Video surveillance is one of the areas most significantly impacted by new technology. Initially digital chips found their way into cameras, followed by digital signal processing in system elements.

This new roundup of technology reveals IP based and hybrid products which bridge the gap between legacy analog equipment and the latest IP based solutions. These solutions emphasize open architecture, scalability, user-friendly interfaces and propensity for system integration.

These products represent opportunities for the dealer to upgrade existing systems, get serious about digital, develop new services and add recurring revenue streams.

PC-Based CCTV/Intelligent Video
As mentioned in Security Dealer's December '04 Digital Digest, Panasonic has had a full line of hybrid analog to digital products for over a year (see Dec. '04, page 36). Following the hybrid solution path is also American Dynamics, according to a conversation with Editor In Chief, Susan brady (see Cruzin' with Susan on page 44).

In addition, GE Infrastructure, Security announces a strategy that lets users already invested in legacy analog systems create an IP-based video network while continuing to use their existing analog equipment. The company plans to create new intelligent video capabilities with products such as high definition-based surveillance systems.

Darren Nicholson, marketing vice president in GE Security's Commercial Solutions business, explains, "We are creating the building blocks, both internally and working with other leading technology companies, that will provide integrators and users with fully-featured network video solutions."

Users will be able to connect GE IP Platform cameras, digital video recorders, PCs and servers directly to their networks. New GE encoders/decoders will provide network access for currently used analog cameras and monitors. These products provide high scalability and solve complicated security issues in small commercial to large enterprise business environments.

With higher resolution a major challenge facing the video surveillance industry; GE and CoVi Technologies, Inc.; manufacturer of EVQ-1000 High Definition surveillance camera, are collaborating on development of new technologies to integrate high definition video and advanced viewing utilities into network video solutions. The features and capabilities, which are enabled by application HD technologies, will bring a significant added dimension of security to surveillance technology, including new intelligent video solutions.

Network/IP Video Camera & IP Module
With the NAPCO VCAM-I Network/IP Video Camera & VIP-GATEWAY Universal 4-Camera IP Module you can offer customers online broadband Internet video. The VCAM-I camera measures 3.875" x 2.5" x 1.625" and weighs 5.3 oz., making it suitable for mounting anywhere. The VIP-GATEWAY module enables the connection of up to four analog video cameras of any brand to be monitored over the Internet.

Customers can look in anytime via PC or cell phone or have their security system trigger video e-mails on alarm for video verification. The video can be auto-archived for later review. 802.11G wireless networks are also supported.

Transmission speed varies by resolution. High resolution (640x480) allows a maximum five frames/second; medium resolution (320x240) allows a maximum of 15 frames/second and lastly, low resolution (160x120) allows 25 frames/second. The camera is weather resistant and operates in temperatures ranging from 0 degrees up to 55 degrees Celsius.

Existing analog cameras can be put online with the VIP GATEWAY. It has 4 channel video inputs, NTSC or PAL and has an e-mail send function; 14 pre-alarm images per channel, and a reset button that returns the system to original settings.
For more information visit www.napcosecurity.com.

Digital Video Recorder with Integrated Multiplexer
Flexibility is now being built into today's video products and the Sanyo DSR3016Hxx is a perfect example. The unit is a 16-channel DVR with an integrated multiplexer.

Some of the unit's many features include:

• Expandable internal digital storage.
• Faster and modifiable recording speeds of up to 60 FPS and individual camera field recording assignment.
• User partitioned recording areas for Normal, Alarm and Archive.
• Up to 15 minutes of pre-alarm recording.
• LAN/WAN Internet Control: built-in web server requires no client application; only requires Microsoft IE 5.0 or above and static IP address; multi-view display over network or Internet; simultaneous multi-user remote access over network or Internet (4 users).
• Digital Triplex Simultaneous Capabilities: record, view live, internet control; record, view playback, internet control; record, view live, view playback.
• Alarm Only Recording: through external alarm or through internal motion detection alarm. Logs Time/Date and Camera number.
• Flexible Search Functions: Motion Search on Playback; Time/Date Search; Alarm Search with Easy Alarm Log; Alarm Thumbnail Search.
• Audio Recording at 10 FPS or greater.

Dual Mode Video Management System
IP cameras are becoming more prevalent in today's market. The need to monitor and record traditional analog cameras side-by-side with IP cameras is also increasing. Integral Technologies offers one of the most innovative dual-mode (hybrid) recorders on the market today. DigitalSENTRY 3.0 provides a better solution than simply connecting multiple analog to-IP and IP-to-analog converters to a DVR. With an Integral Dual-Mode Digital Video Management System (DVMS), the IP camera and server are directly and seamlessly interfaced to any DS Enterprise or DS XPress system.

Integral Dual-Mode DVMS allows you to: administer and monitor analog and IP cameras using the same interface; simultaneously search and export video from analog and IP cameras; link audio sources to both analog and IP cameras; easily add IP cameras to an existing analog system; and increase camera counts on an existing system.

Licensing a DS system to become a Dual-Mode DVMS makes the rich feature set of the DigitalSENTRY 3.0 software available to IP cameras and video servers. Also, because licenses are purchased individually, the total cost of the system is based only on the system requirements?there is no need to purchase licenses for an IP device that is not attached to the system. This provides the most cost effective system with the lowest total cost of ownership available today. Visit www.integraltech.com for more information.

