View from the US: The future of IP video

19 Jun 09

By John Honovich

Our US correspondent, John Honovich of IP Video Market Info, looks at the HDcctv Alliance, NVR appliances, and the PTZ vs megapixel…

Lots of debate this week in the US surrounding the future of IP video. The limitations of current IP video technology is spurring new offerings.

The HDcctv Alliance was formally launched with the promise to offer megapixel video quality with the simplicity of analogue CCTV cameras.

This immediately spurred a vigorous debate on the benefits and limitations of HD CCTV cameras. These debates will not end anytime soon as new details and products are expected to be shown this fall.

NVR appliances
In another attempt to simplify IP video, Genetec, Milestone and OnSSI NVR appliances have been launched. US storage/server manufacturer Intransa is leading this initiative to bundle and pre-load IP video software on their appliances.

Until now, these VMS offerings were generally only available as software applications, requiring the integrator to install and optimise. With IP video growing but concerns over its complexity, NVR appliances may make IP easier for broader deployments.

The debate remains how broadly will these appliances appeal and whether they are low cost enough to spur adoption in the cost-sensitive security market.

PTZ debate
Lastly, we debated the use of PTZ cameras. On both sides of the pond, PTZ cameras are used extensively, especially in public surveillance.

However, as impressive as PTZ demos are, they suffer from a number of serious problems in the field. Megapixel is emerging as an alternative but only for covering small areas.

The move to IP continues to generate debates and new approaches to simplify the migration path.