the voice of the security industry How to significantly reduce requirements in IP-based v Bandwidth and storage requirements are often critical issues in conjunction with installation an IP-based video surveillance systems. Earlier this year Axis launched the Zipstream technology, a radically more efficient H.264 implementation than the H.264 compression standard, lowering bandwidth and storage requirements by an average 50% or more. By Stefan Lundberg, Senior Expert, Technologies, Axis Communications Over the course of the past 10 years we have seen surveillance camera technology steadily advance offering better and better image quality and detail. Today’s cameras feature megapixel and full HDTV image resolutions with first models already taking the leap to 4K Ultra HD. Frame rates up to 60 fps are not uncommon. Wide dynamic range technology enables today’s cameras to capture detailed images even in complex scenes with high contrasts such as when sunlight creates both very bright zones as well as very dark shadow areas. Advanced image sensors allow for colour video even in very dark and extreme low-light conditions. With these advances in surveillance camera technology the requirements in terms of bandwidth and storage consumption have steadily increased. This has put a lot of pressure on system operators to manage the underlying network infrastructure as well as storage resources in a smart way. After all, the best video surveilWith Zipstream on (Pic. 1). lance evidence is of no value at all if the system was configured to automatically overwrite the footage before it was needed. Also it makes little sense to invest in high quality cameras when reducing the video bit rate, resolution or frame rate to a level where important details are no longer captured and footage does not provide clear evidence anymore. The H.264 video compression standard Most IP-based video surveillance systems today are based on the H.264 video compression standard lowering bandwidth and storage requirements. This is achieved through reducing and removing redundant information. The video compression algorithm identifies regions in the video that have already been transferred and do not need to be sent again in the next image frame. However the H.264 standard does not specify the algorithm used to compress video but only the syntax and the method to perform playback. This allows for improved H.264 encoding solutions to be created while maintaining the same file format for interoperability with existing H.264 network infrastructure and video management software. Improving H.264 compression with Axis’ Zipstream technology This is where Axis saw the opportunity to take the H.264 compression standard to the next level. Fully compatible with existing H.264 network infrastructure and video management software, the Zipstream technology is a radically more efficient H.264 implementation, lowering bandwidth and storage requirements by an average Pic 1. Pic 2. Using just standard H.264 compression (pic 2). The Zipstream technology is a radically more efficient H.264 implementation, lowering bandwidth and storage requirements by an average of 50% or more. Security News Every Day – www. securityworldhotel.com