A Network Video Recorder has the possibility of recording images from IP cameras located anywhere in the world thanks to the fact that the data travels through the Internet.
by Ana María Restrepo
Forty years ago the Internet appeared in a very segmented way, 19 years later it was opened to everyone, but the little infrastructure, technology and knowledge slowed down its appearance in the less advanced regions.
Some time later all companies, public and private, began to have their computers connected through the intranet to share information securely for all employees of the organization; in this way, the Intranet became the means of business communication throughout the universe, so much so that in 2007 Nielsen Norman Group had a record of 6 million intranet pages.
This network of computers, either within the organization, or for the whole world, allows data to travel from one place to another, exchange information, as well as resources such as: CD-ROM, printers, scanners, cameras; however, a network also allows the handling of amounts of information that are represented in digital form, and it is at this point where electronic security begins to be part of the Network.
Digital systems, on the other hand, represent processed data that can be stored or transmitted by electronic means or computers, especially where such data is converted to the numerical binary form as in photography or digital audio.
Both technological developments, networks and digital systems, have entered with force for some years in the security segment, managing to monopolize the gaze of manufacturers, distributors, integrators and users, however in some countries they could not be implemented due to the little development of the Internet. Nowadays in Latin America these systems have many followers and their use is becoming more and more popular.
Within these solutions that are monopolizing the eyes we can find IP cameras and recorders known as NVR (Network Video Recorder), which record digital images from networked cameras.
VENTAS DE SEGURIDAD spoke about these recorders and their uses with Carlos Leschhorn, vice president of sales for Latin America at Infinova and Héctor Porras, marketing and sales engineer Ipela at Sony.
An NVR is a device developed mainly to record digital images that come from a surveillance network via IP.
It records video sequences that have been previously encoded by the cameras. Thus, in this equipment there is no video connection, its inputs and outputs are IP data that are composed of compressed and encoded video.
NVRs can be based on computer software or be dedicated standalone units. When an NVR is based on software, it is called an NVS (Network Video Software) solution, since it only consists of the program installed on a computer with a good storage capacity.
Before NVRs, there were DVRs (Digital Video Recorder), which were responsible for recording the data (video) from analog cameras, in this regard, Carlos explains that although a DVR is also a recording system that can be based on a computer, it is designed to convert analog images into digital signal and thus record the complete information on computer discs.
On the other hand, an NVR is created to record video from IP cameras in digital format where the cameras are not necessarily in the same place, city or country, and the signals from them reach the recorder, which can be on a computer based on windows or linux, or an inert system which records the cameras in compressed digital formats without the information being distorted.
Dual-use
Taking into account the specific use of each of the recorders (DVR and NVR), it is worth noting that a Network Video Recorder can also be used with analog cameras with IP encoders, which convert the signals into digital using the IP protocol. The video recorder does not have video inputs or capture cards, all the sending and receiving of the images is done by means of LAN/WAN type communications.
When recording the images of digital cameras, they reach the NVR without using any coding system, however it is necessary to take into account what are the surveillance needs that you want to meet to use the appropriate systems.
In relation to this issue, Héctor Porras assures that NVRs should be used when a single integral solution is required that can be expanded and offers high-quality video surveillance in various offices or places, this being precisely what IP video provides. "In addition, IP video offers a high level of redundancy for enterprise groups. In case of emergency, the control capacity can be easily transferred to any other point in the network, either in the same place or in a different one. Redundant networks allow the system to keep working even when a link or switch fails, and network video recorders protect recordings even when a recorder stops working or is destroyed. These features allow IP video systems to offer a much higher level of integrity than analog CCTV systems offer."
For its part, Leschhorn reinforces that an NVR is not only used with IP cameras, but also with analog cameras. "NVRs are best used when we need to centralize a control room where the cameras being viewed are at different points. These are used when we have a large number of cameras to record."
