cglaeser

Can you name something that you recently purchased that is the same price from every retailer? Prices can not be set by a manufacturer because that would be price fixing which is illegal in the US. Best, Christopher

I would expect that the Optex PIR's would work with virtually any DVR that has alarm inputs. I use several types of Optex including wireless, wired, and the long-range Redwall, and all have performed well. I've also read good reviews for the Crow Daredevil. Best, Christopher

This does not give much detail, but it does hint at some sort of video processing: "MESSOA designed the CatchAll™ engine, an innovative technology for optimized video processing, to deliver clear color overviews and razor-sharp number-plate shots of speeding vehicles to external recognition software regardless of the setting or lighting conditions." I've been testing the Messoa SCR510 long-distance license plate camera and it performs extremely well to about 100'. Best, Christopher

I thought the same thing, and perhaps some older LPR cameras like Bosch/Extreme do it what way, but I think Messoa does it with some type of DSP processing. Best, Christopher

OK, thanks, that's good to know. Best, Christopher

This is speculation on my part, but I think this is close to the mark. The gateway does not do any decoding. Much like the server can connect to a remote client, the gateway provides an interface between the server and remote devices, but it doesn't do any processing of the streams. Some Avigilon servers are connected to a large number of IP MP cameras. Again, this is speculation on my part, but I'm guessing Avigilon is concerned that if customers add the gateway to these systems with the expectation of hitting with a large number of remote devices, it could overload the system, so they strongly recommend the gateway be put on a different system. For large installs, this is not a problem. Just add one more blade and install the gateway. As I have said several times above, these are guesses on my part. I will say that the gateway is running on small installs with no problem. Best, Christopher

I have not done any cpu load measurements, but I run the gateway on an Atom with no problem. All encoding is done by the cameras and video encoders, and all decoding is done by the client. The server is maintaining/accessing the video database. It is apparent that Avigilon has an extremely efficient implementation for the video library. Perhaps if there are 96 cameras and a large number of employees are all accessing video on their iOS devices at the same time, perhaps the gateway introduces a load, and perhaps that's why Avigilon recommends running the gateway on a separate box. I can only guess as to the motivation. But with a modest number of cameras, the gateway seems to run just fine, even on an Atom. Best, Christopher

I've been using Avigilon for about a year. At one site, I have 10 cameras (5MP, 2MP, and 8 analog on 2 video encoders) running on a $139 Atom board. I added memory, disk, and Windows 7. Perhaps the most advanced feature of Avigilon is the implementation of the video database. The implementation is incredibly efficient, and puts very little load on the CPU. When you expand and collapse the timeline, you can scrub across the timeline and pull up images across an hour, day, or week, with virtually no pause. With an NVR such as Exacq, you have to back-fill the recorded timeline, which is painfully slow. Plus, in Exacq, you must be in real time or recorded time; you can't be in both. In JPEG2000, Avigilon only pulls up the needed resolution to match the viewing window. This is a huge win when viewing large MP cameras The added bit depth of JPEG2000 can also retain information in dark areas. The search feature is incredibly fast. These are a few of the features that make it so compelling. Avigilon is the benchmark by which all other NVRs should be measured. In time, I expect other NVRs will work this well. As of today, I am not aware of an NVR that can match it. Best, Christopher

No, I have not done anything with audio. Best, Christopher

Keep playing with it and I bet you will discover more features that are amazing. For example, you can view the same camera in multiple views. This feature is extremely useful when a crime is in progress. I can watch the entire scene in one view, zoom in on another, and playback recorded video in another, all at the same time. When I am on the phone with police dispatch and seconds count, I am trying to tell them what is happening, but also go back and review what happened. It's in the recorded video that I can get the best description, such as shoes, clothes, etc. That information is hard to do in the real time view, so I scroll the time line and pan/zoom to the best image in the recorded view and report everything I can see. Try doing that in Exacq. Not possible. Keep in mind, you don't have to replace any of your analog cameras on day one. The Avigilon video encoders are very affordable and record excellent video. And, each four port encoder uses only one license. So for example if you have 4 or 8 analogs, you could start with 1 or 2 encoders, and then start adding IP cameras as budget permits. It's not uncommon for installers to go to a large analog site and drop in an Avigilon server a large number of encoders, and then start migrating to IP. I have used Avigilon with a Panasonic 502, Axis IP camera, and Axis encoder. All worked perfectly. Best, Christopher

I give native video to the police and DA regularly without any problems. I have eight arrests in the last two years. The police have reviewed my Exacq native video in their briefing room on a large screen without any problems. They can do the same with Avigilon. On a related note, a local central station installed the Avigilon client on their computers so they can monitor Avigilon servers. I installed long-range Optex Redwall PIR motion sensors, and the CS pulls up the Avigilon cameras when there is a motion event, again, without any problems. When there is an event of interest, I can remotely acquire native video for evidence if needed, and have confidence that the police and DA will not have any problems reviewing it. This is all very easy to do. Best, Christopher

No. One of the compelling features of Avigilon is JPEG2000. You can not review the full bit depth of JPEG2000 on Youtube. The Aviligon client can output various video formats, but what's the point? The bit depth would be crushed to look like any other camera. You need to install the Avigilon player. It will take a couple minutes effort. Let me know when you have it installed. You keep requesting Avigilon video, but members are not going to upload high-resolution, high-contrast compelling examples if you can't view it. The .ave file I uploaded is junk from a $30 camera; it's a test to see if you can manage to install the player. Best, Christopher

OK, here is a $30 analog on an Avigilon JPEG2000 video encoder. Can you view this video? http://dl.dropbox.com/u/27718485/rory.ave Best, Christopher

Thanks!

