News from the CCTV industry...

Despite the cost advantage of CRT screens, LCD monitors are slowly gaining ground in the surveillance market. Traditional black and white CCTV CRT monitors still outsell CCTV LCD screens due to their lower price, but LCD monitors for surveillance application are slowly gaining popularity in the security market. Buyers are attracted by their light weight, portability, brightness and the sharper images that LCDs deliver. Small portable CCTV LCD monitors are popular among system integrators and construction companies because they can be used to test camera setup and settings at construction sites. Taiwan makers such as Lee Ming Industrial Co. Ltd and Topica Technology Co. Ltd manufacture battery-operated portable CCTV LCD monitors for such applications. Lee Ming's LSM-413 and LSM-713 feature 4-inch and 6.8-inch panels, respectively, while Topica's TP-56CCTFT has a 5.6-inch LCD powered by a rechargeable battery. Large-size CCTV LCD monitors are also gradually replacing power-hungry CCTV CRT models as prices become more affordable. Some makers in mainland China are already producing professional-level CCTV LCD monitors. "We introduced professional-level CCTV monitors with 15- or 17-inch panels in the second quarter of 2002," says Jefferson Tong, vice president of Satow Electronic Co. Ltd. Shenzhen Diverse Way Industrial Co. Ltd's TFT9815 features a 15-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and brightness of up to 350cd/m2. Prices are likely to remain constant in the near future as makers absorb rising panel costs in order to stay competitive. In Taiwan, 15-inch CCTV LCD monitors are currently quoted around $300, FOB, while 17-inch models are priced at about $500. The larger 18-inch and above models could cost $700 FOB or more. In mainland China, makers are offering 5- to 8-inch monitors for $80 to $120.   Higher performance standards LCD monitors designed for surveillance applications must meet higher performance standards than those designed for non-surveillance purposes. For example, CCTV LCD monitors require faster response time than LCD monitors for PCs. An average LCD PC monitor has a response time of at least 20 seconds, while the average response time of an LCD CCTV monitor is around 15 to 16 seconds. CCTV LCD monitors also have higher contrast ratios and luminance than PC LCD screens. An average PC LCD monitor has a 250:1 contrast ratio while CCTV LCD monitors feature contrast ratios of anywhere from 300:1 to 500:1. A 6.5-inch CCTV LCD monitor can have a brightness of 250cd/m², which can reach 400cd/m² for 15-inch and 17-inch models. Resolution is another competitive feature of CCTV LCD monitors. While most high-end CCTV CRT monitors offer resolutions of up to 450 TV lines, sales director Jason Lin of Taiwan Video System Co. Ltd says his company's CCTV LCD monitors boast up to 500 lines resolution, citing model HCP15V01 in particular. Additionally, while most LCD PC monitors offer only one type of interface, CCTV LCD monitors feature at least two, and may include BNC composite, D-sub VGA, DVI and S-video connections. Yet another significant advantage of LCD panels is that these devices do not emit harmful radiation, while CRT makers must meet FCC and CE standards to ensure the low radiation and glare of their products.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Locally, (Traverse City MI) we have had a couple recent break-ins where drugs were taken. Local officials believe the perps were seeking drugs to be used as "date-rape" drugs. Below, are examples of those types considered to be in that category. Rohypnol pharmaceutical used in 80 countries to treat severe sleep disorders member of the benzodiazepene family of medications other benzodiazepenes include: Diazepam: Valium Triazolam: Halcion Alprazolam: Xanax GHB central nervous system depressant found naturally in the brain and other tissues Ketamine general anesthetic used extensively in veterinary medicine an arylcycloal kylamine If you stock any of these, you may wish to take added precautions to protect your business against break-in, or at least provide a tool for identifying perpetrators if it still occurs. Though the news is useful in reporting these events, it unfortunately tends to provide a little too much information to the wrong people who are planning illicit activities. Here is a simple system (and upgradeable ) design to help protect you: (1) Low profile BW Dome camera (complete unit) (1) Time-lapse VCR 24-36 hour (1) 12" Monitor BW High resolution (10) T-160 Video Tapes Professional grade Fuji (1) 50' length of Video cable with power and video connections for the camera (1) Set of instructions… tech support. Cost of this package… $747.00 Sony camera with mount and lens could be substituted for $66 more. IR See in the Dark Camera can be substituted for only $44 more . A Lock box for the VCR is available for $180 If you haven't already, please feel free to call and ask questions. The best times are from 12noon til 8pm EDT M-F. And 10-8 Saturdays. Other times - email might be answered more quickly than the phones. You may also visit out sites (shown below) to learn more about how to protect yourself. ----------------------------------------------- January 30 2001 Remote surveillance systems go digital High prices have long relegated CCTV surveillance systems to a high-end niche. However, there are signs that this niche is growing. One source estimated that the line is growing by 10 percent to 15 percent a year. Countries covered: Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States August 2000 from Asian Sources Electronics -------------------------------------- December 01 2000 Digital video management systems offer 1.5T of storage UNITED STATES — Gyyr Corp. has released its latest version of DVMS 100 and 400 series digital video management system software. The new software enables users to add up to 1.5 terabytes of memory to Gyyr's DVMS systems for unrivaled storage capabilities. The latest DVMS software supports the Medéa Corp.'s 150 GB and 225 GB RAID disk storage array. By adding a disk storage array to each of the DVMS system's seven external SCSI ports, users have virtually unlimited storage capacity. "We have designed our DVMS systems to be flexible enough to accommodate all types of customers from banks that require up to 90 days of recordings to retail stores that save only a week of video images," said John Sisk, product manager of Gyyr. "The real benefit to this expanded storage capability is that it eliminates the need to change and physically store large quantities of VHS tapes." Both the DVMS 100 and 400 series systems combine motion detection, digital recording and video transmission with remote administration, resulting in a single, fully integrated digital security solution. The DVMS architecture, complete with a realtime operating system, is designed for unattended operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.   Sept 29, 2000... icunet.net begins news board. Items included will be relevant articles for the cctv field. Also covered will be items for icunet.net visitors. Contributions will be credited with links and name if desired.