Our new exacqVision Edge product, a complete Enterprise VMS server running on an IP camera, was featured. Initially supporting Axis IP cameras with ARTPEC 3 & 4 processors, exacqVision Edge loads directly onto the IP camera. Edge provides complete exacqVision Enterprise functionality without the need for an external server. Edge cameras appear in the camera tree just like cameras from any other server, and can be mixed and matched with existing exacqVision servers. Ideal for add-on cameras to existing systems where additional servers are too costly or not practical, for wireless outdoor cameras where consistent network connectivity is an issue, for short-term or covert deployment where there is no network connectivity, and for installations requiring distributed storage for high reliability. Ease of deployment for integrators: install and configure exacqVision Edge at the shop, then simply ship the cameras to the site for mounting and POE connection to network.

exacqVision 4.9 – Our latest release, Version 4.9, includes extensive new Search and Playback features, including Thumbnail Search. Finding the desired video is faster and easier than ever, and thumbnail search is ideal for low-bandwidth remote connections. Other new features include significant client video display speed improvements, new enhancements to exacqVision Video Wall including switched Views on alarm, enhanced Maps with integrated Soft Triggers, server management enhancements with new S.M.A.R.T. monitoring capability, new Hikvision native IP camera support, new fisheye IP camera support from Vivotek and ACTi, new encoder support from Axis, and more.

exacq Mobile 2.4 – The latest exacq Mobile release features significantly faster initialization and start times, true full-screen mode, easier add-camera functionality, and new support for the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, in addition to Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.

exacqVision Surveillance Keyboard – The new Surveillance Keyboard was shown, an ideal add-on to exacqVision systems. PTZ Joystick, 10 button numeric entry, 16 user defined buttons, left/right arrow wheel, and firmware custom-designed for exacqVision VMS.

Elsewhere on the show floor, exacqVision integration with IP cameras was featured in the Samsung booth, in the Bosch booth, in the IQinVision booth (running Edge), in the CNB booth, and in the StarDot booth. On the Access Control side, exacqVision integration with PremiSys Access Control system was featured in the IDenticard booth, and integration with S2 NetBox and S2 Pronto Access Control systems was featured in the S2 Security booth. Distribution partners Anixter and ADI were also highlighting exacqVision.

We certainly appreciate all of our integrators, distributors and end users who came by the booth. We’ll be back next year for ISC West 2013. Some pictures from the show are below. You can also view more pictures here.

Version 4.9 is available for download here:
http://exacq.com/downloads

Key features include the following:

• New Thumbnail Search
• Optimized Video Caching in Timeline Search
• New Video Wall Features
• Faster Client Display
• New Triggers on Maps
• New S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring in exacqVision Servers
• New Hikvision IP Camera Integration
• IP Camera Integration updates from ACTi, Axis, and Vivotek
• New Product – exacqVision Surveillance Keyboard

Here are some of the features in detail:

New Thumbnail Search
Thumbnail Search has been added to the Search page in Version 4.9. Thumbnail Search enables immediate visual assessment and the ability to quickly find the video needed. Fast, easy zooming in and out of search time frames, and forward and back in time. Instantly play back video from any thumbnail.

The thumbnail images are small in size, making thumbnail search ideal for low-bandwidth remote connections.

exacqVision Start, Pro, Enterprise

Optimized Video Caching in Timeline Search
New timeline search enhancements optimize caching of video downloads. Whether moving forward or back in time and selecting a different point with which to begin playback, video already downloaded stays in the cache. The new timeline optimized video caching is ideal for low-bandwidth remote connections.

exacqVision Start, Pro, Enterprise

New Video Wall Features
New Version 4.9 Video Wall functionality enables switching of Views on the video wall. User-created views can be displayed via event monitoring-based triggers such as motion, alarms and serial data.

Video Wall is a standard, included feature with exacqVision Pro and Enterprise at no additional cost.

This video wall image was taken at the Berklee College of Music.

exacqVision Pro, Enterprise

Faster Client Display
Version 4.9 client enhancements further leverage the GPU with optimized use of Direct3D and OpenGL. exacqVision Client video display rates are up to 75% faster. Live video is more fluid. The speed improvements will be seen on all exacqVision clients: Windows, Linux and Macintosh.

exacqVision Start, Pro, Enterprise

New Triggers on Maps
Soft triggers (user-defined events) created in exacqVision can now be integrated into Maps.

Access control operation (e.g. opening doors), video analytic alarms and other events can be placed on Maps, and can be viewed and controlled directly from the map, much the same way a PSIM solution would operate.

