According to Sensormatic's Brian Hill, analogue video recording and storage devices are on their way out.
Analogue time lapse VCR's (TLVCR) have been with us for some time, but have had their inherent problems. These are constant maintenance of heads, replacement of tapes and other mechanical failures.
Other problems associated with analogue systems are the reviewing of the tapes. Looking for an incident that occurred a couple of days previously can be very time consuming with the operator having to review a number tapes and even then may miss seeing the event.
The new buzzword in the market place is digital. We have already seen the move from analogue to digital in the domestic market with the release of DVD players, CD's etc. The digital trend has found its way into the security market with more and more applications calling for secure, reliable digital recording and storage.
What to look for
A number of factors need to be looked at before purchasing digital recorders. Firstly the storage capability of the unit, compression ratio and format as well as the security of the information stored on the units. It is no use having a digital recorder if the information can be altered with any PC based program.
Recording duration is based on disk capacity (in gigabytes), image capture rate, resolution and compression techniques.
Efficient compression increases recording density allowing more images to be stored on a disk therefore recording duration increases for the same capture rate.
Sensormatic will shortly be adding the feature rich Integra to its stable of digital recording and storage equipment. The Integra will compliment the Intellex, which has been met with great success in the South African industrial market.
The Integra is designed to replace the analogue TLVCR that CCTV systems have traditionally used. In place of the traditional cassette, the Integra stores video to a removable optical disk. This eliminates the problems of tape and headwear. Digital optical media delivers consistent quality and can be reused hundreds, even thousands of times. There are no dirty heads and transport worries with digital optical media.
Not only is DVD better quality, but it is 60% smaller than the standard VHS cassette allowing easier storage management.
The Integra has unsurpassed resolution of 650 TV lines in both colour and monochrome allowing for precise identification of faces, license plates, etc.
As to security, the Integra uses a proprietary file format that ensures tamper proof evidence. A multi media PC software will be available for the viewing, saving and printing of images.
Further features of the Integra include RS-232 remote control, continuous recording, auto cueing, instant alarm and review to name but a few.
The Integra is due for release to the market later in the year and will undoubtedly take its place amongst the best the market has to offer.
For further information contact Brian Hill on (011) 466-0190.
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