In the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," Lü Bu was unmatched in bravery but was still defeated by the three heroes working together. Some say that the surveillance market is witnessing a similar scenario, with Video Encoders challenging DVRs due to their powerful networking features and decreasing costs. Originally, the DVR market, known for its large storage capacity and flexible applications, may face a revolutionary change. Users are influenced by various opinions when choosing between DVRs and Video Encoders. We have elaborated on the current status and development of both DVRs and Video Encoders, hoping to provide insights to users.
In recent years, DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) have been highly promoted. Undeniably, compared to traditional analog surveillance products, the emergence of DVRs has significantly advanced the surveillance industry. However, with the diversified development of social surveillance environments, DVRs have fallen behind in meeting user demands in certain aspects. Under the pressure of market competition, why has DVR become a lame duck?
The digital audio-visual monitoring in the security industry has developed for several years, with its core compression technology evolving from the initially used MJPEG to later MPEG-1(2), MPEG4, and the current H.264 standard. Compression chips have gradually shifted from dedicated ASIC chips to DSP (Digital Signal Processing) processors, driven by market demand which has led to technological advancements and market expansion.
Faced with the impact of Video Encoders, digital audio-visual development technology has not stagnated, and development in video encoding technology continues. For example, the H.264 compression standard uses different algorithms for varying image quality and applications; higher compression ratios and image quality lead to more complex algorithms, requiring higher optimization and implementation capabilities. With equal image quality, the bandwidth and storage costs for DVRs become lower. In other words, the same size of storage media can store longer video information, thus emphasizing the importance of compression in digital audio-visual technology.
The global semiconductor market continues to introduce new high-performance DSP chips, and new technologies stimulate the development of digital audio-visual compression technology. Achieving high-performance digital audio-visual compression algorithms on more cost-effective chips is one of the current priorities for security manufacturers. The industry’s demand for higher compression ratios and higher clarity images aligns with the development direction of digital audio-visual codec technology.
How to improve the stability of DVR products is an important issue for manufacturers. Simply relying on technology to enhance product stability and reliability is unrealistic. While increasing investment in R&D, companies should also depend on standardized R&D systems and quality management systems to ensure product quality.
Progress has been made in this area: introducing systematic R&D management and quality systems to effectively guarantee the quality of product development; continuously advancing product technology to strive for greater improvements in quality and performance. The development of Internet technology has made internet-based surveillance possible, expanding monitoring capabilities to global locations, thus making security an important consideration for internet-based surveillance. To ensure the security of DVRs, it is essential to adopt reliable encryption and firewall technologies, and embedded network DVRs are recommended to avoid the vulnerabilities of PC-based DVRs and reduce maintenance work.
Currently, the DVR industry is rapidly growing at a rate of 30%, and the demand for DVRs is becoming increasingly diverse, posing challenges for DVR manufacturers: on one hand, market demands are continuously changing; on the other hand, product technologies are constantly evolving, with new compression technologies, new chips, peripherals, and operating systems being updated. However, the leading DVR manufacturers are still small IT companies, lacking adequate funding, R&D systems, and management, making current DVRs unsatisfactory in terms of stability, which is a significant issue for DVRs.
The choice of compression algorithm for DVRs significantly affects image quality and determines the ability to transmit video and images over networks. Currently, most DVR manufacturers have adopted MPEG4 and H.264 compression standards. In comparison, DVRs that use H.264 algorithms can provide better image quality under the same bandwidth, making network transmission more efficient and smooth. We propose the DCIF (528x384) concept, which can provide DCIF image quality at CIF resolution bandwidth without increasing user costs.
DVR networking has become a basic requirement, and centralized monitoring is being applied in many scenarios. Generally, DVR networking can be divided into "centralized monitoring + local storage" or "fully centralized monitoring." Additionally, internet-based surveillance is beginning to rise, with major manufacturers launching products like Video Encoders, network PTZ cameras, and web cameras, aligning industry development with the trends of digitalization, networking, and intelligence.
However, the networking functions and performance of different manufacturers vary, and the interfaces are not unified, which can pose challenges to product industrialization. As the industry continues to develop, these issues will gradually move towards standardization.
The main technologies for DVR products include compression, recording, and network transmission. Embedded products also include the development of embedded operating systems, integrating these core technologies fundamentally determines the characteristics of DVR products. Among them, image compression is the core technology, as the compression quality dictates storage capacity and network transmission capability. However, the design of the storage system and network transmission system must also be ideal, and the stability of the embedded system development will greatly impact the final product. Thus, this is a manifestation of comprehensive capabilities, involving extensive software and hardware design, manufacturing processes, and quality management, fully reflecting the technological connotation and management level of DVR manufacturers.
Discussable issues are those that users care about; therefore, how to tailor a DVR selection to fit their needs is a key concern for users.
Currently, mainstream DVRs are divided into PC-Based DVRs and Embedded Network DVRs. PC-Based DVRs offer advantages such as higher channel capacity, flexible applications, aesthetically pleasing interfaces, and ease of operation, but they also require more maintenance work and are not suitable for unattended monitoring points. Embedded Network DVRs are relatively reliable and stable, require no maintenance, are compact, and have a high level of integration. However, they are less flexible in application, and the operating interface is relatively inferior. Thus, users should choose between these two types of DVRs based on their application scenarios. There are significant differences among products from various manufacturers, and factors to consider include compression performance, playback functionality, network capabilities, peripheral interfaces, operation modes, and pricing. Compression performance, network functionality, product stability, and after-sales service should be the main factors, as these indicators impact the product's operating costs and must be considered alongside sales prices to select the most suitable product.