New S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring on exacqVision Servers
Version 4.9 adds S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) monitoring to all exacqVision servers. S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, in conjunction with the Enterprise-class drives used exclusively in exacqVision servers, helps anticipate drive failures by monitoring many aspects of the drive’s health.

exacqVision Start, Pro, Enterprise, Enterprise Health Manager

Hikvision IP Camera Integration
Support has been added for the B and C levels of Hikvision IP cameras, including the DS-2CD876BF 2 megapixel box camera, and the DS-2CD7153-E  2 megapixel mini dome.

The complete list of supported Hikvision models is available on the exacqVision IP Camera Integration webpage. More information on Hikvision IP cameras is here.

Supported IP Camera Updates

Vivotek
Support has been added for the Vivotek FE-8171V Fisheye Fixed Dome Network Camera.

ACTi
Support has been added for the ACTi KCM-3911 H.264 4-Megapixel IP D/N Hemispheric Network Camera.

Axis
Support has been added for the Axis P72 and Axis M70 lines of network encoders.

ExacqVision Surveillance Keyboard
The new exacqVision Surveillance Keyboard, with firmware designed specifically for exacqVision VMS, allows fast camera finding and navigation, enables easy Video Wall control, and PTZ control.

The exacqVision Surveillance Keyboard is available now. Part Number:

• 5000-50100 exacqVision Surveillance Keyboard

Recent Releases
With this release we continue to make rapid progress with exacqVision, and incremental releases hit quarterly with new features and functionality. The full release history of exacqVision VMS is 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 are available through ‘Check for Updates‘ in 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.

Download exacqVision Software here: http://exacq.com/downloads

Try exacqVision software for free here: http://exacq.com/try

The story starts out:

Rising above Miami’s financial district, the new Brickell World Plaza is the Sunshine State’s first commercial real estate tower to be pre-certified platinum under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Also referred to as 600 Brickell, the 40-story structure, which topped out in March 2011, is in fact one of only a handful of buildings like it in the world with a LEED rating of platinum.

With a goal to represent a new standard for technology in office development, 600 Brickell’s developer likewise sought to fortify the tower with state-of-the-art electronic security systems. To that end, Security Innovative Solutions (SIS) of Davie, Fla., was commissioned to provide the access control and video surveillance systems based on its advanced integration design philosophy and ample experience with other tower projects.

The original Pelco security system was being replaced:

“JMA brought us in because of the antiquation and the lack of scalability of the original security system,” says SIS Project Executive Maurice Gerovitz. “It was more designed to lasso the building owner and keep them tied down with licensing all different types of things for a long time.”

Discussing the equipment used:

A big motive for selecting the (Vivotek) 2-megapixel cameras was the capability for Exacq’s video management system (VMS) client to provide full digital p/t/z functionality, offering superior clarity for even facial recognition purposes. SIS installed two exacqVision Z-Series servers. These are standard off-the-shelf products; no major modifications were made to the hardware or software.

“The Z-Series is designed to meet the performance and storage requirements of enterprise video surveillance deployments and was clearly the right fit for this application,” notes Scott Dennison, senior product manager for Exacq Technologies. “While one of the servers is an IP camera server designed solely for network cameras, the other is a hybrid, which allows them to bring in analog and IP cameras on a single server.”

The networked cameras are spread out on the two servers and accessed via the VMS client in the tower’s 24/7 security command center. Since Exacq’s client software is free, the end user can deploy it anywhere to provide easy access for other security personnel and management, provided they have a network connection. …

“The exacqVision [VMS client] can be run on pretty much any workstation,” Santos explains. “My main concern from the get-go was to eliminate bottlenecks on the network. The custom computer gives us the flexibility to use up to 12 screens on the video wall. Otherwise, our solution would have to have a video wall controller with at least five different computers managing pieces of information.”

Concluding the story:

Bruner continues: “If you take into account that Brickell has a Gallagher access control system, an EasyLobby visitor management system, an ExacqVision video management solution, all integrated together with the [Gunnebo] optical turnstiles, [Thyssen Krupp] floor-by-floor elevator control, E-mail and SMS text notification, and photo ID badging, it is truly an integrated system.”

exacqVision Video Wall at 600 Brickell

The full case study is well worth reading, and is available here:
https://exacq.com/downloads/exacqvision.highrise.brickellworldplaza.pdf

Our thanks to exacqVision integrator Security Innovative Solutions for this successful deployment.

ISC West 2011 just wrapped up last week. This years’ show was well attended, and our booth was busy the entire time. We introduced a number of new products and features at this show, including:

exacqVision Start VMS Software
Combining the ease of use of exacqVision VMS software with the essential features necessary for low-cost video surveillance, exacqVision Start VMS software is ideal for stand-alone installations of 30 cameras or less. The complete supported list of IP cameras can be used with an easy auto-scan to detect and configure. Live views, saved views, exacqRecall instant playback, video search, POS/ATM search, configuration, all included. Windows, Linux or Mac.