A Line of Network Video Recorders
The JVC VR-N100U line of network video recorders provides a networked solution as well as an advanced camera management system. The VR-N100U-600 and VR-N100U-1320 provide simple configuration and management of large-scale, IP-based security systems comprised of up to thousands of security cameras?both analog and digital. The first practical and cost-effective, completely digital IP network video recorder, the VR-N100U enables companies to considerably expand their surveillance systems to meet their growing needs, without requiring additional investments in network bandwidth.

Featuring a digital recorder and Web server in one package, the JVC VR-N100U combines video cameras communicating over an Ethernet IP network with digital recording and network control. Although specifically designed to work with IP network cameras, the VR-N100U can be integrated with analog cameras using JVC's optional VN-A1U(A) network encoder, preserving customers' investments in legacy systems.

The VR-N100U stores all individual camera data locally and acts as a server, managing IP cameras on a sub-network. Systems designed with VR-N100Us eliminate a serious and potential drain on network bandwidth as only video from the requested cameras is transmitted at the network level. Each camera attached to the VR-N100U can be custom programmed with recording options based on priority, individual frame rate, individual resolution and more. Only images from priority cameras are then transmitted via the network, unless specifically requested from another video data recorder. An alarm function alerts the operator to changes in status of cameras so that nothing is missed.
For information visit www.jvc.com/pro.

Bringing It All Together
By maximizing existing analog investment while taking advantage of IP-based video, installed systems can be expanded to further protect people, property and profits. For users of video security technology, having an IP migration strategy has become critically important. Given the increased presence of IP-based video security products and mandates from corporate CFOs to take advantage of already-existing network infrastructure capabilities, an eventual move from analog to IP technology in some form or another is inevitable.

Rather than signal the end to analog systems; opportunities are emerging in this dynamic field to seamlessly combine both analog and IP systems for a powerful, video security solution. In fact, today's analog matrix switcher technology not only works, it works well and will so for many years to come. Analog continues to represent a viable and secure investment in proven technology that can be expanded to meet the growing needs of a particular installation.

Through convergence, the combining of two distinct systems to form a new one, a hybrid system offers new ways of expanding systems and improving the benefits of video security. Pelco is harnessing the power of convergence to offer a manageable and effective video security solution and is also among the leaders in the design and application of hybrid solutions. Pelco offers a comprehensive line of cameras, programmable domes and positioning systems. To take advantage of IP capabilities, Pelco has developed and implemented a strategy using external analog?to-digital conversion devices that enables the use of these powerful cameras in both analog and IP environments.

With its PelcoNet Series of video transmission devices, Pelco brings to your fingertips the IP world without the unnecessary investment in new, IP-only cameras. PelcoNet Series converts an analog video signal into a digital video stream that can be placed onto a network with ease.

The Pelco Net300 and Net350 are two such video transmission devices. Designed to sit on the "edge" of a network, they directly connect to a camera via coax and receive its video signal. That signal is converted into a high-quality, MPEG-4 video stream, which then exits the device via an RJ45 Ethernet connector. This process gets the video onto the network, which can then be accessed by Pelco's browser-based software.

Once on the network, it is critical to be able to record and store that digital video stream. The Pelco NVR300 is a rack-mountable, network appliance that recognizes, decodes and records digital video data. With an internal hard drive capacity of 500 MB to over 1.5 TB, the NVR300 can also be accessed from Pelco's browser-based software.

Designed as the nerve center of an analog/digital hybrid system, the VMX300 Video Management System connects to monitor outputs on a matrix switch as well as to a network via Ethernet. An intelligent system, the VMX300 recognizes and decodes digital video signals and recognizes recorded video from an NVR. It also recognizes recorded video from the Pelco DX9000 digital video recorder. To complete the "hybrid" strategy, it recognizes the matrix switch and can communicate with and control connected analog cameras.

While taking advantage of existing network infrastructure can provide a powerful hybrid solution, the question of what happens during a network interruption or failure is a fair one. Pelco has considered this possibility. Its solution is the Net350 Automatic Data Replenishment feature. In the event of a network interruption, this Compact Flash compatible card will record and store video and upon network restoration, it will automatically communicate with the NVR and relay the missing video information. This is done as it continues to stream live video. Also, the analog matrix switch continues to operate and provide control to operators via the matrix keyboards.

By placing video on the network, there may be some questions as to bandwidth utilization. To that end, the PelcoNet Series of video transmission devices allows users to adjust the amount of bandwidth used. This bandwidth-throttling feature means that streaming speed and video quality can be reduced, thus lessening the impact on the network.
For more information visit www.pelco.com.

Video Server and Space Saving Rack
The AXIS 241Q is a four channel video server designed to convert analog CCTV systems to Internet Protocol (IP)-based systems. The 241Q is built around Axis' new ARTPEC-2 video compression chip and includes new functionalities such as event management based on triggered or scheduled events, built-in motion detection and full frame rates (30 frames per second) simultaneously across all video channels. The 241Q is based on Motion JPEG compression and provides 10 different resolutions, up to 768 x 576 pixels. The AXIS Rack Solution provides a higher density of analog video ports, saving rack space in server rooms and easily integrating analog cameras into IP-based surveillance systems. The rack is best used in large systems such as those typically found in airports, campus environments, hospitals or prisons. It can hold up to 12 interchangeable, hot swappable video server blades, enabling the user to install or service the blades without disconnecting power to the entire system.
For more information visit www.axis.com