Whole-scene imaging
Video surveillance has made strides in imaging, enabling operators to see more detail than ever. For whole-scene imaging, Axis Communications offered a camera combining fisheye and megapixel lenses. While the fisheye image remains unwarped, it lets operators identify regions of interest to zoom in on with the megapixel lens for added detail.
Megapixel cameras reached double-digit counts, including Arecont Vision's 20-megapixel model combining four 5-megapixel cameras. Dallmeier electronic's Panomera was even more impressive, combining 12 lenses for up to 51 megapixels of detail. Its unique lens is designed to keep the foreground and background equally sharp, regardless of where operators look in the scene. These big-picture solutions enable effective wide-area monitoring, indicating a significant product trend.
ImmerVision offers a patented panomorph lens and dewarping technology, intended to overcome imaging flaws in fisheye lenses. By maintaining crisp images with no blur at the edges, it certifies lens suppliers, camera manufacturers and software providers that pass its testing process. Once a lens is certified, it can work with any camera or software platform that supports the ImmerVision panomorph technology for comprehensive overhead viewing.
Software Platforms Must Capture Market Share Early
VMS is still in the infancy of its life cycle, requiring continued market education. While there are countless software providers, competition is less of an issue compared to information, as companies struggle to increase market share.
Physical security is relatively conservative, making it harder to develop VMS. New developments are eyed suspiciously and users generally ask for case studies before they are willing to deploy a solution. “What we typically see is that is takes more than six months for really new things to take off,” said Jukka Riivari, CEO of Mirasys. “This whole market is still immature. We're in a stage of consolidation.”
As standards take hold for video surveillance products, VMS vendors are also moving from proprietary solutions to open ones. “We spent three years opening up our system and now we can integrate with anyone,” said Oliver Vellacott, CEO of IndigoVision. “We realize people need choice and we can't do everything ourselves. Our strategy is to move toward PSIM, bit by bit. PSIM is all about dragging in huge amounts of data and combining it with video to make decisions.”
Some vendors stake their reputation on openness. “A real element that defines this market is we're independent,” said Darren Chalmers-Stevens, Director of Europe, VidSys. “We're not a threat to video surveillance or access control companies.”
The PSIM model offers better use of existing systems, effective corporate governance and situational awareness. “People can see and analyze unlike before,” Chalmers-Stevens said. “It has the five key principles: Collect, analyze, verification, resolution and reporting. That's the ability for people to add real value.” More VMS platforms are accommodating access control management software for increased openness. “People are starting to understand and adapt open access control architecture,” said Michael Chalouhi, Director of Product Management for Genetec. “People can migrate to a better system without throwing everything away.”
However, the access control industry is mostly proprietary. “I would throw down a challenge to those guys: We're open, why aren't you?” Vellacott said. “They like having proprietary solutions they lock the customer into. If the industry really had a choice, they'd go the same route as us.”
Openness has extended to audio, with IP communications provider Barix offering a two-way audio solution integrated with video. IP standards make such integrations more effective.