2008 News

 

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17 December 2008 - IndigoVision Honored with Top Scottish Business Award

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of complete IP-CCTV security solutions, has been honored at an event which recognizes excellence amongst Scotland’s business community. At the 19th Annual Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI) Awards for Exports & Enterprise, IndigoVision was awarded the Royal Bank of Scotland Award for ‘Outstanding International Achievements’. The award recognized IndigoVision’s high export turnover, its broad spread of overseas sales markets and the company’s plans for export growth in the future.

Commenting on the award Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision's CEO said, "It’s really pleasing to receive recognition for the international aspects of what we do. Building a global presence is challenging, with lots of travel, multiple time zones and bringing together diverse cultures within one organization. Even though we now have our own people in 18 countries, we still have some way to go, but it’s great to be recognized for our achievements to date in building a genuine global business."

This follows on from a number of other prestigious awards recently won by IndigoVision, recognizing not only their export success but achievements in manufacturing and specific market sectors. The company scooped two awards at the 2008 ‘Security Excellence Awards’, beating off stiff competition to win the ‘International Achievement’ and ‘Security Manufacturer of the Year’ categories. The ‘International Achievement’ award recognized IndigoVision’s export success for IP Video in the worldwide Casino market. Since entering this market in 2006, IndigoVision has won contracts to supply fully digital IP-CCTV solutions for 25 casinos in 7 countries, including a recent project involving 9 casinos in Chile. All these have been in full compliance with local Gaming Boards’ strict regulations and represent a total of 8000+ cameras.

IndigoVision teamed up with John Lewis, one of the UK’s leading retail groups, to win the ‘Security Initiative of the Year’ category at the recent Retail Systems Awards 2008. The successful implementation of IndigoVision’s IP Video surveillance systems in 9 of John Lewis’ department stores was the reason they were chosen for this coveted award.

IndigoVision has over 1000 major CCTV surveillance installations worldwide including two Olympic Games, the 2006 Soccer World Cup, 7 major rail networks, 2 of the world's top 5 banks and 28 airports. IndigoVision completely develops its technology in-house, including a rich suite of hardware products and ‘Control Center’, its flagship Video and Alarm Management software.

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12 December 2008 - IndigoVision Joins IP Video Open Standards Bodies

As part of its full support for the emerging IP Video open standards currently being developed, IndigoVision has joined both the ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) and PSIA (Physical Security Interoperability Alliance). The company will be active members of both organizations and will be involved with the development of the standards.
 
ONVIF is an open industry forum for the development of a global standard for the interface of network video products and is committed to the adoption of network video in the security market. The ONVIF specification will ensure interoperability between network video products regardless of manufacturer.

“We are happy to welcome IndigoVision as a full member of the forum,” said Dieter Joecker of ONVIF’s steering committee. “Their experience within IP Video solutions will be beneficial for the continuous development of the ONVIF specification. The increasing number of members shows that there is a great need for an open global standard for the interface of network video products.”

The PSIA was founded in February of 2008 with the objective of promoting the interoperability of IP enabled security devices. Participating companies include leaders in the security camera, video management software, access control, system integrator segments of the market. IndigoVision has already established itself as a leader in the integration of CCTV with third-party security systems using IP networks, so is keen to help develop the standards in this area.

Commenting on IndigoVision’s membership, David Bunzel, Executive Director of the PSIA said, “IndigoVision’s strong presence in the IP Video market will be a great asset to the PSIA. We are very pleased to welcome them as a member of the organization.”

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1 December 2008 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV has Major Impact on Crime in Latin American Cities

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution has been deployed across 17 cities in Latin America resulting in a significant decrease in local crime. The Serra beach area, near Vitoria in Brazil, has seen a dramatic drop in crime since the local authority implemented CCTV surveillance using IndigoVision’s technology. This is not an untypical situation as other cities in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Mexico have found after installing IndigoVision systems.

Implementing CCTV surveillance over large urban areas is technically very demanding. Whether it is to monitor criminal activity or manage traffic, remote wide-area monitoring creates a challenging environment for CCTV systems – even more so with the high crime rates found in many Latin American cities.

What makes IndigoVision’s technology ideal for these applications and sets them apart from other digital CCTV solutions is its class-leading MPEG-4 and H.264 compression technology. Evidential-quality video can be transmitted across standard IP networks over large distances with minimal bandwidth requirement – an important issue for developing countries that often lack a proper communication infrastructure. This ensures latency is kept to a minimum, which allows PTZ cameras to be controlled smoothly from a distance, and wireless networks to be deployed easily to overcome the cabling problems associated with wide-area surveillance. CCTV operators in a number of the Latin American cities are using the fully synchronized high-quality two-way audio capability, which is transmitted alongside the video, to broadcast public announcements through camera mounted speakers. This capability can also be used to deploy video intercom help-points for use by the public.

“The success of the projects in Latin America has been replicated in many other city-wide IP-CCTV monitoring systems around the world,” said Dr Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision’s CEO. “Traditional analog CCTV technology is not suited to the large distances involved in wide-area surveillance such as city centers, road and rail networks, ports and airports. IP-based systems are also ideal for extending existing CCTV installations and creating a hybrid solution that utilizes existing investment and creates a foundation for migration to full IP Video in the future.”

Analytics are becoming an increasingly important tool for CCTV operators to help monitor multiple cameras in urban environments. IndigoVision’s end-to-end solution implements real-time analytics at the camera as well as in ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, for post event-analysis. Real time analytics such as motion detection or virtual tripwires automatically create a ‘Control Center’ alarm that can trigger a number of events such as displaying a camera salvo, panning a nearby camera or start recording. Automating the real time detection of incidents frees up valuable operator resource and having the same set of tools available to analyze large volumes of recorded footage dramatically reduces the time to locate critical events, enabling timely response to emergency situations.

IndigoVision’s distributed architecture allows any system component to be located at any point on the IP network, including Network Video Recorders (NVRs). IndigoVision’s NVRs record camera video directly from the network and can be distributed around the network to minimize bandwidth usage and create a fault tolerant solution by removing the single point of failure associated with analog/DVR systems. This means that the system is very flexible and scalable allowing existing cameras to be easily relocated or new cameras to be inexpensively added – an important benefit in the ever changing surveillance landscape of city centers. The distributed nature of the system also allows ‘Control Center’ workstations to be located anywhere on the network allowing different agencies and authorities access to live and recorded video.

Bandwidth requirement and NVR storage is further reduced by the implementation of a unique feature called Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF), which is deployed at the camera. ACF controls the amount of video that is transmitted on to the network from a specific camera. When the scene is inactive, the framerate is reduced, but as soon as any motion is detected in the scene the framerate is automatically set to maximum. This particular feature is very relevant for city-center monitoring as many areas at night are often quiet.

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26 November 2008 - IndigoVision Launches Innovative PTZ IP Dome

IndigoVision has introduced a revolutionary new 9000 H.264 PTZ IP dome that overcomes the high data rates or loss of video quality associated with traditional IP domes when a camera is moving. IndigoVision’s innovative design reduces high-bandwidth bursts during pan and tilt movement, through the use of a unique algorithm that automatically adapts the compression to suit the type of movement. The result is improved video compression without losing picture quality during high-motion periods. This unique approach, coupled with the company’s renowned video quality delivers one of the best performing IP PTZ cameras on the market.

IndigoVision's range of 9000 PTZ IP domes are designed to be used with the company's complete end-to-end IP Video solution and have advanced H.264 compression technology built-in. The cameras can deliver high-quality video at 4SIF 25/30 fps with a guarantee that no frames will be dropped even in high-motion scenes. The cameras are available with many options including internal or external housings, day/night versions and multiple zooms.

The 9000 PTZ cameras are fully compatible with IndigoVision's ‘Control Center’ Video and Alarm Management software and its range of Network Video Recorders (NVRs). Using powerful ‘Control Center’ alarms, the 9000 cameras can be fully integrated with third-party systems such as access control and intruder security. An external alarm, such as a security perimeter breach, can automatically cause a 9000 PTZ camera to pan to a preset position to view the incident.

IndigoVision's IP Video solution allows advanced features such as Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) and camera-based real-time analytics to be deployed in the IP dome itself. These features further reduce the bandwidth and NVR storage requirements during periods of scene inactivity and allow the user to deploy analytics to identify events as they occur in real-time.

The 9000 range provides the same high quality, low-latency video that has been consistently delivered by the company’s 8000 MPEG-4 based systems but with a reduction of up to 50% in bandwidth and storage requirement – or to put it another way, 9000 based systems can deliver significantly higher video quality for the same bandwidth.

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18 November 2008 - Newest Las Vegas Casino Invests in IndigoVision IP-CCTV

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution has been chosen by the $1 billion M Resort, Spa and Casino. The newest Las Vegas casino resort resides on South Las Vegas Boulevard and will open in March of 2009. M Resort is owned and operated by Anthony A. Marnell III. The system will provide CCTV surveillance for the property. IndigoVision has also been selected to provide a digital CCTV system for the Colorado Belle in Laughlin, Nevada, which is owned and operated by Marnell Sher Gaming, LLC.
In excess of 900 cameras will be installed or upgraded in both casinos by IndigoVision’s approved partner, Southwest Surveillance Systems, in complete compliance with the local Gaming Board. The flexibility of IndigoVision’s IP Video solution will specifically enable the Colorado Belle to remain fully operational while the upgrade from the analog/DVR system to the digital CCTV system takes place.  The new system will allow the existing CCTV cameras at the property to be re-used. Each camera will be connected to an IndigoVision transmitter/receiver module which converts the analog feed to DVD-quality, 4SIF, 30fps digital video for transmission over the IP network. This is achieved without any frames being dropped, whatever the level of motion and activity in the camera scene. This is a fundamental requirement of the Gaming Board and casino operator. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve. The M Resort will use IndigoVision’s latest 9000 product, which will be the first ever implementation of H.264 video compression in any casino worldwide.
“We were particularly impressed with the video quality provided by the IndigoVision system and the efficient use of network bandwidth and storage,” said M Resort Vice President of Security and Surveillance Bill Houtchens. “Choosing IndigoVision was not just about first-rate technology, it was also a low-risk decision as the company already has a large installed base of working and proven digital CCTV systems in casinos.”
Operators in both casinos will use a total of nine CCTV workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s enterprise IP Video and alarm management software, to view and analyze live and recorded video from all of the cameras. ‘Control Center’ is license-free software allowing the casino to deploy as many workstations as required for no more than the cost of the PCs. Recording will be achieved by using IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) software running on PC servers. Eight NVRs will be used in both casinos with a total of 112 Terabytes of RAID redundant storage providing continuous recording at 4SIF, 30fps for 7 days. A hot spare NVR with 7TB of storage will be installed in each casino to provide a fully redundant recording solution.
“The ‘Control Center’ software will provide our operators with some great features, including the ability to overlay the camera positions on an interactive map of the casino floorplan,” added Houtchens. “Excellent analysis tools will allow fast access to recorded footage, which will help to quickly resolve gaming disputes.”
The combination of ‘Control Center’ and the IP network creates a ‘virtual matrix’ which, unlike its analog matrix equivalent, provides a totally flexible and scalable solution. Any camera can be viewed on any ‘Control Center’ workstation and additional cameras can easily be added to any point on the network when the system is expanded.

