HDcctv Alliance

HDcctv is all about HDTV-quality video surveillance:
+ Broadcast industry compliant forensic evidence
+ Digitally transmitted full HD HDTV signals
+ Conventional CCTV cable lengths at over 100m
+ No packet loss or compression delays

HDcctv upgrades preserve sunk costs:
+ Plug-and-play resolution upgrade for regular CCTV
+ Also plug-and-play for IP-camera based systems

HDcctv is likely to become the next generation in the evolution of video surveillance technology!

The HDcctv Alliance is not “anti-IP”.

The Members of the Alliance recognize that surveillance systems will continue to rely on IP Video for integration beyond the premises.

We also believe that HDcctv systems are commercially superior to megapixel IP camera-based systems within the premises for most physical security applications.

An HDcctv camera presents 3 to 12 times more pixels per second than a normal CCTV camera, which data is back-hauled as appropriate.

By directly increasing demand for wide-area network capacity, the Members of the Alliance expect HDcctv to be welcomed by networking companies.

Surveillance-Grade Reliability: HDcctv does not break up the video into packets and then attempt to transmit the packets via an occasionally congested network.

Plug-and-Play Resolution Upgrade: Transition from D1 to HDTV is as easy as swapping one or two cameras from 380 HTVL to 520 HTVL while also upgrading the DVR from M-JPEG to H.264.

The UI You Trust: For the installer/operator, the only difference is HDcctv DVR recording configuration screens show higher values (1280 x 720 and/or 1920 x 1080) in the pull-downs for record resolution in addition to the conventional D1 values.

True HDTV Live View: HDcctv does not compress or packetize the signal before transmission, so no compression image artifacts or frame interruptions are observed.

Real-Time Speed Dome Control: HDcctv systems do not employ any compression, including those forms that delay the signal by a noticeable period of time.
Therefore the HDcctv system operator experiences no delay between joystick commands and speed dome responses.

Best Possible Input Format for Analytics: HDcctv systems digitally deliver crisp, unadulterated video from cameras to DVR for the clearest possible analytics input.

No, the Alliance does not generally offer a product certification service.

Along with the standards themselves, the Technical Committee is addressing methods and apparatus required to determine compliance with the standards.

The Charter Members include Comart, CSST, EverFocus, Gennum, OVii, and Stretch.

The Alliance was formed to develop and manage standards and compliance specifications, as well as to promote the value of HDcctv within the physical security equipment industry and in the end market.

The Membership Fees are annual and paid at the beginning of each Membership year.

The fees described herein are subject to change by the Alliance’s Board of Directors and are inclusive of all fees paid to the other standards bodies from which HDcctv standards are derived.

Most individuals and industry analysts would join as Affiliate Members. The annual fee is for Affiliate Members is $90.

Most CCTV equipment manufacturers and many of their customers and vendors would be expected to join the Alliance as Adopting Members. The annual fee for Adopting Membership is $5000. There is no further charge for access to the Alliance’s marketing materials; this pricing arrangement compares favorably to that offered by other similar standards bodies to their members.

If you think you might be interested in becoming a Voting Member, please contact us.

Affiliate Members are able to access Alliance-internal information (including draft specs, detailed information about compliance testing, certification, qualified equipment list, etc.) via a unique login at www.highdefcctv.org.

Affiliate Members are also invited to monitor committee meetings as well as the general meetings, panel sessions, and rock concerts that the Alliance sponsors from time to time.
Adopting Members enjoy all the benefits of Affiliate membership, in addition to receiving the right, at no extra cost, to advertise and sell security equipment as “HDcctv compliant”, including text marks and logos. Delegates from Adopting Members may participate actively in defining the specifications, compliance requirements, and activities relating to promotion of HDcctv.

Voting Members enjoy all the benefits of Adopting Members, in addition to being able to vote on Alliance issues, including the membership of the board of directors.

Individuals and companies can apply to become Members at www.highdefcctv.org.

Information regarding the draft interoperability specification v0.9 is available to Members via their unique logins on the website.

Maximum signaling distance depends on the cable quality.

Current solutions work over RG59 up to at least 100m.

It is anticipated that future solutions will operate at 300m before requiring repeaters.

The v1.0 Specification describes only the video uplink.

Successive versions of the Specification will address up-the-cable control, bi-directional audio, and up-the-cable power, and so forth.

The answer lies in the simultaneous emergence of:
• affordable image sensors capable of capturing surveillance-grade HD images
• cost-effective image processing circuits coupled to (or embedded in) those HD sensors
• low-cost HD-SDI transmission technology adapted from broadcast HDTV
• codecs capable of processing broadcast-industry-standards-compliant HD video stream
• inexpensive HD display panels (leveraging consumer trends)

The upgrade to HDcctv can be as easy as swapping the DVR as well as a camera or two.

That’s why HDcctv is Plug-and-Play.

An HDcctv System is a video surveillance system wherein broadcast-industry-compliant high-definition video (HDTV) signals are transmitted digitally over conventional CCTV media without packetization and without any human-perceivable compression latency.

The serial digital transmission link in HDcctv is derived from SDI foundational technologies that were developed for the professional broadcast market, where they are now widely deployed and well proven. Details about a representative SDI technology can be found on-line at http://www.gennum.com/video/technology/3G/index.php.

HDcctv is a standard for transmitting 720P and 1080P video over coaxial cable uncompressed and non-packetized. The technology is based on the work of SMPTE for broadcast studios, and behaves much the same way analog does, video starts streaming out of the source line by line to a receiver with next to no latency.

No.

An IP camera installation tends to require a wholesale equipment change.
This is sometimes called the "fork-lift upgrade".

HDcctv preserves the existing investment in SD and IP cameras, while providing a plug-and-play for all cameras having a < 100m run on coax back to the DVR.
For the other SD and IP inputs, the customer gets a hybrid DVR with a great display.

Therefore HDcctv presents unique advantages to large-scale applications such as casinos or airports, delivering immediate benefits in a non-disruptive manner.

An open question is whether new coax is less expensive than a network to install and maintain. If pulling coax is acceptable, then HDcctv presents a compelling upgrade path for complex applications.

HD DVRs are generally designed to accept not only HD camera inputs but also inputs from SD cameras and IP cameras (including megapixel IP cameras). Therefore, you do not necessarily lose any capabilities upgrading to HDcctv.

HDcctv is attractive to achieve (or re-gain) the ability to control Speed Domes using a joystick.

The HDcctv Alliance Technical Committee brief extends to all video media commonly used in surveillance.