HD Video Surveillance
Editorial Comment... H
Pete Conway, Editor, Benchmark
D video could arguably be one of the most significant changes in the video surveillance sector, certainly since the
introduction of CCDs and - more recently - digital video recording. Both of these previous advances created a sea change in the sector, as system flexibility was enhanced in conjunction with costs falling. For many years, the ceiling that capped video quality was the PAL standard. Once resolution could go no further, it concentrated the minds of R&D engineers on other aspects of video performance. The developments that followed on the back of the CCD changed the way the video surveillance sector worked. Day/night cameras emerged, eliminating the restriction that had previously meant cameras for use around-the- clock could only be monochrome units. Noise reduction technologies allowed higher levels of gain to be used. Wide dynamic range ensured that the cameras could capture detail in all elements of a scene. Resolution may not have changed much (although the ways in which it was measured obviously did), but the impact of the CCD was much more than simply eradicating over-sized tube cameras. Equally, when DVRs first emerged, there was much talk about removing the frailties of tape. If you listened to the hype, you may well have thought that the CCTV sector was on its knees because end users refused to rewind tapes each time the 31 day storage cycle ended! Of course, the true impact of digital recording wasn’t felt until the secondary benefits became obvious. Event-based surveillance, advanced searches of footage, pre-alarm recording and easy archiving to portable media are all everyday parts of video surveillance, but all were difficult and costly to achieve before the DVR entered the mainstream market.
HD technology could well be something that changes the video surveillance market in a significant way. Whilst HD video will have an impact, the biggest advances will come from the changes that its use necessitates!
As a technology, the main selling point of
HD is higher image quality. Some might argue that the image quality in video surveillance is - by and large - good enough. However, end users are increasingly demanding HD as a surveillance tool, and this is actually very good news for all involved with electronic security. HD-based video surveillance should not just be considered for the video streams it creates, but also for the overall impact that the technology will have on the security sector - and importantly the surveillance sector - as a whole!
The demand from end users will see an
increase in network-based solutions, and in turn that will heighten the flexibility that security systems offer. This growth will translate across video surveillance in all its forms, and will also filter into the access control and intruder alarm market segments as system integration turns from hype into everyday reality. HD technology will transform the way that
systems are designed. Hopefully this will lead to more installers and integrators creating innovative and bespoke solutions that meet end user’s needs, rather than resorting to a formulaic approach to compete on price alone. Essentially, HD surveillance and the technologies that surround it can add value to security, for installers and integrators, as well as for end users.
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