The bench test 2: What possibilities!

What our experts say …
Multi-camera video surveillance has changed comparatively little in the past half century. While it is true that technological advances have resulted in major improvements in cameras, control, monitoring and recording equipment, the vast majority of systems are still based on so-called 'star' topology, with connections to cameras radiating outwards from a central monitoring station.

Now there is a new way of doing things. Network or IP video surveillance effectively rewrites the rules, removing the need for exten-sive cabling and for hardware and personnel to be grouped together in one centralised location.

With IP surveillance, key components such as recording and monitoring equipment and cameras can be anywhere within reach of a network or internet connection, off-site if necessary, without compromising (and in some cases enhancing) security and flexibility.

There is little doubt that we are in the midst of a major revolution in video surveillance but it is sometimes difficult to spot trends or see precisely in which direction the technology is taking us. But every so often we come across a piece of hard-ware that shows what the possibilities could be.

The VP-400 series network digital video recorder is one such device. Distributed in this country by Internet Video Solutions, it is a family of video recording devices from Taiwan-based Formosa Industrial Computing that goes under the heading of VPON (Video Picture On Net). We are focusing on the VP-416 network DVR.

As the model designation suggests this is a 16-camera design – eight and 12-camera configura-tions are also available – but one of the key differences between this and other similar network surveillance products is the degree to which its functionality has been decentralised and distributed across a network.

In other words it can operate as a one-box video digital recorder, in so-called 'local' mode, either by keyboard and mouse or a supplied infra-red remote control handset. But it can also be operated remotely with images and control functions accessible on any networked or internet connected PC, using standard web browsing software.

It's not immediately obvious what's inside the large cream-coloured, rack-mountable case but it is apparent from the standard of construction that this is a very substantial piece of kit and built to endure harsh treatment and environments.

The core features are: it's a full duplex system, able to record and simultaneously play back from up to 16 colour or black and white cameras at up to 30 frames per second (in local mode) and it can also record a single channel of audio.

A built-in multiplexer provides a range of multi-screen display formats on a VGA or video monitor and it is compatible with a variety of PTZ camera systems. Alarm functions include motion detection, external event triggering, scheduled and pre-alarm recording.

Images are recorded on single or dual removable hard disk drives (two 120 Gb drives in the case of our sample) and backed up onto an optional CD writer drive.

Three video processing schemes are available (JPEG, MPEG and H.263) which allow data compression levels of up to 200:1. These yield recording times range from several days to many months, depending on the number of connected cameras, video quality settings and alarm activations. Images sizes can be either 320 x 240 or 640 x 480 pixels, which also has an impact on quality as well as playback frame rates.

Network features are centred on a built-in web server, which can be used in a variety of ways. The simplest setup has the VP-416 linked to a local area network (LAN) and assigned a static IP address so it can be accessed from a web browser on any other PC in the network. It can be assigned a static public IP and connect to the Internet, via a modem. Remote users simply 'dial in'.

The system also supports the use of a dynamic IP address, so it can be assigned to a registry server and accessed from a public web address. As an added bonus, it can be programmed to generate e-mail and FTP alarm notifications.

In common with many other recent digital video recorders the VP-416 is based around a moderately fast multimedia PC, in this instance a 1.3GHz P4 processor with 256Mb of RAM, though one significant difference is the operating system. It's one of the few non-Windows systems we've seen to date; the OS is Linux, a derivative of the industrial-strength Unix system and a mainstay of 'mission critical' computer systems, where stability and reliability are paramount.

There is not much to see on the front, just a couple of indicator lights for power on and hard disk activity, and even when you open the sturdy locking panel it doesn't give much away. Behind the flap there are two caddies for the removable hard disk drives, the CD writer drive and two switches, for power on/off and reset.

Six cooling fans!
The drives are surrounded by air inlets for cooling fans; there are two on the front panel, two smaller fans on the rear of the hard drive holders, another on the main processor fan and one on the power supply (six in total) and they are constantly on so they generate a fair amount of noise that the soundproofed front panel does little to muffle.

Its PC origins are in little doubt when it comes to the back panel. A bank of sockets to the right of the power supply module contains the standard I/O connections for keyboard and mouse, audio inputs and outputs, serial and parallel ports and USB connections.

To the right of that is the D-Sub connector for the VGA output and next to that a bank of video input sockets, one for each camera. The lack of video loop-through and spot monitor outputs loses it some points though. The manual suggests the unit can be connected to a standard video monitor but this facility didn't appear to be available on our sample. But an S-Video to composite video adaptor was included, which we suspect is meant to be used with an appropriately equipped video card.

