ITE Technologies, an experienced IC design company, launched ccHDtv, an HD-over-coaxial solution, featuring high-bandwidth transmission in 2011. This January, ITE also founded the ccHDtv Alliance, which includes multiple camera and DVR manufacturers from Taiwan and is ready for its next step in global market expansion.
4K resolution video coupled with advanced analytics is more than just buzz words — it will eventually become a future standard for security. In the meantime, thanks to the increasing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) in different industries, more and more high-quality video will be put on the Internet. Then, data storage and transmissions will soon become a major issue for a video surveillance system. H.Y. Lin, President of ITE Technologies, a well-known IC design company and the solution provider of ccHDtv, further emphasized, “The solution which is able to stand out in transmission technologies will define the best video surveillance system in the future.”
The company, therefore, invented the ccHDtv solution to address future transmission problems in a video surveillance system. ccHDtv is an industry-first, pure digital HD video surveillance solution, based on DTV (Digital TV) technology, and is able to transmit video and audio data over coaxial cables. ccHDtv leverages the AV transmission capability of DTV technology, featuring high noise resistance and high bandwidth, so it can easily overcome some common transmission challenges of current IP video surveillance and analog technologies.
Unique Transmission Technologies
What makes ccHDtv unique is its “transmission technology,” according to Lin. Based on DTV technology, ccHDtv uses COFDM and radio frequency (RF) transmission technologies, which bring many benefits to the whole system, such as high noise resistance and bandwidth. He further explained that current IP video surveillance system use TCP/IP transmission technologies to transmit digital signals over Ethernet cables. Therefore, an IP video surveillance system usually has image latency problems. It goes without saying that these problems might get worse when transmitting 4K video. However, ccHDtv is different from IP because of the COFDM and RF transmission technologies, which are able to provide high bandwidth at 31.6Mb/s per channel. Using one single coaxial cable, ccHDtv can connect 16 to 32 cameras in total and transmit signals between 500 meters and one kilometer without using amplifiers or repeaters. Most importantly, “ccHDtv is the one of the kind solution that can transmit 4K video simultaneously via multiple channels,” Lin highlighted.
Furthermore, because ccHDtv is a pure digital HD technology it can deliver superior image quality and high noise resistance, regardless of the quality of coaxial cables and the limitation of a 200-meter transmission distance, compared to other HD-over-coax solutions. Because most HD-over-coaxial technologies are analog based, they might encounter problems with bad image quality as the legacy coaxial cables age or image distortion when transmitting more than 200 meters, according to Lin. He also noted that re-cabling may cause hefty fees and problems in public safety, so users of HD analog products might need to take precautions of its future expansion. Instead, ccHDtv gives users ease of mind in the usage of coaxial cables.
Flexibility and Cost Effectiveness for Project Implementation
Due to ccHDtv's unique transmission technologies and the above-mentioned advantages, ccHDtv is suitable for middle- to large-scale projects. Lin further explained, “For a new-installation project, we hope to provide an alternative digital solution, besides IP. What ccHDtv focuses on is the project within eight to 16 cameras. In such a project scale, using ccHDtv system is very cost-effective in terms of the total cost of ownership, compared with using a total IP video surveillance system.” Again, using one single coaxial cable to connect multiple cameras saves high cost in cabling, and could be even more beneficial to a retrofit project, too.
On the other hand, ccHDtv could also be a complement for an existing IP video surveillance project too. According to the company, if the end users would like to expand their installation base, they can choose the ccHDtv solution. By using a ccHDtv ONVIF-compatible gateway, it can connect to their existing back-end IP systems, such as NVRs or CMS systems. “From our company's point of view, the system which utilizes both IP and ccHDtv technologies should be regarded as the most robust surveillance system. We should not put everything on the Internet, since it might cause problems in transmission and also bring future cyber security concerns. With this system, we provide a new concept of ‘IoT' and guarantee high performance and efficiency for a video surveillance system,” Lin explained.
Unique Selling Propositions for Projects
ccHDtv provides the security industry an alternative HD video surveillance solution, in addition to IP and analog technologies. However, what might intrigue systems integrators and installers the most might be its business potential. Lin explained that the security industry is now facing a major problem due to product standardization, which results in price competition and then low profit margin, even though the global market demand for security products is still increasing every year. In light of that, “since ccHDtv is so unique in its transmission technologies, we [ITE] ensure ccHDtv can provide systems integrators unique technologies for a project and most importantly, good profit margin,” said Lin.
In addition, particularly for some traditional “CCTV” installers, ccHDtv makes it very easy to install a camera without complex set-up procedures and cabling. So, even for an installer, who doesn't know much about network, they can still easily install ccHDtv products. “ccHDtv is a DTV technology, so it is very similar to a plug-and-play solution and provides a very flexible and cost-effective method to deploy a video surveillance system, which totally changes the mind-set of current project installation,” Lin emphasized.
This year, ccHDtv products are ready for market, with cameras, DVRs, gateways, and other accessories. “We will start the international marketing this year, targeting European market and then U.S., and Japan, who are the early adopters of DTV technologies in the world. We think those countries have a better understanding about DTV; therefore, ccHDtv would have a better opportunity there,” he added.
What Kinds of Projects Need ccHDtv Only?
ccHDtv can be the only solution in some special occasions. For example, “If you want to have over 16 daisy-chain surveillance cameras on one coaxial cable, ccHDtv is the only solution. If you have a coaxial cable that is over 1,000-meters ....... Read On