3 top tips for your HD 'retrofit' deployments

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With high-definition video, you can see more, react faster, and take better care of your people and assets. But getting the full potential of HD requires an in-depth review of your end-to-end security infrastructure. Here are our 3 top tips for making the jump to HD.

Everyone knows that high definition (HD) is amazing, dramatically improving viewing quality and experience.

For security, that's super important. For example, HD images can significantly assist in event investigations, particularly in terms of reviewing incidents and verifying claims. On the other hand, if video of license plates or other key evidence is grainy and blurry, it can make cases time-consuming, difficult, and expensive to solve. Likewise, for business owners that are looking for peace of mind, high-definition footage supports faster, more effective incident responses.

But HD deployments don't always give the benefits customers expect, especially if it's a retrofit, meaning that cameras are being upgraded at the front end. In fact, getting an upgrade right requires an in-depth review of your end-to-end security infrastructure to ensure that HD cameras can be supported effectively.

For example, many networks can only handle three to four Mbps (megabits per second), while HD cameras typically require 5-8 Mbps to stream videos. In such a case, the performance of HD cameras would be negatively impacted, and investments wasted.

Here are our three tips for ensuring that your end-to-end security infrastructure can support new HD cameras, and deliver all the benefits your organization expects:

1. Select a high-definition camera that suits your needs

Some HD cameras are designed to give visibility across large areas, while some focus on small spaces; and some can zoom in on a person or vehicle of interest while others can't. That's why you need to choose cameras that are right for your specific needs, whether you're looking to monitor a large parking lot, or the front yard of a family house.

You can ensure you choose the right HD camera by clarifying the use case you're with your local security installer. They can help you choose the right kit and the right lens and image resolution options based on whether you need to detect, observe, recognize, or identify an object and on how far, and how clearly your cameras need to 'see'.

When it comes to analog…

It is obvious that network cameras or IP cameras have gained a lot of popularity in the market as they are flexible to deploy, expandable, and can incorporate a number of intelligent functions based on algorithms. However, this doesn't mean that customers with existing analog system can't upgrade their systems to HD. On the contrary, they can deploy HD capabilities without replacing the whole infrastructure. This is made possible with the High Definition Transport Video Interface (HDTVI) standard, which is available with Turbo HD products from Hikvision. With Turbo HD, HD-over-coaxial solutions allow customers to achieve superior picture quality in the analog world.

For more information, watch our video: 5 Tips to Improve Your Video Feed Quality

2. Choose technologies that maximize storage efficiency and lower costs

Compared to conventional CCTV, the transmission of HD images consumes more network bandwidth and storage space. This means limiting the bitrate from HD video streams is critical. Advanced video encoding technology like the Hikvision H.265+ can solve this problem, greatly reducing the bitrate of recorded footage, as well as bandwidth and storage costs. According to a 24-hour testing in a busy café restaurant, with cameras at the same resolution and frame rate, we found that the H.264 codec yielded an average of 22.7 GB. Strikingly, Hikvision's H.265+ averaged only 3.9 GB, demonstrating an 83% improvement in storage consumption.

It's also possible to maximize transmission and storage efficiency with the right video recording plan. In some cases, for example, when it’s important to capture specific events in a video timeline, customers can implement a video recording plan only when the pre-defined event rules are triggered. In other cases, full-time video recordings is necessary, which requires a continuous recording plan. Alternatively, a mixed recording plan can be used, for example, for continuous video recording on weekdays and event recording on weekends, or for any other configuration of times and days.

3. Make sure your monitor delivers the right HD viewing experience

It would be a shame if you have had good quality HD security cameras and network environment, but the video images on the monitor are in low resolution. In other words, if you deployed an HD camera at 2 MP, and your monitor supports up to 720 P, ultimately you would get video images with 720 P resolution, instead of 1080 P your camera is able to provide.

So, to get the most out of the HD cameras and infrastructure you have, you need a monitor that is at least 1080 pixels. Preferably, it should also be equipped with proper image rendering and processing technologies to deliver true-to-life HD images. Only this way will you get the crystal-clear images that the leading HD cameras can provide.

Basically, the more pixels per inch (PPI), the higher the resolution is. Therefore, with the same 1080 P resolution, monitors in a 22-inch format will provide sharper images than monitors in a 24-inch format. So, if customers need monitors for small business use, for instance, a café restaurant, a monitor with smaller size would do the job well. For larger scenarios like industrial parks and stadiums, big-sized video walls with 4K resolution are ideal.

Implement your HD retrofit plan with Hikvision

From high-quality image capturing, to efficient HD image transmission and storage, HD image display and viewing, Hikvision has thought about all of these key steps and designed our solutions to optimize your HD deployment.

As an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency, Hikvision provides a wide range of HD cameras featuring various resolutions and top-notch image processing technologies, which dramatically address customers' needs under different scenarios and budgets. The company's in-house H.265+ video encoding technology ensures that HD images can be transmitted and stored in an efficient way without compromising image quality. Its display products including monitors, video walls, and the latest LED products offer unrivalled visual experience to suit every security need, indoor and outdoor.