Embedded products are being utilized for their ease of use and stability. Looking at the long-term development trend, Video Encoders will occupy a primary application position due to their relatively low price and strong independence.
- Finance: Business halls, safes, counters, ATM machines, remote networking monitoring systems;
- Healthcare: Remote surgical guidance, special patient isolation care, medical teaching;
- Power: Unattended operation of equipment;
- Judiciary: Remote trials and hearings, prison and detention center monitoring;
- Transportation: Intersection monitoring, highway toll station monitoring, airport and dock monitoring, community and market surveillance;
- Commercial: Supermarket monitoring, distributed factory monitoring, production line surveillance;
- Tourism: Tourist site surveillance, hotel floor management, safety monitoring for cultural heritage sites;
Video Encoders will have strong advantages in distributed monitoring locations with limited channels and rich network resources, advantages that DVRs cannot replace.
Video Encoders are designed with embedded structures that compress audio and video signals into data streams, which are then transmitted over networks.
In the current network environment, how to optimize the design of Video Encoders to meet user requirements is a key focus for manufacturers.
The application of Video Encoders primarily considers the architecture of the lines, using different Video Encoder products for different lines: high bandwidth users can consider using D1 format products; for users with ADSL lines, CIF format products are recommended. During the networking process, sufficient consideration must be given to the user’s operating environment.
Addressing the issue of accessing Video Encoders via dynamic IP addresses is another challenge that needs to be overcome.
Today, surveillance is moving towards network-based solutions, namely the third generation of fully digital remote video surveillance systems. Besides following the trend, practical applications are the driving force behind the development of Video Encoders. While the prospects are promising, the features still present a mixed bag of advantages and disadvantages.
Compared to traditional analog monitoring systems, although the digitized local video monitoring systems based on DVRs have made significant advancements, due to the limitations of their technical architecture, DVRs have never been able to achieve long delays and multi-channel simultaneous monitoring in network remote surveillance environments. Video Encoders effectively compensate for the shortcomings of DVRs. Market research indicates that global sales of Video Encoders will exceed the current less than 5% market share.
Through IP networks, monitoring centers can integrate with any reachable surveillance targets, truly adapting to the current demand for remote, real-time, and centralized video monitoring systems, which is the third generation of fully digital remote video surveillance systems, with Video Encoders being typical products.
Currently, in the field of video monitoring, digitalization, networking, and intelligence have become development trends, and digital video monitoring systems are gradually entering the stage of large-scale commercial applications.
Network bandwidth has significantly improved; newly built buildings, hotels, communities, and other groups are now incorporating networks as basic infrastructure, with 1000M Ethernet available everywhere. Having a high-speed network environment will enhance the overall marketing capabilities of building groups. In terms of the Internet, ADSL has been widely used in major cities, and the low cost of 1M bandwidth ADSL lines makes it very suitable for video transmission. Regarding dedicated lines, the costs for DDN and fiber optic line rentals have also decreased significantly. The rapid development of computer processing speeds, with 3.0G capable CPUs becoming mainstream in the market.
Additionally, client software should not only have the basic functions of DVRs but also support multi-point interconnection, automatic dial-up internet access, IE browsing, automatic reconnection after disconnection, minimal latency, complete audio and video stream synchronization, and remote program control.
As network bandwidth continues to increase and operating costs decrease, the market demands more from Video Encoders: smooth video streams under low bandwidth, more complete functionalities, strong system capabilities, and stable reliability, adaptable to various network protocols.
Compared to DVRs, Video Encoders have clear advantages:
- Simple installation, just need to connect to the network, with minimal signal attenuation;
- Capable of achieving multi-point interconnection;
- Significantly reduced costs in distributed monitoring locations.
The growing demand for fully digital systems is evident from the increasing market demand for DVRs. The widespread adoption of DVR products has gradually extended the application of digital surveillance from initial financial systems to healthcare, tourism, transportation, airports, public squares, communities, buildings, and power telecommunications.
The immense digital market demand presents Video Encoders with broad development prospects and opportunities, with future applications expected to surpass DVRs.
Currently, there are many brands of Video Encoders on the market, and products are mixed with varying functionalities and compression technologies.
- Compression formats include MPEG-4, MJPEG, H.263, H.264, etc.;
- Image formats include CIF, Half D1, D1, etc.;
- Each Video Encoder has options for 1-channel, 2-channel, and 4-channel;
- Product prices vary significantly, with high, medium, and low-end options available.
Video Encoders will be the trend for future video surveillance development, as they possess strong networking capabilities, client software has the basic functionalities of DVRs, and wiring is very easy, providing application advantages for distributed surveillance locations.
Seek practicality and usability in surveillance system procurement.
Due to users' limited understanding of surveillance system technologies and functionalities, they typically rely on recommendations from engineering firms or manufacturers when selecting products and planning monitoring solutions. Some vendors, in pursuit of profits, often recommend high-priced, impractical products without considering the actual needs of users. Therefore, the aim of this article is to introduce suitable methods for selecting monitoring products, with a simple comparative analysis of common monitoring scenarios.
General surveillance system needs can be categorized into several types: real-time monitoring of live processes, temporary storage of site conditions, long-term storage of site data, and remote monitoring. However, this categorization is not entirely accurate, as every type of surveillance system may overlap or mix the above functionalities.
蘊藏許多助人的知識與智慧。