Technology & Trends - Digital video recorders (DVRs)

48% of U.S. judges say they are not adequately prepared to deal with the range of “scientific or technical evidence” presented in court Over the last decade, the video surveillance security industry has morphed drastically in attempts to keep pace with both the consumer electronics and enterprise IT markets. This has created a steep learning curve for law enforcement as well as individuals in the judicial system. A 2012 survey titled “A national survey of ju...

One obvious benefit of an NVR appliance compared to software VMS system is ease of configuration and installation A quality networked video recorder (NVR) and software-based video management system (VMS) both do an excellent job of safeguarding valuable video data. But there are a number of pros and cons for both, along with specific applications that will do better with one option over the other. These can easily be broken down into five topics: ease of setup/install, suppor...

Part 8 of our healthcare series Hospitals are challenging environments. A hospital requires oversight 24 hours a day, seven days a week Access control in particular has advanced significantly to offer healthcare facilities the ability to control access remotely, through mobile applications, confirm identity quickly and easily and program varying levels of access for visitors, patients, doctors and staff. Hospitals are challenging environments. A hospital requires ov...

Video surveillance plays a significant role in any comprehensive security plan, and the value derived from surveillance continues to expand Across the globe, organizations are challenged by a diverse risk landscape and a dynamic operational environment. The safety and security of people, assets and intellectual property are a No. 1 priority, and stakeholders look to gain continuous insight into what is happening at any given time. The ability to identify threats early and effi...

The LTO Program discusses how organizations are struggling to balance the benefit of video surveillance with high costs and increasing legal parameters We live in a world where there is an increasing need for video surveillance for crime prevention and public security and safety. Video surveillance is being used in greater quantity and with higher quality expectations in airports, cities and workplaces around the globe. In fact, the average person is reportedly caught on a sur...

Though primarily developed for consumer electronic devices, the advantages ofH.265 compression technology make it ideal for the world of physical security Ever since digital video systems were introduced the race was on to develop compression technologies to reduce runaway bandwidth and storage consumption. We’ve watched the industry roll out MJPEG, MPEG and H.264 advanced compression standards in direct response to each innovation. With adoption of HDTV and 4K solutions...

It is better to create new markets than to struggle to maintain a presence in the bitterly contested existing markets. The security market in 2015 has been faced with many ups and downs, and in such a scenario innovating new products gave companies the necessary boost to take on competitors and capture new markets. That’s the viewpoint of Dallmeier as an eventful year draws to a close; a year in which we won and completed many new projects all over the world. Despite, or perhaps because o...

2015 was one of the more stable of the last five years. We’re seeing a fundamental increase in confidence that is freeing up capital spend. There’s a good bit of pent-up demand, and larger projects are being funded. We’re seeing more M&A deals, not an explosive change, but a marked increase and more quality deals. These deals reflect an interest and demand for services and solutions. The commoditization of cameras and NVR/DVRs is putting pressure on long-term players as we...

Deadly terrorist attacks on buildings have highlighted the need of a well-designedand well implemented physical security program What constitutes a well-designed physical security program? Deadly terrorist attacks on buildings such as the San Bernardino Administrative Center, Riverside Countyin California., have highlight the need of a well-designed and well implemented physical security program. S.Steven Oplinger, Chair of the ASIS Physical Security Council, outlines 5 basic...

The security market was affected by the economic situation in 2015. However, the penetration of thermal products for security applications continues, and FLIR is seeing strong growth. The company saw the use of thermal imaging cameras continue to develop in perimeter security. End users and integrators are experiencing excellent results by combining high-quality thermal cameras with video analytics. The take up of thermal cameras is increasing for security applications as the industry recognises...

For the second year in a row, Canon made the biggest M&A move in the security marketplace in 2015. How could Canon top the industry shockwaves it created in 2014 when the Japanese giant acquired VMS company Milestone Systems? That’s easy: They bought Axis Communications for $2.8 billion in 2015.   Although the Canon-Axis deal grabbed the most headlines and was easily the most shocking M&A announcement of 2015, it was certainly not the only big news on the mergers...

Organizations can develop security master plan internally or use the assistance of an independent security consultant Whether it’s a college campus, a healthcare facility or a large corporation, organizations often tackle issues related to security management, operations, programs and technology in a reactionary manner. They often fail to consider the need to plan and develop a written roadmap to define and provide direction for the big picture of their security program....

IP video recording systems offer high-resimaging, speed & analytics to its end users  Familiarity With Analog Systems Familiarity is one factor in the slow conversion of casino customers to IP technologies. Many end users and integrators are comfortable with and have long-term experience with the more simplistic analog systems. However, as IP systems continue to become easier to install and maintain with more plug-and-play technology, this dynamic should ch...

Successful video infrastructure management requires visibility into the network’s behaviour The importance of video in an organization has been growing over the past several years, almost exponentially. In retail, video images can help detect or deter theft by employees and patrons. Casinos use video partly due to state regulations, to ensure gaming activity is free of deceit or fraud. Branch offices use video to communicate with the head office. Schools use video for di...

