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exacqVision Case Study: Denison State Bank
There’s another addition to our Case Studies page. Denison State Bank, one of the top 50 largest banks in Kansas, recently installed exacqVision Hybrid video management systems and software at their branches in the state to help protect customers, employees and assets, replacing aging time-lapse VCRs.
In addition to connecting to an existing installed base of analog cameras, new IQeye 3 MPixel cameras were strategically placed in the lobby and behind the tellers to provide high resolution video images on anyone entering the bank. Each branch manager has the exacqVision client giving them access to the cameras in their branch, and the security directors at the main location have access to all cameras at all of the branches for viewing live and recorded video and remote administration.
Exacq Technologies partner, Oppliger Banking Systems, a Lenexa, KS based security products & service provider for financial institutions in Kansas and Missouri, installed exacqVision EL Hybrid Servers and cameras in the bank’s five branches.
You can read the Denison State Bank case study here.
More case studies are available on our Case Studies Page.
Exacq at PSA-TEC 2010
We have just returned from PSA-TEC 2010, the annual education, training and technology event that PSA Security Network holds for its members. We have found PSA-TEC to be of considerable value to us, as it affords us the opportunity to spend some in-depth time with the PSA member resellers.
One of the most important parts of the conference is the training sessions. We held one of our day-long exacqVision technical reseller training sessions on Tuesday, where we had a pre-registered full house as well as some dealers who added the course on-site.
Wednesday morning was the Vendor Awards Banquet, the result of PSA member surveys ranking vendors on overall products, support, pricing, and service to the membership. We were very honored to receive the "Superstar Vendor Achievement Award" this year, the highest award PSA offers. Our sincere appreciation goes out to the entire PSA member base for this award.
After the awards breakfast was the trade show. This was the first year at the Rosemont Convention Center, and the upgraded facilities were a great change of pace. We had a packed booth the entire show, and the increased space and wider aisles were most welcome. We showed our latest exacqVision Version 4.1 features, as well as a sneak peek of the upcoming Version 4.2 features, including Sanyo IP camera support and ONVIF support, using Bosch and other ONVIF-compatible cameras. We also were using IP cameras from Axis, Vivotek, IQeye, Panasonic, ACTi, Sony, and Arecont Vision, who was also right across the aisle from us.
Additionally, we also featured our iPhone & iPad surveillance app, which allows full connection to all exacqVision servers, live viewing with multiple camera layouts, and search and playback of recorded video.
Sam Pfeifle of Security Systems News gave his take on the show in this blog post. Wednesday night was the popular PSA-TEC Jam Session, and Sam was live-streaming the band over his iPhone via ustream.com. He posted archival video of that event here.
Our thanks once again to the entire PSA organization for the great job they did with this years’ well-run event. Below are some pictures and a video from the show floor. Click on each for a larger image.
exacqVision 4.1 Released
Version 4.1 of exacqVision Video Management Software has just been released. This latest release, compatible with all exacqVision Hybrid and IP video surveillance systems, incorporates new features and enhancements, and continues our quest for rapid, incremental updates.
Version 4.1 is available for download here. Key features in the 4.1 Release:
- Serial Data over IP
- Viasys Video Analytics Support
- Serial Data export to ePlayer
- Expanded PTZ functionality
- Expanded Maps functionality
- Support for new IP camera models from Arecont, Ganz, IQeye, and StarDot
Here are some of the features in detail:
Serial Data over IP
Serial data can now be read over IP ports in addition to standard serial ports. A new window has been added to the Serial Port Setup page to configure the IP serial ports:
A close-up view of the IP Serial Setup window is here:
Up to 64 IP serial ports can be added per server, in addition to the standard RS-232 and RS-485 serial ports. IP serial port profiles are set up the same way as standard serial port profiles. Enabling serial over IP expands the ability of exacqVision servers to integrate with POS and ATM systems, access control systems, alarm systems, and video analytic systems, such as Viasys.
