CCTV Digital Video Security System Installation and Repair

CCTV Systems
From large enterprises to small mom and pop business' video surveillance is essential to protecting your investments and offer peace of mind for your employees. Whether its an infrastructure consisting of hundreds of cameras, and recorders, to being integrated with a current CCTV or access control system, we can assist in the entire integration from soup to nuts.

Surveillance is entering a new era.

Latest technologies on the market With all the products on the market, its often difficult to differentiate a good one from a bad one. Our specialists have vast industry knowledge and experience with most systems, cameras, and technology offered on the market today. You will get full security system design and installation with the latest technology to meet your needs. Theft and vandalism cost business millions of dollars each year. But with Mason Technologies on your side helping with your unique needs, your entire business will be more safe and secure for its employees and customers.

Security and System Integration Consultant & Implementation

Mason Technologies Inc is one of only a few companies who have the expertise and experience to design effective integrated security systems.

These 'Networked' or integrated systems combine multiple security features such as CCTV, access control, intruder alarms and perimeter protection into one holistic system that provides more comprehensive security cover for your organization.
In addition networking or integrating your security with other aspects of building management such as air conditioning, lifts and even computer networks can dramatically reduce costs and work load.

One System, Many uses - Making your Security System Pay for itself

Going one step further it is also possible to use you access control system as part of your time and attendance management, or your CCTV network as part of your production management for example.

Mason Technologies Inc can advise you on how you can achieve maximum returns on your security investment. We can provide consultancy as an integral part of a total solution which also incorporates installation, commissioning and maintenance, or as a service in its own right.

Protect your business with the right solution

The days of expensive time lapse VCR's, multiplexers, splitters and monitors are numbered. Today, this expensive and performance-limited equipment is replaced by computer technology resulting in better recording quality, control and functionality as well as remote viewing. All these enhanced features are often available for a lower price and lower total cost of ownership. Therefore, video security is becoming more widespread everyday as a means of keeping track of employees, locations, entryways, and more. Originally designed to monitor safety concerns, video security is continually evolving making it the ideal solution for many types of businesses and home uses. Businesses use video security systems to monitor employees, to trigger alerts in case of fire or motion, and to watch over entrances to buildings. Video security is also used in retail stores to reduce shoplifting and in financial institutions and convenience stores as a deterrent to robbery. Parking lots and garages, remote areas on college/university campuses, and hospitals are also popular locations for video security systems.

"Why Digital Video Security?" There are four basic reasons why people want to use a digital video security system:

• To help IDENTIFY perpetrators
• To help PREVENT accidents or wrongdoing
• To help PROTECT people and property
• To help OBSERVE processes

"Who can benefit from a Video Security System?" All these things and many more are possible through video security systems.

• Homeowners can identify who is at the door, check on the baby or check the house if they are away.
• Small Businesses can prevent or identify shoplifters or burglars and keep an eye on the business from home. Sadly, today, employee theft is now higher in retail than customer theft and monitoring retail employees is becoming necessary.
• Industry & Research can monitor processes as well as maintaining security surveillance.
• Education and Government can keep an eye on trouble spots.

"What do I need?" The basic components of video security systems are a security camera, a display monitor, and a recorder. In a large system, of course, there can be a number of security cameras with multiplexers, time lapse VCR's and monitors. Today, however, much of this analog multiplexing and tape recording equipment has been replaced by digital video recorders (DVR's).

A complete state-of-the-art digital video security system will include quality CCD cameras connected to a digital video recorder system. This setup allows for password-protected viewing of live and recorded video at the DVR and/or from a PC or PDA connected to the Internet or to a LAN.

Such a video security system as described above can mean a significant improvement in loss prevention and safety control for businesses and in peace of mind for home owners

• Record days to months of video
• Watch video remotely from anywhere in the world
• Virtually unlimited number of cameras and locations at the same time

What kind of camera should you choose?
Cameras come in different shapes and sizes. Know that this in itself does not affect the picture quality. The shape rather should be looked at in terms of cosmetics, convenience of installation and camera placement. Two cameras with different housings and similar components should perform no different if constructed properly.

