Extending the Life of Analog

Love your analog camera but the CCTV system isn’t cutting it for you?  You’re not alone.  A lot of analog cameras are still going strong after the rest of the system bites the dust.  In fact, manufacturers have hardware that lets you keep your favorite cameras and give them the network surveillance lift.

The main reason you’re looking for a solution is most likely because the monitor, DVR or VCR gave out…or you can’t find any more VHS tapes.  That’s ok, surveillance has prepared for this.  Nowadays you can use a PC for video processing and back-up with your analog cameras.  There are just a few components you need to have:

Video Encoder: This piece of equipment is what makes it possible to keep your analog cameras while moving forward with digital equipment.  VoIP Supply carries models such as the ACTi ACD-2100 and the Axis Q7404. From the analog camera through the coax cable, the encoder takes the feed and digitizes and compresses the data for viewing and storing on the PC. However, any time you convert data, some of the quality will be lost.

Storage and Server: For a single camera to a handful of cameras, a PC with a dual processor should do the work you would like it to do.  The dual processor gives the computer the power to process the converted feed as well as perform any basic intelligent video tasks, as long as it’s strictly used for surveillance.  If the job description requires several cameras and advanced intelligent video features, quad processors and video servers might be worth looking into.

With these updates, you can maintain your analog cameras and get good use out of the coax cable!  Just remember a few pointers:

Video conversion, compression, and intelligent features take a toll on the processing power a computer and encoder can crank out.  Be certain to buy the proper equipment to handle the amount of processing that needs to be done!

Give a little thought to the future: analog cameras are made well and tend to outlast their monitor counterparts, but no technology is made to last forever.  See if there is a way to create a system that is future-proof and capable of upgrading to an IP Camera System easily!