will constantly evolve.”

PSIM software developer CNL Software has also added new blood for partner network expansion and collaboration efforts outside its home market, the U.K., to “train, facilitate and support the company's growing partner ecosystem, which now includes technology, channel, service and development partners.” In one of its largest markets, the U.S., the company is now focused on accelerating knowledge transfer to partner companies, as 2011 saw significant increases in demand for PSIM software from safe cities, mass transit and critical infrastructure projects.

This has led CNL to create a number of strategic alliances and partnerships. The company's Americas president said in a prepared statement: “We've developed advanced training programs as well as development tools that facilitate our partners to do more of the product delivery and driver production, which are helping them commercialize our offerings. The recent addition of our Washington D.C. office will ensure that we are ideally situated to make this process as efficient as possible.”

For On-Net Surveillance Systems (OnSSI), training and education programs are offered throughout the U.S. year-round. Its channel partners are provided with the knowledge and skills to be able to install and support the company's software offerings, including full hands-on installation and configuration. Discounts are offered to “returning alumni” and specific vertical segments such as education.

Evolving Needs, Continuous Training
Run by a team of dedicated staff, Vivotek offers a training program, nicknamed Vivotek Warrior Academy, only to its official distributors to help turn their project FAEs into industry experts. “As the market of surveillance technology becomes increasingly competitive, we need to continuously sharpen our skills, refresh our knowledge and strengthen our networks in order to stay at the top of the industry,” the company said in a press release. The academy offers program participants the opportunity to meet other warriors, to share their project experiences throughout the world, and to transform these experiences into useful architecture and engineering guidelines.

In video storage, 3VR provides a platform for partners to differentiate their product and services, drive revenue and increase margins. Data integration modules and resources are made available for the company's partners to build differentiated service offerings — including enterprise servers, health checks and reporting — that result in recurring monthly revenue. The alliance program provides “the support and enablement partners need in bringing those services to market, driving true service differentiation and enhanced margins.” The partners portal's unique tools and resources also allow sales teams to focus on priority deals, expanding reach and capacity.

Surveillance solutions provider CBC is also making a significant investment in its international customer support operation throughout EMEA. The company's customer service manager said in a prepared statement: “We recognize the need to help customers in a practical way with telephone technical and operational support, site visits when required, and a high standard of workshop repair and equipment processing.” The expansion of CBC's customer support operation comes as the company introduces a variety of cost-effective systems. “We're improving our average workshop turnaround time from receipt of equipment, and ensuring that installers, system integrators, end users, consultants and other buyers receive the best possible help with all of their requirements, ranging from system quotations to order inquiries and technical questions.”

Making Good Video Storage Better

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 4/26/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

- The network is very key in delivering usable IP video.
- Working with an end user's IT department is pretty much a must.

To determine the ideal video recording and storage solution, the number of channels is not the only variable; it is just an approximate guide for computing and network requirements and solution design. Other factors include picture resolution, acceptable video compression, required frame rates, data traffic, network layout and single point of failure, said Stephan Beckmann, Video Product Marketing Manager for EMEA, American Dynamics (a Tyco Security Products company).

“One camera may deliver a small picture in a small resolution, low frame rate and some compression. That camera may give us a data stream of 20 Kbps,” Beckmann explained. “Now, a second camera, with a full HD resolution, a higher frame rate (say, at 25 fps) and low compression, can easily give us an 8-Mbps data stream. The system design has to focus on the expected amount of data delivered by the cameras.” Rather than trusting spec sheets, tests will help determine whether processors are actually able to handle the amount of data coming from cameras. “A system of 64 cameras can produce a 400-Mbps data stream that requires a very powerful hardware platform, and also some dedicated testing to see if the NVR really can process the data.”

The focus is usually on processing incoming streams of data when selecting or testing NVRs and servers. Since NVRs need to route data to other storage platforms, output processing power needs to be evaluated as well. “If the NVR can receive 50 Mbps from the cameras, can it also stream the same amount of data to the monitoring client?” Beckmann asked. “Some NVRs in the market are limited on the output side. You may have to use more NVR units because you have to deliver a certain amount of video to the clients.”

