Very Interested In the History of CCTV

[emholic 0]

Hi Everyone!

I've really only known about the CCTV industry since 07. I'm really interested in hearing from the veterans that have been in the game since the beginning.

 

Do you have any images or pictures of the very first cctv cameras you've used?

[Fiona 0]

I'm really interested in hearing from the veterans that have been in the game since the beginning.

I've been looking for historic documents for a while and apart from a brief overview in Wikipedia, I have found little.

 

I am also curious about the historical evolution of the Pelco protocols which work in a language established for the chassis cameras: who first developed the protocols and how did the original, commercially supplied dome cameras come about; presumably as a liaison between Sony or Hitachi and Pelco many years ago.

[ljarrald 0]

i too am interested.

[SDM Group 0]

1913: surreptious photography of imprisoned suffragettes begins.

 

1949: publication of George Orwell's 1984, which is set in London.

 

1960: Metropolitan Police use two temporary cameras in Trafalgar Square to monitor crowds attracted to the arrival of the Thai royal family.

 

5 November 1960: Metropolitan Police use two temporary cameras in Trafalgar Square to monitor "Guy Fawkes Day" activity.

 

1961: installtion of video surveillance system at a London Transport train station.

 

1964: Liverpool police experiment with four covert CCTV cameras in the city's center.

 

1965: British Railways installs cameras to watch tracks near Dagenham that had been vandalized.

 

1967: Photoscan (business) markets video surveillance systems to retail outlets as a means of deterring and catching shoplifters.

 

October 1968: Metropolitan Police use temporary cameras in Grosvenor Square to monitor anto-Vietnam War demonstrators.

 

1969: Metropolitan Police install permanent cameras in Grosvenor Square, Whitehall and Parliament Square. Total number of cameras nationally: 67.

 

1974: installation of video surveillance systems to monitor traffic on the major arterial roads in and through London.

 

1975: installation of video surveillance system in four London Underground train stations.

 

1975: use of video surveillance systems at soccer matches begins.

 

1984: installation of surveillance cameras at major rallying points for public protest in central London. Picketers surveilled during miners' strike.

 

August 1985: installation of street-based video surveillance system in Bournemouth, a south coast seaside resort.

 

1987: use of video surveillance systems at parking garages owned by local authorities begins.

 

1988: installation of video surveillance systems at "council estates" run by local authorities.

 

1989: civil rights group Liberty publishes Who's watching you? video surveillance in public places.

 

1992: installation of street-based video surveillance system in Newcastle (a major northern city). The system in Newcastle is closed-circuit television (CCTV) that uses microwaves (an open circuit) to link to the city's main police station.

 

1992: use of speed cameras and red-light enforcement cameras on the national road network begins.

 

August 1993: bombing of Bishopsgate in London by the IRA leads to the construction of the "Ring of Steel" around the City (London financial district). Measures include street-based surveillance cameras.

 

1994: central government (the Home Office) publishes CCTV: Looking Out for You. Prime Minister John Major states: "I have no doubt we will hear some protest about a threat to civil liberties. Well, I have no sympathy whatsoever for so-called liberties of that kind." Between 1994 and 1997, the Home Office spends a total of 38 million pounds of CCTV schemes.

 

July 1994: use of covert video surveillance systems at automatic teller machines (ATMs) begins.

 

1996: government spending on CCTV accounts for more than three-quarters of total crime prevention budget.

 

August 1996: all of England's major cities except Leeds have video surveillance systems in their city centers.

 

10 May 1997: public demonstration against surveillance cameras in Brighton, organized by South Downs Earth First!.

 

July 1997: London police announce installation of surveillance camera system that automatically reads, recognizes and tracks automobiles by their license plates.

 

October 1998: use of face recognition software in the London Borough of Newham begins.

[SDM Group 0]

I would think the PTZ protocols originated from the Manchester Code developed at Manchester University. These control commands were probably used on a pan tilt motor first via a receiver and then developed further by dome manufacturers

Edited January 31, 2012 by Guest

[tomcctv 190]

1950 was the first cctv to have snap shot ....... only found in ip now (direct from camera)

 

and talk about mp being expensive these cameras on the collectors market are now 8K

[ljarrald 0]

so did England start the cctv 'revolution' then?

[Numb-nuts 1]

The uk has a reputation for embracing technology. Marconi was sent packing in many countire before he arrive in the UK who being a seagoing nation Britania ruling the waves and all that his invention was embraced wholeheartedly and the UK has the highest number of cameras per head of any other European state. But I don't think it did start here I think it was the Nazis in Germany that developed the first CCTV to watch and monitor their rocket program. Anyone know anything about this?

[Fiona 0]

The uk has a reputation for embracing technology. Marconi was sent packing in many countire before he arrive in the UK who being a seagoing nation Britania ruling the waves and all that his invention was embraced wholeheartedly

 

Let’s not forget that Marconi simply applied the electromagnetic theory of James Clerk Maxwell, (a Scot) and one of the 19th century’s most brilliant scientists. This fact has been written out of history.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell

[Campbell 0]

Germans kicked off CCTV by using them while playing with V2 rockets.

