Video surveillance is critical to many civilian and military operations. Unstable analogue video cameras produce poor quality images that take time to transmit or download.
CCTV users can solve this problem with dedicated video stabilisation that keeps images clear and speeds transmission times. Electronic image stabilisation offers a way of making the most of your remote or mounted video camera systems, wherever they are deployed, says the CCTV product company Acal BFi.
Why choose video stabilisation?
Video footage is now one of the most common ways to provide evidence, identify threats, conduct surveillance and monitor situations. It avoids the need for personnel on the ground and it is a recognised method of collecting and collating information.
That information must be of a good enough quality to make a difference – whether from an unmanned air vehicle or the dashboard of a traffic police car. Shaky images, poor downloads and inferior resolution can render expensive video systems useless.
Video stabilisation offers –
•Better images – it may sound simple, but enhancing the quality and clarity of video images enables front-line personnel to be more effective. Details are clearer, threats more obvious and movements easier to track from one frame to the next.
•Improved compression and transmission – capturing clear images is one thing, transmitting them efficiently to allow accurate comparison of frames is another. Shaky analogue video makes it difficult or even impossible to see the differences in the frame-to-frame image. Electronic image stabilisation allows images to be converted from analogue to digital, improving the quality of the image. Digital images are faster to transmit, so operators can transmit more data or can even transmit data from multiple sources using the same connection.
The SRI Electronic Image Stabilisation solution
Working with SRI International, an R&D company, Acal BFi offers a range of video stabilisation products that can work with your camera systems to reduce shake, convert analogue to digital, improve compression and speed up transmission.
•Acadia ILS-6500 – a stabiliser and encoder
•Acadia ILS-5000-SD – pictured, designed for OEM analogue cameras including Sony FCB-EX and FCB-EX-E.
•Acadia ILS-6000 – ruggedised stabiliser for remote and extreme sites.
•Acadia ILS-6100 – printed circuit board for integration into remote camera uses.
•Acadia ILS-6200 – rack-mounted stabiliser for a standard 19-inch rack.
•DL Micro – video stabiliser and encoder featuring wireless datalink dedicated for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).
These products have all been tested at SRI International’s facilities. In tests, the measured bit rate using video stabilisation devices was between 10 per cent and 70pc of that of the original shaky images. This means that a significant amount of bandwidth can be released for extra transmission channels, or higher resolution images.
About Acal BFi
The firm operates in 11 countries in Europe, China and South Korea. Each country has its own salesforce and technical support teams. The company have acquired four companies over the last three years – BFi Optilas, Compotron, Hectronic, MTC, Myrra and YEG. For more information – www.acalbfi.com