If you want to review JPEG2000 video, you need to install the ACC player. If the video is exported to YouTube, you will not be able to adequately review the detail. If you don't install the ACC player, that means you are feigning interest. Best, Christopher Edit: changed "client" to "player"

I thought we were waiting on you. Have you installed the ACC client? Best, Christopher

Yes, it is a bit pricey for the typical home install, but the announcement of Gateway support for smaller installs makes it more attractive. You can build a 4 or 8 camera analog system using one or two video encoders and an Atom for a price that is attractive to some home owners. Also, I'm just really really tired of reviewing video on Exacq. A couple weeks ago some gas thieves cut the gas line of a car parked in an auto lot. Each day the car was moved to a different location on the lot. I had to follow that car backwards in time for a week to see where it was parked and who was near it. Thank goodness I installed Avigilon at that location. I was able to complete the review relatively quickly from a remote location. If I had to do that in Exacq it would have been considerably more tedious and taken much longer to complete. Best, Christopher

Circling back to the original post, Avigilon has some of the most compelling products on the market. The NVR is both extremely powerful and easy on the processor. The JPEG2000 video encoder is one of the best values on the market, uses only one license for four cameras, and can make a $40 QSEE analog look pretty good. They have the widest pixel range on the market, starting at analog with their 4 port video encoders all the way up to 29MP, with many steps along the way. In addition, recent restructuring of the licensing (e.g. support Gateway on smaller installs and price reduction of the Gateway) demonstrate that the company does listen and is nimble enough to make course corrections. Best, Christopher

I have not measured the processor performance, but I do know that remote LAN, WAN, and iOS viewing of 10 cameras (8 analog cameras on two encoders and a 5MP and 2MP) on an Atom have been rock solid for months. Also, Avigilon has recently announced a price reduction on the Gateway as well as support for Android. In addition, the Gateway can now be added to ACC Core, the small business / residential NVR with up to 16 cameras. Best, Christopher

What types of tips, tricks, and network diagnostic tools do you use to troubleshoot potential problems on the LAN? Best, Christopher

One of the nice features of ExacqVision is that email notification actually works. Using the same settings, I've been unable to get email notification to work properly with other cameras and video encoders such as those from Axis and Panasonic. I'd be interested to know if others have experienced similar problems with these or other cameras, and if resolved, what you did to get it to work. Best, Christopher

+1 Our power is very stable here, but it recently went out when I was away on travel. I was notified via text message when the power went out and was able to monitor the premises remotely until power was restored. Best, Christopher

I would like to see the Avigilon 5MP upgraded with autofocus. The autofocus on the recently introduced Avigilon 2MP H.264 dome (and the other models in the line-up) as well as the autofocus from other manufacturers like the Panasonic 502 is a welcome feature. I'm using the Avigilon 5MP in an auto lot, and despite efforts to pull the focus, the image is still a bit soft. No doubt, the camera is capable of a better focus, but it can be tedious to pull focus on these cameras. The H.264 on full 2MP images really helps reduce both bandwidth and drive space. The pricing on the 2MP is reasonable as well. The pricing on the Gateway is out-of-whack with the rest of the industry, but Avigilon is currently competing in a different space, so I guess that's working for them. The 4-port video encoders are very cheap compared to Axis, and ..., use only one IP license. Very nice. I have not used the new H.264 version, but I am using a couple of the JPEG2000 encoders, and they do a great job, even with very low-end cctv cameras from Costco. The Avigilon ACC is the real spoiler, meaning, if you ever use it for any length of time, you will never want to go back to anything else. In fact, I recommend against using the demo unless you actually intend to buy it. You will be frustrated when you have to go back to using something else. Best, Christopher

Michael, your 16MP image is another compelling example from this camera. Recently I was talking to the Avigilon rep about one of these cameras at a mall parking lot. The camera was covering a large area with many vehicles, and they were able to id a murder suspect because of a tattoo on his arm. The ability of these cameras to simultaneously cover a large area and id an individual in a crowd is remarkable. Thanks for taking the time to upload these images. Best, Christopher

Those of us who have actually used Avigilon know that the cameras provide unsurpassed images for the applications they were designed (e.g. pro cameras for soccer stadium, train station, mall parking lot), and the software is far more advanced than anything else currently available. This is probably a good time to ignore those who wish they had several large installs on the books so they could test one and see for themselves what the rest of us know. Best, Christopher