In addition to the exacqVision Start client, the web viewer is included, as are the exacq Mobile iPhone, iPad and Android apps. exacqVision Start is available on the entire EL-Series of embedded Linux appliance servers, or can be installed on third-party servers.

A review of exacqVision Start from IPVideoMarket.Info can be found here. exacqVision Start will be released in early May.

exacqVision Pro 4.6
We featured the upcoming exacqVision Pro 4.6 release, available through the exacqVision Certified Reseller channel. New features we showed include Audit Trail, a new Enterprise Camera Management feature, a re-designed Notifications setup page, and support for the new panoramic cameras from Scallop Imaging, in addition to a number of new supported IP cameras. exacqVision Pro 4.6 will be released in early May. We also showed an exacqVision Pro 4.7 feature: dewarping support for lenses and cameras from Immervision and Sentry360. Version 4.7 is targeted for late May.

exacqVision Hybrid and IP Servers
The full line of exacqVision Hybrid and IP Servers was featured.

exacqVision EL-Mini – The EL-Mini is our newest, lowest-cost IP appliance server. With the ability to connect up to 24 IP cameras, the EL-Mini is ideal for low-cost installations. The embedded Linux operating system and exacqVision software are on a solid-state drive, for high reliability. The Intel Atom processor runs cool with very low power consumption. Up to 2 TB of hard drive video storage are available. The EL-Mini is perfect for either exacqVision Pro software or exacqVision Start software. The EL-Mini is shipping now.

exacqVision ELS-R – New in the EL-Series of embedded appliance servers is the exacqVision ELS-R. An update to the current EL-S, the ELS-R adds two front removable drive bays, providing internal storage up to 4TB, and the ability for user configurable storage options. exacqVision ELS-R is shipping now.

exacqVision Z-Series – All Z-Series line of Hybrid and IP enterprise servers now come standard with 8 IP camera licenses, with the ability to connect 96 IP camera licenses total. All Z-Series servers also now come standard with Three Years of exacqVision Pro software updates. This is on top of the Three Year hardware warranty.

Three Years Warranty & Software Updates – The entire line of exacqVision servers now include Three Years of exacqVision Pro software updates standard, on top of the Three Years hardware warranty.

exacq Mobile
Our latest exacq Mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and Android tablets were featured. The new exacq Mobile apps have added the ability to control triggers, and sport a more intuitive user interface. All exacq Mobile apps are available on the iTunes App Store and the Android Market at no charge, and work with any exacqVision deployment.

Around the show floor
exacqVision was featured in a number of booths around the show floor. IDenticard introduced new integration of exacqVision with their PremiSys access control system (picture). S2 Security was featuring exacqVision integration with their NetBox and Pronto access control systems (picture). PlaSec was featuring exacqVision integration with their Classic Appliance and Enterprise Appliance access control systems (picture). Paxton Access was featuring exacqVision integration with their Net2 access control system (picture).

On the IP camera front, Exacq was one of the sponsors of the ONVIF Interoperability Showcase. Pictures from that event are here and here. exacqVision was featured in a number of IP camera vendors’ booths, including StarDot and Vivotek.

Pictures from the show
Here are some of the pictures from the show floor. You can view the complete album of pictures on our flickr page.
Click each picture for a larger view

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.

Version 2.10 can be downloaded here.  Key Features in the Version 2.10 Release:

• ACTi Megapixel – Support added for the new line of megapixel IP cameras from ACTi
• Vivotek – new Vivotek IP camera models supported
• Axis & ACTi – New resolution modes supported
• New Media Formats – DVD+R and DVD+RW formats now supported for exporting video
• New System Configurations – New 4U chassis, up to 8 TB storage

Here are some of the new features in detail:

ACTi Megapixel Support
ACTi has recently launched a new line of megapixel IP cameras.  We support this entire new line, which includes the following models:

ACM-5601
ACM-5611
ACM-3401
ACM-3411
ACM-4200

Vivotek New IP Camera Support
We also have added support for the latest models in the Vivotek IP camera line, which includes these models:

IP7151
IP7152
IZ7151

Axis & ACTi – New Resolutions Supported
exacqVision now supports 1280×1024 and 1280×720 resolutions on all Axis and ACTi megapixel cameras, in addition to all of the other previously-supported resolution modes. 

Both the Axis and ACTi megapixel cameras produce faster frame rates when running in the 1280×720 mode vs. higher-resolution modes.

New Media Formats
Support has been added for the DVD+R and DVD+RW media formats for exported video.  exacqVision also supports DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R and CD-RW formats.

New System Configurations
We have expanded the chassis offerings for our exacqVision NVR servers and Hybrid Servers.  A new, matching 4U-height chassis configuration is now available, in addition to the 2U chassis and the space-saving desktop chassis.  The new 4U chassis allows for increased storage options up to 8 TB on storage, as well as RAID-5 storage options.  The spec sheet for this new offering is here, or you can click below.

