Archive for December, 2007
Continuing the exacqVision Version 2.9 new feature preview: Another of the major new features in Version 2.9 is Megapixel Camera Cropping.
The IP megapixel cameras from IQeye and Arecont Vision can produce spectacular images with great detail. With those increased-resolution images also comes increased file sizes and increased network bandwidth usage.
In many cases, there are areas in each megapixel camera image that are not necessary to view or record. For example, an exterior camera aimed at a parking lot may also include sky or buildings or landscaping in the view, which you do not need to record. With the new Cropping feature of exacqVision, you can crop out those areas you don’t wish to record, thereby maintaining the high-resolution for the areas you do want to see, but reducing file sizes and network bandwidth usage.
This feature is particularly useful for systems that may have a large number of IP megapixel cameras connected.
Dan and Roger created a YouTube video for this feature as well:
A full Blog post on all of the Version 2.9 features will hit when we release the new version.
December 31st, 2007
Within a week we will be releasing exacqVision Version 2.9, continuing our goal of rapid, incremental updates to add features quickly. One of the major new features in Version 2.9 is Soft Triggers. This is a feature that allows client buttons to be created that can perform any definable task, created through the Event Linking page.
For example, on a client station monitoring a remote location, a soft trigger button can be created that lets the person monitoring that site unlock a door at the remote location to let someone in.
The best way to describe this feature is to see it in operation. Dan and Roger created this brief demo YouTube video:
A full Blog post on all of the Version 2.9 features will hit when we release the new version.
December 31st, 2007
Security Sales & Integration magazine for December, 2007 has a feature story entitled Mega-Pixel Help Ensure Fido’s Well-Being by editor Rodney Bosch. It chronicles the installation of a megapixel IP video surveillance system at Diamond Pet Foods for both security as well as quality control, the latter a key issue after the recent contaminated pet food scare. The article is certainly interesting, as it is both a successful installation story as well as a focus on the business opportunities that exist for security integrators with IP video security.
Rodney writes:
In June, Diamond — which has been at the epicenter of the contaminated pet food story — contracted with American Digital Security (ADS) of Liberty, Mo., to install a state-of-the-art IP-based video solution to strengthen its quality control initiatives, and bolster the security and safety of its facility and employees.
How the company came to choose the services of ADS is a testament to the superior images offered by mega-pixel cameras, and also how the systems integrator is finding success in its effort to catch the Convergence Wave.
Buddy Mason of American Digital Security chose exacqVision for the IP video surveillance software:
During its research preparing for the new frontier, ADS elected to employ exacqVision client/server software for its IP systems. Engineered by Indianapolis-based Exacq Technologies, the platform provides a common user interface for video surveillance that appealed to Mason.
“They bring me a decent cost and real ease of use. That has been key for us. Their GUI looks like Outlook™ so people feel comfortable with it. You can play back video on the live screen and burn it right there. They made it very simple,” Mason says.
Later in the article, Buddy highlights the opportunities that moving into IP-based systems brings to security integrators:
Mason suggests the many dealers/integrators waiting on the sidelines as IP-based systems become more prevalent are missing out on onsite learning experiences similar to his at Diamond Pet Foods.
It’s high time to jump right in, Mason says. “For Diamond Pet Foods, we were the answer at that right time for them,” he says. “A year from now, there might be four or five answers out there.”
The article is a great read, well written, on a timely subject. You can read the full article here.
December 20th, 2007
We are pleased to announce that Carey Lefebvre has joined Exacq Technologies as our new West Coast Regional Sales Manager. Carey will be responsible for all Exacq territory activity in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii, and will be working with our Manufacturer Rep firms, integrators and OEMs in those states.
If you are a security systems integrator based in California you are probably already familiar with Carey. He spent many years with Seevid, a Manufacturer Rep firm based in Huntington Beach, where he represented products from American Dynamics and others, and most recently was with Sacramento-based Innovative Systems Marketing where he represented products from Digiop, TOA and others.