On the far left is a RJ-45 socket for the network connection. Once the camera and network connections have been made and the VP-416 booted up it starts recording automatically and a monitor connected to the unit displays live images from the selected cameras – as single or multiple screens – along with a 'virtual' remote control for camera selection, zoom, focus and pan and tilt functions. Along the bottom of the screen are further controls and displays for camera selection, multi-screen mode and alarm indications.

Most systems will be up and running straightaway on the factory defaults but there is a comprehensive setup menu covering password assignments, time and date settings, video quality, encoding format and compression rates, image size, video and audio adjustments, composing camera idents, motion detector setup and network settings.

Video display parameters can also be set from a button on the front panel with controls for brightness, saturation, contrast and hue for each camera's input. There is also an information display that shows time, date status and the amount of hard disk space used.

Clicking the Play button on the control panel displays a chronological list of recordings stored by the machine and a button for downloading selected recordings onto CD-R.

   In addition to the video and audio data the machine also records a 'viewer' utility so that recordings can be replayed on almost any Windows PC.

When Play is selected the remote control display changes to a stylised set of playback buttons with forward and reverse play, frame advance and forward picture search functions.

A simple 'Time-line' display with three bargraphs showing motion detection and alarm activation allows the operator to jump to any part of the recording.

For some strange reason there doesn't seem to be a reverse picture search mode and this is one of several issues not addressed by the instruction and operating manuals. In fact there is very little information that would be useful to an operative.

Fortunately it is all fairly straightforward but there are still a few unanswered questions. These include the apparent lack of any file management facilities: the system is set to automatically overwrite video and audio data but there doesn't seem to be any way to 'flag' or protect recordings, other than by downloading them onto a CD-R.

We couldn't find any file delete or copy options either, nor any information about replacing or upgrading the disk drives, despite the fact that they are clearly meant to be interchangeable.

Using the VP-416 from a network PC is only marginally more complex. To access the unit simply enter the network address into a web browser. The machine effectively creates its own web site, which appears in the browser window.

Once past the logon and password formalities the operator then decides whether to download an Active X plug-in from the machine, for full access to all of the system's functions, or use the browser's own display capabilities for basic image viewing, PTZ control and access to setup functions.

Three compression schemes
It operates exactly like a conventional web page with options selected by clicking on underlined 'links'. The main display can be set to show single or multiple live images, or stored recordings from a duplicate Play list.

A simple timeline bargraph with moveable slider makes it possible to jump more or less instantly to any part of the recording.

The 'home' page provides access to Advance Settings, which mirror most of the functions on the local control setup menu.

   Of the three compression schemes there is little to choose between JPEG and MPEG in local or network mode, though the latter does necessarily suffer from much reduced frame rates.

   Picture quality in both cases is satisfactory: quite a lot of detail is lost – compared with a live image – and there is a fair amount of processing noise or artefacts in areas of movement, and colours are a little exaggerated.

   Playing around with the Compression Boost options and picture size options on the setup menu yields some improvements but compared with most other DVRs we have seen recently, image quality is fairly ordinary.

Using the H.263 scheme results in a dramatic reduction in quality. It is bordering on unusable with significant levels of pixellation across the image. It would have been helpful to have had some guidance to the comparative merits and disadvantages of each system.

But from the evidence of our tests the very low data rate of H.263 would suggest that it is best suited to applications where long duration recording times take precedence over picture quality. Even so we cannot foresee many users having a use for such low-grade recordings.

What the manufacturer says ...
The VP-416 is s high quality, high speed 16-channel digital video recorder and remote camera server. Up to 16 video cameras can be connected to this unit to deliver real-time, full motion video transmission anywhere in the world to a desktop PC, station or laptop. All that is needed is an internet browser; no proprietary software is required.

   Attached video cameras can be remotely controlled to pan, tilt and zoom. Users can query recorded video by date, time and triggered events either locally via mouse, across the LAN or remotely through a telephone line or across the Internet.

   Events can be downloaded from hard disk onto the integral CD writer and reviewed through any PC running Windows.

Features & benefits:

• Plug and play, non-Windows based, embedded Linux OS

• Choice of 8, 12 or 16 camera inputs – colour or black & white

• Record, display & playback can take place simultaneously

• Single screen and multi-screen viewable locally in live and playback modes

• Live local viewing is at up to 30 frames per second per camera

• Recording is at up to 7.5 fps per camera, with 16 cameras connected

• Compression algorithms can be selected from H263, JPEG and MJPEG

• Video is compressed and stored on removable hard disks

• Transmission of live or recorded video to any remote PC can be via internet, intranet or direct dial in

• The server is fully duplexed, allowing simultaneous recording and playback

• It supports motion detection, alarmed event or schedule recording with pre-alarm function

• A standard web browser (Internet Explorer) is required for remote viewing

• It supports optional general purpose inputs and outputs for alarm and remote control.