Viasys Video Analytics Support
Viasys is a vendor of video analytics software that resides on the edge and runs on Axis IP cameras, on IQeye Pro-line IP cameras. As analytic events occur, ASCII data is sent over the IP port. Through the use of serial over IP, an exacqVision server can read the serial data from this network port, and trigger recording and other actions based on the associated analytic events.
Viasys routines include intruder detection, perimeter protection, and alarming, and include ability for Adaptive Outdoor Analytics, 3D Video-Awareness, Electronic Fence/Trip Wire, Directional Detection and Sabotage Detection.
In addition to edge analytics, Viasys software also runs on any exacqVision server, enabling full video analytics capability for all IP cameras supported in exacqVision, including Arecont Vision, ACTi, Panasonic, Vivotek, StarDot, and more.
You can download a fully-functioning 30-day trial of Viasys software here. Demo videos of Viasys in action are here.
Serial Data Export to ePlayer
Serial data, whether from serial ports or IP ports, can now be fully exported along with associated video cameras. This export enables the serial data to scroll in real-time with what is happening on the cameras. As the video scrub bar is used to rapidly forward or reverse through video, the serial data scrolls rapidly as well; likewise as you rapidly scroll through serial data, the video stays in sync.
Here’s a sample screenshot of exported video and serial data in the ePlayer:
An exported clip of video and serial data in the ePlayer is available for download here
34.5 MB, requires reseller password
Expanded PTZ Functionality
With Version 4.1, additional commands have been added for mechanical PTZ cameras using the AD-422 and Pelco-D protocol, as well as for all analog and IP mechanical PTZ cameras.
Access PTZ Dome Menu – For Pelco and AD, you can now access the camera’s internal menu from within the exacqVision client (click images for a larger view):
More Joystick Commands – In addition, additional PTZ commands are now available from PTZ consoles and joysticks, including Menu On/Off, Run Patterns, and Flip.
Proportional PTZ via Mouse – New enhancements have been added for propotional PTZ control of mechanical cameras via a mouse. Graphical feedback appears showing the direction of the mouse. As the mouse moves farther from the center crosshair, the pan-tilt speed increases. This feature has always been available with PTZ joysticks, and is now available with the mouse:
Record Dome Patterns – Dome Patterns can now be recorded from within the exacqVision client. A new Dome Pattern section appears on a right-click of a PTZ camera setup:
Dome patterns, both those that have been recorded within exacqVision or recorded externally, can be accessed from the right-click PTZ menu:
Video Demo – Here’s a brief video demo of the new enhanced PTZ features in exacqVision 4.1:
Import/Export Maps
Enhanced ability to import and export graphics used for Maps. Export/Import buttons along with a status bar are now included in the System Setup page:
IP Camera Support Updates
Support for a number of new IP camera models has been added, including:
Arecont Vision – Support added for the new Arecont AV3135 D/N camera, as well as the new dual-mode AV10005 10-Mpixel/1080P IP camera
Ganz – Support added for the new CBC Ganz IP Dome Cameras ZN-D9312NHA and ZN-DN9312NHA
IQeye – Support added for the new IQeye HD1080P Series H.264 IP cameras. Usability improvements have also been added for the entire IQeye line, enabling port configuration and auto login.
StarDot – Support added for the new line of H.264 NetCam multi-megapixel cameras, models SDH500BN, SDH500B, SDH300B, SDH130BN, SDH130B.
Recent Releases
With this release we continue to make rapid progress with exacqVision, and incremental releases have hit about every 2 months. A large number of new features have been added in a short period of time. You can see the full release history of exacqVision here:
exacqVision Release History
Download and Installation
As always, the latest versions of exacqVision client and server software can easily and quickly be copied over existing versions while retaining all user settings. The latest versions can always be downloaded from the exacqVision Downloads page, or you can click on ‘Check for Updates‘ within the ‘About‘ box in the exacqVision software.
exacqVision Server software is available in both Windows and Linux versions, and the exacqVision client software is available in Windows, Linux and Macintosh native versions. Any version of exacqVision client can connect to any version of exacqVision server.
