VIDEOR - Experts & Thought Leaders

The Germany-based video technology manufacturer and VIDEOR E. Hartig GmbH announce their sales partnership. As a result, security installers can purchase video security products “Made in Germany” from VIDEOR with the Dallmeier Panomera® and Domera® product families. The modular and extremely installer-friendly Domera® family with the Domera® E series, which was developed for price-sensitive market segments, impressively proves that these products do not necessarily have to be high-priced. Differentiators for installers The Panomera® camera range also meets the highest standards of product design and workmanship. The special feature: Panomera® captures large areas or distances with a fraction of the cameras normally required. Multifocal sensor technology Panomera® cameras with “multifocal sensor technology” are capable to capture the back and middle areas The patented technology combines several lenses and sensors with different focal lengths in one optical unit.  As a result, Panomera® cameras with “multifocal sensor technology” are capable to capture the back and middle areas of the image with the same high resolution as scenes in the foreground, providing a much better overview for video surveillance, video observation, and video analysis. Reduced cost of ownership At the same time, they reduce the total cost of ownership as less infrastructure and resources are required for implementation and operation. For both camera series, VIDEOR offers comprehensive support in all project phases as a “Value Added Distributor”. In addition, installers can take full advantage of the Dallmeier Channel Partner Programme. “Made in Germany” completes VIDEOR portfolio For VIDEOR’s Managing Director, Dominik Mizdrak, this partnership fills a gap, he said “Until now, our portfolio was lacking a German manufacturer that has its development, production, and even procurement predominantly in Germany. The well-known high quality of Dallmeier products, coupled with their high level of cyber security, was one of the decisive factors for us to include Dallmeier as a manufacturer." Strengthening installer channel Dominik Mizdrak continues, "Another very important aspect for VIDEOR in the interest of our customers is the clear commitment of Dallmeier to further strengthen the installer channel and to rely on the partnership with VIDEOR." He adds, "The fact that many of the people involved in our two companies have repeatedly exchanged views on certain topics on a personal level over the past years, if not decades, and that we have never lost sight of each other, has greatly simplified the onboarding process over the past few weeks." High-quality products We are looking forward to showing our customers the advantages of Dallmeier products" Dominik Mizdrak said, "With Domera®, and of course the Panomera® series, we are expanding our product range with technologically outstanding and high-quality products. We are looking forward to showing our customers the advantages of Dallmeier products and too many beautiful projects.” An exciting alternative for the German market Thomas Dallmeier, CEO of the family-owned Dallmeier company, sees the partnership as an important milestone, “Through the partnership, VIDEOR customers can offer their end customers solutions from a single source that are characterised by the highest quality and durability, a multitude of cost-saving features in installation, function, and operation and, above all, the highest level of security and trustworthiness ‘Made in Germany’." He adds, "We are very pleased about the partnership and are convinced that we have created a very exciting alternative in the German market for video technology installers and users with Domera®, ‘perhaps the most versatile camera in the world’, and of course our patented Panomera® technology for large areas and long distances.”

Security Essen is continuing to consolidate its position as a platform for the security industry. Numerous companies have confirmed their participation in the leading international trade fair, which will take place at Messe Essen from 22 to 25 September 2020. Particularly pleasing: In addition to many long-standing customers, the registrations also include companies which will take part in Security Essen again for the first time after a break. Amongst others, Telenot and Securiton will present their innovations at Messe Essen. "We are delighted about the exhibitors' commitment to Security Essen," says Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen. "This emphasizes the significance of Security Essen as an important platform for the security industry". Innovations in burglar alarm technology The application specialist for everything to do with alarm and security systems will present its innovations Thomas Taferner, Head of Marketing and Sales at Telenot Electronic, justifies the return to Security Essen as follows: "We are delighted to be on board again at Security Essen 2020. In the past three years, we have increasingly tested smaller events. But Security Essen has proved to be the only all-encompassing trade fair for us where the entire industry from the installing specialist company to security officers from industry, planning offices, trade associations, building property insurers, CID advisory centers, fire departments and many other target groups obtains information. “The trade fair is particularly interesting for us in 2020, because Telenot will present extensive innovations and will greatly expand its spectrum. In addition to burglar alarm technology, we now also have fire alarm technology in our portfolio and, from 2020, access control technology, too." Also after a break, Securiton Deutschland will take part in Security Essen again. The application specialist for everything to do with alarm and security systems will present its innovations in Hall 3 - the exhibition area for access, mechatronics, mechanics, systems and perimeter protection. Locking technology and electronic access systems The two North Rhine-Westphalian companies Dom and Wilka have been continuous exhibitors at Security Essen for many years already. Moreover, they have already registered again for Security Essen 2020. Dom Sicherheitstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Brühl, is a manufacturer of innovative locking technology and electronic access systems. Wilka Schließtechnik