This project further demonstrates that IP Video is an established and field-proven solution for the demanding CCTV requirements of casino operations, which need high-quality video images and fast retrieval of recorded footage. IP Video provides significant benefits compared with traditional analog CCTV systems, such as scalability, real-time camera-based analytics and fault tolerant configurations. To find out more about IndigoVision’s solutions for casinos visit http://casinos.indigovision.com.

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10 November 2008 - Shopping Mall Migrates to Digital CCTV with IndigoVision IP Video

Meadowhall Shopping Center is using IndigoVision’s IP Video technology to replace its obsolete DVR based CCTV recording system. Located in Sheffield, Meadowhall is one of the UK’s largest shopping malls with hundred’s of retail outlets and requires high-quality CCTV surveillance to ensure safety and security inside and outside of the mall.

MITIE Security Systems designed and installed the IndigoVision system having worked closely with the mall to select the best solution to replace the ageing DVR recording system. Meadowhall’s IT department wanted a scalable, modular and flexible solution to replace proprietary “black box” DVR technology that was difficult and costly to develop further. It was important that the new system could be supported by its own IT department and that standard network attached storage, such as Networked Video Recorders (NVRs), could be used. Field-proven technology, excellent video quality, first-class local support and the ability to use as much of the original CCTV investment as possible were other reasons IndigoVision’s IP Video technology was chosen.

The flexibility of IndigoVision’s IP Video technology allows ‘hybrid’ analog and digital systems to be easily developed. This means ageing analog systems can be updated or expanded with IP-based digital technology, whilst maintaining much of the original investment in CCTV equipment. In Meadowhall’s case this was achieved by replacing the old DVR equipment with 12 IndigoVision standalone NVRs. The original 120 cameras, analog matrix and control room monitors were all kept. 120 IndigoVision 8000 modules, configured in twelve 10-channel racks, were connected to each of the camera feeds. The 8000 converts the analog signal into MPEG-4, full framerate digital video for recording onto the NVRs. ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, provides a suite of tools that allows the operators to quickly analyze and retrieve recorded footage. Tamper-proof high-quality video clips can be easily exported for the police for evidential purposes should the need arise. The 12 NVRs provide the Center with over 30 days of recording. The upgrade was achieved in less than a week with both recording systems running in parallel ensuring zero-downtime during the migration.

Meadowhall are now trialing standalone 8000 modules with separate analog cameras and IndigoVision’s IP cameras connected directly to their existing corporate IP network in remote parts of the mall. This is the next logical step in the migration process to a fully IP-CCTV solution. IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology ensures the highest-quality video can be transmitted around the network with minimal impact on the available bandwidth. Meadowhall sees this as a strategic phased approach to replacing their current analog CCTV system whilst taking advantage of their existing IT infrastructure.

Mark Higgins of Meadowhall commented, “Meadowhall was one of the first shopping malls to install site wide data network infrastructure to utilize building control systems. We are now pleased to use it for delivering high quality CCTV without the need for an additional communication network. Our IT department has more control and knowledge than ever before for the delivery and support of CCTV across the site and this has utilized our in house skills further, providing increased service for the center.”

IndigoVision’s IP Video solution can also be used to provide benefits beyond store security. Many retailers are accessing in-store footage to help analyze merchandising, in-store promotions and footfall trends. This can be achieved locally and nationally, with central marketing teams accessing live and recorded video from any store at any location across their corporate networks.

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29 October 2008 - Easton Police Department Updates CCTV with IndigoVision IP Video

Easton Police Department in Pennsylvania has become the latest police authority to adopt IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution for its in-house CCTV surveillance. The benefits of IndigoVision’s technology for law enforcement applications have been demonstrated in numerous Police Stations and Courts throughout North America, Europe and the Far East.

The system was installed by IndigoVision’s local approved partner SST using the Department’s existing network. All the original analog cameras were re-used, together with a number of new IndigoVision IP domes, including vandal-resistant models. The cameras monitor all areas of the Department’s operation including booking areas, holding cells, interview rooms, parking garage and the public entrance.

Easton PD’s officers and staff use six CCTV workstations, running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software to view live and recorded video and prepare evidential footage for court. An IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorder (NVR) is used to record 30+ days of continuous full-frame rate video from all the cameras, including synchronized audio from two cameras. IndigoVision’s system now provides the Department with a fully documented audit trail for the time spent at the facility by any suspect or prisoner.

Easton PD’s original CCTV was based on outdated analog/DVR equipment that couldn’t synchronize the video and audio and the video could only be viewed at the DVR. IndigoVision’s solution provides the Department with a truly distributed system where video can be viewed on any ‘Control Center’ workstation at any point on the network. Audio and video are fully synchronized and guaranteed to not drop frames, even at maximum frame rate – an important benefit for law enforcement as unsynchronized video and audio is not admissible as evidence in court.

Commenting on the project, Lt. Carl Scalzo, Easton PD said, “IndigoVision’s system is a significant improvement compared to our old system and more than meets the needs of the Department by providing high quality video and audio, which can be used in court for the prosecution of cases.”

Evidential quality video can be exported from multiple cameras for use in court. IndigoVision’s ‘Incident File Player’ is a powerful application that can run on a laptop and replay the exported video. The viewer can display fully synchronized video clips from several cameras on one screen, for example, following a suspect through the Police Station as they move across different cameras. Conversely, a single incident can be played back from several cameras at the same time. The ‘Incident File Player’ and ‘Control Center’ software are both license free and can be installed on as many PCs as required.

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23 October 2008 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Safeguards Mexican Automotive Plant

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution is providing site-wide surveillance for Faurecia’s new automotive plant in Mexico. Located in a high-technology industrial park in San Luis Potosí, the new plant manufactures seats and other automotive components for many of the world’s top car makers. The Faurecia Group has 190 plants in 28 countries around the globe and employs 60,000 people.

The IP-CCTV system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Multielectron SA de CV and consists of both PTZ dome and fixed cameras covering the exterior of the plant as well the general manufacturing areas inside.

“Following analysis of similar IP Video systems we chose IndigoVision’s solution because of its superior performance and video quality,” explains Arturo Gutiérrez, Faurecia’s HSE Coordinator. “To provide the local authorities and police with high-quality evidential video exported from the system following an incident was another important requirement.”

CCTV monitoring workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, are used throughout the plant to view live and recorded video from the cameras. The distributed nature of IndigoVision’s IP Video system means that any system component (camera, workstation, etc) can be located anywhere on the network. The system is thus very scalable, allowing additional cameras or workstations to be easily and cost-effectively added in the future, unlike traditional analog CCTV systems. ‘Control Center’ is also license-free enabling workstations to be deployed for no more than a cost of an entry-level PC. This flexibility has allowed Faurecia to install CCTV workstations not only for the security team in the main control room but also for the Plant Manager, HR department and the maintenance team.

The video is recorded continuously at 4SIF, 30fs for 15 days using an IndigoVision Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) server with 1.5TB of storage and NAS backup, all located in the control room. With the correct access permissions any ‘Control Center’ workstation in the plant can view and analyze recorded video from the NVR.

IndigoVision is field proven in enterprise-class projects around the world, including two Olympic Games and numerous airports, rail networks and ports. However, this project demonstrates that IP Video is also an ideal solution for smaller CCTV applications where a robust surveillance system is required that delivers the very best quality video.

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13 October 2008 - Double Award Success for IndigoVision

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of complete IP CCTV security solutions, has scooped two awards at the 2008 ‘Security Excellence Awards’ held at London's Park Lane Hilton Hotel on October 9. IndigoVision beat off stiff competition to win the ‘International Achievement’ and ‘Security Manufacturer of the Year’ categories. The awards were judged by a panel of leading industry figures and editors from the UK’s top security publications. Uniquely, however, the winner of the ‘Security Manufacturer of the Year’ award was chosen by the industry itself from a group of 20 leading security companies, using an online vote.

The ‘International Achievement’ award recognized IndigoVision’s export success for IP Video in the worldwide Casino market. Since entering this market in 2006, IndigoVision has won contracts to supply fully digital IP-CCTV solutions for 25 casinos in 7 countries, including a recent project involving 9 casinos in Chile. All these have been in full compliance with local Gaming Boards’ strict regulations and represent a total of 8000+ cameras.

IndigoVision was chosen by the industry for ‘Security Manufacturer of the Year’ because they demonstrated outstanding service and made a significant contribution to the market during the last year.

Commenting on the awards Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision's CEO said "I am delighted with the awards and in particular that they recognize the hard work that all the staff have put into IndigoVision’s recent success."

IndigoVision has over 1000 major CCTV surveillance installations worldwide including two Olympic Games, the 2006 Soccer World Cup, 7 major rail networks, 2 of the world's top 5 banks and 28 airports. IndigoVision completely develops its technology in-house, including a rich suite of hardware products and 'Control Center' its flagship Video and Alarm Management software.

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9 October 2008 - IndigoVision Deploys World’s Largest Wide-Area IP-CCTV System as it Forges Ahead with European Expansion

IndigoVision’s complete integrated IP Video security solution is being used to monitor a LNG plant and 500 mile gas pipeline as part of the Sakhalin-2 project in Eastern Russia. The company believes the 600+ camera system is the world’s largest wide-area CCTV project and demonstrates that IndigoVision’s technology is being deployed in the most demanding surveillance applications. The success of this project also coincides with IndigoVision’s continued expansion in Europe, with the company now having a strong local presence from Brussels to Siberia.

As part of their expansion plans IndigoVision’s European sales and support team has grown over the last year to 23 people. The company uses a network of approved partners to install their systems and has developed relationships with a number of important new European system integrators, such as G4S. The French market has also been a key focus for the company, culminating in a number of significant projects, such as the large IKEA store in Grenoble.

“The Sakhalin-2 project is not only a vote of confidence in our technology, but also in the European team that’s been behind it,” said Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision’s CEO. “In order to build on the success of this project and maintain the company’s growth we will continue to invest and support our European Partners.”

European customers have chosen IndigoVision knowing that the company’s IP-CCTV systems have been field proven over many years and are fully supported by excellent integrators and first-rate technical support from a manufacturer that develops and owns the entire solution – from camera to video management software. This is demonstrated by the long-standing project at Brussels Airport. In 2001 Brussels International Airport was a pioneer of IP Video when it installed what was then the largest networked video CCTV system in Europe. Based on IndigoVision’s technology the 700+ camera system was installed using their existing LAN and interfaced to the Airport Management System. Seven years on Brussels Airport is benefiting from their early decision to deploy IP Video by being able to simply upgrade their system with the latest MPEG-4 product.

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2 October 2008 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Protects Canada’s Largest Youth Shelter

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution has provided an invaluable CCTV surveillance upgrade for Toronto-based Covenant House, the country's largest shelter for homeless youth. More than just a place to stay, Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis care and has the widest range of services under one roof, including education, counseling, health care and employment assistance.

