View Options

This function provides a means of optimizing the video streams to the web client or monitor station. There is always a tradeoff between bandwidth utilization and CPU utilization. You can either optimize for a low bandwidth or a high bandwidth. When you optimize for a low bandwidth situation, the compression occurs at the server level. The server sends a compressed MPEG4 image to the Monitor Station or Web Client. When you optimize for a high bandwidth situation, no compression occurs at the server level. Full uncompressed images are sent to the Monitor Station or Web Client.

Low CPU/High Bandwidth- This sends uncompressed images directly to the Monitor Station

High CPU/Low Bandwidth – This compresses the image, sends them and then decompresses them. It allows the system to get a much higher frame rate over slower networks.

These options can be set at the server level or the camera level

5.5 Health Monitor Tab

5.5.1 Enable Health Monitor

The Health Monitor is a separate application that receives periodic status from the servers and cameras. See the later section of this manual for more information on the Health Monitor functionality. If you are not using the Health Monitor, ignore this section. By enabling the Health Monitor, your server will send messages to the Health Monitor giving it status of your servers and cameras.

Server Name: This is the name that will be displayed in the Health Monitor application.

The server default is used unless you overwrite the setting here.

Select Items to Send to the Health Monitor:

Version Number: Sends the software version

Lost Signal Camera Information

5.5.2 Health Monitor Server

IP of the Health Monitor: Specify the IP address of the Health Monitor

Port to Send: Specify the Port to send the Health Monitor Information Send Frequency: Specify the frequency to send updates to the Health Monitor

5.6 Client Settings

Use Data Port: This is the port that the IP Server sends live video to the Monitor Station.

Command Port: This port is used by the Monitor Station to get and set system information. The data port is only for streaming video.

Max Remote Connections: This will limit the number of Monitor Stations that can be connected to the server at one time. The more remote clients the more processing power required.

Local SMTP Server

SMTP Server – This is for all email operations performed by the server. The user id and password is for the SMTP server itself if it is required.

Send Test Email – Sends a test email to the user.

5.7 Access Configuration

This tab is for setting up the integration with Blackboard.

Please contact your sales associate for more information about Blackboard.

5.8 Server Contact Information

Enter contact information for this server. This information is purely informational and is not used by the system.

6 Camera Setup and Configuration

To configure a camera, highlight the camera from the left navigation.

6.1 General Tab

6.1.1 Camera Name

Name of the camera, in this case Hotel View. Assigning meaningful names to the cameras facilitates the navigation to these cameras.

6.1.2 Camera Information Manufacturer and Model

The software supports a wide variety of camera models from major camera manufacturers.

Each camera has a mechanism for communicating with the server. By selecting the correct model, the system then knows certain information about the camera such as method of communicating, whether it supports DIO, what type of compression it uses, and whether it supports audio. We are constantly adding cameras to its supported list.

IP Address of the camera

User Name and password for the camera if required.

If you have cameras attached to a router or a multi port video encoder, this option allows you to specify which camera that you are talking to.

6.1.3 Web Access

This is the IP address of the camera. When you click on this link, you can access the camera’s web page directly. You can then view live images from the camera as well as perform configuration and setup for that camera. Each camera manufacturer has a different user interface and setup functionality that can be performed at the camera level.

6.1.4 Display Options Time Stamp

No Time Stamp

Burn Time Stamp on Video

If you select “Burn Time Stamp on Video” and if the camera does not support a Time Stamp, the server will insert one but this will use additional CPU time and can affect overall performance.

6.2 Record Tab

6.2.1 Record Options Resolution

Any given camera can support at least one and possibly multiple resolutions. This resolution can be configured on the camera itself using the link described above under Web Access. To facilitate configuring the resolution, The software also provides the functionality for changing the resolution on the camera without going to the camera itself. This setting provides that capability. Unfortunately, different camera manufacturers have different ways of expressing resolutions. For example, Axis expresses resolution in CIF, 2 CIF, 4 CIF, D1 whereas ACTi expresses resolution as 1280 x 1024, 640 x 480 etc. As a result, the resolution settings in this option are more generic and are mapped to the appropriate resolution based on the camera.

Use Camera Settings – Uses the camera settings from the camera itself.

Low, Medium, High, Highest – By selecting one of these resolutions you can change the resolution without accessing the camera directly via the IP address. For instance, on an Axis camera, you might select Highest. This selection in turn would change the camera resolution to D1.

Note that if this option is “grayed” out, you do not have the capability to change the resolution for this camera.

Record Images

The software can capture individual images at a rate between 1 and 30 per second. Adjust each camera to the desired images per second with the larger number providing more fluid movement. When adjusting cameras, give more images per second to cameras requiring more images, and decrease less important cameras. By making these adjustments, the total storage space is optimized. This will be the maximum value that the system will try to get. The system will be limited by bandwidth. This option can also be used to set up time lapse recording. If you set the fps to 1 image per day or 10 images/hour, you get a time- lapse effect.