A Network Video Recorder can be used in the same way in other industries, basically in Television, because in a TV station both video and audio can arrive in real time with a good quality. Porras claims that this saves the shipment of personnel and equipment for a particular recording. "A typical example is reality shows. In these events, IP security cameras are being used that are previously installed in the sites where these programs are carried out and from those remote points the video and audio are sent in real time with great clarity and the NVR recording is collected to send it to the air and present it on TV. "
The good and the not so good
Like all technologies, NVRs also have advantages that make them position themselves within the security market as a good option at the time of recording IP video, of course, their use depends on the requirements that an end user must supply, but also these equipment have some disadvantages that although they have nothing to do with their characteristics, whether they should be taken into account.
Carlos comments that one of the main disadvantages is that as these recorders are based, for the most part, on a computer platform, they suffer from the natural problems of a PC, so it is important to keep in mind that when configuring an NVR you must go beyond the minimum specifications of the manufacturers, in order to be sure that the system will operate in optimal conditions. Another aspect that should be taken into account is that the recording equipment must have high storage capacity discs, so that this does not interfere with the work of the system.
At this point Hector says that the only disadvantage is the storage capacity that NVRs bring, which generally ranges from 1 to 2 Terabyte, however there are NAS servers that can be integrated into the network to allow more storage and in this way not saturate the capacity that the NVR brings from the factory. But it also recognizes as a current obstacle the price and comparison that is made against digital systems, however this will change due to the high demand that these products are having.
As for the benefits, the main advantage of an architecture based on NVR recorders is that they can be put anywhere on the network: in the control center, near groups of cameras, outside the network or grouped in a protected environment. When in use, operators do not need to know their location, as any operator can view the recorded video footage from anywhere on the network. "NVRs record and display images at the same time, and several operators can simultaneously monitor the recordings of any machine from different points of the network independently and without affecting the other operators," explains Porras.
What makes them up
All the teams have both physical and operational charts that describe them and make them known. In this case, NVRs have good recording capacity and image quality, as well as being versatile in the transport of video.
Likewise, an NVR records video sequences that have been previously encoded by the cameras, they have connectivity via IP to handle compressed and encoded video. In addition, these devices can handle different video formats such as JPEG, MPEG-4, H.264.
It should be noted that since NVRs are based on a computer equipment, their function can be affected by a computer virus, as well as by a network failure that would leave them without receiving the data from the cameras, or by accumulation of corrupt information on the disks. Also if the amount of expected recording versus the recording capacity has not been well estimated this would limit your recording capacity.
System improvements
However, this technology has had some advances such as the best video compression that improves storage spaces while maintaining a high quality of it.
It also has the incorporation of video analysis to detect events such as congestion, stolen objects, cars parked too long outside a building, people who pass security checks in the opposite direction, etc., as Hector explains.
These advances, as well as the characteristics of NVRs, make them very gifted especially for their implementation in banks, casinos and companies, as well as in the government for citizen security.
In medium and large enterprises, for example, you need to monitor operations, their resources and assets in real time. Also in the educational sector many universities, colleges and schools are incorporating IP video surveillance systems to protect the safety of their students and prevent disastrous actions as have happened in many countries.
Very stinky
Due to the improvement of Internet systems in Latin America, IP security solutions are reaching the region with increasing force and NVRs are no exception, because today these equipment are implemented throughout the territory, but the countries of the southern cone are the ones in which the use of this technology has proliferated the most, according to Carlos.
Héctor affirms that without a doubt Mexico, Colombia and Brazil lead the use of these systems, but it could be said that the trend is that most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are inclined to use these solutions. "The IP video security market is growing tremendously in this region, more than anywhere else in the world."
Keep in mind that although price is one of the factors that most influences the purchase of new technologies in Latin America, the characteristics and capabilities of the system also weigh when it comes to meeting needs. In addition, it is important to bear in mind that new developments are advancing by leaps and bounds and that at the moment the use of IP systems is what is marking and delineating the field of electronic security.
At this point Porras ensures that there are currently hybrid NVRs that allow the concurrency of analog and IP systems at the same time, which is basic for the migration of existing CCTV systems to security systems integrating IP cameras. Also, many advances are expected in the part of video analysis that will be incorporated into the NVRs.
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