SDM Magazine – ASIS Demo: Ease of IP Interoperability
Heather Klotz, Associate Editor at SDM Magazine, has a good overview of the IP interoperability demo at ASIS 2009 last month with Exacq, Firetide, IQeye and Pivot3:
Exacq Technologies, Firetide, IQinVision and Pivot3, all open-system vendors, participated in a joint live demonstration of IP technology interoperability at ASIS 2009. Wireless connectivity, megapixel cameras, Smartphone viewing, and smart storage were all on display in an interoperability demo that had one message: It’s easy.
“As open systems vendors, we had several goals for the demonstration. In addition to promoting how open the industry has become and the benefits of being open, another important goal we all had was to demonstrate that this is not intimidating,” explained Roger Shuman, marketing manager for Exacq, Indianapolis. “We didn’t cross-train our technicians or prep them months in advance to set up this system here at ASIS. We did this in addition to setting up all our booths at the same time, and it was fine. We just all showed up at the show floor and set it up, and it was easy – even with the limitations that a show floor can bring.”
What did the companies set up? The live demonstration featured wireless distribution, storage and playback of HD/megapixel video over wireless networks across separate booths on the ASIS show floor. High-resolution video from IQeye megapixel cameras was streamed from vendor booths over Firetide wireless network links. The video was subsequently captured and displayed remotely using the exacqVision video management system running on Pivot3 iSCSI SAN storage with embedded virtual servers. Centrally captured video was then viewable and searchable from remote computers in each of the partner booths and on smart phones.
The open architecture demonstrated by the companies allows customers the ability to select the highest quality components from a wide variety of manufacturers instead of being limited to offerings from one vendor. How is the interoperability between these four specific companies possible? “We are all non-proprietary companies and we are all IP-based, which means the products are essentially plug-and-play,” Bodell explained.
By demonstrating the ease of set-up on the ASIS show floor, the companies hoped to reduce the “perceived risk” or difficulty in setting up systems like this.
“Traditionally, I think integrators tended to be wary of IP things because it looked like it would be complicated,” said Lee Caswell, chief marketing officer, Pivot 3, Palo Alto, Calif. “We are finding by reducing the perceived risk of making this work in the field, people have more of a chance to get excited about it and embrace what it could mean for their company.”
The full article can be read at the SDM Magazine site here. Our thanks again to everyone at Pivot3, Firetide and IQinVision for making this a successful demo.
exacqVision 3.6 Released
Version 3.6 of exacqVision Video Management Software has just been released. This latest release, compatible with all exacqVision Hybrid and IP video surveillance systems, incorporates new features and enhancements, and continues our quest for rapid, incremental updates.
Version 3.6 is available for download here. Key features in the 3.6 Release:
- Enhanced Smart Search
- Multi-System User Configuration
- Basler IP camera support
- IQeye 4-series IP camera support
- PCSC Access Control integration
Here are some of the features in detail:
Enhanced Smart Search
Smart Search, sometimes referred to as ‘museum search’ functionality, has been substantially enhanced in version 3.6. Smart Search adds quick and detailed granularity to a search result, enabling the viewing, scrubbing, saving and exporting of just the video search information desired. Smart Search works on all cameras: analog or IP, standard or Megapixel.
On the search page, a new “Brain” icon has been added to the toolbar:
With any camera, when Smart Search is selected, a grid appears. Simply use the mouse to fill in the grid of the desired area of the camera view, and Smart Search will quickly find just the video that has changed within the grid area.
The results of the Smart Search then appear as orange in the timeline:
Timeline after standard search, with blue bars showing areas of motion:
Timeline after Smart Search, with orange bars showing motion within the selected grid:
While the Smart Search function is selected, the user can scrub, play forward and reverse, save, and export just the Smart Searched (orange bar) video. Fast and easy, this enhanced functionality enables rapid searching and exporting of just the video information desired.