1. Dome 2. Box 3. Infrared 4. Bullet 5. Covert/Hidden 6. PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom)

PC based system vs non PC based

One of the most frequently asked questions about DVR's is: Which is better a PC-Based or Non PC-Based DVR solution?

There isn't much that a non-PC based DVR solution cannot do today, which a PC-Based DVR can.  The difference has more to do with the “footprint”.  PC interfaces tend to be more user-friendly and less “mechanical.”

PC-Based DVR's tend to be more flexible and easier to manage. PC-Based solutions also tend to allow for upgrades of compression technology, which can be vital to the end user. Remember, in the IT world, you blink and they are onto the next technology.

Non-PC-based solutions tend to use “ASIC” (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) technology, which does not allow for upgrading of a technology platform, similar to your microwave oven. ASIC, is a chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose, such as a microprocessor.  ASIC, unlike an FPGA, has fixed functionality and is not re-programmable.

In the PC environment, the latest technology utilizes DSP’s (digital signal processors). A DSP is a specialized digital microprocessor used to efficiently and rapidly perform calculations on digitized signals that were originally analog in form, such as audio and video. The big advantage of DSP lies in the programmability of the processor, allowing parameters to be easily changed.

Image Resolution
Image resolution describes the detail an image holds. The term applies equally to digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail.

Birate
CIF (Common Intermediate Format) is used to standardize the horizontal and vertical resolutions in pixels of YCbCr sequences in video signals. A CIF is commonly defined as one-quarter of the 'full' resolution of the video system it is intended for (listed below as 4CIF). Note that this full resolution does not match what is currently referred to as D1 video (based upon Sony's D1 format).

Video resolutions (in pixels) x NTSC-based x PAL-based
CIF (NTSC 352 × 240) -  (PAL 352 × 288)
4CIF (NTSC 704 × 480) -  (PAL 704 × 576)
D1 (NTSC 720 × 480) -  (PAL 720 × 576)

Video Storage (How many days of video can you store?)
Ultimately, in order to accurately determine how much hard drive space you will need with your DVR you need to take into consideration the codec technology being implemented, image resolution size, the bit-rate/compression ratio, the amount of video activity, is the bitrate variable or constant, and if motion detection (setting the DVR to only record activity when the camera detects motion in its field of view) is being utilized. Next, calculate the number of cameras and how many frames per second you want to record on each.

Advanced DVR systems, will allow you to independently control each channel for:

• Image resolution
• Bit rate (constant/variable)
• Display frame rate 
• Record frame rate
• Motion detection 

The size of a file of video data can be affected by image size (resolution), bitrate, motion, compression and various other factors, as previously discussed. Ultimately this can affect the amount of video you will be able to store on the DVR's hard drive and overall performance when viewing and recording multiple cameras simultaneously.

As a rule, the higher the compression ratio, the smaller the file size. The smaller the file, the less sharp the image, the quicker the transmission speed, the less storage space and processing power required. Conversely, a lower compression ratio results in a larger file size, sharper image with a slower transmission speed and more storage space and processing power required.

Compression Technology (Mpeg2, Mpeg4, H.264)
Compared to prior generations of MPEG4 and MPEG2 technologies, H.264AVC video quality and performance is significantly better. Even with its higher quality video the H.264AVC file packet size is at least 25% smaller than MPEG4 and 50% smaller than MPEG2, requires significantly less bandwidth and offers rapid download times. Unlike the earlier MPEG technologies, H.264AVC is capable of stabilizing images.

In contrast with 11-year-old MPEG2 and 7-year-old MPEG4 standards which were developed for TV and entertainment, the H.264 codec was designed with commercial security as one of its applications in mind.

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