The NVRs or servers may be able to process, but then the network may not be able to send the data back to the storage network, said Tom Larson, Director of Global Accounts, BCDVideo. “The network is very key in delivering usable IP video — not so much on small jobs, but definitely on the larger-scale jobs. Larger scale means higher bandwidth requirements.”

As such, the significance of network management is now also on the rise: a camera network and an operational network. In some bigger projects, operational networks are split further into cameras and NVRs (front end) and NVRs and storage (back end), Beckmann said. “This approach has a few advantages: all cameras are protected in their own network; cameras and operational IT equipment cannot influence each other; IT maintenance on the operational network does not affect video recording; and as the NVR is the only gate into the camera network, user access management for video is simplified,” Beckmann said.

The operational/client network is sometimes shared with the end user's corporate network, if the end user requires the ability to go to any computer and pull up video. “You're taking up no bandwidth on that network, unless somebody goes to their computer and pulls up video,” Larson said. “It results in much better control on that corporate network.”

If the cameras are dispersed, the network environment may also be affected by the number and brands of switches in a network. “If you circle through many switches, your video information must be transmitted through many levels before it can reach your NVR,” said Andrew Yu, Security PM at Qnap Systems. In theory, routing through many switches is not a problem; in practice, many switches do not deliver the required performance. Especially when transmitting megapixel data, large data streams may yield lagged images rather than smooth streaming video.

Regardless, working with an end user's IT department is pretty much a must. Unknown factors on a corporate IT/IP network, including bandwidth, network topography and latency, could impact a surveillance system. “There are a lot of factors that the integrator doesn't control when the network is being used for other things,” Larson said. “When the network belongs to the IT department, the integrator can't just go in and fix it because it's not his network. This is where you might have problems: the IT/network guys can sometimes be uncooperative with security integrators.”

Common IP Video Storage Challenges

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 4/23/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

- An increase of channels just means an increase of NVRs.
- Multiple stand-alone NVRs are usually managed by embedded software.
- As the number of channels increases, client-server architecture may help manage more effectively.

When the number of channels increases — say, to 64 or hundreds of channels — the principles remain the same, but the architecture and implementation have to evolve.

One way is through stacking standalone NVRs: an increase of channels just means an increase of NVRs. Individual NVRs, added as needed, have the advantage of being close to the familiar DVR or VCR model that many security practitioners are used to, said Jeff Whitney, VP of Marketing at Intransa. Stacking NVRs is also less expensive, as NVRs often use older components and technologies. Sometimes, all you need is the simplicity of NVRs.

There are, however, other more efficient options. “With the current generation of specialized video processing hardware, there is no need for multiple processors in multiple NVRs,” said Jumbi Edulbehram, VP of Business Development, Next Level Security Systems. “Streaming video directly to storage can be more efficient.”

System architecture, on the other hand, can be more complicated. Servers with the needed amount of storage can be purchased with third-party VMS preloaded, offering the flexibility to add channels incrementally and decrease the number of appliances in the surveillance system. This flexibility, however, also means that installation is far more complicated than installation of multiple NVRs, as the number of architectural options also increases.

System Management
Multiple stand-alone NVRs are usually managed by embedded software. “All the vendor-specific features are integrated into one program,” said Aaron Yeh, Sales and Marketing Director for Surveon Technology. Control is from either one of the NVRs or from the overlaying software (similar to CMS).

“Like the DVRs they followed, they are individually managed systems,” Jeff Whitney, VP of Marketing at Intransa, explained further. “That means an operator is required to manually operate and maintain them, or at best run some basic overlaying software that allows them to switch between them.”

The overlaying software, or CMS, allows for easier and quicker management of multiple NVRs, many channels and different clients. “But there are some disadvantages,” Yeh said. “All video streams must go through the CMS client, which puts it at higher risk for single point of failure.”

As the number of channels increases, client-server architecture may help manage more effectively. Client-server architecture is found in some NVRs, and also found in servers and PCs plus VMS installations. Recording is controlled from a PC with client software; NVRs with client-server architecture or servers with VMS allow for more centralized management of recording storage. Client-server architecture is also better at accommodating multiple clients. “You can have multiple clients, and one recording server streams the video to different clients,” Yeh said.