[rory 0]

Day 1 - God said let there be light.

[Fiona 0]

I would think the PTZ protocols originated from the Manchester Code developed at Manchester University. These control commands were probably used on a pan tilt motor first via a receiver and then developed further by dome manufacturers

The Manchester Code seems to shadow the entire PTZ language realm. As an analogy, I understood that the Code functioned like DOS in a PC: as an underlying basic language? If that is true, then the chassis camera communications were established on top of the Manchester Code?

 

If this is true, then did Pelco simply establish a set of awkward commands through the Manchester Code?

And then, presumably, because Pelco had some influence on the market, the Pelco protocols assumed a dominant position with the PTZ realm, and this dominance was then picked up and used by other manufacturers as a defacto industry standard?

 

N.B. I am not expecting anyone to answer this. Just thinking aloud.

[Campbell 0]

You may find this helpful

 

http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/maint/cctv_US_History.pdf

[SDM Group 0]

I'd like to know who came up with the bright idea of human surveillance first

[SDM Group 0]

I would think the PTZ protocols originated from the Manchester Code developed at Manchester University. These control commands were probably used on a pan tilt motor first via a receiver and then developed further by dome manufacturers

The Manchester Code seems to shadow the entire PTZ language realm. As an analogy, I understood that the Code functioned like DOS in a PC: as an underlying basic language? If that is true, then the chassis camera communications were established on top of the Manchester Code?

 

If this is true, then did Pelco simply establish a set of awkward commands through the Manchester Code?

And then, presumably, because Pelco had some influence on the market, the Pelco protocols assumed a dominant position with the PTZ realm, and this dominance was then picked up and used by other manufacturers as a defacto industry standard?

 

N.B. I am not expecting anyone to answer this. Just thinking aloud.

 

I would imagine their dominance in the casino market forced other equipment control and head end manufacturers to use the Pelco protocols

[TechnicalTony 0]

I would think the PTZ protocols originated from the Manchester Code developed at Manchester University. These control commands were probably used on a pan tilt motor first via a receiver and then developed further by dome manufacturers

The Manchester Code seems to shadow the entire PTZ language realm. As an analogy, I understood that the Code functioned like DOS in a PC: as an underlying basic language? If that is true, then the chassis camera communications were established on top of the Manchester Code?

 

If this is true, then did Pelco simply establish a set of awkward commands through the Manchester Code?

And then, presumably, because Pelco had some influence on the market, the Pelco protocols assumed a dominant position with the PTZ realm, and this dominance was then picked up and used by other manufacturers as a defacto industry standard?

 

N.B. I am not expecting anyone to answer this. Just thinking aloud.

 

I would imagine their dominance in the casino market forced other equipment control and head end manufacturers to use the Pelco protocols

 

I always thought Pelco was simply trying to enforce a kind of unifying standard code, but the attempt failed.

[SDM Group 0]

You would have to have the market cornered to enforce the code and the casino industry is where I believe Pelco tried to do this initially

[Fiona 0]

I'd like to know who came up with the bright idea of human surveillance first

I'd imagine the first surveillance happened when the Neanderthals were stalked by Cro-Magnon man about 43,000 to 24,000 years ago. The Neanderthals were compassionate, intelligent hominids who cared for their frail kinfolk unlike the brutal and stupid Cro-Magnon man. The brutal Cro-Magnons exterminated the compassionate Neanderthals. This scenario was all fully explained by Charles Darwin. Survival of the better adapted. What does that say about the future of Homo sapien sapiens?

 

You would have to have the market cornered to enforce the code and the casino industry is where I believe Pelco tried to do this initially

If the Pelco protocols are simply Pelco's arrangement of commands over the Manchester Code, then perhaps there is still a chance that new protocols will emerge. With the boom in PTZs, I can imagine the possibility of a new, more rational approach to the problem of keyboard commands. Although, granted, it's not likely.

 

Pelco is the dominant player certainly, but we know there are many other manufacturers who refuse to dance to Pelco's tune. (That's why Pelco invented the translator board.)

[TechnicalTony 0]

I'd like to know who came up with the bright idea of human surveillance first

I'd imagine the first surveillance happened when the Neanderthals were stalked by Cro-Magnon man about 43,000 to 24,000 years ago. The Neanderthals were compassionate, intelligent hominids who cared for their frail kinfolk unlike the brutal and stupid Cro-Magnon man. The brutal Cro-Magnons exterminated the compassionate Neanderthals. This scenario was all fully explained by Charles Darwin. Survival of the better adapted. What does that say about the future of Homo sapien sapiens?

