survtech

You're right, they are one of the very few. So does Watec/Genwac and a few others. We really like the Ikegami cameras - excellent low light and AGC characteristics and a 10-year warranty on many. Our only issues are their color (most are white) and their odd size, similar to the Sanyo "cube".

Not necessarily! There are 1/3" cameras that are better than most 1/2" cameras. Few, if any, companies have put any recent development work into 1/2" and larger cameras except megapixel; and those are mostly CMOS, rather than CCD. What I assume you mean is that you are comparing cameras with a 1/4" imager vs. a 1/2" imager. For most applications, I would choose a 1/3" camera as the best balance between cost and capabilities. 1/4" cameras typically don't perform as well and 1/2" may or may not, depending on the type and manufacturer. And you are right, I doubt that 1/2" analog cameras will be much of an option in the future. For instance, Ganz discontinued their 1/4" domes (ZCD3000 series), in favor of 1/3" domes (ZCD5000 series).

We use the Honeywell Enterprise system: http://www.honeywellvideo.com/products/accessories/ip/index.html Other casinos use competing systems, including: Dallmeier: http://www.dallmeier-electronic.com/en/products-electronic/recorders/mpeg-recordersdecoders.html American Dynamics Intellex: http://www.tycovideo.com/products/intellex_home.aspx Synectics Systems: http://www.synx.com/ Cisco Sypix: http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/ps/products.html NiceVision: http://www.nice.com/products/video/index.php Pelco Endura: http://www.pelco.com/products/endura/productline.aspx IndigoVision: http://www.indigovision.com/ And others, including the now-discontinued Sanyo DSR-series Casino DVR's, etc. Most DVR/NVR manufacturers would love to get a casino client but relatively few have. We have also talked to a few recently who are interested in selling us systems but don't have any major casino installations in the U.S.. These include Genetec, Milestone Systems, Instek Digital, Steelbox Networks, DVTel, Airship, Geutebruck, Petards, March Networks, Virage and others...

That's all we carry.... what the hell? The difference is that you are a CCTV distributor. You should know the difference and only carry copper/copper RG anything for CCTV use; or at least know what applications require what cables. The typical electronics store doesn't have a clue!

The lens should match the camera. If you were to use a 1/4" lens on a 1/2" camera, you would see a "tunnel effect" on the screen, meaning the picture would not fill the whole screen; it would appear as a round picture within the rectangular screen. The bigger the difference between lens size and imager, the smaller a fraction of the screen would be filled. On the other hand, you can use a 1/2" lens on a 1/4" camera. The amount of light passed to the imager would be less but a 4mm 1/2" lens, for instance, on a 1/3" camera would show the same field of view as a 4mm 1/3" lens. Also watch out for "C" mount vs. "CS" mount lenses and cameras. You can put a "C" mount lens on a "CS" mount camera if you add a 5mm spacer (CS Adaptor). You can't, however, use a "CS" mount lens on a "C" mount camera under most circumstances.

By the way, STAM Multimedia develops online training courses for a number of manufacturers, including: Panasonic, Sony, JVC, Vicon, etc. See the web page link below for a list: http://www.stamweb.com/elearning/portfolio.html

Basic CCTV Online: Stam Multimedia - http://www.stamweb.com/Online_Courses.html Security CEU - http://www.securityceu.com/ ASIS International - http://www.asisonline.org/education/universityPrograms/onlinePrograms.xml Plus, there are others that are either free or in book form (Charlie Pierce's Leapfrog Training is one). Manufacturers: Panasonic - http://panasonicevolution.com/site/courseAreas.aspx?catid=6 Pelco Learning Center (requires signup) - http://www.pelco.com/support/pgti/ Bosch - http://training.boschsecurity.us/OnlineLearning/ Dedicated Micros - http://www.stamhost.com/dmlms/login.asp

I think I paid $15.00 for it 20 years ago. Here is the exact one I have: They have two; each less than $13.00.

We use a test card designed for IR Remote Controls. It's cheap but doesn't work where there is too much ambient light. I've had it for years since I used to repair VCR's, but here is another source: http://www.ersweb.com/Infratector.htm

Are you saying that CRT's will be outlawed by some countries? Why is that? While CRT production does use some chemicals that can be harmful to the environment, the same is also true of LCD and plasma screens: "Flat screen TVs blamed for accelerating global warming" A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/03/2293369.htm?section=justin From Wikipedia: "NF3 is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential (GWP) 17,200 times greater than that of CO2 when compared over a 100 year period.[5][6] Its GWP would place it second only to SF6 in the group of Kyoto-recognised greenhouse gases, although NF3 is not currently included in that grouping. It has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 740 years,[5] although recent work suggests a slightly shorter lifetime of 550 years (and a GWP of 16,800)."