Storage Distribution
When video is stored on intake NVRs, they are separate islands of information as storage is not shared, and it may be difficult to recall and manage video as you would like. This is similar to when information is stored separately on multiple servers or when DAS is added to NVRs or servers.

“If another NVR in the system has unused capacity, it is not simple to move the recording capacity to that system without at least shutting everything down and recabling,” Whitney said. “As such, groups of NVRs often experience some over utilizing and some underutilizing over time, wasting equipment resources and costing excess energy and environmental needs.”

In practice, resellers end up over provisioning each NVR, since the performance and capacity are limited to each box, said Lee Caswell, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Pivot3.

With higher camera counts, centralized storage becomes more efficient and a necessity. NAS, FC-SAN and IP-SAN all provide centralized, shared storage among different appliances on a network, like front-end servers or NVRs. “Storage can be in a centralized pool with multiple NVRs,” Yeh said. “The NVRs on the front end don't need any disks; all the NVRs will record their video to centralized storage. In this kind of architecture, the NVRs share the channel loading from all the cameras on the system.”

Any added storage is shared. “If a modular approach was used in place of standard NVRs, additional external storage modules could be plugged in as additional capacity was needed,” Whitney said. “That additional capacity could support multiple servers. So, less expensive servers, without internal storage, can be added for additional camera support.”

NAS has file-level transfer protocol, which results in slower, less efficient transfer of data. In video surveillance, this may cause a bottleneck in the system. There have been improvements made to NAS in recent years, but whether the NAS that users purchase makes use of these advancements is another issue.

SAN, with its more efficient block level transfer protocol, is more favored in recent years, especially with the budget-friendly alternative of IP-SAN that uses iSCSI. “In 2010, the use of IP- and FC-SANs began to impact video surveillance storage,” said Sam Grinter, Market Analyst at IMS Research, in a prepared statement. “Recording video surveillance data is very intensive on storage write cycles. SANs offer the benefit of using virtualized, pooled storage which has the advantage of increased performance over file-based storage systems, often characteristic in DAS or NAS systems.”

Energy Requirements
Energy consumption, cooling and rack space are often overlooked, and experienced integrators and IT personnel should be brought in to eschew system-level, overheating disasters, Law cautioned.

Differentiation Achieved by Technology Innovation

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai | Updated: 4/13/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

Given the gloomy economic climate, 2012 is still expected to be challenging. Some companies found there is still a need for innovation particularly during a recession. It is also a good time to differentiate business and products and to grow the brand. In the following, top IP players talk about how they keep investing in R&D to enhance their product differentiation.

IP cameras: Picture Resolution is still the key
Due to the increasing demand of IP products, IP cameras suppliers are expecting its high demands in the next few years. They focus on the techniques to achieve the high picture resolution under any circumstances, such as in a low light or strong light environment. Axis released a new and advanced “Lightfinder technology,” which delivers superior image reproduction in very poor light conditions. “The cameras, which are light sensitive, are ideal for users that need to see colors in poor light, both indoors and outdoors, in order to recognize and identify people, vehicles and incidents,” said Ray Mauritsson, CEO of Axis Communications.

“Avigilon's most important breakthrough and key differentiator is our High-Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology. HDSM preserves complete image integrity through visually loss-less compression while efficiently managing bandwidth and storage,” said Alexander Fernandes, CEO of Avigilon.

OPEN IP Video Management Platform
As IP video technology keeps improving, how to enable multiple cameras work in an open infrastructure is definitely a key. Milestone just released the new IP video management software with 64-bit recording servers to enable adding more cameras, multi-live streaming to define views according to different available bandwidths (good for mixed network connections) and extended edge storage retrieval functionality.

VMS Goes “PSIM-like” features & PSIM implementation
VMS vendors will look to further develop their offerings from pure-play VMS platforms to security management platforms. They have already sought to bridge the gap between supply and demand for situational awareness by implementing “PSIM-like” features in their platforms. IMS research predicts that 2012 will see an acceleration of this trend.

