Find news and information for the executive corporate security director, CSO, facility manager and assets protection manager on issues of policy, products, incidents, risk management, threat assessments and preparedness.
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SPECIAL FOCUS: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY •Super Dynamic Range (SDR) to capture usable images even in scenes with highly contrasted lighting; •Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) to ensure high quality image reproduction even in low light and/or difficult conditions; •Dual H.264 and MJPEG compression to simultaneously view live and recorded images; and •Digital pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) operation, which provides the ability to view specific details within a scene without the use of any moving parts in the cameras. And then there are a whole complement of features like day/night operation, tamper detection, privacy masking, on-board recording with SD cards and alarm triggers for motion detection or network disconnect. Just like traditional cameras, megapixel cameras are available with feature sets that make them suited for specific uses within a system. Additionally, the number of form factors for megapixel cameras have exploded over the past few years. They are available in every shape and size imaginable, including box style, bullet, dome, vandal-resistant and panoramic — with new single-sensor panoramic cameras being the current rage. These compact and cost-efficient devices provide the unique ability to replace multiple conventional cameras, which can mean significant savings. Unlike conventional fish-eye lens cameras that can distort images, the wide area coverage provided by single-sensor panoramics can display usable images in viewing modes including single panorama (one 360° image), double panorama (two 180° images), quad (four 90° images), or a single rectangle (one 180° image). Users can also select specific regions within each of these configurations for close-up viewing. More impressive is that these single sensor megapixel cameras deliver HD quality while streaming video at 20fs. With all the features and form factors, system designers can specify different cameras to fulfill different defined surveillance objectives. Gone are the days where users had limited choices how and where they could deploy high resolution megapixel imaging solutions. Megapixel Cameras Drive System Performance Given their performance, there is little doubt that megapixel cameras are one of the technology drivers for new video surveillance systems. Their HD resolution and wide area coverage are strong influencers for users to migrate to networked systems. The ability to capture and read license plates, currency and chip denominations, and individuals' faces can now be achieved within the context of larger imaging areas. Add video analytics, and these capabilities can be triggered automatically with high-resolution recording and alert notification to further increase overall situational awareness and security. In addition to improving performance, megapixel cameras also provide lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and superior return on investment (ROI). Rather than deploy multiple standard cameras to cover a single area such as a parking lot, a single megapixel camera can typically get the job done. The reduction in the number of cameras means lower equipment purchase and installation costs. The lack of moving parts in most megapixel cameras also reduces the possibility of mechanical failure, which means lower maintenance costs. And fewer cameras require fewer eyeballs to monitor them, which can also lead to reduced overhead. I anticipate that the market will be seeing many new megapixel cameras coming to market in even more configurations with increased larger pixel counts, enhanced bandwidth optimization and more advanced and comprehensive feature sets. And that they will continue to drive the migration to networked systems with improved video system performance through 2014. ❚ Single sensor panoramic cameras, such as Samsung's SNF-7010, can display highly usable images in a variety of viewing modes. Frank De Fina is Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for Samsung Techwin America. Request more info about Samsung at www.securityinfowatch.com/10215711. www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | January 2014 29