Here's a laugh - quoted from their website, http://www.hawkingsecurity.com/: "Hawking CCTV LLC has been established to provide lowest cost CCTV equipments. Our role is to understand your needs and provide you quality products. We offer a wide range of professional CCTV equipments from various manufacturers including CCD Cameras to IP base Digital Video Surveillance Systems and more. Our regional professional sales team and site survey division can assist you to provide products to your needs. Our all installation technicians and local contractors are highly experienced and Licensed by governing state law and enforcement agencies like "Deportment of Criminal Justice Services". We are authorized dealer of major brand and manufacturers." By the way, who or what is "Deportment of Criminal Justice Services"?

Steel core & aluminum braid. I have seen it often.

Bump! See this thread: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12426

I doubt if we in the casino industry will be able to replace our "observers" any time soon. I can't imagine AI being able to identify mis-set Pai Gow hands or improperly paid blackjack hands, along with many other things we need to observe, any time in the near future.

I second that. Bruce, your misleading question on the first post makes me suspicious of your company.

I would use RG-6 or CAT-5/6 for that distance. RG-59 is only good for approximately 750'. If using RG type cables, make certain it is good for CCTV use. That means pure copper center conductor and 95%(+) braided copper shield.

You could make a case for that with a non-regulated supply, ie. 24VAC, since the higher current transformer would not load down quite as much.

The only issue I see is that the native resolution is only 640x480. While that is probably the best match for analog and standard resolution IP cameras, it wouldn't do justice to megapixel cameras or on the VGA output of many DVR/NVR stystems.

As long as the lens is made for the same size imager or larger, it doesn't matter what size imager the lens is made for, just the focal length. On, for instance, a 1/3" camera, a 1/3" 4mm lens will give approximately the same field of view as a 1/2" 4mm lens or a 2/3" 4mm lens.

The major problem with that camera is that it is C mount, and not CS mount. The pickings are pretty slim in C mount lenses and while you can use a C mount lens on a CS mount camera (with a 5mm spacer), the opposite is not true. Fujinon makes a 1.4mm fish-eye lens that will fit C mounts. Part number is FE185C046HA-1. 1.4mm (Fish-eye), manual iris, fixed focus, F1.4, 1/2" format. C-Mount, 5 MegaPixel. 185 degree field of view (less for 1/3"). By the way, you don't need a 1/3" lens for a 1/3" camera. You can use 1/3", 1/2", 2/3", 1" or any lens that is made for cameras with imagers that are the same size or larger. You should not, but can use a lens made for a 1/3" camera on a 1/2" camera. It will work but the resulting image will not fill the whole screen and will be round, like looking through a telescope.

That seems to be the standard model for manufacturers in europe. Our DVR system (FAST division of NICE) has the same thing: Ringbuffer licenses, 4CIF licenses, audio licenses, maintenance licenses, transcoder licenses. We're up to our ears in licenses!!!

Sorry but don't hold your breath for SED, it is probably a dead technology. The patent wars between Canon/Toshiba and Nano-Proprietary have effectively killed it. But there's still OLED

A resounding no! We had many problems with them shipping the wrong parts. For instance, they sent BNC's for RG-58 after we asked for Plenum RG-59 BNC's. First, they kept saying they were the correct BNC's, even after I pointed out the manufacturer's specs. Then they claimed it was our fault for ordering the wrong parts, despite the fact that we had not specified a part number, just what cable we were using. Then they kept billing us for the connectors after we returned them, even after we provided evidence that they had received the returned parts. On top of that, they were rude to both me and our Accounting Department.

I seriously doubt if a 1.3 megapixel USB camera will have anywhere near the picture quality of, say, the Arecont AV1300M 1.3 megapixel camera. That would be the problem - pixel counts alone do not make a good camera and CMOS, especially cheap CMOS cameras are not known for their picture quality.

The main problem is that CRT's are going the way of vacuum tubes and other "obsolete" technologies. Many major producers of CRT's have discontinued production: July 27, 2001: "Hitachi Ltd. said it would stop making cathode-ray tubes for PC monitors this year to focus on flat-panel production." March 1, 2002: "Mitsubishi has become the first company to announce the discontinuation of tube manufacture as it shifts to other display technologies. " April 15, 2003: "Corning Plans to Cease Production of CRT Television Glass In North America" Nov. 10, 2003: "Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will halt the manufacturing of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for use in television sets at its plant in Hyogo Prefecture by Sept. 30, 2004, thus ending the firm's CRT output operations in Japan. " Dec 27, 2005: "Taiwan's production of cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets may cease soon as leading domestic TV producers, including Taiwan Kolin Co., Proton Electronic Industrial Co., Sampo Corp., and Teco Electric & Machinery Co., are going to either move their production lines abroad or completely stop making CRT TV sets here." Aug. 1, 2006: "Panasonic Taiwan to stop CRT TV production in 2-3 years" Sept. 6, 2007: "Sharp will end production of “as of November.â€