Here is the exacqVision tutorial on using Smart Search:
Multi-System User Configuration
New to Version 3.6 is the Enterprise Server option. This new option, enabled per-server, adds functionality unique to user and server management across an enterprise deployment. Multi-System User Configuration is available in Version 3.6 and is the first of several features to be added to the Enterprise Server option. Multi-System User Config enables fast and easy user account management across any number of exacqVision servers.
With the Version 3.6 release a new item, Multi-System User Config, has been included in the server tree on the Configuration page:
Creating a new account, deleting an account or changing an existing account is done quickly just once, and then applied to all selected servers with a single push of a button. This feature works in all enterprise deployments without the need for existing LDAP or Active Directory implementation.
New – Basler IP camera support
Support has been added for the entire line of Basler IP cameras. Basler IP cameras range in resolution from VGA to 2 Mpixel, all with day/night models available, and are distinguished by their compact physical size. All Basler IP cameras utilize H.264 compression.
The Basler IP camera models supported in exacqVision Version 3.6 are the BIP-640c/c-dn, BIP-1000c/c-dn, BIP-1300c/c-dn, and BIP-1600c/c-dn. The press release on the exacqVision-Basler IP camera support is here.
New – IQeye 4-Series IP camera support
Adding to our existing support of IQeye cameras, Version 3.6 adds support for the new 4-Series line of low-cost IP cameras from IQeye.
The IQeye 4-Series provides IQeye-quality video, resolutions from VGA to 2 Mpixel, compact, sturdy housings (both standard and dome), Power-Over Ethernet, and a low price point. The 4-Series models supported in exacqVision Version 3.6 include the IQeye 4-Series Standard cameras and the IQeye 4-Series Dome cameras.
PCSC Access Control Integration
exacqVision Version 3.6 adds integration support for PCSC Access Control systems. PCSC’s access control system is distinguished by their Fault Tolerant Technology, with redundant host, controllers, and communication. When combined with exacqVision VMS software it makes for a unique, fault tolerant access control and IP video surveillance system under a single user interface. Details on the PCSC LiNC-VIEW integration are here. The press release on the exacqVision-PCSC integration is here.
Recent Releases
With this release we continue to make rapid progress with exacqVision, and incremental releases have hit about every 2 months. A large number of new features have been added in a short period of time. You can see the full release history of exacqVision here:
exacqVision Release History
Download and Installation
As always, the latest versions of exacqVision client and server software can easily and quickly be copied over existing versions while retaining all user settings. The latest versions can always be downloaded from the exacqVision Downloads page, or you can click on ‘Check for Updates‘ within the ‘About‘ box in the exacqVision software.
exacqVision Server software is available in both Windows and Linux versions, and the exacqVision client software is available in Windows, Linux and Macintosh native versions. Any version of exacqVision client can connect to any version of exacqVision server.
Open-Systems IP Interoperability demo at ASIS 2009
At ASIS 2009 next week (Sept 21-23) we’re participating in a four-booth live demonstration of IP technology interoperability.
Exacq (booth #347), Firetide (booth #447), IQinVision (booth #353) and Pivot3 (booth #453) will be showing a real-world example of how easily standards-based solutions from open-system vendors can be integrated and supported from the field.
The live demonstration will feature wireless distribution, storage, and playback of HD/megapixel video over a wireless network across these four separate booths on the ASIS show floor.
Video from IQeye megapixel cameras in each booth will be streamed over a Firetide wireless mesh network connecting the four booths. The video will be subsequently captured and displayed remotely using the exacqVision Video Management System (VMS) running on Pivot3 iSCSI SAN storage with embedded virtual servers. Centrally captured video will then be viewable and searchable from remote computers in each of the partner booths and on smartphones.
A detailed description of the demo is in this flyer. The press release for the demo is here.
Posted in exacq
Tagged ASIS, firetide, IQeye, IQinVision, megapixel, Pivot3, tradeshow, wireless
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exacqVision and Jewelry Store Loss Prevention
A couple of months back we blogged about an amazing sleight-of-hand jewelry store theft in Philadelphia in March of a $47,000 engagement ring. The theft was discovered and the perpetrator caught because of sharp, clear video surveillance footage from a recently-installed exacqVision system and IQeye megapixel IP cameras.
