Archive for August, 2007
Roger and Dan put together another video highlighting the unique features of exacqVision.
In this video, Dan is showing a parking lot surveillance application using only a single 2.0 megapixel IP video camera, and highlighting two powerful features of exacqVision: Views and Digital PTZ. In a 2×2 live view, the same megapixel camera is used for each window. And in each window, the Digital PTZ is used to zoom in on specific cars, both in wide views and close-up of license plates. This is then saved as a View, which saves these defined camera and zoom states.
Using the Search function of exacqVision, you can search within the four video streams of that customized 2×2 view. Additional digital zooming and panning can be done even in the search playback mode.
It is a powerful demo showing a sophisticated surveillance solution using just a single megapixel camera and exacqVision IP software, all very easy to use. This video also highlights an enhancement to the Digital PTZ functionality, the Instant Zoom Box, which will be in Version 2.8, due in late September.
Note also the multiple monitor setup. The exacqVision client can use multiple VGA outputs, allowing independent operations to be performed on each monitor.
The video is available here, or click on the embedded player below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p1GKaqjWYw
August 28th, 2007
Our representative in Australia, Zone Advanced Protection Systems, has done a great job in getting exacqVision IP video surveillance products adopted in security and surveillance installations both small and large throughout Australia. This month they had a nice write-up in one of Australia’s leading network-based physical security magazines, Security Electronics & Networks.
Zone Advanced Protection System has been a leading-edge Digital Video Solution provider for over 15 years. They hold US patents on digital video transmission solutions, and provided the digital video surveillance systems for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Today they rank as one of the leading security vendors in Australia.
We continue to be impressed with Zone. Congratulations to Bill Nolan and his crew for the magazine write-up, and our sincere thanks for their continued support.
The SE&N Magazine write-up can be viewed here.
Zone Advanced Protection Systems
www.zoneaps.com.au
Phone: +61-2-9894-7025
e-mail: sales@zonecctv.com
August 24th, 2007
We have just released Version 2.7 of the exacqVision IP video surveillance software. This latest release, compatible with all exacqVision systems, continues our quest to issue incremental releases (about every six weeks) in response to customer-requested features and enhancements.
Version 2.7 can be downloaded here.
Key features in the Version 2.7 Release:
- Virtual Matrix Switching & Event Monitoring – a powerful new feature for alarm monitoring and assessment
- Increased Data Authentication – secure, accurate and defendable video authentication
- Panoramic IP camera support - support for panoramic cameras from Arecont Vision and CBC America
- Playback Enhancements - more FF/RW control
- ePlayer enhancements - substantial feature enhancements to ePlayer, the player that is automatically included with video exports
- Enhanced audio support
Here are some of these features in detail:
Virtual Matrix Switching & Event Monitoring
Version 2.7 adds full virtual matrix switching functionality, plus event monitoring and acknowledgement to exacqVision. Whether you’re running exacqVision in a single-monitor mode or in a multiple-monitor mode, the new feature enables video pop-up alarms, immediate playback and assessment, and acknowledgement of alarms. This is a powerful new feature, and is best explained in the video clip we posted a couple of weeks ago:
Increased Watermark Authentication
Version 2.7 adds a substantially increased secure level of watermark authentication on exported video using the industry standard, NIST-approved Hash Message Authentication Code, or HMAC. For any export of video, regardless of the number of cameras, types of cameras (analog or IP), or length of export, the entire export is authenticated with HMAC.
This is a highly secure, accurate and defendable means of verifying the authenticity of any frame of any camera in the video export. The authentication would not pass if any frame of any camera had been modified, deleted or added.
New Panoramic IP Camera Support
Arecont Vision - Added support for the Arecont panoramic cameras, models AV8180 and AV8360.
CBC America - Added support for the CBC America MP8D panoramic camera
The complete list of exacqVision supported IP cameras is available here
Playback Enhancements
Playback of video is now enhanced through unlimited acceleration forward of backward by pressing the FF or RW button. Go from 1x to 2x to 4x to 8x to 16x and on and on.
ePlayer enhancements
Substantial improvements have been made to ePlayer, the program that accompanies exported video. ePlayer is included with all video exports and allows the viewer to play back exported video in the same way it was recorded without needing the exacqVision client or system.
ePlayer allows for simultaneous camera playback, just as it was recorded, and allows the viewer to perform additional searches and exports, as well as save and print individual frames, and more. Numerous enhancements have enabled ePlayer to have most all of the functionality of the exacqVision client, including:
- Digital PTZ - zoom in and pan around any video frame while the video is playing
- Status information - new options to enable display of camera names, time stamps, alarm mode, and more.
- Enhanced FF/RW - clicking on Fast Forward and Rewind buttons now allows unlimited speeds forward and backward, just like the new feature in the exacqVision client.
