Debunk license plate capture myth

[jisaac 0]

I thought I would debunk a myth about megapixel cameras/license plate capture.

I know most of you guys know this to be true but some still think that

 

"if the resolution was much higher you could zoom in and get the license plate"

 

The truth is it is the contrast mainly

resolution is just a plus.

 

This is a picture of my son in my front yard standing where we are busting up our drive way to dig up a root ( fun, i know! )

[ak357 0]

Which camera did you use ?

[jisaac 0]

panasonic wv-np1004

[rory 0]

guess yah need the 10meg version for license plates

[jisaac 0]

i forget that its not the norm to have a T1 coming in to your house

[ak357 0]

Please dont underestimate mega pixels cameras

have a look on my samples

 

last few months its help me to close few good sales

 

p.s. What you see not even full resolution

[cctv_down_under 0]

You need to take into consideration other factors, if you use the Megapixel camera and ITS software you may be able to use other factors like Scaling and Rendering and the compression may be better suited to the actual aplication that you use to review the information.

 

I may be wrong about this but it does make sense, it would be interesting to compare both of the file sizes for both of those products but I am way to lazy to do that.

 

~ I hope this helps

[rory 0]

i can see using Mega Pixel cameras along with CCTV but just dont see it replacing it. At least then its not a CCTV System, basically its a Digital Camera System. I like the look of the Motobix ones .. cant see ever using just them though .. but depends on the application I guess..

 

Question though, can vaguely make out the licence plate in the photos above, but what about night time, or when cars headlights are coming at the camera? I think thats when you need the Extreme Reg cams.. . actually they are doing IP surveys now so they might be getting into that also.

 

[jisaac 0]

I am not saying that megapx cameras are not any better than using a regular ntsc camera for lpr. But that was for the people that think all tha they have more resolution alone on the lp itself will guarantee the #.

 

Megapixel cameras are excellent. Very nice to use in an area where wide coverage is needed but also necessarry to have detail when reviewing.

they are massive bandwith hogs. You cant have to many of them on a system as they will quickly add up in bandwith.

 

And i would disagree about just being a digital camera system. Because most megapixel cameras still are cctv cameras with the same type of settings and adjustments for getting activity just as you would do before.

You still have alot of the same factors, variables, and application curve balls to conquer with megapx's cams.

[griffonsystems 0]

forget the license plate whats with that crazy 2 person bike if you ever see me and the wife peddling along in that please run us off the road

[rory 0]

You still have alot of the same factors, variables, and application curve balls to conquer with megapx's cams.

yep, same with my $99 digital camera ...

[CollinR 0]

I'm baffled... quality megapixel dominates NTSC.

 

 

 

Rory, I gotta disagree.

 

If you isolate a subnet of IP cameras you have the CC part covered (nothing says you have to bridge to the real LAN). The TV part however you are spot on but IMHO you can't have decent picture quality on television standards. Further by the "digital camera system" who isn't using CCD cameras? All megapixel really means is a different transmission method because conventional NTSC stuff can't handle it.

 

I'm sure once Extreme starts into the IP business there products will be superior to other IP products just like their analog counterparts.

 

I feel alot of you guys look at IP based on whats available at Best Buy, thats not really fair unless you compare Sam's/Costco CCTV systems against them. IP can do NTSC as well as much higher qualitys, multiples of interlaced 640x480 quality level.

[kensplace 0]

I'm baffled... quality megapixel dominates NTSC.

 

Confused how ntsc can be dominated with mega pixel cams, as NTSC is only 720x480 which is only 345600 pixels, or just under 0.35 megapixels. So all standard ntsc stuff is no where near megapixel, there may be some stuff that is capable of higher resolutions, but on a ntsc system, its not seen anyway, so does not count..

 

All the high res pics I see seem to be pretty static shots with good lighting, would love to see how they cope at high res full frame rate, on a dark, wet night looking at traffic etc. Plus information on how much bandwidth it uses, and how much it cost, etc

[CollinR 0]

No I'm suprised people say different.

 

Is the hard and software really there yet? Nope, At least not that I have seen for CCTV.

 

 

LPR will be one of the most positively effected areas, the imaging is basically the same but with different components. If you have a CCD camera that works in any application a camera that rather then convert it to analog NTSC it encodes to whatever format you will have the same end result in quality but possibly more data in the picture.