The CCTV upgrade was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Intercon Security and involved the replacement of an ageing DVR-based analog system, which delivered poor video quality, limited storage and had no ability for remote monitoring. The capability to deliver very high quality video images and to view recorded incidents remotely, were just two of the reasons for choosing IndigoVision’s IP Video system against upgrading to a newer DVR model. The flexibility and scalability of IP Video means Covenant House can also easily and inexpensively add new cameras to the system in the future.

Commenting on the project, Maydene Herman, Facilities Coordinator for Covenant House said: “The new IndigoVision system is a significant improvement over the old system, providing us with excellent video quality and much improved recording facilities. The ability to remotely review sensitive incidents in a secure environment has been a great benefit for our organization.”

All of the original 32 analog CCTV cameras were re-used and live and recorded images from all the cameras are viewed on ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software. Another key benefit for Covenant House was that ‘Control Center’ software is license-free, which meant that they deployed 5 workstations in different parts of the building for no more than the cost of an entry-level PC at each location - something that would have been very costly with a DVR-based solution. Each of the analog cameras is connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver module which converts the camera feed to digital video for transmission over the network. The 8000 modules can also transmit high-quality synchronized audio which can be recorded with the video.

The DVR was replaced with an IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR) with 5TB of storage. Unlike DVRs, IndigoVision NVRs are location independent and can be installed at any point on the network and deliver high-quality recorded video for viewing on any ‘Control Center’ workstation. IndigoVision’s class-leading MPEG-4 compression technology ensures that both live and recorded DVD-quality video can be streamed around the network with minimum bandwidth requirement. This allowed Intercon Security to install the entire IP Video system on the client’s existing network, further reducing the upgrade costs.

IndigoVision is field proven in enterprise-class projects around the world, including two Olympic Games and numerous airports, rail networks and ports. However, this project demonstrates that IP Video is also an ideal solution for smaller CCTV applications.

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25 September 2008 - IndigoVision Sales Power Ahead

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of IP Security Management Systems, has announced another outstanding set of financial results, with significant growth of sales in the Americas (+51%) and EMEA (+45%) and a tripling of operating profits. The company, in its results for the year ended July 2008, has reported an increase in total product revenues of 37% to a record £18.4m ($34.0m) and operating profits increasing to £2.05m ($3.8m).

IndigoVision has continued to invest heavily in both products and its global sales operation. The company recently launched a range of High-Definition (HD) IP cameras, using very low bandwidth at a highly competitive cost . In addition a wide range of modules has been developed for integration to access control systems. Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision CEO, described the company’s product suite as “a complete open system giving partners and end users the freedom to choose whatever best meets their needs in video, access control and alarms”. Global sales reach has been expanded particularly in the USA, France, Germany, China, India and Mexico including opening of a new facility in Dubai.

 

IndigoVision has been very successful in the last year with projects in the retail and law enforcement sectors. A number of IKEA stores around the world have adopted IndigoVision’s IP-CCTV, as well as John Lewis Partnership, one of the UK’s best known department store groups, together with shopping malls in the US and UK. IndigoVision has also been increasingly successful in the demanding law enforcement sector, with projects worldwide protecting police stations, prisons, courts and other law enforcement agencies. City monitoring and traffic management is another strong sector for the company with projects in South Africa, Hong Kong and South America, where 17 cities are using IndigoVision systems.

IndigoVision was used in the Beijing Olympics continuing its relationship with the Olympic Games following Athens in 2004 and the Winter Games in Turin in 2006.

Commenting on the results Oliver Vellacott said "We are delighted to be able to report strong results for the year to 31 July 2008, with record sales, margins and profits. We are particularly pleased with the sales increases in the Americas of 51% and EMEA of 45% and to have tripled profits against a more difficult economic backdrop.

Growth is continuing in the current year, with sales and new orders won for the first seven weeks well ahead of the corresponding period last year. The strength of IndigoVision’s products, technology, markets and customers together with the continuing move from analogue to digital systems have more than offset the dampening effect of economic weakness. We are confident that the current year will be one of further progress for IndigoVision.”

Sales growth has continued in to the current year with the company recently announcing the award of a strategic contract from the CBSA to provide protection for US-Canadian border crossings from East to West coast using IndigoVision’s new 10000 HD IP camera range, and further wins in the casino market including its first project on the Las Vegas ‘Strip’.

The full results statement is available from http://www.indigovision.com/investors_financeinfo.php.

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15 September 2008 - John Lewis Stores Protected by IndigoVision IP-CCTV

John Lewis Department Stores, one of the UK’s leading retail groups, has invested in IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video technology for its CCTV surveillance. IndigoVision has been working with John Lewis over the last year to migrate 9 of its existing stores from analog CCTV to a digital IP solution. IndigoVision has now been chosen to provide the CCTV surveillance for the first 3 of the planned 10 new stores, including the recently opened branch in Liverpool, its largest store outside of central London. The 130 camera system in Liverpool was installed by IndigoVision’s approved partner Orion Security Solutions in collaboration with security consultants, Dowling Blunt.

As with any large retail operation John Lewis faces a myriad of security issues including theft, staff protection, wastage and health & safety. It is vitally important therefore, to have a surveillance system with the very highest-quality video and tools to provide fast search and analysis of recorded footage in the event of an incident. IndigoVision’s advanced MPEG-4 compression technology delivers class-leading video quality with a minimum bandwidth and storage requirement. This coupled with the powerful features of ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, are why John Lewis has invested in IndigoVision’s solution.

“IndigoVision’s IP Video system provides us with excellent quality video, which can be delivered with minimum impact on our IT network,” said Paul Newbury, John Lewis’ Development Manager for Business Protection. “IP Video gives us a scalable, future-proof, CCTV strategy that has already been field proven in a number of our existing stores.”

The 240,000 sq ft Liverpool building is one of the first in the ‘next generation’ of John Lewis department stores with new-concept fittings creating a superb retail environment. It was therefore important for John Lewis, as it is with many retailers, to ensure that any CCTV cameras are small, unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing. This was achieved in part by using IndigoVision’s compact high-performance fixed and PTZ IP domes for the majority of the cameras installed.

All cameras are recorded for 31 days on a single 1 TB standalone fault-tolerant IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR). This low storage requirement is achieved through split recording rates (12 fps for fixed cameras and 25 fps for PTZs), efficient compression technology and the use of advanced features such Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF). Built into the IP cameras and transmitter modules, ACF reduces the amount of digital video that is transmitted and stored when the camera scene is inactive. As soon as motion is detected video is instantaneously streamed at the full configured framerate.

The CCTV operators use ‘Control Center’ workstations to view and analyze live and recorded video from any camera. ‘Control Center’ workstations can be located at any point on the IP network, providing maximum flexibility for the system designer and user. ‘Control Center’ software is license-free, so workstations can be deployed for no more than the cost of a PC.

“The features in ‘Control Center’ are very powerful, we particularly like the playback and search tools and the snapshot feature that allows us to capture and print off pictures of suspects in the store,” adds Paul Newbury. “We can also export high-quality evidential video for use by the police if necessary.”           

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video system is ideal for migrating existing analog CCTV systems to digital solutions, re-using much of the original investment such as cameras and control room equipment. Analog systems can also be expanded using IP video, creating a hybrid solution. This flexibility was demonstrated with the upgrade of the nine existing John Lewis stores that had their own unique analog CCTV configurations.

Commenting on the project, Steve Taylor, Orion Security’s Managing Director, said: “Working in retail is a challenging environment and it is essential to partner with suppliers that provide quality product on time, to ensure the efficient and managed delivery of quality security installations. IndigoVision have provided that level of service - and a support and technical team that allow us to deliver to the exacting standards and timetable demanded by retail customers.”

Jeff Scott, Dowling Blunt’s Security Systems Accounts Manager said: “Out of all the manufacturers of IP-CCTV technology we chose to present IndigoVision to our client, as they ticked all the right boxes with regards to supplying high-performance quality products while remaining within the constraints of a realistic budget, which is so important to the high street retail sector today.”

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology can also be used to provide benefits beyond store security. Many retailers are accessing in-store footage to help analyze merchandising, in-store promotions and footfall trends. This can be achieved locally and nationally, with central marketing teams accessing live and recorded video from any store at any location across their corporate networks.

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4 September 2008 - IndigoVision IP Video Enhances Hong Kong Traffic Surveillance

IndigoVision’s complete IP-CCTV technology has been used to extend the capabilities of Hong Kong’s extensive traffic surveillance system. The current analog system has been expanded with the addition of 48 cameras using IndigoVision’s IP Video system, creating a fully integrated 250 camera hybrid solution. The introduction of IndigoVision’s IP-based distributed networked provides a platform for full migration to IP Video in the future.

The migration project was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Tung Po (HK) Technology Enterprise Ltd. Tung Po also developed bespoke software to create an integrated ‘front end’ for both the existing analog system and IndigoVision’s IP Video. This was interfaced with ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, which provides powerful virtual matrix switching features, alarm handling and video analysis tools.

Like many large analog systems, Hong Kong’s CCTV surveillance consists of a number of isolated video control rooms which are not interconnected to form a single centrally monitored system – often referred to as ‘islands’ of video. The IndigoVision solution has created a fully scalable and distributed solution that will allow the future integration of these remote control rooms into one unified system, allowing Hong Kong’s Traffic Police to centrally manage and control the region’s traffic problems.

Plans are in place to expand the system to over 700 cameras. The first phase of this expansion has been completed with the addition of a 48 camera IP-based system to monitor the Northern district of the city, which was previously not monitored. This region is close to the Chinese border and has significant traffic problems caused by 2 million people a day making cross border journeys. Even though the new extension to the system is predominantly for traffic surveillance the Police also use it for monitoring public events in the area. This demonstrates how easy additional monitoring can be integrated into the new system – something that would have been too costly with analog CCTV equipment.

IndigoVision’s IP Video solution provides a number of significant benefits compared to old VCR/analog systems. Multiple live camera views can be displayed alongside recorded video on the same monitor. ‘Control Center’ tools provide fast analysis of recorded footage allowing the Traffic Police to quickly determine the cause of accidents and incidents. Cameras can also be easily added or relocated in response to changes in the traffic situation at specific locations.

“IndigoVision’s system was chosen following an analysis of competing systems,” said Mr. Kenny Leung of Tung Po (HK). “The equipment easily exceeded the technical compliance part of the tender and the end-user was particularly impressed with the picture quality and low latency. Operators can smoothly control PTZ on cameras that are located in the Northern District over 15 miles away.”

IndigoVision’s Software Interface Kit (SIK) was used to develop an interface for uploading video images to the Traffic Department’s website, allowing the public to view selected traffic cameras. IndigoVision uses the SIK to develop interfaces for many third party systems including leading access control systems, to create a truly integrated solution for IP security applications.

