Is the industry ready for HD CCTV?

18 Nov 08

Sanyo recently launched an HD camera which incorporates technology that the manufacturer claims “brings broadcast standard imagery to the CCTV industry”.

David Markland, Sanyo’s CCTV division national sales manager believes “the time is right for another giant leap forward in technology”. When we asked him some questions, he answered them.

I4S: Does the CCTV industry actually need HD at this moment in time?

DM: Yes, absolutely. HD cameras can deliver ‘identification’ grade images which is something the industry badly needs. Far too often CCTV has attracted negative publicity because the quality of images captured by standard cameras has not been of sufficient quality for security managers or the police to identify culprits. High definition gives us the opportunity to capture images which will allow a suspect to be identified rather than just using CCTV to verify that an incident has taken place.

I4S: How much “better” is HD compared to conventional cameras?

DM: To answer this I would prefer to give a point of reference. A full HD image of 1920 x 1080 is approximately four and a half times better than a standard IP camera transmitting VGA sized images. That means if you are looking to monitor a wide area, you would need to deploy several IP Cameras transmitting VGA sized images to look at different sectors of the same view in order for those individual cameras to achieve the image quality and resolution of a single HD camera. [Editor's note: This answer has been revised to clarify points raised in the comments below.]

Analogue or network?

I4S: Could HD cameras be added to a standard analogue system or could they only function on a network?

DM: HD cameras should provide customers with a choice. This is important as it will allow end-users, who at this time do not require an IP-based solution, with a future proof camera that in analogue terms is one of the highest resolution analogue cameras on the market, but with the option to maximise on the benefits of HD at a later time.

I4S: Do HD cameras offer any additional functionality?

DM: ‘Face detection’ is one good example. This equips the camera to recognise that a face or a group of faces are present in an image. If so the camera optimises the focus, contrast and back light compensation functionality of the camera so that a clear image of any face is achieved, regardless of whether the scene is high or low backlit.

Potential markets

I4S: Are there any particular market sectors that you think would particularly benefit from HD?

DM: Banking, casinos, retail, car parks – the launch of our HD camera has attracted interest from a diverse range of ‘security’ applications. There are countless opportunities for HD cameras. Anywhere in fact where there is a need to observe close up detail of an activity. Training, machine vision and process management are just some examples. One of the applications which we are currently looking at is the use of HD cameras for training medical students. HD cameras can, if required, ‘stand-alone’ with any recorded video retrieved via an SD card or hard drive via USB.

I4S: How much video can we expect to store on an HD camera?

DM: If the camera is programmed to record at HD resolution (ie 1920 x 1080) at 25 frames per second and using H.264 compression, then we would expect an on-board 250gb hard drive to store four days of recording.

Recording at the highest resolution of four megapixels offers major advantages over standard CCTV cameras in respect of post-incident analysis. With high definition you can enlarge an image and zoom in on detail with a clarity that is just not achievable with a standard CCTV camera.

I4S: Is the price right for the majority of the market to be able to afford HD?

DM: We looked at how slow the market has been to pick up on IP cameras. There are a number of reasons for this but until recently price/performance ratio has been near the top of the list. We believe that we have taken this on board and positioned our HD camera at an affordable price, ie within the region one might expect to pay for a top of the range high quality day/night camera.

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