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Digital Video Surveillance: Evaluating Digital Video Surveillance

Although closed circuit television (CCTV) has been around for decades, recent advances in digital video surveillance technology have made managing the recorded material much more convenient.

A digital video surveillance DVR is very similar to consumer products like Tivo and Replay that have replaced VCRs in many homes.

Like their consumer-grade cousins, digital video surveillance DVRs convert analog television signals (from cameras) into bytes of data which are stored on a computer hard drive as video files.

These files can be duplicated, emailed, downloaded, searched and reviewed like any other data file on your computer, making them far more manageable than video tapes.

Hundreds of digital video surveillance DVRs are available today from well-known companies like Pelco, Kalatel (General Electric) and Panasonic as well as from many small, more specialized manufacturers. Most DVRs are designed to simultaneously capture and store video from 4 to 16 cameras.

Typically, these digital video surveillance systems will also allow viewing of live and previously recorded video from multiple cameras without interrupting the more critical recording process, Prices for an 8 or 9 camera DVR currently range from $2,000 to $5,000. The more expensive models offer more storage for video archives, higher video frame rates, programmable video motion detection, computer network compatibility and a growing list of other sophisticated features.

When evaluating DVRs for digital video surveillance, you should consider the following four questions to narrow down the field of options:

1. How many cameras will you need in your digital video surveillance system? Most DVRs can be configured for 4, 8/9 or 16 cameras. Consider both your current needs and near term expansion requirements.

2. What frame rate do you need for your digital video surveillance? Frame rate is an important measure of video quality. digital video surveillance applications usually require only 2.5 to 7.5 frames per second (FPS) compared to 30 FPS for entertainment quality video. A DVR's total frame rate should be at least equal to your required frame rate per camera times the number of cameras. If the DVR specifications are quoted in "Fields per Second" you will have to divide by two to determine the total "Frame" rate.

3. How much storage? Calculating the video storage capacity of a digital video surveillance DVR can be complicated. The size of the hard disk only provides half an answer. The more important measure is frame size. A standard digital video surveillance frame measuring 320 x 240 full color pixels can require anywhere from 4,000 to 50,000 bytes of storage depending on both picture quality and data compression. Smaller frame sizes provide more days of storage per gigabyte, but may sacrifice quality. Look for DVRs with MPEG4, the latest industry standard for video compression that offers the highest high quality, most data-efficient video.

4. How much bandwidth? Most digital video surveillance DVRs can be connected to a computer network for both on-site and remote access.

Because video files are relatively large, remote access to live cameras and to video archives require broadband connections both at the digital video surveillance site and at the remote viewing site. Although broadband networks are now widely available, monthly fees can be expensive particularly for higher bandwidth connections.

DVRs that use efficient video compression such as MPEG4 will help save money on network costs since they can use lower bandwidth connections to deliver the same number of remote video streams as less efficient systems.

Selecting the right DVR for your digital video surveillance needs is not simple. If management plans to make a significant investment, they would be wise to seek the help of consultant or integrator with a thorough understanding of digital video processing, data storage management, network design and software engineering.

Because most of this knowledge is computer related, your best advisor may be one with both computer and security experience.

Digital Video Surveillance

Now Digital, Spy Camera Technology Widens Gaze

The use of surveillance cameras in private businesses and public spaces has been a matter of debate for some time. But even as the controversy becomes more heated, the use of surveillance equipment is surging, driven by new digital video surveillance technology, falling prices and terrorism jitters.

Sales of digital video surveillance systems and the services required to install them are growing rapidly at a time sales of many other technologies are limited by tight corporate budgets. In the United States, annual sales of digital video surveillance products and services is expected to reach $8.5 billion by the end of 2005. That is up from $5.7 billion in 2002, according to J. P. Freeman, a market research company in Newtown, Conn.

One indication this trend will accelerate was the announcement by I.B.M. last month that it would offer a new package of consulting and system-design services for digital network-based digital video surveillance systems. I.B.M. evidently thinks that retail stores, corporations and government agencies will soon abandon older analog videotape systems and move the management of these surveillance operations to corporate information technology departments.

''Corporations need to reduce costs and become more effective,'' said Michael Maas, vice president for marketing at I.B.M.'s communications sector in Armonk, N.Y. ''Digitization of security with digital video surveillance systems does that.''

While many companies are switching to digital video surveillance security, most retail and hotel businesses are still using videotape systems. Law enforcement appears to be making the transition somewhat faster.

As part of its new strategy, I.B.M. said, it now has 3,000 consultants to help customers incorporate digital video surveillance security into their existing information technology operations. The hope is that the businesses that have hired I.B.M. to protect their data will use its services for digital video surveillance and buy more of its hardware, as well. ''This gives I.B.M. the opportunity to be a one-stop operation,'' said Joseph Freeman, J. P. Freeman's chief executive.

But selling physical security systems to information technology departments may prove hard even for I.B.M. Most security systems are still managed by old-school security officers. Managing security ''has been going on in an ad hoc way down in the basement,'' said Lou Latham, an analyst at Gartner, a consulting firm. ''It's a business that's industrial, and not considered an information technology thing.''

But now it is possible to integrate digital video surveillance systems into corporate networks and databases. Unlike videotape systems, digital images stored on DVD's or CD's can be indexed and searched easily. Using digital video surveillance, investigators can, for instance, nearly instantly retrieve images of every person who passed through a door on a certain day.

Digital video surveillance's other advantage is that its images can be quickly transmitted over networks. Police officers responding to a robbery can view surveillance images in their squad cars. And digital video systems can be used in conjunction with other corporate security systems, like badge readers and alarms. With criminal databases and pattern-matching algorithms, new digital equipment can analyze activity caught on camera, even as it is taking place, and can detect the presence of weapons.

Compared to these features of digital video surveillance systems , analog video looks downright rudimentary. Videotape deteriorates over time, posing significant storage problems and requires the installation of a video recorder on every camera. And tape can be painstakingly slow and inefficient to use in a criminal investigation, Mr. Latham said.

National Car Parks of London has already upgraded to digital video surveillance equipment, having installed 400 cameras in its parking lots throughout Britain. Each garage can be monitored from a control room using a digital network, reducing crime, according to I.B.M. And having the ability to monitor traffic and crime patterns in each garage allows the company to use its staff better to focus on trouble spots.

The digital video surveillance equipment market is fiercely competitive, with many specialized manufacturers and systems integrators. CCS International and Pelco, leaders in the surveillance equipment industry, have sold to corporations and government agencies for more than a decade. Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo and other camera and equipment makers have also succeeded in finding their own niches in the security field.

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