“PSIM as a vision is good for the industry. It sets the correct aspirational level for what users should expect from a security system. The reality today is that there is still a huge variety of proprietary interfaces amongst alarm, access control, building management and video systems. This makes commissioning a PSIM system complex, expensive and difficult to expand and maintain. None the less, many of the ideas from PSIM such as event escalation paths, logical analysis of multiple events and simple display of complex situations are applicable in today's VMS systems. Interoperability standards for security equipment such as ONVIF and OPC will also help with the development of PSIM,” said Marcus Kneen, CEO, IndigoVision.

NICE has implemented PSIM deployments globally. One example in Asia Pacific is with Delhi Police which selected NICE to Enhance Safety at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. NICE's situation management solution offers broad interoperability with many third party solutions for video analytics, video surveillance systems, Tetra(Terrestrial Trunked Radio) IP network for public safety, and GIS, among others. This approach delivers a single, holistic operational view and enhances real-time response by automating procedures, as well as information sharing. The NICE solution also enables comprehensive debriefing by full reconstruction of an event and response to it, leveraging NICE Inform incident information management solution and NICE screen encoders for screen capture of the command and control room's inputs during security events.

Video Analytics Brings Business Intelligence
IMS research also predicts that in the coming years, Video analytics that can be performed at the edge on the device's main processor will increase. This will mainly be driven by the availability of more powerful processors and partly by the refinement of VCA applications to make them less processor-intensive.

Vivotek mentioned how video analytics is adopted in their future IP cameras to make the product differentiation. “The main driver is still the migration from analogue to digital. When a camera goes digital, it would be able to serve as a central management system, monitoring and performing video analysis. Now an IP camera has a very powerful processor. IP cameras can do much more than just surveillance. IP cameras now can perform video content analysis. For example, there is now technology available on IP cameras capable of detecting and differentiating the gender of the person identified in the footage. There is a driving force to add on more business intelligence to IP cameras, which can be tailored to a specific vertical market in order to provide a more complete solution to the buyers,” said William Ku, Director of Brand Business Division of Vivotek.

One success story is the Nice IP-based Video Security Solution with Real-time Analytics implemented for China's Tianjin Metro. This solution has helped reduce safety risks and operational bottle-necks and expands footprint of NICE security solutions in China for securing mass transit passengers, following success of eight prior deployments. This resulting increase in situational awareness will help to mitigate risks, enhance passenger safety and better protect metro assets. The solution will also enable the metro's security personnel to keep track of the number of people at multiple entries and exits. This trend analysis capability provides business insight that can be utilized to enhance commuter service levels.

Remote Access Control via Mobile Devices
For an access control system, IP technology makes it easily integrate with other systems to add on more extra business beyond just the access control. CDVI has a series of web-based (on-line) access control management system, enabling the security and management at one or several sites, remotely or locally. “Through the innovative embedded web server, users can do tasks like; user/card management, lock/unlock doors instantly, and view system events, from any place in the world. The embedded web server provides instant results using any recent web browser, smart phone or tablet,” said David Benhammou, CEO of CDVI.

These systems integrate the backup of events, such as status of doors, authorized or denied surveillance, intruder alarms, payment management software, additional database, lifts and parking management. Benhammou expects this product could generate more business value, apart from surveillance. It tends to be adopted more in some developed markets too.

When IP Continues to Boom, Education Converges Channels

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai | Updated: 4/12/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

- Partners should have the knowledge or skill set to support network solution. Otherwise, it might result in low-margin business.
- The product should be carefully designed to simplify installation, which eases the learning curves for distribution partners.
-The better the network skill and knowledge of the integrator/installer, the more successful is the implementation of the project.

IP continues to boom, and channels will be affected, as more try to understand IP and join the movement. Over these years, we can clearly see the migration from analogue to IP-based technology. It also affects the product's distributing channel. Traditional security distributors take on network equipment product lines and hiring in expertise in network field. Traditional network distributors are taking in security product lines and expertise.

Network video channels have been tricky to navigate in recent years, as traditional distributors may not understand IP issues. IT resellers may know about networking, but lack security experience. Training and education are continued efforts for the convergence of security and IT channels.

