CCTV Systems
By John W. Colley

Grill The CCTV Expert
August, 2003 Issue

John W. Colley

Detecting Motion
What are the benefits of using video motion detection in security system design?

Low false alarm technology provides a greater level of reliability to manned and automated video surveillance by reducing false alarm rates, particularly in outdoor applications.

Applications may include traditional perimeter protection devices while adding video verification to surveillance applications. Traditional solutions such as luminance-based video motion detectors, PIR sensors and fence protection devices are sensitive to changes in the conditions under which they have been tuned to function. This ultimately results in an increase in false alarm rates and reduced effectiveness as a security solution.

VIQ-4HD technology is a more robust solution because it quickly adapts to changes in operating conditions. VIQ-4HD is fully automated and does not require complicated sensitivity and filter adjustments. Furthermore, its adaptive processing eliminates the need for continuous maintenance.

Seeing Clearly
Dark building and ground areas with poor lighting have been difficult to cover with standard off the shelf CCTV equipment. What equipment is available to assist in providing better images?

Twenty-four-hour CCTV coverage is a common customer request and electronic solutions are becoming more plentiful. Going from lighting conditions that are so low the human eye cannot see to a clean crisp daytime picture requires a combination solution. First you need to select an infrared sensitive camera and infrared lens. Then you need to select the right infrared illuminator for the area scene that is being monitored. Select a CCD camera or lens that is IR-sensitive or the results will be a blurry picture. The selection of an infrared lens that can adjust to daytime pictures will give the client the best picture twenty-four hours per day.

Three conditions will result from your correct selection of illuminators. Overt illuminators will produce a distinct red glow approximately in the 716nn range. Semi-covert illuminators produce a red glow that can be detected with a trained eye in the 850nn range. Full covert illuminators will avoid any red glow, which should make it impossible to view in the 950nn range.

Request a demonstration from your supplier or do your own. Record in similar light conditions for each device before you make a customer recommendation.

The Outer Limits of Digital Storage
Our client is considering storing large amounts of video files. What are some of the outer limits of digital video storage?

Storage options are growing with technical improvements and computer industry manufacturers offering of larger disk space. One terabyte of storage from multiple standard internal disks are available from several sources. Using the RAID storage system may reach as high as 2.4 terabytes and video jukeboxes with up to 2 ea 360 AIT tapes allow offline storage capacity to 18 terabytes. New disk space offerings that are coming out are offering even more plentiful storage capacities.

John W. Colley is president of Integrated Security Systems, Ltd. and has been in the security industry for over 25 years, beginning his experience in the CCTV segment of security and gaining knowledge through field experience, manufacturer training and designing systems to meet customer needs. Colley started his security integration firm 18 years ago, providing design, engineering, installation and service to commercial accounts using integrated systems. Send your CCTV/Surveillance questions to jwc@securityiss.com.