With so many eyes (surveillance cameras) out in the field, how can one ensure that everything is up and running, and that the system is producing viable results? Quality assurance or health check measures are now available for video surveillance systems, offering objective data 24/7 on how good or usable recorded images or video clips are while keeping the operator and other stakeholders informed of any system failure.
With so many eyes (surveillance cameras) out in the field, how can one ensure that everything is up and running, and that the system is producing viable results? Quality assurance or health check measures are now available for video surveillance systems, offering objective data 24/7 on how good or usable recorded images or video clips are while keeping the operator and other stakeholders informed of any system failure.
How do you measure a video surveillance system's effectiveness? Oftentimes, the focus is on product specs or system functionality, subjecting image or video quality to nonquantifiable, occasional eyeball checks or glances. There is indeed a growing need in the marketplace, as numbers of channels increase exponentially, for a better way to measure and record actual quality, system health or internal/external factors that impact what is recorded and displayed.
As a result, video quality verification software (VQVS) packages, which help collect video signals and system data transmitted back from the cameras or other devices to benchmark image quality and/or system uptime, have become increasingly popular. a&s looks into this unique, emerging product category and provides some usage guidelines.
With so many eyes (surveillance cameras) out in the field, how can one ensure that everything is up and running, and that the system is producing viable results? Quality assurance or health check measures are now available for video surveillance systems, offering objective data 24/7 on how good or usable recorded images or video clips are while keeping the operator and other stakeholders informed of any system failure.
Why VQVS?
Through electronics' voltage variances or the final image from a typical video transmission, VQVS generates a report after running the information through algorithms or combining figures from specified benchmarks. Complementary to any video surveillance system, it does not actively run on the surveillance system and only goes to work when requested/operated upon. VQVS can exist either as embedded software or as bundled system architecture.
Several user scenarios could illustrate the significance and usefulness of VQVS. One typical example is a project with cameras at one site connected to a central monitoring station at another location. Should a camera suddenly lose image input signals, the operator in the control room would not be able to determine immediately what happened to the camera — or it could be anything between the camera and the control room — and rectify it accordingly. The old way would require dispatching a technician to check on the camera, and then the entire system if it is not the front-end device that is at fault. Without knowing the camera's or system's exact problem(s), the operator or technician may need to make multiple trips between the camera site and the control room before resolving the issue(s).
If image/device signal strength can be tested remotely and regularly (or even round-the-clock), the operator could preempt most system failures or minimize downtime with each repair/replacement. Such diagnostics, enabled by VQVS, allow for better service provisioning and allocations of resources/personnel.
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It can be resource-consuming to pinpoint problems associated with grainy or no video.
How to Use
VQVS has a wide range of features suited for many applications. The size of the application dictates whether VQVS is really needed. A small mom-and-pop shop project will not need advanced network management; on the other hand, the greater control offered by VQVS is suitable for a large, interconnected surveillance deployment at multiple sites, as distributed architecture does introduce more challenges for control and maintenance, or points of failure.
Critical surveillance applications that cannot afford any system downtime, such as casinos, banks, utilities or even high-tech product facilities, would particularly benefit from what VQVS has to offer, quickly preempting/pinpoint problems or switching over to backup devices and driving forth necessary replacements/upgrades. This allows for constant monitoring without any interruption to service, operation and security.
Large surveillance projects usually have several distributed substations/control sites. With a higher count of edge devices, many video commands that are faulty might be overlooked or ignored, as it could be impossible to find who or what is responsible for a signal loss or failure. Embedded VQVS allows the video surveillance system to self-identify where failures occur in real time, so the authorized operator on-site can address problems or call for help/backup efficiently. While certain issues may not be properly flagged or interpreted, the ultimate purpose is to obtain the best image quality possible and maintain system uptime/reliability.
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Common Camera Failures
- Stained lens
- Lens iris failure
- Lens focus failure
- Unauthorized camera/lens turn
- Power loss or failure
- Camera circuit damage
- Camera connection failure or loosening
Common DVR/NVR/Server Failures
- Insufficient hard-disk drive (HDD) storage space
- Ventilation fan failure
- Poor HDD ventilation
- CPU failure from insufficient ventilation
- Excessive HDD vibration
- Read/write head failure
- Improper HDD sector placement
- Signal convertor failure
- Improper hardware configurations
Common Management Platform Failures
- CPU database overflow
- Software bugs
- Runtime error
- SDK/API bugs
- Network crash
How to Select
VQVS can be classified as three types. The first is a processor-level health check that examines the system. The second is a front-end embedded image quality analysis, or intelligent video software (IVS)/video content analytics (VCA) check. The third type is a video check by signal quality and status monitoring. Each type has multiple vendors available, offering valuable diagnostic tools that can be operated based on user environments.
Processor-Level Health Check
System health monitoring can start from the equipment's CPUs, collating data from each part of the system into a health report. This type of system check offers the unique ability to remotely diagnose issues from the core, recording and addressing connection issues, camera failures, HDD failures, recording issues, and time and date discrepancies.
IVS/VCA Image Check
This type of embedded software detection can determine and send out an alert if a video camera scene has deviated from typical “appearances.” The technology can learn to distinguish deliberately caused events, such as lens occlusion, out-of-focus lenses or cameras being turned, and will sound an alarm. IVS/VCA VQVS uses analytic algorithms to detect changes in the monitored environment and automatically reports deliberate tampering, enabling the operator to identify and correct problems quickly. Along with detecting actual camera events, this type of VQVS can prevent false alarms caused by lights being switched off or people gathering in large groups.
Video/System Signal Check
This type of VQVS diagnoses equipment/system health by measuring signal voltages/currents/degradations, electrical impedances, network data and system status reports. When combined with the other two checks, improvements can be made in terms of image sharpening and still-image processing, ultimately minimizing noise and maximizing video usability.
Vidoe Quality Verification Comparison Table