 

Actually learned something new there, I was always more into physics. Although you are giving me something of an xman films vibe there

 

You would have to have the market cornered to enforce the code and the casino industry is where I believe Pelco tried to do this initially

If the Pelco protocols are simply Pelco's arrangement of commands over the Manchester Code, then perhaps there is still a chance that new protocols will emerge. With the boom in PTZs, I can imagine the possibility of a new, more rational approach to the problem of keyboard commands. Although, granted, it's not likely.

 

Pelco is the dominant player certainly, but we know there are many other manufacturers who refuse to dance to Pelco's tune. (That's why Pelco invented the translator board.)

 

I can certainly see the casino industry being a major contributor considering the needs of a casino plus the revenue they generate. I'm afraid I'm lacking in some of the fundamentals required for the codes themselves however. Think I'll crack out the notepad and pen.

[Fiona 0]

Closed circuit television has always implied the connection of a camera to a television set or a monitor. This obvious fact is often overlooked as we take the display for granted.

 

Therefore we should acknowledge that Television was invented: and that the invention of television played an indispensable role in the establishment of CCTV .

 

The inventor of television was John Logie Baird in 1926.

 

Baird, like Maxwell, was Scottish.

 

http://www.bairdtelevision.com/

[MaxIcon 0]

Baird, like Maxwell, was Scottish.

 

I bet I can guess where you're from, Fiona!

 

I'm a Maxwell myself, but many generations removed from Scotland.

[Fiona 0]

Everyone knows about Newton and Einstein, but James Clerk Maxwell barely gets a mention. Yet he is regarded as their equal. (I first heard of him through a physics teacher.)

Wikipedia:

"His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory.[Maxwell's equations demonstrated that electricity, magnetism and light are all manifestations of the same phenomenon, namely the electromagnetic field. Subsequently, all other classic laws or equations of these disciplines became simplified cases of Maxwell's equations. Maxwell's achievements concerning electromagnetism have been called the "second great unification in physics", after the first one realized by Isaac Newton."

[Fiona 0]

A brief history of the CCD (charged coupled device) and the CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) which are the most common camera sensors:

 

The invention of the CCD in 1969 is credited to Willard Boyle and George Smith who had both worked at the Bell Laboratories since the 1950s. Boyle and Smith co-shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009 for their work on the CCD. Gil Amelio is credited with the first commercial application of the device in the early 1970s.

The CCD is the most common sensor used in closed circuit cameras. The CCD produces an analogue signal.

 

CMOS sensors belong to a different category of sensors known as Active Pixel Sensors. These sensors employ amplifiers attached to each pixel. The theoretical groundwork that anticipated the manufacture of Active Pixel Sensors was first describe by Peter J. W. Noble, Savvas G. Chamberlain and P. K. Weimer in the late 60s. Tsutomu Nakamura popularised the term with his work on Charged Modulation Devices at Olympus Cameras. (We may speculate that Charged Modulation Device Sensor CMoS may have been the original acronym intended by Nakamura.) The theoretical description of the CMOS sensor is credited to Eric Fossum while at NASA. Willard Boyle also had a later affiliation with NASA. As mentioned earlier in this thread, CCTV may have originated within the German Rocket Programme on the island of Peenemunde which was led by SS Officer Wernher von Braun. Von Braun led the tightly knit team of German speaking German nationals who ran the entire NASA rocket programme until 1975.

 

Frank Wanlass must also be acknowledged for his work at Fairchild Semiconductors in 1963. He was awarded a patent for APS logic circuits in 1967.

[fa chris 0]

Manchester code really has nothing to do with CCTV, it's just a method of transmitting digital data. Similar to how your LAN uses ethernet to transmit data, doesn't matter what data it's transmitting. 10mbit ethernet actually uses Manchester encoding as the method of transmitting the 1's and 0's from one device to the next over the actual cable. It's purely the way the electrical signal is sent across the cable.

 

Somewhere along the line someone decided to make a protocol for CCTV which used Manchester code as the method of communication and called it Manchester Control Code... it'd be like me coming up with a protocol for talking to IP cameras and calling it Ethernet Control Code. The name is completely misleading.

 

With everything going to IP, I don't really see a need to replace pelcoD/P, coaxitron, AD manchester, etc. with anything. RS-232/485 will eventually go away so their won't be a need for these types of protocols. ONVIF is already out there trying to standardize the IP world so we won't end up with these types of situations in the future anyways.

[fa chris 0]

Closed circuit television has always implied the connection of a camera to a television set or a monitor. This obvious fact is often overlooked as we take the display for granted.

 

Therefore we should acknowledge that Television was invented: and that the invention of television played an indispensable role in the establishment of CCTV .

 

The inventor of television was John Logie Baird in 1926.

 

Baird, like Maxwell, was Scottish.

 

http://www.bairdtelevision.com/

 

Baird came up with some electromechanical device around the same time Philo Farnsworth, a guy from Utah, invented the all electronic television.

 

Five years later Baird showed off his device to Farnsworth, then Farnsworth showed off his device to Baird. Afterwords Baird dropped his project and paid for access to Farnsworth's work.