GmbH is at home in the key Velbert region. Robert Schlieper, Managing Partner, Wilka: "In our industry, the focus is naturally on the security topic. For more than 150 years, Wilka has represented high quality standards in an area where it really matters that the product delivers what it promises. We are always looking forward to the interesting discussions on our stand""At Security, we have shown our (potential) customers exactly that for years already - patented mechanical cylinders, locks and locking systems for a wide range of requirements and the innovations from the field of electronics. And of course, we are always looking forward to the interesting discussions on our stand, because personal contact is rarely as easy to establish as it is there". Participation in Security Essen 2020 Many other companies - including market leaders, niche providers and new entrants - have also already confirmed their participation in Security Essen 2020. From Germany, these include Abus August Bremmicker Söhne, EVVA Sicherheitstechnik, Kötter Security, lunaHD, NSC Sicherheitstechnik, Salto Systems, T-Systems International, Videor E. Hartig and the Wagner Group. The trade fair will be a premiere, for example, for the Bosch start-up SAST. The young company will present its Internet of Things platform for security cameras for the first time at the trade fair. Security Essen is also seeded for international stars: Hanwha Techwin Europe, Hikvision, Inim Electronics, Vanderbilt International, Zhejiang Dahua and Zhejiang Uniview, among others, have confirmed their participation in the world's leading trade fair. Open, functional architecture After a construction period of around three and a half years, the modernisation of Messe Essen has been concluded since September 2019. From now on, exhibitors at and visitors to Security Essen will benefit from open, functional architecture, short distances, eight spacious, single-storey halls and plenty of daylight. For example, visitors can, for the first time, expect a complete and coherent range of available video products in the new Hall 5.

Visitors to this year’s Security Essen can experience powerful video security technology from Sony for a wide range of applications. From 25-28 September, latest innovations will be presented on Booth 5E10 in Hall 5 together with our regional distribution partner VIDEOR, as well as on Booth 5F10 in Hall 5 in live applications with video management software from Milestone. Reliable detection A focal point at Security Essen is the new SNC-HMX70 360 degree hemispheric-view camera that covers the whole scene without any blind spots to ensure 24/7 situational awareness. The camera’s 12-megapixel CMOS sensor captures crisp, detail-packed video at 30 fps, while built-in analytics allow reliable detection and tracking of moving objects. Resellers visiting us at Security Essen are invited to sign up for the Partner Program directly at the VIDEOR booth to enjoy exclusive benefits, including an instant upgrade for additional discounts on Sony video security products.

Which video management software platform is the right solution? Markus Kissel of leading CCTV distributor Videor, provides a summary of the most important selection criteria. The number of commercially available software solutions for IP-based video surveillance is increasing. But the complexity of systems, numerous features and the required IT skills  Choosing the "right" video management software solution is key make it difficult to choose the "right" product. The summary below gives support in this. In simplified terms, a video management system is designed to cater for viewing, management and recording for a large number of cameras. Video surveillance systems of today often have hundreds or thousands of security cameras and have the same requirements as in IT: communication over the TCP/IP network along with demands for 24/7 operation, unlimited memory capacity and global access. With such magnitudes it is not possible to assign a single monitor to each camera. A video management system allows manual camera selection and assignment to specific monitors or automatic switching to monitors for camera groups or individual cameras. Personnel no longer need to attend to system operation and control, as the management system controls all picture-switching functions during an alarm as well as at all other times. Clarify video management system requirements Firstly, the requirements to be fulfilled by the video management system should be verified in the planning phase. Ideally, the software bundled with a digital recorder should satisfy the required application criteria. Some software contain power tools that can control and manage a complete video surveillance system. Another option is to use a recording and image analysis platform that features advanced management functions. If the system is to have a large number of surveillance cameras and support future expansions, then solutions based upon client/server architecture and involvement by the network manager are advisable. Open software architecture advantageous Client/server solutions based upon TCP/IP are ideal for operation in LAN as well as WAN environments regardless of the transmission media. Menu-prompted screens define all functions required for IP-based audio and video surveillance: live observation, recording, alarm management and image analysis. After the functions have been specified, the management Open architecture video management solutions allow integration to many different security systems and business applications system takes over control of the video control centre and works fully automatically in the background. Appropriate interfaces for such a solution allow integration to many different security systems and business applications. Additionally, users can access the surveillance system from any location over a standard browser and find out what is happening on-site without having to be present at the scene of action. Configuring the systems as a closed Video LAN and using the encryption functions for ultimate security can protect sensitive data. Flexibility thanks to the client/server solution The client/server architecture and modular structure of video management systems permit flexible adaptation to different application scenarios. Open software platforms offer demand-led system expansion of additional video sources and therefore maximum flexibility with an application-oriented system design structured on the number of active video inputs and normally based upon specific licence models. This is because analogue security cameras can also be connected in addition to further system components and network cameras offered by leading IP-CCTV suppliers.   