Wednesday, January 07. 2009
Mega-Pixel Cameras
(General)
As IP cameras become more pervasive in security applications they are destined to become commodities just as their coax-based forefathers have. Initially, the distinction between IP cameras and coax-based cameras was the transmission media. IP cameras convert images into digital packets that are sent over network cables to be stored. Coax-based cameras used coax to transmit their information. For several years the quality of the recorded video was noticeably better with coax based cameras and the accessories (vcrs, dvrs, matrices, etc.) that supported coax were abundant. The market has changed dramatically in the past two years. Software developers have created video management systems that enable PCs to have the functionality of matrices and switchers, but with far more features than the coax-based products.
With the advent of mega-pixel technology in IP cameras we are seeing another shift. Very high resolution cameras are enabling users to record usable video of much larger fields-of-view than previously possible. With mega-pixel video recordings the user is able to digitally magnify (or “zoom”) into the image without losing clarity as quickly as standard resolution. Using a five mega-pixel camera with the correct lens, a user is able to record usable video of an entire parking lot from just one fixed position camera. Savings in hardware, installation and storage are realized in these applications. As the technology matures we are sure to see more advances in software development that build on mega-pixel capabilities. There is no doubt that good security designers will incorporate mega-pixel cameras into all of their new projects
Comments
Back to What's New