The only problem with writing an article about what is new in digital CCTV is that there is usually very little that is new, let alone exciting, to write about. That is unless you want to hear about the latest and greatest in digital recorders, and frankly, I have had enough of that one for a while ... at least as a solo subject. However, this past six months or so has proven to be the launch pad for several new and innovated digital CCTV wonders. It is also looking to be a ramp for the next wave.
Finally, we are going back to basics and seeing some really cool stuff. Bottom line, the advancements of technology have been absolutely mind boggling. Thanks to digital being the base, the ability to manipulate and process a video image is huge. Better yet, we are at last seeing the types of enhancements that used to be too scarce and expensive to take advantage of.
So where do we start? Let us go to the various new wireless applications and work out. WiFi, Bluetooth and 82.11 have all entered into the CCTV arena. Short range, wide spread antenna systems are fully engulfing buildings, campuses and factories. I was just reviewing a system where a Motorola 'Canopy' was installed in such a way as to fully engulf a one square mile site - both inside and out. Although originally designed for data and communication systems, the multiple antenna, wide area coverage systems are fast being adapted to video, at least digital video. And the potentials for digital video under these umbrella systems is almost endless. It has literally opened the door for true plug-and-play attitude with both IP and analog cameras. Find a view that you want and go to work. First, locate or add a small power supply (UPS or solar backup optional and realistic for today's cameras). Second, install an IP camera with a transmitter or install an analog camera with a high speed digital converter and transmitter or install either analog or digital on a Cat#5 cable to a hub and transmitter. Third, pull out your Bluetooth- or WiFi-ready PDA, laptop or tablet computer, or go back to the central computer system and program the features that you want. Totally amazing, the entire camera, fire, burglar, access control system, data processing and much, much more is now working on a single site.
Talk about a tool for the security group ... imagine your patrols working at any point of your property when the alarm comes in. Motion detected in the back area, supported with a dual action fence alarm. Instead of waiting for instructions and/or running blindly into unknown scenarios, your security force pulls out their PDAs or tablets and views the alarm area with complete control over the image and all pan/tilt and zoom functions.
What is new
Granted, you still have the age old problems related to transmission speed and overall bandwidth, but even that is becoming extremely manageable, which brings us to the next spot of new:
High definition, low bandwidth impact, mega-pixel IP cameras. Talk about dreams coming true in a mouthful. These cameras are what dreams are made of. Reach out, using one IP megapixel camera to three analog CCDs and your area is covered. Not just covered with low resolution images, but high quality, expandable images. Stuff that court cases are made of. Imagine storing an image with one to five times the amount of resolution of a VHS playback at an equal or smaller bandwidth. Imagine producing several small, concentrated images from a single large one, each with its own criteria, triggers and general options. Imagine creating one large moving image that several individuals could be viewing, manipulating and working with, simultaneously and independently from the same recording, without any knowledge of the others. This is fairly new (to us) and very hot!
From here we stretch into digital pan/tilt and zoom (DPTZ). No moving parts. No stops or fixed locks - either electronic, mechanical or manual - to set. One image, digitally manipulated to give the illusion of pan/tilt and/or zoom. What a hoot. One less thing to break down or require regular service. If this puppy stops working, reboot. Still, we look to the continued growth and expansion of the IP camera lines and the software interface programs that go with them. We are no longer letting the tail wag the dog. We are taking control over our images and we are seeing some really good stuff. Things like, built in multiple transmission methods. One camera, several outputs; BNC for analog; Ethernet for Category 5 LAN systems; WiFi for short range digital transmission systems ... all built in and all operative at the same time.
The absolute latest outflow of technology from the IP world is called 'Light Grabbing'. IP mega-pixel cameras have not, as a rule, been well established as lower light level units. However, this too is becoming a statement of the past as the ability to digitally enhance the sensitivity of a unit in realtime becomes a new statement of standard. Lastly, from the IP camera world comes several different software packages, provided by the different manufacturers to help you calculate the requirements of an IP system. Most of these programs are based on the individual manufacturer's equipment, but they can still prove very helpful just the same. One such system by AXIS Communications not only calculates needed bandwidth for transmission, but gives a visual playback of a live image at different frame rates so that the designer can make some competent decisions about what will or will not be acceptable at their site. Move over Einstein, the tools that we have today are even making me look good.