The combination of ‘Control Center’ and the IP network creates a ‘virtual matrix’. This replaces the physical video switching matrices of analog systems. Each of the analog camera feeds are connected to IndigoVision’s 8000 transmitter/receiver modules, which converts the signal to 4CIF 25 fps digital video for transmission over the network. The ‘virtual matrix’ can switch any camera feed to any PC or Monitor, wherever they are located on the IP network. Seven days of full-frame rate continuous video is recorded using IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) software running on dual-redundant servers located at the Transport Department HQ.

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26 August 2008 - London Borough of Newham Chooses IndigoVision for Migration to IP-CCTV

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video technology has been chosen by the London Borough of Newham, UK to replace its ageing VCR recording system and to provide a platform for future migration to a total IP-CCTV solution. Like many other inner city areas Newham Council face a complex security environment, including anti-social behavior, drugs, criminal activity and traffic issues. High-quality CCTV images are fundamental for both the Council and the police to manage this environment and to ensure public safety.

Following a competitive analysis of IP Video systems, IndigoVision was chosen to provide Network Video Recorders (NVRs) to replace the existing VCRs as part of a phased project starting with the 200 camera system in North Woolwich. As budgets become available Newham Council want to replace all of the existing video recording with IndigoVision NVRs for their entire 800+ cameras.

“The flexibility of configuration, particularly with multi-casting, superior image quality, analytics and compression technology were all reasons why IndigoVision came out ahead in our evaluation of competing systems,” explains Garry Hobbs, Principal Electrical Services Engineer with Newham Council, “However, it was not just the technology that impressed us but also the company’s commitment to continued technical development and hands-on approach to working with the Council.”

Ten fault-tolerant standalone NVRs were installed by IndigoVision’s Authorized Partner Cartel Security in the main concierge building located at Queensland House. The recorded video can be viewed and analyzed by operators in the Borough’s main CCTV control room at Folkestone Road using ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software. This provides Newham Council with a local virtual matrix that acts as a level 2 resilient control medium for the primary analogue matrix. Should the main control room become inoperative CCTV surveillance can be transferred to the local virtual matrices. This configuration also provides the platform for the eventual migration to a total IP Video solution, replacing the analogue matrices with a more flexible and scalable solution.

The NVRs record each camera continuously at 6.5fps, with spot feeds at 25fps selected by the operators, for 31 days. The image quality of the recorded video is vastly superior compared to the original VCR and ‘Control Center’ provides a range of tools to allow fast search and analysis of the recorded footage. Video clips are frequently exported to the police for evidential purposes.

This project demonstrates the flexibility of IP Video to integrate with existing analogue CCTV systems and provide a simple, cost-effective migration path to a fully digital solution. Newham Council will eventually have a complete digital CCTV system that will be implemented at a pace consistent with their requirements and budgets.

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20 August 2008 - IndigoVision’s IP-CCTV Chosen for Large-Scale Rail Network Upgrade

IndigoVision’s integrated IP Video technology has been deployed as part of a massive CCTV central monitoring and recording project for First Capital Connect (FCC), one of the UK’s newest train operating companies.

FCC operates trains between London, Brighton, Bedford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn over the UK's busiest rail network. As part of its five year, $15 million, network-wide Station Improvements Program, FCC selected IndigoVision and its partner ATEC Security to install a new IP-based video surveillance, recording and transmission system. The project involved the upgrade to 1,194 existing analog CCTV cameras across 63 train stations, which are now all monitored at a new central control room at Enfield, using the company’s existing network infrastructure.

The challenge was to bring together the various local and independently monitored analog CCTV systems in order to monitor and manage them centrally. In addition the existing CCTV systems had to be fully operational while the new IP-based solution was installed. IndigoVision’s advanced compression and bandwidth management technology were vital for the success of a project of this size. Multiple video streams from each camera can be configured for different applications, for example, high-framerate/high-bandwidth for recording and local viewing and low bandwidth for remote monitoring over the WAN.

‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s enterprise IP Video and alarm management software, is used by operators, both locally and in the central control room to view and analyze live and recorded video. A ‘Control Center’ workstation can be located at any point on the network and allow an operator with the right permissions to view video from any camera or NVR no matter where they are located. As ‘Control Center’ software is license-free, workstations can be deployed for no more than the cost of an entry-level PC.

Thanks to extensive research and development by ATEC Security, a new server platform enabled over 100 IndigoVision Windows-based Network Video Recorders (NVRs) to be installed at the 63 train stations and throughout the network, providing 31 days of recording using a total of 473 terabytes of RAID 5 storage. Special server configurations were developed that allowed physical discs to be quickly and safely replaced in the event of a major incident, where the very highest quality evidential video is required for analysis and investigation by the Police and other agencies.

947 fixed and 95 PTZ cameras are each connected to an IndigoVision 8000 IP Video transmitter/receiver module. The 8000 converts the analog camera feed to DVD quality MPEG-4 digital video for transmission over the network. IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology allows high-quality, low-latency video to be transmitted around the network using FCC’s existing WAN. The combination of the network and ‘Control Center’ creates a virtual matrix that allows video feeds to be ‘switched’ to any workstation or NVR. This replaces the many original local analog hardware matrices and removes the ‘islands of video’ that have come to represent the fundamental shortcoming of large scale analog CCTV systems.

This project is just one of many large-scale infrastructure projects that IndigoVision has deployed for the rail industry, including the Berlin S-Bahn, the Dutch National Rail network and the 900+ camera system for SkyTrain, the world’s largest automated light rapid transit system in Vancouver, Canada. The FCC project also demonstrates how IP Video is the ideal solution for wide-area surveillance and how existing analog CCTV systems can be migrated across to a digital solution, whilst still re-using much of the original investment.

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1 August 2008 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Watches Over Edinburgh Military Tattoo

IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video solution is being used to provide event-wide CCTV surveillance for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, held each year in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. First staged in 1950, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the largest show of its kind in the world, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year and an international TV audience of around 100 million.

As with any high-profile event the Tattoo is a demanding security environment, in which CCTV plays a very important role. To monitor both public safety and potential security risks requires a high quality surveillance solution. Following the investigation of current CCTV technology, the Tattoo’s organizers chose IndigoVision as it provided a flexible and scalable solution with class-leading video quality.

Colonel Richard Hambleton, Managing Director, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said of the IndigoVision system: “We have a terrific CCTV surveillance system that now provides the Tattoo with a really flexible solution for this year’s event and the future. The video quality is fantastic and the distributed nature of the system means we can easily deploy and relocate cameras as necessary without expensive re-cabling.”

The event controller and security staff use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s enterprise IP Video and alarm management software, running on a dual-monitor PC, to view live and recorded video from any of the cameras located throughout the event. The cameras are IndigoVision’s high-end external PTZ IP Domes, which only require a single CAT-5 connection to the network.

The cameras are recorded at 4SIF, 25fps for a minimum of 31 days using IndigoVision’s standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs), which each have a removable disk drive. This allows video footage to be easily reviewed by external agencies in the event of an incident. The Tattoo has chosen to deploy three NVRs, with a total storage of 2.25TB, in a redundant fault-tolerant configuration. Two NVRs continually record video, with the third unit acting as a failover back-up. In the event of a failure the back-up NVR will automatically start recording the video from the failed unit.

IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology and use of features such as Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) ensures that DVD-quality MPEG-4 video can be streamed and recorded with minimal bandwidth and storage requirement. ACF is built into the IndigoVision IP Domes and controls the amount of video that is transmitted on to the network. When the scene is inactive, the framerate is reduced, as soon as any motion is detected in the scene the framerate is automatically set to maximum. Integrated real-time features such as ACF and analytics that operate in the camera at the network edge can only be fully realized because IndigoVision’s system is a complete end-to-end solution, with all components designed by IndigoVision. This ensures maximum performance in any environment.

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28 July 2008 - Crime Rates Collapse with Integration of IndigoVision’s IP-CCTV and Mobile Security Patrols

IndigoVision’s integrated IP-CCTV solution is helping to dramatically reduce crime in the suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa, through an innovative security initiative. CSS Tactical, a company that provides mobile security patrols, is breaking new ground with the delivery of security services in South Africa by integrating CCTV surveillance with its area patrols.

“Manpower and visible presence will always be the foundation of our business,” explains Ricky Croock, Business Development Manager at CSS, “but it was obvious that as soon as IP-based CCTV systems became available, we could offer our clients an holistic solution, at an affordable price, whilst meeting our goals of deterring criminal activity and preventing any incidents in our patrolled areas.”

CSS Tactical’s main requirement was for wireless video footage to be transmitted from strategically placed CCTV cameras back to a remote central control room. Scalability and bandwidth usage were other very important factors in the choice of a CCTV system. As the new initiative was likely to attract many new customers for CSS, the system had to be easily and quickly expandable, in order that they could maintain their high service levels. Low bandwidth requirement was also important, as this is a limiting factor in South Africa.

CSS partnered with a local IT company, Parallel Technologies, who recommended IndigoVision’s solution (distributed in Africa by Norbain), because of its superior video quality and excellent compression technology. This ensures low bandwidth usage and provides the very best evidential quality video to assist in convictions. The installation of the first phase of the project, which covers the Dunkeld area, was so successful that CSS will soon be implementing the system in the Hyde Park, Greenside and Emmarentia suburbs.

“The average crime incident per client rate in the areas in which we operate typically fell from 11.7 to only 1.1 within 2 - 3 months of the cameras being installed, which demonstrates how successful the IndigoVision CCTV system has been,” commented Croock. “These compelling statistics are generating great interest with potential clients so we anticipate adding many more cameras to the system in the near future. CSS is extremely pleased with the results achieved through implementing the IndigoVision solution.”

A team of 21 controllers, operating 24/7 from a central control room, use ‘Control Center’ IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software to view live and recorded video from all of the cameras. This allows the team to provide complete coverage of client areas, and to coordinate response from security guards and armed response teams. ‘Control Center’ software is supplied by IndigoVision as license-free, which allows CSS to deploy workstations for no more than the cost of an entry-level PC. This was an important factor for the company as containing costs is key to keeping the service affordable for its customers. ‘Control Center’ provides a range of powerful tools for monitoring live video and analyzing recorded footage, yet it is very user-friendly. Typical training for CSS operations personnel is around 2 hours.

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18 July 2008 - IndigoVision Opens Middle East Office

IndigoVision, a leading supplier of integrated IP Video security solutions, has opened a new regional sales and support center for the Middle East in the Dubai Internet City, a free economic zone for Information Technology companies in the United Arab Emirates. The opening ceremony was attended by local businesses and members of the press and was followed by a conference for IndigoVision’s local Approved Partners.

Through its strong local Partner network, IndigoVision has already been very successful in the region with high-profile projects such as the 1200+ camera integrated IP Video and Access Control system at Doha International Airport and the prestigious 5-star Mövenpick Tower & Suites hotel.

Commenting on IndigoVision’s plans for the Middle East, Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision CEO said: “Providing a local sales and support operation for our Partners and their customers in the Middle East is key to our continued expansion in the region. The combination of our excellent local system integrators and IndigoVision’s enterprise IP Video solution will ensure we are best placed to benefit from the large infrastructure projects that are typical of the Middle East.”