- HMAC Authentication - ePlayer allows the viewer to quickly verify that the video is authentic using the enhanced HMAC authentication added to exacqVision.
Numerous Enhancements
A long list of enhancements accompany the 2.7 release, including:
- improved audio playback support for Axis and ACTi IP cameras, as well as exacqVision Pro Hybrid audio inputs
- enhanced Arecont Vision IP camera performance
- various bug fixes
As always, the latest versions of exacqVision client and server software can easily and quickly be copied over existing versions while retaining all user settings. Version 2.7 of exacqVision is available on our Downloads page.
August 16th, 2007
American Digital Security, an exacqVision integrator, was one of the exhibiting vendors at the American Correctional Association’s annual Congress of Corrections held earlier this week in Kansas City. Combining exacqVision IP video surveillance software and Arecont Vision megapixel IP cameras, ADS showed a unique and compelling solution for the security and surveillance needs of correctional facilities.
The ease of use of the exacqVision software was a big draw. exacqVision’s full remote capabilities due to the client-server architecture, the ability to have instant playback on any camera from the last few seconds or minutes with the exacqReplay feature, and the ability to add any number and type of cameras at any time without limitation were all of interest.
One of the unique exacqVision features for correctional facilities is the video block, in which selected areas of the video image can be blocked from viewing and recording, in parts of the facility where there are privacy mandates, such as lavatories.
The spectacular image quality of the Arecont Vision cameras showed the benefit of megapixel IP video: up to 7x resolution over analog cameras, and a substantially larger field of view. Arecont IP cameras can be easily installed wherever and whenever desired, with nothing more than a standard CAT-5 network connection required, due to their Power over Ethernet (POE) capability.
Showing the benefits of megapixel IP video, in the demos at their booth ADS was reading 1-inch text off of banners over 150 feet away. They were able to utilize the full capabilities of a 46-inch flat panel to show a megapixel camera image blown up to its full resolution in full-screen mode. As exacqVision can also accept analog cameras, an analog camera was also shown for comparison.
The ADS booth was the most crowded at the entire conference. Our sincere thanks to Buddy Mason of ADS and his crew, as well as Mike Hodor of Arecont Vision, for another successful event. ADS and Arecont Vision can be reached as follows:
American Digital Security: www.adscc.tv
Arecont Vision: www.arecontvision.com
August 15th, 2007
The latest version of the exacqVision User Manual has been released and is available on our downloads page.
Dated August 7, 2007, this latest version incorporates all of the features through Version 2.6 of exacqVision IP video surveillance software, plus there are expanded sections and additional illustrations.
As always, the exacqVision client contains the full, up-to-date Help file that can be accessed from any screen or function from within the application, and contains the same material as the User Manual.
Download the latest exacqVision User Manual here:
http://www.exacq.com/downloads.html
August 7th, 2007
Version 2.7 of exacqVision IP video surveillance software is coming, and this weekend the engineers engaged in another “extreme programming” session to iron out all remaining issues and solidify the code for release. (Previous “extreme programming” coverage here).
A key feature in exacqVision Version 2.7 is Event Monitoring and Virtual Matrix Switching which we profiled here. There are also many, many enhancements to existing features, from improved audio support and improved client configuration to a substantially improved ePlayer app.
Version 2.7 will be available the week of August 13th on our downloads page. As always, new versions of exacqVision software can easily be installed in existing systems while maintaining all current settings.
More pictures of this weekend’s extreme programming session are on our flickr photo page.
August 6th, 2007
Security Systems News this month ran a story on the use of Web 2.0 and viral marketing by physical security manufacturers ioimage and Exacq Technologies. We’re of course pleased that they recognized our efforts in this area.
For us, this is all about communication with our reseller channel. This Blog, our use of sites like YouTube, SlideShare, Google Video, flickr and others is all about maintaining up-to-the-minute, relevant communication with our channel partners.
Here’s part of what SSN editor Sam Pfeifle said in the story:
“Buckley said such efforts allow Exacq to complete the vital task of keeping in close contact with channel partners. For instance, www.slideshare.net is the YouTube for PowerPoint files, and www.slideshare.net/exacq features one presentation that’s been viewed 567 times. “Communicating with the resellers is really important,” he said. “By the time you get a newsletter together and send it out to announce a new development, it’s already old news, but the Web gives you all kinds of capabilities to communicate.” He said he’s using a blog (an online newsletter of sorts that can be easily updated with new information, see www.exacq.com/blog) to give resellers frequent updates, and though some integrators might get glassy-eyed when he mentions the word “blog,” they certainly use email and have no problem clicking on a link that takes them to the blog where they can read about technology updates or new marketing efforts.”
The full story is in the August issue of Security Systems News. The link to the story is here:
http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/index.php?p=article&id=ss20070874POBR
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August 1st, 2007