More and more manufacturers are investing handsomely in HD-SDI cameras, SDI DVRs, and peripheral products. However, installers and users may not fully understand these new technologies and applications. The following sections shed light on real-life applications in traffic monitoring and banking.
More and more manufacturers are investing handsomely in HD-SDI cameras, SDI DVRs, and peripheral products. However, installers and users may not fully understand these new technologies and applications. The following sections shed light on real-life applications in traffic monitoring and banking.
Traffic monitoring is 1 of the first applications where HD-SDI solutions are deployed. Take road traffic monitoring for example, crucial challenges include day-and-night surveillance, snap shots of moving objects of various speeds, detailed identification of targets, longer distance transmission, and high density of monitoring spots. HD-SDI solutions are right there to satisfy such needs.
Traffic monitoring
In the past, 4 to 8 analog cameras might be required on the side of the road in order to have “full” coverage. With HD images brought by HD-SDI cameras, end-users can save 50 % of analog cameras deployed. In addition, road toll stations used to need at least 3 cameras to monitor license plates, vehicle models, and driver images. However, these workloads can be done with just 1 HD-SDI camera. Furthermore, these HD images can be integrated with toll gate transaction records.
Data Transmission on highways
Data transmission infrastructure on highways was mainly built with fiber optic devices. Hence, regardless of the kind of existing infrastructure, front-end products can be switched to HD-SDI cameras, and incorporate HD-SDI video servers to convert signals into TCP/IP-enabled signals. The network-enabled HD-SDI solutions fit well for transmission over long distances via fiber optic transceivers.
Alternatively, installers can directly replace IP-enabled fiber optic transceivers with those models supporting HD-SDI conversion, which send signals from HD-SDI cameras to the back-end and generate restored real-time HD-SDI signals to be sent to DVRs, matrix switchers, or a multiple screen wall.
Back-End Control
In network surveillance or traditional matrix systems, monitoring signals are sent bit by bit back to the monitoring center. Those signal terminals could be DVRs/NVRs with network switchers or routers. For analog signals, they are output from fiber optic transceivers and directly sent to video matrix switchers for distribution or management.
If installers are keen to use HD-SDI products at the back-end of the existing IP-based infrastructure, they just need to direct the original video data from IP-enabled fiber optic transceivers to the existing network paths without rewiring. On the other hand, if installers want to restore signals to HD-SDI signals, they have to adopt HD-SDI video servers then. This way, the restored SDI signals can be directed to multiple monitors.
However, it is yet to be confirmed if those SDI signals transmitted over networks suffer any latency or reduced resolutions. It is also unclear if those signals sent back to HD-SDI DVRs are collected as TCP/IP-enabled signals by monitoring platforms can be restored as intact as the original HD-SDI uncompressed signals. Even with the uncertainties, video signal rendering, processing, and storing are more beneficial and cost-efficient in SDI traffic monitoring surveillance applications.
Financial Applications
The banking sector has requirements for HD-SDI solutions. Banking locations require day-and-night surveillance operations, specified position monitoring, local short distance transmission, and seamless and detailed rendition.
Indoor and Outdoor HD-SDI Cameras
Traditionally, cameras in a bank need to cover areas including tellers' counters, vaults, business areas, entrances, exits, and ATMs. Since the cash transactions are dealt with at the counters and must be monitored with great attention, there must be at least 1 camera above each teller. Specific counters with frequent cash transactions require 2 to 4 groups of cameras to monitor, not to mention waiting areas, entrances, exits. In total, a bank will deploy an average of 30 cameras inside and outside of a bank, not to mention those for ATMs.
HD-SDI cameras can not only save 40 to 50 % of analog cameras in banks to achieve better coverage, but also offer greater image details – license plates of vehicles parked nearby and their models can be captured without a sweat.
Transmission in Banks
Surveillance in a bank tends to be a closed environment with closed transmission architecture, suitable for either IP systems or coaxial infrastructure. However, banks usually are largely deployed with analog systems. Therefore, taking advantage of existing infrastructure and upgrading to HD-SDI solutions would be more cost-efficient than migrating to IP solutions. For remote monitoring and management, 1 can always use HD-SDI DVRs supporting TCP/IP connections.
Storage and Management
In the past, surveillance systems have utilized DVRs and disk arrays for storage. Signals are sent 1 bit at a time back to DVRs, making DVRs the core of security systems. HD-SDI DVRs allow the architecture remain intact. With the advantages of latency-free and intact video data, HD-SDI solutions suit perfectly for bank surveillance.
More Than Meets the Eye
Innovations HD-SDI solutions have proved to be good alternatives for users and installers wishing to obtain HD in IP-challenged environments. In addition, the easy transition from analog to HD-SDI is definitely a plus for cost-effective upgrades.
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