View larger imageOpen software platforms ideal to achieve interoperability Systems are expandable with suitable software modules step-by-step, as they comprise a modular server as well as a Windows client for users and administration that communicate over TCP/IP. The server operating system can be Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as well as Linux systems such as Red Hat Enterprise or the free open source version CentOS. Linux-based surveillance software solutions offer the advantage that the operating system can be free for customers depending upon their application and high system stability is assured. The Windows versions mentioned above could be used for the client, though operating systems such as Mac OS or Linux / Unix are also possible depending upon which programs are run. Some high-tech video management software also allow any operating systems to be used on the client. Clients, on the other hand, can use all operating systems that support JAVA. Hardware requirements are dependant upon the required application with the general rule: the more, the better. Numerous manufacturers specify a 2.8 GHz processor (Pentium 4, Pentium Dual Core 2.8 GHz 2M L2 or comparable) and 1024 MB RAM as the minimum server requirements. Expansion variant and features Most management systems offer numerous expansion variants and features. Therefore, in addition to continuous recording at different frame rates and quality levels, recording can also be set by activity, time or by operation of external contacts. The fundamental rule is to focus initially upon the decisive functions: if the video management system features motion detection, camera images can not only be continuously recorded, but recording can also be activated only when there is motion in the picture. It is also possible to combine both variants. Programmable motion detection supports server-based motion detection that reacts to changes in pixels, colour or brightness as well as in-camera motion detection. It is helpful if motion detection is linked to the archive. The enhanced archive playback allows direct jumping to scenes where relevant motion was ascertained. Various software solutions support the AAC audio format including voice anonymisation: in some EU states legislation prohibits the transmission and recording of human voices. The possible identification of a person based on voice is the crucial factor. Anonymisation of audio signals by distortion prevents identification of a person through their voice.   View larger image Expansion variants and features allow recordings to be set by activity, time or external contacts Additionally, attention should be given to client optimisation for multi-monitor operation when choosing a video management software platform. Ideally the system has the potential to operate three or four monitors at one workstation. Some solutions support multi-screen graphics cards and clients are launched automatically and by batch files in full-screen mode as well as without window frames. A site plan function is extremely advisable, as it permits automatic actions as well as camera tracking and switching in response to motion detectors or door contacts. And finally, there should be the capability to store archived recordings externally when the storage media is full. Commonly used export formats include JPEG, AVI, MPEG4 and SAFE (tamper-resistant export). Video analysis with intelligent features Some video management systems can be extended with vehicle number plate recognition, people counting as well as image analysis modules such as object detection. These added video analysis features allow less time to be used up monitoring multiple video feeds within surveillance system and enable quicker response times. Integration in third-party vendor systems and universal interfaces   Image analysis tools maximise benefits of video management systems Universal interfaces and the capability for integration in third-party vendor systems are further features that identify a high-performance video management software platform. They allow integration of external POS systems, vehicle number plate recognition systems, video analysis and people counting systems, RFID systems as well as connection to fire and hazard alarms systems. Whilst fire or intrusion detection systems can be connected over API or the OPC interface, some systems even give access to full functionality over a HTTP / SML interface (SNAP). This allows interchange of live and archived imagery data and events, as well as data and control integration with external applications and systems (control centre, access, alarm, POS systems, etc.). Requirements of different application areas can therefore be catered for in combination with expansion options in the form of software modules. Conclusion - key criteria for video software platform selection Selection of the correct video management software platform is not easy and is dependent upon network structures as well as many additional factors. The most important criteria for reaching a decision include flexibility through open system architecture, and a modular structure to ensure system expandability and adaptability to new conditions. Equally critical are intelligent features such as motion detection for recording movement, activating alarms automatically and for supporting precision programmable detection routines. Image storage functions and video analysis functions are vital when imagery is submitted as evidence. Additionally, the financial aspect must also be considered when, for instance, existing CCTV components such as analogue cameras are to be integrated into the system. Last but not least, attention should be given to user-friendliness as well as clarity when selecting a video management software platform, otherwise there will be operating errors just when a hectic alarm situation occurs. Ideally, the user interface can be adapted: the simpler the console and access to key functions, the earlier the system satisfies customer requirements.     Markus KisselVideor