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11 July 2008 - IndigoVision Launches Revolutionary H.264 HD IP Camera Range

IndigoVision is launching a professional range of High-Definition (HD) IP CCTV cameras to worldwide markets at a number of forthcoming international security shows. The HD 10000 series will complement the company’s existing 8000 and 9000 range of True IP Cameras and are designed to work with the IndigoVision integrated end-to-end IP Video solution.

Using outstanding H.264 compression technology, an HD 10000 series IP camera will allow high-definition video to be streamed at 15 fps and recorded for 50 days using just 1TB of storage. Updated versions of the HD 10000 range, which allow video streaming at a full 30 fps, will be released shortly. This exceptional compression enables IndigoVision’s HD solution to be used on standard networks and storage, bringing the benefits of high-definition video to everyday CCTV surveillance applications. The unique hardware-based compression engine of the HD 10000 series guarantees frames are never dropped.

The HD IP cameras can be used alongside IndigoVision’s current 4SIF resolution IP cameras, which use MPEG-4 and H.264 compression. This will provide the end-user with a truly flexible solution and a wide spectrum of IP camera price/performance from which to choose.

HD versions of all the company’s current IP camera range will be rolled-out shortly. These include internal, external and IP66 vandal resistant variants of the fixed and PTZ domes and internal static cameras. Power-over-Ethernet support allows the cameras to be powered directly from the network, simplifying installation and reducing costs. Options include full duplex audio and a range of different housings and fixings for wall or ceiling mounting.

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7 July 2008 - Shopping Center CCTV Transformed with IndigoVision IP Video

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is providing a new state-of-the-art digital CCTV system for Wythenshawe Shopping Center in the south of Manchester, UK. The surveillance system has been upgraded from an old analog matrix system to the latest distributed IP network solution that provides significant benefits for the Center’s operators.

As with many of the older shopping centers around the UK, Wythenshawe has both internal and external retail units and a complex perimeter area to monitor. The entire system consists of 40 cameras which are monitored and controlled by operators using ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s powerful IP Video and alarm management software. The system was installed by IndigoVision’s local partner VideoTec Ltd, following an analysis of competing systems by the St. Modwen Properties, the Center’s owner and operator.

“The new CCTV system has transformed our surveillance operation,” says Alastair Budd, Asset Manager with St. Modwen Properties. “The video quality is excellent and ‘Control Center’ provides us with a set of tools to quickly search and analyze recorded footage. Now the system is network-based we can easily add or reposition cameras in the future at very little cost, something that would have been very expensive with the old system.”

As with any public place there is a requirement to keep CCTV video footage for 31 days. This is achieved using three IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs) with a total storage of 6TB. Even though this is a relatively small amount of storage, IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology means that high-resolution video from all the cameras can be continuously recorded at 12 fps for the required period. Video clips can be exported to the police for evidential purposes in the event of an incident.

The security control room uses a combination of 42” plasma displays and 19” LCD monitors controlled by ‘Control Center’. The combination of larger format displays and smaller ‘spot’ screens allows operators to monitor the entire site at a glance and pull down images of suspicious activity for closer inspection on the ‘spot’ monitors – all from the click of a mouse or through a traditional CCTV keyboard/joystick. The screen configurations can also be easily changed depending on the time of day. For example, during the day, the primary displays show the cameras around the shopping areas, but at night the requirements differ and the emphasis is on perimeter protection.

The nature of IP network-based CCTV systems means they can be installed alongside existing analog equipment and any downtime minimized during the migration. The upgrade at Wythenshawe was installed over the busy Christmas period without any loss of CCTV coverage during the switch over - an essential requirement of the client.

The original PTZ cameras were replaced with the latest color/mono high speed domes. In addition a number of new domes and fixed cameras were installed to cover blind spots around the car park and perimeter and to monitor some of the internal areas. All cameras are connected to IndigoVision rack-mounted 8000 transmitter/receiver modules. The 8000s convert the analog camera feeds to DVD-quality digital video for transmission over the IP network.

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30 June 2008 - IndigoVision Drives H.264 into mainstream IP-CCTV

IndigoVision, a leading manufacturer of complete IP Video CCTV surveillance solutions, has announced significant price reductions on its 9000 range of H.264 products. This is part of a wider strategy to drive H.264 systems into the mainstream of IP Video solutions. The 9000 range is priced only slightly above the company’s hugely successful 8000 family of MPEG-4 based products.

The 9000 range delivers higher quality video compared to 8000 based systems, with a typical reduction of 20 to 30% in bandwidth and storage requirement. This means H.264 solutions can in some cases be more cost effective than MPEG-4 systems.

“Introduced in 2006, our H.264 products were some of the first to be launched in the marketplace and have since been deployed and field-proven in surveillance projects around the world,” said Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision’s CEO. “These price reductions will not only help increase the adoption of H.264 based systems, but they will also help accelerate IndigoVision’s already outstanding growth.”

This strategy will see price reductions across the 9000 family of products, including transmitter/receiver modules, Network Video Recorders (NVRs), and the company’s popular range of fixed and PTZ IP Dome cameras.

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24 June 2008 - IndigoVision Announces Support for IP Video Open Standard

IndigoVision, a leading supplier of complete IP Video and Alarm management solutions, has announced that it will support the network video standard being developed by Sony, Bosch and Axis, once it is ratified.

Commenting on the announcement, Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision CEO, said: “We are pleased to announce that IndigoVision’s class-leading Security Management Software, ‘Control Center’, will support cameras compliant with the forthcoming standard. ‘Control Center’ is deployed worldwide, currently supporting over 100,000 cameras and 10,000 operator workstations. The IndigoVision offering includes integrations with the world’s leading Access Control and Alarm products to provide powerful security solutions.”

 

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New IndigoVision Analytics Drive Real-Time Medical Emergency Response

IndigoVision has released a new package of real-time analytics for its complete integrated IP Video system. The analytics run in the camera at the ‘network edge’ making the solution totally scalable and not reliant on central processing to analyze the video.

Real-time analytics lead to increased effectiveness and improvements in incident response. The new analytics algorithms include ‘intelligent re-arming’, ‘hooded camera’ filter, ‘dual tripwires’ and ‘no motion’ alarms. This allows pre-determined events to be identified as they happen, at any camera, and then drive the virtual matrix, e.g. display a salvo on a bank of monitors.

The re-arming analytics feature was developed in direct response to a customer requirement to monitor the helicopter arrivals at a hospital in the USA. The operators are automatically alerted to the helicopter landing via an alarm in ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software. The alarm is triggered by the motion of the helicopter in the scene. To avoid further false alarms as the helicopter remains on the heli-pad and personnel move around, a re-arm time can be set. This will re-arm the motion trigger once the motion in the scene has stopped for at least this time, e.g. the helicopter has taken off. A fail-safe maximum time is also configured, which means the alarm would re-trigger if the helicopter was still present after this time.

The ‘hooded camera’ filter creates an alarm if the ‘region of interest’ is obscured, e.g. covering the camera, spray painting the lens or excessive de-focusing of the camera. The ‘no motion’ filter can be used to monitor items such as machines and escalators and trigger an alarm if they stop. The new ‘dual tripwire’ feature extends the functionality of the existing tripwire algorithm with the addition of a second tripwire and configurable parameters that determine how the two tripwires interact with each other.

These new features complement the existing suite of analytics which can be run in real-time at the camera or on recorded video in ‘Control Center’ for post-event analysis. The existing analytics include congestion detection, motion detection, abandoned object detection, counter flow, virtual tripwire, shape-based detection, object tracking and theft detection.

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10 June 2008 - Long-Term Success for IndigoVision IP-CCTV

IndigoVision’s integrated IP Video technology has been providing multi-site CCTV surveillance for St Joseph’s Health Care’s four facilities in and around London, Canada since 2001. The IndigoVision solution has provided St Joseph’s with reliable and scalable CCTV surveillance for more than seven years. The system now includes 250 cameras, over twice the number that was originally installed. IndigoVision’s position as a leader in IP Video technology is underpinned by the many projects that have been field proven over a number of years, such as the one at St Joseph’s.

IndigoVision’s technology provides complete IP-based system solutions for transmission, control and storage of live-networked video. The system is location independent, allowing an operator to view live digital and recorded video from a different building, town or country. It is these features that allow St Joseph’s to monitor all of its 250 cameras from each local site as well as centrally from the Security Control Center located at the Parkwood Hospital, without the need for an expensive cabled infrastructure.

The system, which was originally installed by local systems integrator Integrated Video and Surveillance, utilizes St Joseph’s existing wide area network to deliver high-quality live video around the site. This provides a far more cost effective solution than analog CCTV systems and has enabled St Joseph’s to expand the number of cameras installed from the cost savings realized from the project. The system is easily scaleable allowing additional cameras to be added anywhere on the network without additional cabling. The project has been so successful that St Joseph’s has received many visitors from the security community who were interested in seeing IP-based digital video in operation.

“A live network gives my staff the opportunity to view real time images which is so important in caring for our clients. Emergency Response is crucial when dealing with a violent person or someone in need of medical attention. We cannot afford the time delay in dispatching our officers who are the front line responders in all our color code emergencies. Viewing in real time gives us an advantage and ensures the most appropriate response is achieved. It also allows my staff to provide immediate security response to our outside areas to apprehend or investigate any wrongdoings in progress,” explained Mike Bessegato, Director Fire & Security Services/Emergency Planning, St Joseph's Health Care.

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29 May 2008 - Greek Casinos Upgrade to IndigoVision’s IP-Video for High-Stakes Surveillance

IndigoVision’s integrated IP Video solution has been used to upgrade two Greek Casinos to fully-digital CCTV surveillance, in full compliance with the demanding Greek gaming laws. The Casino Rio, located north of the Western port city of Patras and Casino Xanthi, which is situated in the Northeast city of the same name, are now both benefiting from vastly improved CCTV systems.

The two projects, totaling nearly 300 cameras, were installed by IndigoVision’s local partner ILKA S.A., who worked closely with IndigoVision and the Gaming Authority to gain the necessary licenses. As with many Gaming Boards worldwide, the Greek Gaming Authority demands 24/7 monitoring and recording of all gaming tables, slot machines and money counting areas at 25fps, with recordings kept for 20 days. If the CCTV system is unable to monitor and record a specific gaming table, then that table must be shutdown. To ensure compliance, an employee of the Gaming Authority is permanently on-site using the CCTV system to monitor the casino operation.

Like many casinos the Rio and Xanthi were using outdated analog VCR-based CCTV systems, that were becoming difficult to service and support. It was extremely time-consuming to search and analyze recorded footage, particularly if synchronized viewing was required from 2 or more cameras. IndigoVision’s IP Video solution overcame these problems by providing tools which allow fast access to recorded footage, from multiple cameras, enabling gaming disputes to be quickly resolved.

Commenting on the project Dimitris Megas, Casino Rio’s Surveillance Manager said, “We invested a considerable amount of time analyzing CCTV systems from some of the best known suppliers in the industry. We focused on the three main areas of quality, stability and versatility in an effort to choose a solution that met our requirements. We came to the conclusion that the IndigoVision system was the best solution, both technically and commercially, for our casinos. The transition from the old system to the new digital system was very smooth ensuring our casino operation was not disrupted.”

