I often watch the news at night in awe of the events unfolding across our nation. Although crime statistics are steadily declining in our major cities, the more sensationalistic news stories now seem to eminate from areas we once believed were safeguarded from criminal activity. Current events - compounded by the media's comprehensive and often relentless coverage - have escalted the public's sense of security, and consequently the desire for more of it. people find comfort knowing that the local surrounding grounds are under surveillance; and that luggage is now considered a security priority at airports around the world. Past events have made Joe Public weary of what were once every day routines and activities that we conducted without a second thought.
Security a crisis driven industry?
It is no secret that our industry is often driven by crisis and is affected by events that we see on the news. Recently for example, there has been a heightened interest in security from educators given the recent and most unfortunate rash of school shootings. This was once a venue where cameras were shunned. Today, parents and educators alike want to take extra measures. Most notably, they now view surveillance and security as a sign of reassurance that our children are in a safe and secure environment.
Contrary to current events that stimulate reactionary sales of CCTV systems and equipment, the industry on the whole is experiencing a lull. The strong economy has negated the demand for an increase in what can often be costly CCTV and surveillance systems. The retail category is a perfect example of how one market affects another. Our strong economy is fueling a healthy retail environment. Under these circumstances, it seems easier, more convenient and cost-efficient to write off the retail losses than to justify the expense in equipment, installation, training and personnel for a new and improved CCTV system. In many instances we as a nation are all too often driven by profit and loss data, and as a result, have learned to live with the necessary of two evils.
Price erosion in a competitive market
Ironically, the CCTV industry has been experiencing price erosion for the past few years. Equipment prices have steadily dropped across the board as more companies compete for fewer installations and manufacturing efficiencies reach new heights. Even so, if you cannot justify the finances and immediate return of a new CCTV system, conventional wisdom says, 'Why incur the expense?'. I would like to meet someone with conventional wisdom so that I could tell them just how insane this premise is.
Reaping the benefits of the digital revolution
Fortunately, the CCTV and security industries are just starting to reap the benefits of the digital revolution. Over the past twenty years, electronics technology in general has been developing at a rapid pace. Today's products are smarter, smaller and more efficient than ever before. Nowhere is this more evident than in the video, voice and data electronics categories. Consumer and business products alike perform faster and better than we thought possible. It is a revolution in technology unlike any other in our history.
But with rapid growth and development, there is also confusion - some as the result of bewilderment, some as a result of resistance. In either case, it is imperative that we educate our industry and our customers, so that we can apply these technologies in our everyday business. As an industry we must also remain keenly aware that with convergence comes attrition. More people and companies are performing the same task and delivering similar services creating increased competition.
So the bottom line question is, "As an industry, are we better off today with all this new technology than we were without it?" I firmly believe that we are much better off now than we were ever before. However, it is up to us to drive our business and its interests in the best possible direction.
The driving force behind this technological revolution is, in fact, digital technology. Digital technologies are vastly improving CCTV systems and security capabilities - while expediting the convergence of related systems' technologies.
How is digital technology impacting the security industry?
First, let us take a look at how digital technology is impacting the CCTV and security industry right now. As we work our way through the migration to a digital world, it is important to remember that the majority of CCTV systems across the country utilise analog devices with a high degree of effectiveness. In addition, the cost of analog equipment, specifically general purpose analog cameras, has dropped significantly over recent years. One reason being the availability of CCTV devices featuring digital technology.
The term digital in and of itself is somewhat confusing and may be the cause of some of the misconceptions that we are often confronted with by users in the field. What exactly does the term digital mean when used to describe CCTV equipment?
There is a monumental difference between a digital camera and a camera with digital signal processing. A digital camera - like those commonly found in the broadcast arena - pro-cess digital signals and output a digital signal. This results in exceptionally high quality, but also requires digital compatible devices downstream. To date, there are no such digital cameras available in the CCTV industry. The overall cost is much too prohibitive at this time.
Digital signal processing cameras
Since Panasonic first introduced digital signal processing cameras in the late 1980s, DSP cameras have become more commonplace over recent years. DSP cameras process analog signals digitally providing a wealth of feature advantages, then convert the signal to conventional analog output. This arrangement yields the best of both worlds: high quality features and performance and reduced costs.
Other CCTV devices that are often referred to as digital cover a wide range of product categories. They include matrix switchers, multiplexers, quad systems and other processing devices that utilise digital technology to pro-cess analog signals. Move a notch higher on the digital food chain and you will find computer automation software followed by DVD-RAM recorders.
It is easy to see why there may be some confusion in the marketplace. To compound the issue, many manufacturers often label products 'digital' as part of their marketing strategy. Panasonic is one of them. The intention is not to mislead, but to differentiate. However, it is up to us - collectively - to educate users in the market so that they can make sound purchasing decisions based upon factual information.
As with any new technology, digital CCTV equipment was initially more expensive than its analog counterparts. This is no longer the case. Many digital cameras have been scaled down or reduced in price to levels comparable with analog cameras. Panasonic's WV-CP230 digital colour cameras and WV-BP330 digital black and white cameras are prime examples. Products of this nature are proof positive that the transition to digital technology is in full swing. The technology is available, the costs are low and compatibility is not an issue. Now all we need to do is let our customers in on this information.