The November issue of Security Products magazine has devoted a rather in-depth look at the theft. Sherleen Mahoney, associate editor for the magazine, starts out:
Love often drives people to do some crazy things. One man, Larry J. Hopkins, tried to steal his way into a woman’s heart. On March 14, he entered Carroll’s Jewelers in Doylestown, Penn. After more than two hours of looking at various engagement rings (i.e., waiting for the right moment), he palmed a $47,000 three-carat diamond solitaire ring in a platinum setting, one of the most expensive rings in the store, when the salesperson’s back was turned. Within two minutes, he was gone—and the salesperson didn’t realize the theft until a few minutes later.
We previously posted the frame-by-frame, digitally zoomed-in images of the actual theft here. Ms. Mahoney continues on:
In a lucky twist of fate, a few months prior to the incident, Access Security Corp. of Warminster, Penn., a provider of integrated security systems, had upgraded the jewelry store’s legacy CCTV system, which consisted of a 10-year-old time-lapse VCR system linked to four analog cameras. The system had been replaced with an Exacq Technologies hybrid NVR and two megapixel cameras from IQinVision.
Dan Cogan, president of Access Security, was called in to bring the surveillance system up-to-date with the latest IP cameras. The store also wanted to continue to use their analog cameras:
“Using existing infrastructure was important to the client,” Cogan said. “The exacqVision hybrid NVR system was chosen because it allowed us to integrate the existing analog cameras with the new high-resolution megapixel cameras from IQinVision.”
After realizing the theft had occurred, retrieving the video evidence and exporting it for law enforcement was easy:
A powerful feature of exacqVision is exacqReplay, which provides instant playback of video from any camera simply by right-clicking in that camera’s window panel and selecting the desired time segment, up to the last 15 minutes. This is a useful tool to assess alarms, as well as to quickly review something that just happened. The video or individual images can be easily exported for e-mailing, printing or burning to a CD or DVD.
It was the IQeye 753 that provided the critical surveillance video that led to Hopkins’ arrest. The video clearly shows a white man in his 50s with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a navy baseball cap with a tan trim, a black leather jacket, blue jeans, a polo shirt and wireless glasses, holding the ring and quickly covering it with his fingers. Access Security exported approximately 10 minutes of video and still images to a CD for the police and media.
The thief, Larry Hopkins, was caught in two days, and was sentenced to up to 23 months in the county jail. And he did it all for love:
According to a local newspaper, when the prosecutor asked Hopkins why he did it, Hopkins answered, “For love. I loved her so much that I went out of my mind.”
- The complete Security Products story is here.
- The original blog post with frame-by-frame images of the theft is here.
The original, high-resolution video clip is available to all exacqVision resellers. It makes for an amazing demo of the capabilities of the product. If you do not already have this clip, contact us here.
Success Story: Megapixel cameras lead to quick arrest
A recent article in Government Security News entitled Success Story: Megapixel cameras lead to quick arrests highlights the advantages of megapixel IP cameras. The article explains:
The installation of IQinVision megapixel cameras at a jewelry store in Pennsylvania by Access Security Corp., an integrator based in Warminster, PA, was more successful. In a recent incident, a man allegedly stole a $47,000 engagement ring from the jewelry store. The man, who spent more than two hours in the store, was able to palm an engagement ring while the salesperson was busy putting away multiple rings he had already viewed.
A few months prior to the incident, Access Security had upgraded the jewelry store’s standard resolution camera system with IQeye megapixel cameras and an Exacq Technologies DVR.
The upgraded surveillance system caught the entire crime on video. That evening, Access Security was called to help retrieve the video. After positively identifying the man stealing the ring, Access Security exported the video to a CD for the police department and created a still photo for the local newspapers. After the picture appeared in the local papers, it took only two days for the police to apprehend the suspect. The owner of the jewelry store was impressed. “With our old CCTV system, we would not have been able to catch this guy and our ring would be gone,” the store owner said.