All about IP
Professional networking know-how is the key. Partners should have the knowledge or skill set to support network solution. Otherwise, it might result in low-margin business. Take IP cameras. “Sales Revenues of IP cameras have overtaken analogue cameras. However, analogue cameras still win by the sales quantity. Analogue product sells like a consumer product, which always exists in the low-end and price-sensitive markets. The existing routes of selling analogue products are likely to need to undergo certain changes in the future in order to stand out from the routes of selling IP-based products,” said William Ku, Director of Brand Business Division of Vivotek.

Product Design to Simplify Installation
The product should be carefully designed to simplify installation, which eases the learning curves for distribution partners. “The security installations of end customers should be at the cutting edge,” is highlighted by Ray Mauritsson, CEO, Axis Communications. To bridge the technology gap between analogue and IP takes continued investment of R&D and also partners with different expertise, by strategic alliance and corporate acquisitions. “Avigilon is different than most companies. We are a technology company with security expertise. Working directly with our partners to design systems help fill knowledge gaps. Since our staff wears both hats, technology and security expertise, we're able to pass on that knowledge to resellers and end-users so they have a system that captures the highest quality images with low bandwidth and storage,” said Alexander Fernandes, CEO of Avigilon.

Tailored Training Program
Now some traditional security players pick up IP knowledge very fast. In the market, they are seeing the convergence of IP and traditional security sales channels due to the continued training and education. Axis started its partner training program in 2005 and more than 25,000 participants have been trained. “Apart from offering a base choice of programs and an advanced choice, Axis can tailor training programs for larger customer segments, among others. During 2012, strong focus is being placed on offering more diversified training programs that meet the new needs in the market,” said Mauritsson.

“The better the network skill and knowledge of the integrator/installer, the more successful is the implementation of the project. - This is something we have often observed in the past. And, precisely because network (IT) skills seem to be especially crucial in delivering successful projects, we have added special training courses in this field to those we offer at our Geutebruck Academy,” said Katharina Geutebruck, CEO, Geutebruck.

Value Selling
Some companies started to focus on in-depth training toward IP technology and how it turns to business value. Milestone together with Connex International, Inc., to create a visionary training initiative for the company's global network of authorized partners: an in-depth course on Value Selling. It makes up the ‘backbone' of knowledge that is important for understanding both the IT and traditional physical security perspectives. “Attendees learn how to apply Value Selling practices by going through real-world sales situations so they can create consistency in the sales process, to develop a sales/coaching culture and to model sales skills that bring success,” Lars Thinggaard, CEO, Milestone Systems.

“Milestone sees more ‘green fields' or brand-new implementation projects – those being built from the ground up for new sites, new buildings or wings – choosing to go all IP with open platforms and comprehensive features. They are putting in the latest in IT networks and understand the value of distributed architecture with central management and remote/mobile access flexibility, standard equipment (as opposed to proprietary) cost efficiency, and future-proof scalability with integrations to other systems.”

Overall IP-based Security Solution Benefits
IndigoVision has seen a huge leap forward in the knowledge and understanding of IP amongst their partners and end users over the past few years. “In the early days we had to train our partners in basic IP and networking. Nowadays, successful partners will have a strong relationship with a network provider who will advise them on network design for specific tenders. Many of our top partners have such networking expertise in house, for example having Cisco qualified members of staff. Previously our sales team would spend significant effort explaining the general benefits of IP before going on to the specific benefits of our solution. Today we can begin the sales process at a much higher level focusing on security benefits. The need, costs and benefits, of a suitable network is understood by the customer,” Marcus Kneen, CEO, IndigoVision.

Avigilon also highlights benefits IT resellers and customers get when using Avigilon solutions.“Our training and education efforts are focused on the benefits IT resellers and customers' get when using Avigilon's solutions. As an industry-leader in high-definition video surveillance we provide free education through formalized training programs, webinars, support documentation and writing articles in industry magazines. This helps our partners and distributors gain networking knowledge and facilitate conversations with IT departments when planning security projects,” said Fernandes.