Continuing with the camera craze, we are blessed from two directions with the same outcome. 360° view imaging. I say two directions because we have a new lens on the market that looks like a tornado mirror in a glass tube. Put it on a camera and you have a 360° view of an area. Add a sorting software and the image flattens out and goes panoramic. Very cool. The second method, for the same result, however, is in the camera as well as the lens. This new Sony camera is very hot - not only will it give you a 360° view, but you can mount it on a ceiling or a table top, dependent upon the perspective that you are trying to view. This unit, although still a medium to low resolution unit, will take the image and break it into sections (for quad or eight-Plex viewing) or provide a full, visually perspective panoramic view. Very classy for everything from office video conferencing to riot vehicle monitoring. I leave everything in-between to you all with the imaginations.
Sensational software
Where would the new and the sassy be without the mention of many of the new and exciting software enhancements found in today's market? Stuff like 'Privacy Blocking'. I know, we have been able to block out portions of an image for a very long time. However, with the new stuff on the block, not only can you block out portions of the image during review and/or recording, but you can (provided you have the password) remove the blocking after recording to verify the action behind the block. What is really hot is that this is 'Black Box' technology and so can be added to either analog or IP systems.
Facial recognition is still working in the background to increase the speed of the process. Is it hot and still considered new? Yes! Very hot, but slow. Overall, the average system still requires an individual to hold still or at least steady for three to seven seconds. Not bad if you have a slow entry port. However, high traffic areas are not yet ready for this technology.
Iris scanning is a current, fast paced, holy mackerel market. I realise that this is in the 'biometric' field, but it uses cameras and the TSA, according to USA Today, has awarded contracts for 3,8 million for this technology to be installed at four major airports over the next six months. If the program works, well ... get out the calculators. Between this and the new fingerprint stuff that is being passed around, our everyday lives are about to go keyless and secured ... scary. I was looking at a new, 1 Gig USB plug in hard drive. It has a thumb print reader built into the side of it for added security. Did I buy it? Maybe.
Management software has come to new highs in the CCTV world. With the majority of the major CCTV manufacturers cooling their jets on the very fast paced, ever changing, proprietary, digital video recorder competition, their attention has been aimed towards new and more realistic goals. Image maintenance, image management, image presentation and general storage with the ability to read back or control multiple versions of codecs or compression engines. It is a very intelligent approach to a very difficult problem. Can you play your stuff back on someone else's recorder? Probably not! For the most part, the technology that I am referring to was copied from the DVD player world. All new DVD machines have the ability to read and download codecs from the DVD that is inserted. This is so that, as the compression ratios change and improve, the machine is able to stay current. A problem of the past with older units.
Where to from here?
If you are in the market for digital CCTV equipment, there is finally a reason to 'look' around. This does not, however, excuse anyone from moving forward on their existing designs. If you do not have to buy your equipment for a year, then design your specs to ride as open as possible. You may just find the perfect match out there in a few more months. On the other hand, if you have to move right now then get going and do the best that you can with what you have. It may be obsolete 10 minutes after you put it in, but it was current when you thought of it and hopefully it did the job.
Just remember the golden rules of all video systems, analog or digital: all cameras in a system must have a written purpose; automate whenever and wherever possible; keep your identification images as close to full screen as possible and lastly; do not get carried away. If you can lock the door and accomplish the same thing, do it. The bottom line is, if it works, you have a good system.
Charlie Pierce has been working in the security industry since 1974 and consults and speaks in the electronic security area internationally. He can be contacted at LeapFrog Training & Consulting (LTC), 091 563 322 6669, fax 091 563 336 8853, [email protected], www.ltctrainingcntr.com/</a>
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