The chief deputy district attorney was quoted saying the video was “critical” to the arrest.
The customer enthusiastically shared the video clip with IQeye and us, and the pictures tell the whole story. The image detail and clarity from the IQeye 703 megapixel camera is simply astonishing. The video clip of the incident was exported from the exacqVision NVR system. The exacqVision player allows anyone to then view the exported video, step frame by frame forward and backward, digitally zoom and pan around the video, save off specific images as JPEG files, save off clip segments as AVI files, and so forth.
Here is a scaled-down image of the full camera view (click to view the full original 2048×1536 image):
Using the exacqVision Player, we used the digital zoom to look at six successive frames where the actual theft occurs. In this first frame the alleged thief is looking at the ring; the clerk is distracted throughout.
In the next frame he is getting ready to palm the ring in his left hand.
The next frame shows the ring actually being palmed in his left hand:
The next frame shows him getting ready to grab another ring to look at:
And the next frame, with the three smaller fingers in his left hand concealing the palmed ring:
And the next frame. When the clerk finally looks back up, he appeared to be still holding the original ring, and the clerk was not aware one was missing.
A low-res version of the video clip is here. The frames above occur at 1:54 in:
Our thanks to both IQeye and Access Security Corp for this successful exacqVision NVR installation. They can be reached as follows:
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Access Security Corp. www.accesssecurity.com |
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IQinvision www.iqeye.com |
Supporting IP Camera Features
One of the key benefits of IP video surveillance is the ability to take advantage of unique features embedded in the IP camera processor. Motion detection, region of interest, cropping and masking zones, network auto-discovery, and analytics, are all examples of features being added to the processors in various IP cameras. Utilizing these features at the edge results in higher optimization and system performance than with the old method of handling all of that functionality in the computer’s CPU.
The exacqVision architecture maximizes use of IP camera features at the edge. By utilizing motion detection at the camera end, the exacqVision software gets the most optimized and accurate algorithms for motion detection for a given camera. By offloading that processing work to the camera edge, the server CPU requirements are minimal. This enables us to connect large numbers of megapixel cameras while still maintaining very low processor usage. That means less expensive systems, higher reliability, greater performance, and vast scalability.
IQinvision makes a full line of megapixel IP cameras and have been a leader in implementing unique features at the camera end. To promote those features, IQinvision recently did their own evaluation of several NVR software packages and assembled a Supported Features Matrix. Of the seven major NVR software products they reviewed, exacqVision lead the list by supporting 14 unique IQinvision camera features. Down the list was Milestone/OnSSI with 11 features supported, and Genetec’s Omnicast with only 5 features supported.
Our thanks to IQinvision for assembling this data. You can view the IQeye Supported Features Matrix here, or click on the image below.
At the Ballpark with Emerge IT Solutions
On Thursday we joined our Erlanger, KY-based reseller Emerge IT Solutions and forty of their customers for product demonstrations and a baseball game at the Great American Ballpark – home of the Cincinnati Reds. In addition to having a beautiful day to watch the Reds play the Astros, the guests got to see the latest technology offered by Emerge: data storage, structured cabling and wireless infrastructure, and physical security solutions with the exacqVision VMS software.
Emerge is a leading IT provider in the Ohio and Kentucky area, and has recently begun offering physical security to their clients as part of the overall IT mix. It’s a perfect fit for them. They already supply their customers with audiovisual solutions and IT systems infrastructure. In many cases, they built these networks from the ground up. Adding physical security to the network is the next logical step, with IP cameras and exacqVision IP video management software.
Several products were on display in the suite. Connected to the exacqVision system were two Axis 207MW IP cameras inside the suite, and one IQeye 855 5-Mpixel Sentinel Series mounted outside the suite to provide a detailed view of the stadium.
Our thanks to Emerge for putting on such a great customer-oriented event. Emerge can be reached as follows:
Web: www.emergeits.com
e-mail: sales@emergeits.com
