In the Norton Healthcare System in Louisville, Ky., there are behavioral patients who need round-the-clock monitoring. To do so, explains Stanley Helm, security director, the rooms are equipped with security cameras. But the cameras used for years required plenty of background light in order to get clear pictures, and that meant the lights were always turned on, even when the patients were trying to sleep.
When loss prevention directors first brought security video into their stores, an initial aim was to deter shoplifters or, if that failed, use the recorded video to make the shoplifter agree to restitution, or to fight slip and falls.
As video surveillance systems continue to grow in size and functionality with new technologies driving even higher levels of performance, there’s still one basic premise that applies to each and every one of them: if the power goes down, your system is of little practical value.
In IP video surveillance understanding the relationship and interdependencies between bandwidth (any/all cameras and storage playback), the network switches and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Also, how does this relate to the operational and business needs and goals of the physical security organization?
Bigger isn’t always better and less can beat more. Important keys to the video kingdom now include aspect ratio, actual resolution, frame rate and color rendition. Standards are essential except when they are not.
The Water Valley ISD is a small, independent school district that is home to 350 students in grades K-12 in mid-west Texas. While crime and incidents are relatively few and far between, there are occasional occurrences of theft and trespassing and, like any school, Water Valley administration likes to keep an eye on things.
Stow the crystal ball. What rolled out in Dallas at the ASIS International event earlier this fall or even at the spring International Security Conference in Las Vegas may indicate what will be specified next year. But, as in the past with security video and its camcorder chip origins, what’s happening with consumer electronics, computer gaming, homeland security and at the futures conferences of the National Association of Broadcasters may point to more developments.
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