 

LPR will get it when you only transmit 320*240 BUT it's only the 320*240 surrounding the actual plate. The rest is cropped in the camera, so now your bandwidth is well back under control. Identifing things in video streams isn't exactly new but getting it and cropping into the camera will be a while.

[rory 0]

then you have many more points to go bad as its on a network to start with .. unless you got an IT guy on staff 24/7 .. for security .. its just not there yet.

 

Like i said I can velcro my $99 ditigal chinese camera on the wall and the image looks the same as what ive seen so far ... id like for the IP guys to actually start promoting their products and show us some day night images ... anything can perform in full light.

 

If someone posts some specs and images then we would have something to compare. But what you find online mostly are websites with a PDF full of the same old .... saying NVRs are better than DVRs cause of a 300 camera job .. this and that .. i mean .. who gets a 300 camera job .. LOL.

 

Im going to write an article debunking their myths that DVRs are obselete ..

[jisaac 0]

who gets a 300 camera job?

Well the people that are really out there doing real business.

 

megapxel cameras can put out great night time images.

 

I would like to see you get out your 99 dollar chinese camera and sell it as a security system. Changing out your memory cards every couple of minutes. And explaining that there is going to be some time during the day where there is no images because you have to take a break to go to the bathroom, eat, and sleep.

[rory 0]

who gets a 300 camera job?

Well the people that are really out there doing real business.

 

megapxel cameras can put out great night time images.

 

I would like to see you get out your 99 dollar chinese camera and sell it as a security system. Changing out your memory cards every couple of minutes. And explaining that there is going to be some time during the day where there is no images because you have to take a break to go to the bathroom, eat, and sleep.

 

So the only difference is the other ones have built in LAN ... LOL

 

Ive said it before, and ill repeat it if I have too . .. the IP guys need to post some night time shots with IR and the like .. so far nothing ive seen has impressed me ... if the cameras are so good, then they must just really suck at marketing ... or they have sooo much money they just dont want any sales.

[jisaac 0]

i will post some in the morning with ir.

[rory 0]

that'l be cool ...

 

Even if we get past the day night part, there is still the 24-7 IT staff that have to be there all the time ... and then there's the bandwidth issue .. but we've been over all this before already on the other threads ...

[jisaac 0]

I did an install in magnolia arkansas which is 3 hours away. they dont have an it staff. And it was 14 ip cameras. 3 were panasonic wv-np1004 megapixel. And the rest were a mix of the wv-np2004 and 474 ip vp dome.

The reason I stated where the install was is because obviously dont want to be going back there over and over to service. And for 4 months have not gone back once. If you are going to stream quality video over a network I would have to recommend using a dedicated network for the cameras. Or be sure to have a gigabyte backbone and be sure to calculate for overhead and you wont have any problems. The only problem that could really come into affect is if it had no power. Which would be easy to fix.

Design it. Plan it. Calculate it. Install it.

If you do each before you jump into it. You can prevent most all problems before hand.

The ip systems we have done have had FAR less trouble than any analog system we ever do.

Although the ip systems seem to be a alot more headache in the planning.

[jisaac 0]

ok here you go. I just placed a ir dome on the window seal because it has been raining and so i had not much opportunity to set it up right.

[kensplace 0]

Would be nice to see two shots, one with megapixel,and another analogue shot taken at the same time from a cam next to the megapixel one.

Both set up to give best possible pictures.

[jisaac 0]

here is a camera shot with the same ir's but this time with a

panasonic 484

[kensplace 0]

Cheers, with just one view its hard to know how the cam is performing, as there is nothing to compare it to, or any reference levels (ie just how dark it is etc). But with the two, its possible to see what the megapix is like compared to a analogue at night.

[jisaac 0]

ya the thing about the comparison of the two is that it would be really neat to see a oem camera with average specs. Pretty much a standard ntsc camera and take a snap shot of it. Then compare the two.

That camera is a panasonic 484 which is a sweet camera. Its a good thing I have lots of "tpys" to throw up and compare. I just dont have any cheap bottom of line cameras. Dont keep those in the toy selection. I might run down to a local distributor and buy a cheap oem just for kicks.