The latest in video surveillance equipment at ISC West this week is reflected by the numbers you hear repeatedly on the show floor, numbers like 4K and H.265.
Big players like Panasonic have joined the 4K bandwagon in a big way. Sony introduced a 4K camera with a larger sensor size (1-inch) to increase light sensitivity, displaying the better view alongside a “Brand X” competitor in the Sony booth.
“Sharper and smarter”
Promoting a theme of “sharper and smarter,” Avigilon is combining higher resolution cameras with video analytics, and introduced the PRO 5K camera providing a 16 megapixel image, along with a 4K (8 megapixel) camera. The cameras ship with “self-learning analytics technology” as standard, and work with Avigilon Control System 5.6 to offer new intelligent motion search and other features. Avigilon also introduced a 7K camera (featuring 30 million pixels), combined with High Definition Stream Management (HDSM); and also added a 6K (24 megapixel) camera. Avigilon’s LightCatcher technology (image processing) combines with larger pixel sizes (using larger CMOS imagers) to increase low-light sensitivity.
Full HD solutions
Chinese manufacturer Dahua introduced a line of bullet cameras that use H.265 compression, part of a full H.265 solution for the market, including front end and back end; they introduced the H.265 network video recorder (NVR) at last year’s Essen show in Germany. Dahua is demoing a 4K H.265 camera whose bandwidth needs are only slightly higher than an HD camera using H.264.
Dahua is also highlighting the Starlight series network camera, offering low-light functionality and adapting to the needs of the individual scene, whether low-light or wide dynamic range.
Dahua’s HDCVI Lite series (analog HD) offers better resolution and longer transmission distances, leveraging a new chipset, and provides an “economy” solution with 1080p full HD (the DVR will now cost 30 percent less). Dahua’s Eco-savvy 2.0 camera combines better resolution and lower power consumption.
Dahua U.S. office announcement
Dahua also announced opening of a U.S. office in Los Angeles to enable them to stay closer to existing customers, and provide end-to-end solutions to vertical markets. “We are expanding beyond distribution (of individual products) to a project-based business in vertical markets,” says Tim Shen, Dahua’s overseas marketing director.
Multi-sensor cameras
Panoramic, multi-sensor cameras are also more popular than ever. In addition to the new model introduced by Axis on Wednesday, Pelco is showing the view from its four-sensor panoramic camera in its booth, and all four images are stitched together perfectly for a complete, seamless and color-corrected view. Arecont Vision previewed its SurroundVideo G5, a 5 to 20 megapixel four-sensor 180 degree or 360 degree camera, now with remote focus and Arecont Vision’s STELLAR low-light architecture.
A new Bosch panoramic indoor camera offers a full 180-degree or 360-degree overview of a particular area with 12 megapixel resolution (one sensor) at 30 frames per second combined with a fish-eye lens.
“Pixels need perspective”
Signs from Genetec placed around throughout the exhibit hall proclaimed “Pixels need perspective,” thus highlighting Genetec’s role paving the way to use the newer, higher resolution cameras popular this year on the show floor (including 4K, multi-sensor panoramic cameras and higher resolution 360-degree view cameras). Genetec is helping to manage the new cameras’ impact on the network infrastructure, including a new Hardware Acceleration feature on its Security Center Version 5.3, which shifts the “heavy lifting” of image decoding to graphics processors. The approach preserves smooth operation of existing CPU workstations, which are often the last components to be upgraded.
Genetec continued to advocate strongly for cloud solutions, including its new CloudLink, an embedded “enabling technology” that allows video and/or access control systems to combine use of the cloud with on-premises equipment, all operating seamlessly together. The new Synergis CloudLink offers such flexibility to Genetec’s access control customers. CloudLink is also part of the company’s video systems and can even be embedded in third-party equipment, including Vivotek cameras (which are already using the technology).
