HD Surveillance users
can Reduce Bandwidth
When organizations are considering the switch
from analogue systems to network-based HD solutions, there's often the
perception that bandwidth levels will increase significantly, as will the costs
associated with expanding network and storage capabilities. While these concerns
do have merit, the truth is that HD video surveillance need not take up as much
bandwidth and storage space as you might expect, so long as the right tools are
in place.
When it comes down to
managing a company’s network, IT professionals are generally cautious and
strategic with how they allocate it. With only a modest percentage of the
bandwidth usually reserved for video surveillance, the last thing an IT manager
wants is video footage - particularly if it’s in HD - slowing down the entire
network and taking up too much storage space.
The perception of high-definition video surveillance by those new to using it,
is that HD surveillance takes up too much bandwidth and storage space and that
you will have to pay a lot of money to expand your network and storage capacity
in order to accommodate it. But HD video surveillance does not take up as much
bandwidth and storage space as you might expect. Especially with technology
advancing, surveillance cameras and systems are getting smarter and more
adaptable to a variety of network and storage circumstances. Here are four
things you can do to your HD cameras and system right away to lower bandwidth
usage.
Selecting the right compression format
Getting familiar with your camera settings will allow you to maximize your
image output without compromising storage space. Choose a compression format
that best suits your needs. If you are looking to increase your storage, you
may want to go with the h.264 compression format. Most HD video surveillance
users are partial to H.264 over M-JPEG because of the way the compression
works. It doesn’t capture each frame as a separate entity like M-JPEG. The
video stream is composed of a reference frame, called an Index (I) Frame, and
then changing areas of the image in subsequent frames, called Partial (P)
Frames. The end result is a collection of I Frames and P Frames in an ordered
pattern that is configurable on most cameras (for example: 1 I Frame every 30
Frames). This results in less “full" images (I Frames) and using less
bandwidth and storage space without sacrificing image detail.
Use the appropriate resolution
Pick the camera that provides the least resolution that you need to get the job
done. Why choose a 2 MP, when a 1 MP can do the job? Higher resolution
generally means more bandwidth, which requires more storage. Obviously in a
parking lot or areas where you are trying to cover a large area in high detail,
a high megapixel camera is necessary. But if you are just monitoring a hallway
or door, it makes sense to use an HD camera that can capture the detail you
want at the lowest possible resolution.
Lower your frames per second
You are not shooting a movie, so there is no need to see 50 frames per second.
Most people in the security industry use 5-7 frames per second, which in most
cases, is going to show you everything you need to see evidence-wise and will
be able to drop your bandwidth by a decent amount of megabits.
Recording on motion
Aside from adjusting camera settings to lower bandwidth, it is also a smart
idea to configure your server to do event-based recordings. As an example, if
you set up your servers to only record on motion events, then you will only
capture footage whenever there is activity in the area that you are monitoring.
The cameras are most likely always streaming to the server for live video, but
with motion based recording they just wouldn’t be saving the data to the
storage.