Each casino has their own security control room, where operators use ‘Control Center‘, IndigoVision's video and alarm management software to view live and recorded video from any of the cameras in the casino. Thirteen ‘Control Center’ workstations were installed between the two casinos, all with multi-screen support. ‘Control Center’ provides the operators with an easy to use interface and advanced features to help them manage camera viewing, such as maps which depict each camera and its field of view overlaid on a schematic of the casino. Simply clicking the camera icon on the map displays that particular cameras’ feed, allowing the operator to quickly view an area of interest.

The ageing VCRs have been replaced with IndigoVision's Network Video Recorders (NVRs). IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video solution allows users to implement advanced redundancy strategies for CCTV recording, which was an important requirement for the casinos. As part of the overall recording strategy back-up NVRs have been installed in both casinos. These will automatically start recording if any of the primary NVRs fail or require maintenance. PCs running IndigoVision’s Windows NVR software were installed in each casino connected to several Raid-5 storage arrays providing total disk storage in excess of 100TB. In addition to video from the cameras, Casino Rio is recording 60 channels of high-quality audio and Casino Xanthi 38 channels, each from camera mounted microphones.

The majority of the original CCTV cameras were re-used by connecting them to IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver modules which convert the analog feed to high-quality, 25fps digital video for transmission over the IP network. This is achieved without any frames being dropped, whatever the level of motion and activity in the camera scene. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve. Each camera also benefits from Actively Controlled Framerate (ACF), a unique feature built into the 8000 module, which reduces the amount of video that is transmitted and recorded. When a scene is inactive the video can be streamed at a much lower frame rate. As soon as motion is detected the video is instantly streamed at full frame rate.

The combination of ‘Control Center’ and the IP network creates a ‘virtual matrix’, which unlike its analog matrix equivalent provides a totally flexible and scalable solution. Any camera can be viewed on any ‘Control Center’ workstation and additional cameras can easily be added to any point on the network when the system is expanded. The flexibility of IndigoVision's IP Video technology meant that the migration to digital was phased so the casinos remained open and any downtime was kept to a minimum. The final equipment footprint of the new system was also considerably less than the original system, freeing up valuable space.

This project together with the company’s other recent casino installations establishes IndigoVision’s IP Video solution as the benchmark for the casino industry. It also demonstrates that IP Video is a field-proven platform for the demanding CCTV requirements of casino operations, which need high resolution video images and fast analysis of recorded footage. IP Video provides significant benefits compared with traditional analog CCTV systems, such as scalability, real-time camera-based analytics and fault tolerant configurations. To find out more about IndigoVision’s solutions for Casinos visit http://casinos.indigovision.com.

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20 May 2008 - IndigoVision Launches Powerful New Alarm Management Features for IP-CCTV

One of the many new products and developments launched by IndigoVision at the recent IFSEC 2008 show was the latest upgrade to ‘Control Center’, the company’s IP Video and alarm management software. The upgrade, due for release at the end of May, enhances the alarm handling capabilities with features that help improve efficiency and response times when dealing with incidents.

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video and alarm management system is an open-architecture solution that can provide true integration with other security systems such as alarm systems, access control and intruder detection. The benefits of integrating systems together can be significant, allowing the user to trigger operations in one system from events generated in another. There are many advantages to consolidating the alarms in the CCTV system as it is the operator interface most used of all the security systems.

Release 3.10 of ‘Control Center’ incorporates many new alarm management features including Alarm Groups, Cascaded Alarms and Looped Replay on Alarm. The new Alarm Groups feature allows the end user to designate groups of monitors or video panes for alarm display only. Each group can be configured to display different types of alarms, such as from access control or intruder systems. Within each group alarms can be cascaded or queued in the monitors or video panes.

The Looped Replay on Alarm feature further demonstrates how incident response can be improved with good alarm handling. When an alarm is raised, for example from a forced door in an access control system, live video from the camera monitoring that door is automatically displayed next to a looped replay of recorded video from the same camera. The looped video is displayed for a pre-determined time either side of the incident. The operator can then instantly see the cause of the alarm and monitor the live situation.

These new alarm features allow ‘Control Center’ to operate in what is known as a ‘black’ or ‘dark’ screen monitoring mode, where video is only displayed on alarm. This method of operation is recognized as providing a more efficient operator environment that leads to quicker incident response.

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7 May 2008 - IndigoVision’s IP Video Provides CCTV for South African Metro Project

IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video system is providing the CCTV surveillance for an impressive integrated security system for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The metro area is home to over 1.3 million people, covers an area of 770 square miles and includes the towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, together with Port Elizabeth which will be a host city for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

The IP-CCTV system, which was supplied by Norbain South Africa, is part of an integrated security system that includes access control, intruder detection, perimeter security and fire detection all of which were designed and installed by Afrisec. The systems are fully integrated across a newly installed 1000 Gbit LAN running on a fiber backbone, with wireless network links for more remote sites. The system will also provide services such as IP telephony and intercoms. The Safety & Security Directorate, which operates the system, worked closely with Afrisec, who produced the initial Security Master Plan from which the system was implemented.

The initial phase of the project provides CCTV surveillance of the Port Elizabeth Central Business District (CBD) and the along the beachfront, using 45 fixed and PTZ dome cameras, monitored at a Central Security Control Room located in the South End district. There are also other satellite control rooms in Metro buildings in the CBD and on the Beachfront. Operators based in all the control rooms use IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ software to view live video from the cameras and analyze recorded footage from IndigoVision Network Video Recorders (NVRs), which provide 30+ days of recordings from all cameras. The distributed nature of IndigoVision’s IP Video system allows a ‘Control Center’ workstation to be located at any point on the network, facilitating the use of multiple security control rooms.

The IP Video system is tightly integrated with the other Building Management and Security Systems used on the project providing a platform for true integration, so that an event in one system can trigger an action in another. For example, an illegal entry alarm from the access control system can automatically cause the nearest CCTV camera to pan and zoom to view the entry point and display the video on any ‘Control Center’ workstation for immediate operator response.

As the system expands IndigoVision’s real-time analytics will be installed on certain cameras. This will alert operators to events as they occur, such as vehicles moving in the wrong direction, congestion or a virtual tripwire being crossed. This dramatically reduces the time to locate critical events, enabling timely response to potential incidents.

The Metro area has 236 potential sites that require security. These will be implemented based on priority and available budgets. Other strategic sites, such as the airport, which have their own existing CCTV system, will be updated to IP Video so they can be monitored centrally as well. Here the existing analog cameras will be connected to IndigoVision’s transmitter/receiver modules, which convert the analog camera feeds to high-quality MPEG digital video for transmission over the network. This effectively creates a hybrid CCTV solution for the airport, whereby the airport maintains its existing analog system whilst allowing remote monitoring and recording of the video over the network.

The scalability of the IP Video system allows other surveillance areas to be added easily in the future. For example, the fiber backbone currently runs through the centre of the CBD, allowing businesses and other private buildings to be monitored from any of the control rooms. A CCTV camera can be connected to any point on the network without the need for additional cabling. The flexibility provided by a distributed IP Video system cannot be matched by a traditional analog CCTV solution. When the Soccer World Cup comes to Port Elizabeth in 2010 transportation routes, tourist hotspots, hotels and the stadium will need to be monitored via the central control room – all of which is very cost effective now that the network infrastructure is in place.

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24 April 2008 - Chilean Casino Chain Banks on IndigoVision IP-CCTV

Enjoy Group has chosen IndigoVision’s IP Video system to provide a complete digital CCTV surveillance solution for all nine of its casinos in Chile. The first 500-camera system has been completed at the casino complex in Coquimbo, which will shortly be extended to cover a new hotel and convention center. Once complete the entire project will have upgraded over 2,500 cameras to digital IP-CCTV surveillance. Fifteen casinos worldwide have now invested in complete digital CCTV solutions from IndigoVision, firmly establishing the company as the market leader in this demanding industry.

The systems are being installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Bitelco Diebold LTDA, with the storage solution supplied by Intransa. IndigoVision was chosen following a rigorous competitive analysis by the casino. This involved the installation of a 30-camera test system that allowed the casino to compare systems from different vendors side-by-side. The final systems will be installed and operated in full compliance with the Chilean Gaming Board. The flexibility of IndigoVision’s IP Video solution will in many cases enable the existing casinos to remain operational while the upgrade takes place and also allow the existing CCTV cameras to be re-used. Once the upgrades are complete Enjoy Group has plans to build a central investigation and monitoring center that will allow live and recorded video to be viewed and analyzed from all of the casinos.

“IndigoVision’s system performed very well during our testing of competing systems. We were particularly impressed with the video quality, the video search and analysis features and the efficient use of network bandwidth and storage,” said Manuel Abella, Enjoy Group’s Projects and Systems Director.

The casino security staff will use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, to view live and recorded video from any camera in the system. ‘Control Center’ is license free software allowing the casino to deploy as many workstations as required for no more than the cost of the PCs. Recording is achieved using IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) software running on PC servers, which in the case of the Coquimbo is 4 servers with 36 Terabytes of RAID redundant disk.

Many casinos are now finding that their existing analog/VCR CCTV systems cannot cope with the demands of the complex surveillance environment associated with modern casino operations. Long-term storage and fast retrieval of video from a VCR-based system is a big problem. In order to quickly resolve gaming disputes and track incidents, fast video searching and retrieval is of paramount importance - all of which is provided by the combinations of ‘Control Center’ and the NVRs. Another important feature of the IP-CCTV solution is the ability to remotely view recorded video on any ‘Control Center’ workstation wherever they are located on the network – this is impossible with the existing analog/VCR system.

Each of the CCTV cameras will be connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver which converts the analog feed to DVD-quality, 4SIF, 30fps digital video for transmission over the IP network. This is achieved without any frames being dropped, whatever the level of motion and activity in the camera scene. This is a fundamental requirement of Gaming Boards and casino operators. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve.

This project demonstrates that IP Video is a field-proven solution for the demanding CCTV requirements of casino operations, which need high-quality video images and fast retrieval of recorded footage. IP Video provides significant benefits compared with traditional analog CCTV systems, such as scalability, real-time camera-based analytics and fault tolerant configurations.

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16 April 2008 - IndigoVision Wins Prestigious Frost & Sullivan Award

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of complete IP Video and Alarm management solutions, has been honored by Frost & Sullivan with the prestigious 2008 European Network Video Surveillance Award for Customer Value Enhancement. The award is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated more innovative, value creation and enhancement strategies than competing vendors.

This Award has been presented to IndigoVision in recognition of the company’s ability to offer a complete range of high-quality products and solutions to its customers and to meet end-user needs through research and development.

The key differentiators of a Customer Value Enhancement Award compared to a traditional Customer Service Award are that it is a proactive rather than a reactive function, which focuses on value creation and enhancement rather than simply ensuring client satisfaction. It also recognizes the investment customers make in a company’s products or services rather than simply providing after sales support and service.

