Monday, July 30, 2007

Managing IP video on the network

Network World

Networking Technology Update




Networking Technology Update, 07/30/07

Managing IP video on the network

By Bob Banerjee

The growing popularity of video surveillance is fueled by the shift to IP video systems that are less expensive than traditional analog systems and make it easier to add or relocate cameras and multicast video signals to multiple locations.

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Yet, every system is limited by two finite resources: network bandwidth and disk space.

A 100Mbps network connection can support nearly 85 cameras producing 10 15KB images per second (about 1Mbps each), but the network will be running at 100% utilization. Whether the IP video system is on the existing IT network or a parallel network, enterprises need to set a realistic bandwidth target and then determine how many cameras can be supported by their infrastructure.

To ensure efficient bandwidth usage, security integrators can help design fluid systems that adjust to accommodate traffic surges. For example, frame rates can be reduced temporarily while the sharpness of each image is maintained, or the same number of frames can be recorded at a lower resolution.

Video content analysis (VCA) embedded in an IP encoder — the device that translates analog camera signals into digital — also can reduce the amount of traffic sent across the network. With VCA at the edge, it is possible to only transmit video that generates an alarm due to a security concern — such as a person loitering, theft of an object or an object left behind in a scene. By selecting specific portions of video to forward, VCA diminishes the amount of bandwidth required for surveillance but enables all camera channels to be monitored effectively.

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Contact the author:
Banerjee is the product marketing manager for IP video products at Bosch Security Systems. He can be reached at bob.banerjee@us.bosch.com.

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