Recent Releases
We have continued to make rapid progress with exacqVision, with incremental releases hitting about every 2 months.  Here are some highlights of the most recent releases:

exacqVision Version 2.9 release (January 7, 2008)
exacqVision Version 2.8 release (October 31, 2007)
exacqVision Version 2.7 release (August 8, 2007)
exacqVision Version 2.6 release (June 19, 2007)
exacqVision Version 2.5 release (May 7, 2007)
exacqVision Version 2.4 release (March 27, 2007)

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 version can always be downloaded from our Downloads page, or you can click on ‘Check for Updates‘ within the ‘About‘ box in the exacqVision software.

The next release, Version 3.0, will coincide with the ISC West show in Las Vegas, April 2-4, and will have some major feature additions.

Version 2.8 can be downloaded here.

Key features in the Version 2.8 Release:

• Multi-Monitor Drag-and-Drop – drag any video camera into any monitor in a multi-monitor client
• Instant Zoom Box – instantly zoom in on any selected area of the screen on both live and playback
• New IP Camera Support – support added for Vivotek IP cameras, as well as the new Sentinel Series of external IP cameras from IQinvision
• Exhanced Axis IP Camera Features – support for Axis’ new HTTP Digest Authentication
• Expanded PTZ Procols – Bosch, GE-Impac, GE-ASCII PTZ protocols added
• Searched Image Export Enhancements – quick copy searched image to clipboard

Here are some of these features in detail:

Enhanced Multi-Monitor Mode
Drag-and-Drop videos between monitors
Version 2.8 has significant enhancements for running multiple monitors on a client station.  Perhaps the most significant is the ability to drag any video camera – either the video window or the camera name from the camera tree – into any other viewing pane of any other monitor.

Creating video walls, or having specific functions in each monitor: viewing in one, search in another, event monitoring in another, the multi-monitor mode of the exacqVision client is very powerful.

Video Demo – We’ve created a video demonstrating the capabilities of the exacqVision multi-monitor mode, which you can view here:

Instant Zoom Box
Press Control-Z in the exacqVision client, and use the mouse to draw a rectangle around any area of an image for instant zooming to that section of the image.

Enhanced Axis IP Camera Support

Security – To further strengthen the security of their video products, Axis added support for HTTP Digest Authentication in most of their products. HTTP Digest Authentication is used for more secure authentication over both HTTP and RTSP.  exacqVision Version 2.8 now supports Digest Authentication in Axis cameras.

Enhanced PTZ Presets – Version 2.8 adds more robust PTZ preset modes for the Axis 212, 215 and 233D cameras.

New IP Camera Models Supported

Vivotek – Added support for the entire line of 6000-series and 7000-series Vivotek IP cameras.

IQinvision – Added support for the new Sentinel Series of all-weather outdoor POE IP cameras.

The complete list of exacqVision supported IP cameras is available here

New PTZ Protocols Supported
Additional PTZ protocols for analog PTZ cameras for use on exacqVision Hybrid Servers have been added.  These new protocols include Bosch, GE-Impac, and GE-ASCII.

exacqVision Linux Status
We are getting closer to officially releasing the Linux version of exacqVision.  For our current Linux Beta Testers, we have updated the exacqVision Linux release to Version 2.8 as well, and you can download that using the same download links we provided you initially.

The first release of exacqVision Linux will be based on the Ubuntu 6.06 distribution, and will be identical in form and function in every way to our Windows version of exacqVision.  Both client and server will be available in Linux versions across our product line.  You can freely mix and match: Windows clients can be connected to Linux servers, and vice-versa.

We anticipate releasing exacqVision Linux by the end of November, 2007.

We continue to make a great deal of progress with our feature set.  We released Version 2.0 in December of 2006, and have had steady releases every few weeks since then.  Here’s our growing list recapping some of the recent release highlights:

Version 2.7 Release, August 8, 2007
- Virtual Matrix Switching & Event Monitoring
- Increased Data Authentication
- Playback Enhancements
- Panoramic Camera Support

Version 2.6 Release, June 19, 2007
- exacqReplay
- Joystick Support
- Shortcut Function Key Support
- New Wide-Screen Modes

Version 2.5 Release, May 7, 2007
- Bandwidth Throttling
- View Tour & Enhancements
- Enhanced exacqRecall

Version 2.4 Release, March 27, 2007
- Arecont & Panasonic IP Camera Support
- Audio support on Axis Cameras
- Time-Lapse Mode
- Pre-Motion Recording

Going back further, we had IP Camera Finder in Version 2.3 (Feb 07), Multi-Monitor support in Version 2.2 (Jan 07), and many, many other enhancements and bug fixes.

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.  Version 2.8 of exacqVision is available on our Downloads page.