Commenting on the importance of the award Oliver Vellacott, CEO, IndigoVision said, "I am delighted that the company-wide commitment to customer service and product development has been recognised with this award. This achievement recognises the technological lead that IndigoVision has developed in the increasingly important IP security marketplace and the importance it places on the relationship with our partners."

IndigoVision has over 1000 major installations worldwide including two Olympic Games, the 2006 Soccer World Cup, 7 major rail networks, 2 of the world's top 5 banks, 13 casinos and 28 airports. IndigoVision completely develops its technology in-house, including a rich suite of hardware products and 'Control Center' its flagship Video and Alarm Management software. The company currently works with over 200 authorised systems integrator and installer partners in 40 countries around the world.

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2 April 2008 - IndigoVision’s IP-CCTV Protects State Mansion in New Delhi

IndigoVision’s integrated IP Video system is providing high-security CCTV surveillance for the Madhya Pradesh State Mansion in India’s capital New Delhi. India has 28 states and 7 union territories each run by its own state government and each has their own representation in New Delhi, including Madhya Pradesh, the largest State in India. Madhya Pradesh’s political office in New Delhi is the Bhawan Mansion, which is overseen by the State’s Commissioner of Police. This very important local government site comprises of residential suites, administration buildings, armed security outposts, car park and approach roads.

The new CCTV system has been designed and supplied by IndigoVision’s local partner Neural Integrated Systems and installed by Royal Computers. IndigoVision’s IP video solution was chosen following on-site trials of competing systems and provides both high-quality video and audio surveillance of the interior and surrounding grounds. The State Mansion is faced with multiple security issues including criminal activity, terrorism and the need to counteract corruption and therefore needed the very best CCTV solution. The building also accommodates many visiting high-ranking State dignitaries that require the highest level of protection.

Commenting on the project, Mr. R.R. Gupta of Neural Integrated Systems, said, “The requirements for the new CCTV system were very demanding, both in terms of flexibility and quality. The client was particularly impressed by the quality of the recorded video and audio from the IndigoVision system and the flexibility to up-scale the system for the future.”

With extensive experience of CCTV installations across various sectors, Mr. Anil Gupta of Royal Computers said of the IndigoVision solution, “The ease of installation, set-up and user-friendliness of the system has been excellent. This, complemented with an exceptional level of support, is becoming the benchmark in the increasingly important IP Video marketplace.”

‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and Alarm management software, allows the security team to view live and recorded video and to listen to the audio from any of the cameras in the system. The flexibility of the IndigoVision solution means that ‘Control Center’ PC workstations can be located at any point on the network. ‘Control Center’ is also license-free and so additional workstations can be added for no more than a cost of a standard PC. This was another important reason that the IndigoVision solution was chosen as workstations have been installed in a number of locations throughout the building, in addition to the main security control room. IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorder (NVR) software provides 30 days of continuous recording for both video and audio from all the cameras in the system. Tamperproof high-quality video and audio clips can be exported for evidential purposes using ‘Control Center’.

The surveillance is achieved with a combination of internal and external fixed dome and PTZ CCTV cameras, each fitted with a highly-sensitive microphone. The video and audio feeds from each camera are connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver module, which converts the signals to digital data for transmission over the network. IndigoVision’s MPEG-4 compression technology ensures the very best quality images are transmitted and recorded with the minimum of data, reducing the network bandwidth and NVR storage requirements.

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19 March 2008 - IndigoVision’s IP Video Powers Mobile CCTV Vehicle

IndigoVision’s integrated IP Video solution is being used to provide the CCTV surveillance system for a Community Safety Vehicle operated by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, UK. The vehicle is a joint initiative between the Borough, the Metropolitan Police and NCP, the council’s parking enforcement contractor.

The vehicle is equipped with 5 fixed cameras and 2 fully functional Forward Vision MIC cameras mounted on a 20 ft hydraulic mast and an automatic license plate recognition system connected to the Police National Computer for live verification. The system is controlled by two onboard operators that each use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and Alarm Management software, running on a dual monitor workstation to view live and recorded video from the cameras. All recordings are made by an onboard IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR) with hot-swappable hard drives. The vehicle is supported and maintained by IndigoVision’s local partner Clearview Communications.

A third ‘Control Center’ workstation is located in the Borough’s Editing Suite at the local Council offices, where video from the onboard swapped hard drives is saved and analyzed. ‘Control Center’ provides a comprehensive set of analytics and tools to allow fast analysis and retrieval of recorded footage. Video clips can be exported for evidential purposes using sophisticated encryption and watermarking techniques to ensure the material is tamper-proof.

“The Community Safety Vehicle allows us to target areas not covered by fixed CCTV installations and areas that suffer traffic congestion and parking violations,” said Mario Demetriou, the Borough’s Anti-Social Behavior Manager. “IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ software really makes the job of analyzing the video easy, both onboard the vehicle and back at our editing suite.”

The vehicle is typically used during the day by NCP for traffic enforcement and in the evening and during special events by the police for surveillance operations. On a typical day the vehicle can detect up to 100 traffic violations that result in fixed penalty charge notices being issued.

Each analog camera on the vehicle is connected to an IndigoVision rack-mounted 8000 transmitter/receiver module. The 8000 converts the camera feed to DVD quality digital video for transmission over the onboard IP network. The 8000 can also run real-time analytics such as virtual tripwire which, for example, can alert an operator and automatically start recording when a vehicle crosses into a bus lane.

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10 March 2008 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Keeps Cincinnati Shoppers Safe and Secure

Northgate Mall in Cincinnati, Ohio has installed an IP Video CCTV surveillance system from IndigoVision as part of a recent renovation. The Mall has more than 1.1 million square feet of retail space and over 100 specialty shops and four department stores. Twenty-seven cameras monitor the main public shopping areas inside the mall and the surrounding areas around the outside of the building. The system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local authorized partner Mobilcomm.

‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, is used by operators to view live and recorded video from any of the cameras. Two ‘Control Center’ workstations are used, one in the main security control room and one in the manager’s office. Video is recorded using IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorder (NVR) software running on a Windows 2003 server. The flexibility of IndigoVision’s IP Video solution allows workstations, cameras and NVRs to be located at any point on the network. This creates a ‘virtual matrix’ which replaces the traditional analog switching matrix providing for remote monitoring and a truly scalable solution for the future.

Commenting on the system, Jerry Weller, Northgate Mall’s Manager, said, “The video quality produced by the system is excellent and the ‘Control Center’ software is very easy to use. The map layout on ‘Control Center’, which shows the camera positions, has been a great help in training new operators. The search and analysis tools also allow the operators to quickly find the required video clip from recorded footage”.

Northgate Mall’s security team work very closely with the local police and have assisted them on several occasions by supplying video clips of incidents from outside cameras. Video clips can be exported from ‘Control Center’ for evidential purposes using sophisticated encryption and watermarking techniques to ensure the material is tamper-proof.

Each camera is connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver module which converts the analog feed to DVD-quality digital video for transmission over the network. Each 8000 module can also transmit 2-way high-quality audio and interface to hardwired I/O, both of which have been used to good effect at Northgate Mall. In order to prevent inappropriate use of the family restroom an intercom has been installed that the public has to use to gain access. When the intercom button is pressed an alarm is triggered in ‘Control Center’, which displays the location on the camera map and the video image from the local camera. Two-way communication is initiated between the member of the public and security operator. The restroom door is then released via an 8000 output triggered from ‘Control Center’. The whole intercom function has been totally implemented using standard IndigoVision features.

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27 February 2008 - Integrated IP-Security Protects New Courthouse

IndigoVision’s IP Video CCTV system is providing the technology behind a Fabricom-GTI integrated security solution for the new Courthouse in the Belgium city of Ghent. This innovative project integrates CCTV, video-intercom and access control into a single IP-security system. By using the IP Video system to provide fully-featured video-intercom facilities IndigoVision has created a truly scalable and cost-effective solution by eliminating traditional intercom switching hardware.

The new 600,000 sq ft courthouse in Ghent is operated by the Belgian Ministry of Justice and consists of a fully-secure environment that houses holding cells, court rooms, hearing rooms and offices, with public areas running throughout. The security facilities are used by the police, Ministry of Justice security staff and personnel manning the reception desk. The system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner and integrator Fabricom-GTI.

The IndigoVision software development kit enabled a tight integration of IndigoVision’s hardware and ‘Control Center’ IP Video and Alarm management software in ICAROS, Fabricom-GTI's security and building management system. Alongside access control, intruder and fire detection and other building related systems, an ICAROS workstation gives the operator seamless access to all the unique IndigoVision features for alarm and video management. This tight integration offers the end-user significant benefits. Whenever an alarm is generated the nearest camera feed is automatically displayed on a monitor and recorded. An alarm can be generated from CCTV camera motion detection, access control points, video-intercom units or from the intruder and fire detection systems. Operators can also manually select camera views for display and recording. Eight IndigoVision Windows-based Network Video Recorder (NVR) workstations are used to record the camera and intercom video at 4SIF, 25fps, as well as the two-way audio from the intercom units.

The combination of the video management software and the IP-network creates a ‘virtual network’ which provides unlimited camera switching combinations, overcoming the severe limitations of the traditional analog CCTV matrix. This allows complete flexibility and scalability for the future. Traditional video-intercom systems typically use a central switching matrix that requires separate cabling from each intercom unit. By fully integrating the video, audio and I/O from each intercom unit into the IP Video system, this switching hardware is eliminated and the benefits of the ‘virtual matrix’ can also be applied to the video-intercom.

Video from 83 fixed and PTZ CCTV cameras and 34 video-intercom cameras, which are compact cameras built into the door intercom units, are connected to IndigoVision’s 8000 transmitter/receiver modules. The 8000 converts the analog feed into high-quality MPEG-4 digital video for transmission over the IP network. In addition high-quality two-way audio and I/O from the intercom units are also connected to the 8000 units for compression and transmission. The 8000 units have built-in analytics including motion detection, which is used to trigger an alarm when scene activity is detected. Running real-time analytics at the camera significantly reduces bandwidth requirements on the network and ensures the system is totally scalable.

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11 February 2008 - IKEA France Invests in IndigoVision IP-CCTV for New Store

IKEA France has invested in IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution for CCTV surveillance in its new 215,000 sq ft flagship store in Grenoble. Swedish-based IKEA is one of the largest and best-known home furnishing retail groups in the world, with stores in 36 countries. IKEA invests heavily in CCTV technology in their stores to ensure their customers and staff are safe and secure at all times. The new store, which opened in October 2007, is seen as a test site for the adoption of IP-CCTV for other new IKEA stores in France.

The 36-camera system was installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Concept Maintenance and is an ideal solution for stores such as IKEA where network density is very high. IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology allows the entire IP Video system to operate on the store’s existing LAN with minimal impact on network bandwidth. The IKEA network supports Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), which allows any new IP cameras to be connected directly to the network via a single CAT-5 cable. This provides a very scalable and cost-effective solution for future expansion.

