What does 4K technology and ultra-HD surveillance solutions mean for corporate security managers? Security Magazine interviewed a security industry insider on this topic, which is as follows:
Magazine: What sets 4K cameras apart from other HD cameras and what does this distinction mean for end users?
Expert: The advantage of a 4K camera over a standard 1080p HD camera is that 4K cameras offer higher quality images. This means you can use a 4K camera instead of several 1080p cameras, or replace an existing 1080p camera with a 4K camera to capture more detail from the area covered by the camera. The camera’s image density allows you to zoom in (either live or as a recorded video) on images that are four times more detailed than 1080p HD cameras; having this density and detail makes it much more efficient for people to react to events.
True HD cameras comply with standards set by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE); These standards include specific requirements such as resolution, commitment to preserving the original color, and frame rate. 4K cameras not only cover larger areas, but also meet a specific standard of image quality. In the past, the only option available to individuals was to use high-megapixel cameras that either did not always display accurate colors or operated at frame rates that did not meet these standards.
As video analytics capabilities and features continue to grow, 4K cameras will enable new and more accurate analytics due to the detail they provide. These analytics will be able to pull out unique details that may be difficult to decode using lower-resolution cameras or today’s high-resolution cameras that do not meet the aforementioned standards.
Magazine: What types of situations and facilities benefit most from IP technology?
Expert: Facilities that benefit from 4K camera technology are those that require coverage of a large area while still providing fine detail and accurate colors when zooming in on the scene. For example, consider a sports stadium. You might want to capture several sections of stadium seating while still having a clear image of an unruly fan and identifying their color and clothing type so you can quickly and accurately address the situation. Another similar situation might include a large, busy lobby, such as an airport. While some of these installations require cameras to be mounted higher and farther away from the coverage area, which may not seem optimal, 4K resolution still allows people to see true-to-life detail and colors without reducing coverage or adding additional cameras.
Magazine: What infrastructure is needed to make the most of 4K?
Expert: With the huge advancements in video technology, the issue of the infrastructure required to make the most of 4K is becoming a challenge for the industry. Often, existing infrastructure and systems are not able to support new technologies, which prevents them from being adopted. Some end users are trying to plan ahead with systems such as network infrastructure, but this is only part of what is needed to support new products. Viewing video recorded by 4K cameras on monitors compatible with analog systems may not seem logical. Given this, end users will need a system capable of working with 4K Ｔcamera/monitorＴ to take advantage of all the 4K capabilities. End users may need to work with their security installers to evaluate their entire system and decide on a phased plan for upgrading their system components so that these components can support 4K technology. For example, it is possible that a user only needs 4K cameras in a large lobby. In this example, only a portion of the user’s network, a recording server, storage device, and the workroom used to monitor that lobby, would need to be upgraded. The rest of the system would remain as it was until further upgrades were needed.
Magazine: What common misconceptions have you heard from end users about 4K installations and their installation?
Expert: One misconception is that users think they need to upgrade their entire system to take advantage of 4K technology. As in the previous example, this is not always true, as many modern video platforms and networks are segmented and flexible enough to accommodate a phased upgrade. Most end users do not need 4K cameras in every area of their facility and therefore will not need to upgrade their entire system. Adding a number of 4K cameras is not as difficult as some people think; with proper planning by an experienced security systems installer, it should not be that difficult.
Another misconception is that 4K cameras take up four times the bandwidth of 1080p HD cameras, making them difficult to implement on existing networks. This may be true in some cases, but with the use of modern compression tools, bandwidth consumption can be reduced to acceptable levels. The performance of the existing network will not be negatively affected, and the security organization can still enjoy high-resolution images.
Taken from Security Magazine