Audio

The Record Audio and Enable Audio will only appear if the camera supports this functionality.

Enable Audio – Sets the camera to enable the audio functionality (Capture live) Record Audio – When this is set, the system will record audio along with the video. Note that Enable Audio must be set in order to Record Audio.

Capture Quality

Quality is a function of the size of the image that is transmitted from the camera, i.e. the higher the quality, the larger the image.

As with resolution described above, different camera manufacturers have their own unique labels for quality. This option allows you to utilize the current camera setting or change the quality.

Use Camera Setting – Uses the quality set at the camera level.

When you select Highest, High, Normal, Low, or Lowest, you modify the quality setting on the camera.

Note, if the camera model does not have settings for quality, this option will be “grayed” out.

Recording Type

You have four types of recordings:

Record Off: The camera is not recording.

Record Always: The system will record 24hours per day at the specified frame rate.

Record Motion: The system will record when it detects motion.

Scheduled: This option creates schedules for recording. When the option is selected, you can configure the schedule by selecting the Config button. When this button is selected, the following screen appears:

To add a schedule select Add and the following screen appears:

You can setup more than one schedule for each camera. Behind the scenes, the software is actually setting up a rule in the Task Manager. See the Task Manager section of this document for more information.

File Format

The File Format is used to optimize the rate at which images are recorded. There is a tradeoff between processor utilization and the size of the stored images. (Maximum Speed or Smallest Size)

Smallest Size – System compresses the images before storing. Since compression is occurring, CPU utilization is increased.

Maximum Speed – System stores images as they are received from the camera. Since no compression is required, additional CPU utilization is not required.

Capture Format

This option is only for Axis cameras. This is the format that is used when streaming video from the camera to the server.

Advanced Recording Options

Check Motion Status - Similar to Record always with motion. This performs motion detection when Record Always is set.

Watermark files – Automatically watermarks all recordings when set.

Record Quality

This option is only required when the server must recompress images that have been decompressed. This may occur under two circumstances: if you want to burn a timestamp and the camera does not support that feataure; or you want to set privacy zones and the camera does not support that feature.

As with Resolution and Capture Quality described above, the software has standardized record quality settings so that they can be used with multiple camera models.

In general, the higher the quality, the larger the image.

Use default – uses default from the camera.

Highest, High, Normal, Low, Lowest.

6.2.2 Motion Buffers Pre and Post Motion Buffers

When recording motion, the system only records images different than previous that have crossed a threshold described above. Using the Pre and Post Motion Buffers the system will save the images before and after the motion event. This has the effect of smoothing the video. For example, a camera captures a person entering a room. By using motion recording without Pre Motion, the person will just appear in the room. By turning on the Pre Motion, the recorded video will show the person entering the room. Please note that the pre motion setting does not apply when the compression is MPEG4.

Standard motion detection records frames 1,2 and 3

-2 -1 1 2 3 4 5

6.2.3 Camera ID

System created unique identifier for the camera. This ID number is used to identify specific file folders used to store camera images.

6.3 Advanced

6.3.1 Storage Options Maximum File Size

Each camera is recorded in a unique file that is configured to be limited to a certain file size. A new file is created after that limit is reached. For example, if you have a camera set to 3fps with motion activation, you might find one file used for the entire day. However, if you have the same camera set to record always, you might find (5) 200mb files for the day. The system automatically creates a new file for each camera at midnight. The system creates a new file whenever the file size has reached the specified size (default is 200mb).

Maximum Disk Space

This dialogue box allows you to specify a maximum amount of disk space for each camera.

Enter the number of Gigabytes that a camera can use. If the value is 0, then this value will be ignored.

Image Location

This option specifies the location where the recordings are stored. Recordings can be stored in different folders for each camera and can also be stored across multiple hard drives.

6.3.2 Camera Transmission Preferences

The Camera transmission preferences can be set up at the server level as well as the camera level. If they are set at the camera level, these settings override the setting at the server level.

Live Maximum Refresh Rate

Used to set live refresh frame rates sent to the Monitor Station or Web Client. By using lower fps, you can save bandwidth.

Optimize Video Streams

These settings affect the video streams from the IP Server to the Monitor Station and/or Web Client. There is a tradeoff between bandwidth utilization and CPU utilization. You can either optimize for a low bandwidth/ high CPU utilization or high bandwidth/ low CPU Utilization. When you optimize for a low bandwidth situation, the compression occurs at the server level. The server then sends a compressed MPEG4 image to the Monitor Station or

Web Client. When you optimize for a high bandwidth situation, no compression occurs at the server level. Full uncompressed images are sent to the Monitor Station or Web Client.

Low CPU/High Bandwidth- This sends uncompressed images directly to the Monitor Station

High CPU/Low Bandwidth – This compresses the image, sends them and then decompresses them. It allows the system to get a much higher frame rate over slower networks.

These options can be set at the server level or the camera level.