Large busy casinos must maintain continuous surveillance of multiple tables and machines High-definition (HD) cameras are a perfect fit for the casino market. HD security cameras provide six times the resolution of analog cameras, supplying images with sharper edges that easily identify faces, cards, dice, chips, currency, and fill slips. In addition, high-definition IP cameras can reduce camera count. A single, 1080p camera can effectively cover poker, roulette or craps table...

When asking exhibitors at IFSEC International 2015 about what drives their markets, many cite system integration as a key factor. And they want more of it. Integration As Business “Driving Force” For example, John Davies of TDSI says customers are now seeking out system integration. “They want a solution rather than components, such as linking access control with building management systems or with an organization’s IT network to control access to its computers,”...

Strategic management of costs is important when considering video storage systems Costs are at issue when considering any component of a video system. Strategic management of costs is especially important when considering video storage systems because storage accounts for such a large cost component of networked systems. Gartner’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) As enterprise products begin to dominate the video storage market, more attention needs to be addressed to Gar...

Integrators and end users should be aware that their definition of open might differ from those of security manufacturers Much of the buzz in the industry today about open architecture is driven by the IT world, with many security-related decisions now falling on an organization’s IT department, where true open architecture has been around for a long time. Closed systems like we’ve experienced in the security world are not just viewed as foreign to the IT world; th...

One key misconception is that solid-state drives (SSDs) are going to replace hard disk drives (HDDs) Like many areas of the security market, the field of digital video storage systems has its share of misconceptions and missed opportunities. We called on manufacturers of these systems to set the record straight. Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) Will Continue To Rule One key misconception is that solid-state drives (SSDs) are going to replace hard disk drives (HDDs), says Henk Van Den...

Another opportunity comes with the increased use of video surveillance not only for security, but also as a tool for research and analysis End users in the video surveillance market are looking for higher quality images and to retain those images for longer periods. Also, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are turning to networked video surveillance in larger numbers. And video is now finding many uses outside the security market, including business intelligence and cu...

Schools are unlike commercial buildings or other facilities in several ways, and the differences impact how they should be secured. For one thing, the inhabitants are mainly children and won’t carry card credentials. Also, schools have distinct traffic flows and are open all hours of the day for after-school activities and evening and weekend usage. “Security solutions must take into account this flexible and fluid schedule,” says Minu Youngkin, vertical marketing manager, Alle...

Milestone Interconnect provides a cost-efficient and flexible way to have central surveillance operation across geographically dispersed sites The transportation vertical is embracing the open platform for video systems. In the past, manufacturers required transportation end users to purchase the camera, the recorders and the software all from one manufacturer. Now, with IP, organizations in the transportation vertical can use off-the-shelf cameras, servers (recorders) and sof...

Analytics at the edge provide the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered There are multiple benefits to using video analytics at the edge (i.e., near or inside the camera). For one thing, analytics at the edge provides the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered. This can be faster and less expensive than the original video analytics model of using a separ...

Coming of age: storage devices have evolved to better record, manage and play back high-quality images Video surveillance and security technology continues to come of age. The sophistication of cameras that have moved to high-definition, high-resolution, megapixel imagery has transformed what users see on playback and greatly enhanced the usability of recorded video feeds. As the evolution continues, from the early days of grainy footage and barely recognizable images to HD, F...

Video analytics allow users to automate the use of video and extract more value Almost anyone in the video analytics market will admit that the capabilities of the technology were initially oversold. The first generation of analytics simply didn’t work as promised, and an undercurrent of distrust of the technology in general still haunts the market. Ironically, video analytics capabilities have now matured into a robust and dependable option for a variety of applications...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communicat...

In-vehicle technology allows security officials to view live footage from the bus’ cameras during an emergency One of the biggest security opportunities in transportation is onboard surveillance for buses and trains. While most transit organizations have invested heavily in video security for facilities such as terminals and stations, far fewer have taken the next step and installed IP cameras on board vehicles, says John Recesso, strategic business development manager,...

True cloud or hosted video streams real-time video from the customer site directly to a safe location Hosted video surveillance, or cloud video, has been utilised in small markets over the past few years and is just now really being pushed as a viable alternative to traditional onsite DVR’s.  Most of the major surveillance companies are marketing cloud products.  Some of these cloud products represent true hosted video surveillance and others are a play on word...

The solutions offered today in the field of server virtualization seem to be a natural fit for the evolution of security systems from analog to IP The video surveillance industry has been transitioning from analog to IP-based systems over the last several years, and it is clear that this trend will continue. In light of this, it is apparent that taking advantage of the advancements in the IT world for use in security system design is the next logical step. In this article, Guy...

Organizations are looking to emerging technologies to enhance security and communications Verint 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: The overall economy was solid in 2014, with large regions and industries continuing to grow and emerging markets revealing even greater opportunity. We are seeing emerging signs of strength in industries like Higher Education that are expanding their security horizons, or taking note of global events. Additionally, security organizations continue to...