The formation of the HDcctv Alliance is a major milestone for the surveillance industry

(09/07/2009)

HDcctv Alliance is a non-profit, global consortium that manages specifications for high-definition closed-circuit television (HDcctv) as open industry standards. HDcctv Alliance has announced that it is now open for membership sign up. Alliance members can log into their Website and gain access to non-public Alliance information.

Members also participate in the development of HDcctv Interoperability Specification v1.0, planned for public distribution in September 2009, and will be invited to product category launch events in late September.

In an HDcctv-based system, HDTV signals are transmitted digitally over conventional CCTV media without packetization and without any perceivable compression latency. The aim of the Alliance is to guide standardization efforts and promotion of HDcctv.

"HDcctv is exciting, it is the first new product category for surveillance in perhaps ten years,” said Todd E. Rockoff, Ph.D., Chairman of HDcctv Alliance. “As a zero-training, plug-and-play resolution upgrade for the installed base, HDcctv promises to impact not only surveillance equipment makers, but the entire security services industry as the companies that provide HDcctv-based solutions out-compete those companies that do not offer HDcctv."

The Alliance’s membership, drawn from component and equipment manufacturers worldwide, includes Charter Members Gennum Corporation, EverFocus, Ovii, Stretch, and Comart System.

“As a recognized leader in signal integrity and long-reach A/V connectivity, Gennum is excited by the possibilities the Alliance represents,” said Vijay Sharma, director of A/V connectivity for Gennum. “We look forward to playing a pivotal role in the standardization process and contributing key technology to the HDcctv specifications, which will speed the adoption of high-definition equipment in the surveillance industry, ensure interoperability, and help minimize design risks for manufacturers.”

“HDcctv represents a compelling opportunity to simplify the path to high-resolution video,” states Michael Kimball, SVP of EverFocus’ ODM Business Unit. “We are working closely with our industry partners within the Alliance to develop standards for a next generation of TriBrid™ devices that accept and generate Analog, IP, and HDcctv inputs and outputs.”

“The formation of the HDcctv Alliance is a major milestone for the surveillance industry," said Craig Lytle, Stretch president and CEO. "Working with the Alliance, we have been able to successfully demonstrate the technology, and we will be in production with a new line of high-definition DVR cards using H.264 SVC encoding by the autumn of this year."

"The High-End Professional CCTV Security market will move from standard definition (SD) video to high definition (HD) video over the next few years," said Craig Scott, CEO of Optical Video Imaging Inc. (OVii). "Based on the establishment of an HDcctv Specification that meets the functional requirements of Professional CCTV and provides an open standard for interoperability, the migration will be accelerated by the formation of the HDcctv Alliance. OVii is developing HDcctv camera platforms and plans to introduce an HDcctv Camera line to our OEM/ODM Partners in Q3/2009."

The HDcctv Alliance recognizes that surveillance systems will continue to rely on IP video for integration beyond the premises such as back hauling video for remote access and additional storage. HDcctv systems may yet prove to be commercially superior to megapixel IP camera-based systems within the premises for most professional security applications.

HDcctv offers several advantages for the end user, compared to alternative ways of achieving high resolution:
• Surveillance-Grade Reliability: Video is not broken up into packets and then transmitted via an occasionally congested network.
• Plug-and-Play Resolution Upgrade: The transition from CCTV to HDcctv is very easy: just upgrade the DVR and selected cameras.
• Familiar and Reliable User Interface: For the installer/operator, the only difference between HDcctv and CCTV is that the DVR recording configuration screens show higher values (1280 x 720 and/or 1920 x 1080) in the pull-downs for record resolution in addition to the conventional CCTV values.
• True HDTV Live View: HDcctv video signals are not compressed or packetized before transmission, so no compression image artifacts or frame interruptions are observed.
• Real-Time Speed Dome Control: HDcctv is compression-free, with none of the signal delays associated with compression. Therefore an HDcctv system operator experiences no delay between a joystick command and the corresponding speed dome (pan/tilt/zoom dome) response.
• Best Possible Input Format for Analytics: HDcctv systems digitally deliver crisp, unadulterated video from cameras to DVR for the clearest possible analytics input.

HDcctv is enabled by semiconductor technology advances, making all of the following affordable:
• Image sensors capable of capturing surveillance-grade HD images
• Image processing circuits coupled to (or embedded in) those high-resolution sensors
• HD-SDI transmission technology adapted from broadcast HDTV
• Codecs capable of processing broadcast-industry-standards-compliant HD video streams
• HDTV display panels (leveraging consumer trends)

Related topics:  CCTV system and accessories   IP monitoring   Security Companies 

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