Image quality and ease of use of ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software, were just two of the reasons the IndigoVision solution was chosen. The security operators required no more than 2-hours of training to fully operate the system. A single ‘Control Center’ workstation is located in the security control room where the operators view live video only. A second ‘Control Center’ workstation is located in the IT room where the Security Manager can view both live and recorded video, as only management is allowed to view recorded footage. Three IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs) provide 15 days of continuous recordings from all cameras.

Commenting on the operation of the new system, Sylvie Weber, IKEA’s Country Security Manager, said of the IndigoVision system, “We are very pleased with the system and in particular with the superb image quality and the ‘Control Center’ user interface. It’s very easy to find and analyze a particular video clip, which can then be exported in a tamper-proof form for police evidence if required.”

The safe and speedy evacuation of staff and customers during a fire or incident is paramount to IKEA’s operational planning and they run many practice simulations. The CCTV system has been configured to help in situations like these. For example when an emergency exit is opened a ‘Control Center’ alarm is triggered which automatically pans the nearest camera to display the exit so operators can ensure a smooth and orderly evacuation.

IndigoVision’s IP Video solution can also be used to provide benefits beyond store security. Many retailers are accessing in-store footage to help analyze merchandising, in-store promotions and footfall trends. This can be achieved locally and nationally, with central marketing teams accessing live and recorded video from any store at any location across their corporate networks.

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8 February 2008 - New Products Enhance IndigoVision IP Video Solution

IndigoVision will be showing for the first time a number of new products and enhancements for its integrated IP Video solution at ISC West. These will include new additions to its popular IP Dome range, a 4-Channel transmitter/receiver rack and a major upgrade to its NVR capability.

IndigoVision’s new internal and external vandal resistant fixed IP Domes are high-end professional CCTV cameras that incorporate a Sony EXview HAD CCD Sensor and the company’s class-leading MPEG-4 or H.264 compression, ensuring excellent performance. Coupled with a guaranteed frame rate of 25/30 fps, the IP Domes provide an image quality that is as good as or better than an equivalent analog camera. The discreet, IP66 vandal resistant enclosure can be ceiling or wall mounted and provides maximum protection for tough environmental conditions. The built-in support for Power-over-Ethernet allows the camera to be powered directly from the network for lower installation costs. Each camera is available with a number of options including PAL or NTSC formats, a standard or telephoto lens and a color or day/night sensor.

The 4-Channel rack is a new addition to the company’s family of transmitter/receiver products and supports both MPEG-4 and H.264 compression technologies. Up to four CCTV cameras can be connected to the rack, which converts the analog feed to high-quality digital video for transmission over the network. The product sits between the existing single channel unit and the 10-Channel rack, providing wider choice for the system designer and integrator. The new unit has also been developed with the mobile surveillance market in mind, where typically 4 or less cameras mounted on buses, trams and trains need to be connected to an on-board IP network for monitoring and recording. The rack has an extra network port which allows direct connection to a Network Video Recorder (NVR), providing a standalone compact mobile solution. The 4-Channel rack has a slim profile which can be mounted in a 19” rack or to any flat surface.

To coincide with the show IndigoVision has also released a major upgrade to its ‘Control Center’ IP Video and alarm management software and family of NVRs, which allow users to implement advanced redundancy strategies for CCTV recording. Resilient and redundant recording solutions are becoming important to many CCTV users that require potentially valuable recordings to be protected against equipment and network failures. IndigoVision already provides a scalable and distributed solution that allows NVRs to be transparently located at any point on the network, removing single-point failures, which are common with traditional analog/DVR recording systems. The new upgrade takes this further by allowing NVRs to work as failover backups and mirrors for primary NVRs and to create sophisticated webs or chains of NVR redundancy.

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28 January 2008 - IP-CCTV Enhances Security for Petrochem Storage

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution has been installed to enhance the security at Royal Vopak’s petrochemical storage terminal in West Thurrock, UK. With 347,100m3 of storage capacity in 125 tanks, Vopak’s terminal is a very demanding environment with security and health & safety of paramount importance.

The terminal provides independent storage and handling of liquid and gaseous chemical and oil products for Vopak’s customers. Products are transported from the terminal to the customer by road, pipeline and river via the 3-berth jetty.

Vopak Terminal London recently chose to upgrade their ageing analog CCTV system with a complete end-to-end networked IP Video solution from IndigoVision. The 40-camera system was specified by consultants, M J Partnership and installed by ADT Fire & Security Ltd in partnership with Waterstons, Vopak’s IT consultants.

At the heart of the system is ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and Alarm management software, which allows operators to view live and recorded footage, from any camera, from any point on the network. Vopak has utilized this flexibility with the installation of a number of ‘Control Center’ workstations both in the central control room and at other locations around the site, allowing other authorized staff to access the system. ‘Control Center’ software is license-free, which means Vopak can install a workstation for no more cost than a PC.

The IP Video system has provided Vopak with many benefits including fast image retrieval and greatly improved live and recorded video quality, which can be used for evidential purposes; something that was not achievable with the old analog system. In addition, video footage can also be used as a training aid for Vopak.

“We are delighted with the new CCTV system,” said Peter Lloyd, Engineering Manager at Vopak Terminal London. “The video quality is exceptional and the flexibility of the ‘Control Center’ software is allowing us to use it as a site-wide management tool.”

Video recording is achieved using IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorder (NVR) software which provides up to 3 months of continuous storage from all of the cameras. ‘Control Center’ provides a number of tools that allows fast retrieval and analysis of the recorded footage by the operator. The 40 CCTV cameras, which are a mix of fixed and PTZ from the original installation, are each connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver module which converts the analog camera feed into DVD-quality MPEG-4 digital video for transmission over the network.

The combination of ‘Control Center’ software and the network creates a ‘virtual matrix’, which is a more flexible and scalable video switching platform than the original analog matrix that it replaced. Any camera on the network can be viewed from any workstation on the network, no matter where they are located. Similarly, any workstation can access recorded video from the NVR server. This scalability also means that it is easy and cost effective to expand the system in the future as cameras can be added to any point on the network without the need to run new cabling.

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16 January 2008 - University of Miami Adopts Campus-Wide IP-CCTV

IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video solution is being deployed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as part of a campus-wide CCTV upgrade. The University’s medical campus spreads out over 45 acres in downtown Miami, Florida but it also has a number of remote sites, including one that is 100 miles north in Palm Beach County and another which is home to the new Miami Institute for Human Genomics, located 25 miles southwest of the medical campus. This type of wide-area application was too demanding for the existing analog CCTV system, leading to many operational problems. However, by adopting IndigoVision’s IP Video solution many of the difficulties were overcome and much of the original CCTV infrastructure was re-used, including all of the cameras.

The on-going project is being installed by Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Miami Office and will eventually encompass all of the Medical School’s 300+ CCTV cameras and use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Video and Alarm Management software for viewing live and recorded video. The system uses fifteen ‘Control Center’ workstations, one in the main security control center, others at satellite security stations around campus and three in security administration offices on campus. IndigoVision uniquely provides ‘Control Center’ software as license-free, allowing the university to deploy workstations around the campus for no more than the cost of a standard PC. This further reduces the upgrade costs and was another factor in the University choosing IndigoVision.

The original VCRs have been replaced with IndigoVision Network Video Recorders (NVRs). Four Windows-based NVRs are installed in the main security control center and three stand-alone NVRs at remote locations. Recorded video from any of these NVRs can be viewed and analyzed from any ‘Control Center’ workstation wherever they are located. Over 38 Terabytes of storage in a campus datacenter provides the university with more than 30 days of recordings from all cameras.

The adoption of IndigoVision’s IP Video technology has provided the university with major benefits that were not available from their existing analog/VCR system. These benefits include the viewing of live and recorded video from anywhere on campus, fast analysis and retrieval of recorded footage and complete control over resolution and frame-rates which allows them to match network resources. Expansion is straightforward and future plans include incorporating another 150 cameras from the University of Miami Hospital, a 560 bed facility recently acquired by the University.

Commenting on the success of the project, Tony Artrip, Executive Director of Public Safety for the campus said, “IndigoVision’s CCTV system is a simple, straight forward solution that is easy to use and does exactly what it is designed to do. It is great to view any of the cameras on campus or at remote location locations miles away, directly from your desktop. Searching for an incident on recorded video could not be easier.”

A recent incident demonstrates how the university has used the system to good effect. An item was stolen from a remote site located 75 miles north of the medical campus. The relevant footage from the incident was retrieved almost immediately and sent via e-mail to the police having jurisdiction. With the original system it would have taken someone hours to reach the remote site and off-load the video to a usable format for the local authorities.

The University is investigating using the IP Video system for distance learning applications which would involve broadcasting lectures to many remote students at the same time. This can be achieved with IP multicasting, which is a very powerful feature of IndigoVision's IP Video technology. It allows live or recorded footage from a single camera to be efficiently viewed by multiple operators simultaneously, no matter where they are located on the network.

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3 January 2008 - New Advanced Redundancy Features for IndigoVision NVRs

IndigoVision, the integrated IP Video systems manufacturer, has released a major upgrade to its ‘Control Center’ software and family of Network Video Recorders (NVRs), allowing users to implement advanced redundancy strategies for CCTV recording. IndigoVision has always been at the forefront of robust and resilient network recording with both its range of standalone NVR products and Windows based NVR server software.

Resilient and redundant recording solutions are becoming important to many CCTV users that require potentially valuable recordings to be protected against equipment and network failures. IndigoVision already provides a scalable and distributed solution that allows NVRs to be transparently located at any point on the network, removing single-point failures, which are common with traditional analog/DVR recording systems. The new upgrade takes this further by allowing NVRs to work as failover backups and mirrors for primary NVRs. The backup NVR can continuously record the same video in parallel as the primary NVR (mirroring) or automatically takeover recording if the primary NVR fails. The backup NVRs can be located at a different physical location to the primary NVRs, adding further to the resilience of the system.

The backup NVRs continuously monitor the primary NVRs to check availability and synchronize configurations. The switching of the primary NVR to a backup unit can also be manually initiated to allow routine maintenance or fault investigation of the primary NVR. Several backup NVRs can monitor a single primary NVR and similarly a single backup NVR can monitor several primary NVRs. Sophisticated webs or chains of NVR redundancy can be implemented allowing the user to choose their level of redundancy based on a risk/cost analysis. IndigoVision’s family of robust standalone NVR products also provides a level of built-in resilience with dual redundant network connections and power supplies, RAID configurations and hot-swappable drives.

‘Control Center’ PC software allows users to view live and recorded video from any CCTV camera on the network and provides a range of tools for the management of alarms and the analysis and fast-searching of recorded footage. ‘Control Center’ is also used to configure the recording strategies for each NVR. Uniquely, IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ software is license-free, allowing users to install any number of CCTV viewing workstations, at any location, for no more cost than an entry-level PC.

In addition to the NVR redundancy features, the latest upgrade to ‘Control Center’ also includes many new features including video bookmarks and advanced IRIS control for PTZ cameras. Video bookmarks allow the user to add notes associated with a specific section of recorded video. Like alarms, bookmarks are saved on the NVR and associated with the recording so that other operators can view them.

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