You can contact Carey at clefebvre@exacq.com or by phone at 209-256-5223.
Welcome aboard, Carey!
December 18th, 2007
Continuing our introductions of new Exacq employees, we are pleased to announce that Robert Ansell has joined Exacq Technologies as Product Manager, and will be working with engineering and sales in both product management and major customer support.
Robert comes to us from Lenel Systems, where he served a variety of roles, including project management, product management, engineering and sales. Robert was principally involved with the network-based digital video systems from Lenel.
Robert can be contacted at ransell@exacq.com or by phone at 317-845-5710.
Welcome aboard, Robert!
December 18th, 2007
We’re always testing the network loading and throughput on our exacqVision NVR servers. It is important that when large numbers of megapixel IP cameras are connected to either a single server or to an enterprise that we can maintain our specified throughput and frame rates. There are a variety of ways for testing, including virtual camera software, but nothing is more accurate in a real-world scenario than connecting actual cameras and running the servers in a worst-case scenario: continuous free-run at 100% motion on all cameras.
Last week, TJ and Matthew traveled to California to perform just such qualification and testing at the Arecont Vision headquarters. Using our stock exacqVision server, used in our rackmount NVR systems and rackmount Hybrid systems, Arecont furnished more than 64 megapixel cameras which TJ and Matthew connected to the server through standard NETGEAR Smart Switches. The cameras were primarily AV2100 2-Mpixel (1600×1200) IP cameras, but there were also a mixture of other cameras, including AV3100 3-Mpixel (2040×1530) cameras and AV8360 360-degree panoramic IP cameras.
Our real-world testing once again confirmed our virtual testing. The exacqVision system achieved expected frame rates and network throughput, while maintaining a low processor load. We were able to specifically and definitively qualify a number of pending installations in which large numbers of megapixel cameras have been specified by our resellers for use with our NVR video surveillance systems.
Our thanks to Arecont Vision for hosting us at their facility and for providing all of the cameras and lenses we used for testing. Below are some pictures from the testing.
December 10th, 2007
Our distributor for Australia, Zone Advanced Protection Systems, highlighted the exacqVision IP video surveillance products last week at the Australian Government’s Security in Government Conference 2007, held at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. This year was the 20th anniversary of the conference and the theme was The Future of Security.
Zone was showing a number of leading-edge physical security technologies and products. In addition to Exacq, Zone featured megapixel cameras from Arecont and Axis, IP video analytics cameras from ioimage, as well as their own Multi Sensor Control Platform (MSCP) and Zone IDV Bubble spatial video motion detection products. Matt Nolan of Zone APS (pictured below) said they had great traffic at the booth, and that the people were “blown away by the ease-of-use of the exacqVision video surveillance software and the quality of the megapixel images.”
Our congratulations to Zone for another successful show. Zone Advanced Protection Systems can be reached as follows:
Web: www.zoneaps.com.au
Phone: +61-2-9894-7025
E-mail: sales@zoneaps.com
December 10th, 2007
We have yet another addition to our Rep network. We are pleased to announce that we have appointed DSP-Integrity, based in Dallas, TX, as our representative to manage the system integrator and OEM sales of the exacqVision IP video surveillance product line in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.
DSP-Integrity founders bring a wealth of industry experience to our channel. Steve Davidson, Malcolm Scholl, and Thomas Preuss have been involved in the security industry for years, and are uniquely knowledgeable in digital video surveillance systems, IP network video systems and IP access control. They have been been involved with a number of technology-focused security vendors, and up until just a couple of months ago were the representatives for Integral Technologies. You can read more about them here.
Currently, in addition to Exacq, they represent a number of synergistic physical security vendors, including IQinvision, CBC America and NS Microwave.
DSP-Integrity can be reached as follows:
Web: www.dsp-integrity.com
Phone: 1-214-616-4606
e-mail: info@dsp-integrity.com
We welcome Steve, Malcolm and Thomas to our Exacq family of representatives. Our complete listing of North American Manufacturer Reps can be found here.
December 3rd, 2007