Video-voice-data convergence
Digital technology is also leading the way in terms of video, voice and data convergence. The demand for integrated systems has been one of the primary forces behind the escalation of digital's development. Security is no longer viewed as an isolated function, but as an integral component of facility wide operations. As with all automation on the enterprise level, CCTV will be considered a function of MIS in the new millennium.
Learn to integrate or fall behind
To preserve the survival of our industry as we know it, we must learn to integrate or we will become out of date. The capabilities of tomorrow's CCTV systems will be dictated by the digital network's capabilities. A new scale of measurement will consequently govern the capacity and power to process and manipulate video images. As it was once explained to me, the size of the network 'pipe' is all that limits the scope of a network's capabilities.
The implications for intelligent CCTV systems at this level will break new ground. Therefore, the transition to digital technology and its emphasis on systems integration promises even greater rewards than the equipment itself will provide. Although this may seem to many as a quantum leap in levels of performance, we are only a hop, skip and a jump away from this realisation.
That may be a bit futuristic for some to cope with at this point in time - and to some extent I agree. But as I often tell my own sales people, we need to concern ourselves with what we have to sell today and we will lay the foundation for tomorrow's fully integrated network-based system capabilities. The fact is - we have a great deal of technology to offer the market today. The benefits of digital CCTV are here and now. Just compare the best available analog CCTV cameras against any DSP camera and you will quickly see that the differences in performance and capabilities are incomparable.
The equation is really simple - more digital features deliver more capabilities. The ability to manipulate an analog signal with advanced digital features yields improved image quality. Digital devices also provide a higher degree of customisation which can effectively increase efficiencies while lowering operating expenses.
Ease of use and implementation takes centre stage
Today's digital CCTV technology is also easier to use. New camera technologies, for example, offer automated features reducing, or in some cases, eliminating the need for constant adjustment. Other systems devices can be programmed to perform event triggered functions, thus transferring the responsibility to react from the system operator to the system itself - a much brighter prospect at 3 a.m.in the morning.
Digital camera technology also makes it easier to implement such basic feature enhancements as colour imaging. Just look at colour camera sales figures in Japan, Europe and China. Although the US has almost doubled its use of colour over the past two years, our 20% colour usage pales by comparison to Japan's 95%. Our cost-conscious mentality becomes clearly evident when viewed in this context - it is a trade off in security that is becoming less and less of an issue as prices continue to decline.
Network integration
Today's digital CCTV technology is also paving the way for the transition to network integration. More and more CCTV system devices call upon computers to store and run programming. The video-data link is becoming inseparable at every level of application. As a result, there is a new horizon for CCTV applications - the next logical building block for CCTV systems is the World Wide Web.
The Internet provides the most economical means of interactive video - data signal transmission. This opens up a new level of off-site control capabilities for intra-facility networking, multiple facility remote operations, central station monitoring and more.
The integration of telecommunications and CCTV is another closely woven link. More companies, government agencies and municipalities are establishing private networks to handle their telecommunications needs. This provides even greater cost efficiency when utilising standard telephone lines for video transmission. The utilisation of telephone line transmission provides central station monitoring operations with a tremendous opportunity for growth with their existing base of customers. Central stations can utilise off-site video monitoring devices to and quickly and cost-effectively respond to alarm conditions - and provide the added safety feature of determining the status and threat potential of intruders.
Standalone systems a thing
of the past
The integration of access control, fire, burglar alarm systems is another logical transition given the access to these transmission devices. In essence, the convergence of digital technologies is making standalone systems a thing of the past. The migration towards enterprise- wide facility operations on a network scale will be the conclusive step in the convergence equation.
Although security and related systems are the most obvious beneficiaries of these technologies, there are additional avenues we need to pursue. CCTV and surveillance systems are being employed for a wide range of applications as a result of their high performance and better networking capabilities. For example, retailers are using surveillance systems to quickly scan their selling floors to determine which items need to be restocked without leaving their offices.
And the transportation industry is employing CCTV to monitor bridges, tunnels and railways across the country. The Eisenhower Tunnel at the great mountain divide in Colorado is a perfect example. DOT management employs a sophisticated Panasonic CCTV system to monitor all traffic activity inside and at all approaches to the tunnel. CCTV cameras are even employed to check the height of vehicles before entering the tunnel to avoid costly damage and traffic delays.
The ability to easily transmit video images over the Internet to virtually any location in the world has created numerous new applications. Nursery schools provide on-line, password protected monitoring services so parents at work can check on their children during the day. Skiers can check slope conditions before trekking to the mountains. Vacation homes can be monitored from remote locations. Schools utilise CCTV for remote learning applications. And the list goes on and on.
The continued evolution of digital CCTV technology will foster additional opportunities as the industry and users find new means to apply them.
For details contact Panasonic Systems
tel: (011) 313 1499
visit www.panasonic.co.za
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