6.4 Motion Settings Tab

Use Camera Motion Detection

Many cameras have their own built in capability for detecting motion. When camera detection is used, there is no need to decompress the image and the CPU utilization on the server will be reduced

6.4.1 Event Trigger

The Motion Settings tab of the Camera Setup menu shows you a single setting slide bar labeled “Event Trigger”. This slide bar is a single, global control for the motion detection of the selected camera. Moving the slider to the right reduces the alertness level of the software, causing it to only watch for larger, more impressive changes. Moving that slider to the left raises the alertness level, instructing the software to watch for smaller and more subtle changes. As you set the motion detection closer to the maximum, you’ll get more and more recordings. This ensures you don’t miss important events, but can also cause you to get false positives in your recordings if the trigger level is set too high

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Underneath the picture is a sliding bar showing the current level of the Event Trigger (tick mark) as well as the current level of motion in the camera (as outlined in red on the picture)

6.4.2 Sensitivity

The Sensitivity slider sets proximity distance thresholds for any changes to be counted in determining motion. At a high sensitivity, a random pixel change across the picture from another pixel change would be added to the sum of other changes to determine if motion thresholds have been met. At low sensitivity, changes would be required to be in close

proximity to other changes or those changes will be ignored. To increase sensitivity, move the slider bar to the right. To decrease sensitivity, move the slider bar to the left.

6.4.3 Sample Interval

The Sample Interval is measured in milliseconds, and determines how frequently the motion capture triggers reset. Lowering the Sample Interval will cause the motion detection to reset more frequently, and make the software less likely to detect slow-moving objects.

Raising the sample interval will reset the motion detection less frequently, and make the software more likely to catch slow moving objects, but also produce more false alarms.

Watching the live video, you can adjust the sidebars from left to right to find the perfect motion settings for each camera.

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6.4.4 Motion Zones

If you need even finer control of the motion detection for your cameras, you can create specific motion zones with their own event triggers. To create a motion zone, click on the camera image in the motion settings menu, and drag your mouse to create a rectangular motion zone. You can create as many motion zones as you would like. You will be prompted to assign a name to each motion zone you create; this allows us to trigger specific actions off motion in particular parts of the picture.

When you have created a motion zone, you can alter its settings by highlighting the motion zone and selecting the Properties Button. This brings up a dialog box where you can set the event trigger level for this particular motion zone. By setting the trigger level higher, you can make that zone more sensitive than the rest of the camera signal; by setting the trigger level lower, the drawn box will become less sensitive. If the box you draw is set to 0% trigger level, it will completely prevent motion detection from operating in the motion zone. This can be handy if you have continual motion sources you wish to screen out, such as busy roads or fans. It is also possible to manually move or resize the motion zone, using the location variables at the bottom of the properties box.

Event labels are used to label particular events such as “door opens”. If there is movement in a zone labeled “door opens”, then that event name will display in the event log rather than just the name of the camera.

6.5 Video Settings Tab

This Video Setting tab provides the user with the ability to modify certain settings on the camera. Based on the camera model, the software determines which settings can be modified. Any options that can not be modified are “grayed out”. In general there are two ways of defining color, HSV (Hue, saturation, value) or RGB (red, green, blue). Most digital cameras use HSV rather than RGB.

6.5.1 Image Quality Settings

Brightness – The image brightness can be adjusted in the range 0-100 where a higher value produces a brighter image.

Hue- Hue is described with the words we normally think of as describing color: red, purple, blue, etc, i.e. all the colors in the spectrum. You can adjust the camera color to make it more true by sliding the bar from left to right.

6.5.2 Color Adjustment

Saturation – Saturation describes the difference of a color from the gray of the same lightness. Increasing saturation will deepen the colors of your images, making reds redder and blues bluer. Decreasing saturation will bring your image closer to a grayscale (i.e.

monochrome, black-and-white) image.

Contrast – Adjust the image’s contrast by raising or lowering the value in this field Sharpness -

6.5.3 RGB Color Adjustments

If the camera is using the RGB color model, you can use these sliding bars to adjust the levels of red, green and blue in your image.

6.5.4 Rotate Image

Use Camera settings - take the image as it comes from camera.

No rotation- image is not rotated, if camera rotated the image, then the system will flip it

6.6 Optional Controls Tab

This tab applies only to IQEye cameras.

Please see the definitions in the IQEye setup screens.

6.7 Privacy Zones Tab

Privacy zones allow a section of video to be blocked. That section will not be able to be viewed, recorded or monitored.

To create a privacy zone, left click and draw a box around the area to be blocked. You will be asked to name the zone after which the zone name will appear in the list. Please note that privacy zones can only be created for JPEG based cameras.

6.8 Camera Contact

7 Health Monitor

You can view the Health Monitor Console from the Monitor Station. Use this function to add your various Health Monitors to the Monitor Station. Enter the IP address of the Health

You can view the Health Monitor Console from the Monitor Station. Use this function to add your various Health Monitors to the Monitor Station. Enter the IP address of the Health

In document Setup and Configuration Guide (Page 32-105)