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ABF automatically adjusts the image sensor's distance with the lens in order to compensate for different back focal lengths of lenses. ABF can eliminate the time required for manual adjustment of focus. It can also be automatically activated when switching from color to B/W mode.
AGC increases signal strength when there is inadequate lighting for the camera.
ANR feature allows video data to be buffered on a camera's local storage in the event of a network outage. When the network connection is re-established, this buffered video is used to replenish any recordings missed during the outage.
Some light sources are flickering lights such as fluorescent lights that are not noticed by human eyes but can be noticed by cameras and it may cause flickering or rolling artifacts on the video. Using anti-flickering option can match the lighting condition of the scene to avoid these artifacts.
Anti-passback is a security measure that aims to prevent consecutive entries for one access card or prevent multiple people from using the same access card.
Arm is a function to activate alarm alert.
Auto iris lenses incorporate an electronically controlled iris, which allows the lens to maintain one light level making them ideal for outdoor use or any applications with varying light conditions.
Auto-tracking is a PTZ camera-based feature which enables a PTZ camera to follow a moving object till it gets out of frame.
AWB is defined as an adjustment that allows the camera to select the best white balance and color temperature settings for a given scene.
The baud rate is the rate at which information is transferred in a communication channel. In the serial port context, "9600 baud" means that the serial port is capable of transferring a maximum of 9600 bits per second.
In digital telecommunication, bit rate is the number of bits that pass a given point in a telecommunication network in a given amount of time, usually a second. Thus, a bit rate is usually measured in some multiple of bits per second - for example, kilobits, or thousands of bits per second (Kbps).
Back light compensation is a mechanism by which an IP cameras can compensate for high light levels behind the target by enhancing automatic exposure control on the camera.
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a light-sensitive integrated circuit that stores and displays the data for an image in such a way that each pixel (picture element) in the image is converted into an electrical charge the intensity of which is related to a color in the color spectrum.
CIF is a specific video resolution that measures 352 pixels in width and 288 pixels in height.
CMOS is a type of integrated circuit chip manufacturing process that can be used for many things, including digital camera image sensors. CMOS camera sensors are generally cheaper to manufacture than competing CCD based sensors.
A Codec is a program for encoding (compressing) and decoding (playing back from a compressed state) multimedia data such as audio and video streams.
Vertical format, also Corridor Mode or vertical view mode, is a method of rotating the camera to record with a vertical (tall) orientation instead of the traditional horizontal (wide) orientation.
An automatic iris lens controlled by the camera using DC voltage levels.
Dynamic DNS (DDNS or DYNDNS) is a method of automatically updating a name server in the Domain Name System (DNS), often in real time, with the active DDNS configuration of its configured hostnames, addresses or other information.
Defocus detection is used to detect if there is any image out of focus in the video and causes the image to become blurry, and generate an alarm during such detection.
Defog function uses an image correction algorithm to improve the visibility of an image and provide clarity in foggy weather.
DHCP is a network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to a network device from a defined range of numbers configured for a given network.
A digital watermark is a kind of marker covertly embedded in a noise-tolerant signal such as audio, video or image data. It is typically used to identify ownership of the copyright of such signal.
Dynamic noise reduction is a digital video processing technique that measures the noise (image artifacts) in the picture and automatically reduces it to obtain bright and ghost free images even in dark environment.
DNS is a system for naming computers and network services that is organized into a hierarchy of domains. DNS naming is used in TCP/IP networks such as the Internet, to locate computers and services through user-friendly names.
Dual Stream means that the camera can output two simultaneous video streams with different codecs, such as JPEG plus MPEG-4, or JPEG plus H.264. It's useful for recording high-quality video while also transmitting the same pictures over a network with limited bandwidth.
Electronic image stabilization (EIS) is an image enhancement technique that minimizes blurring which is induced due to wavering and get stable images.
eSATA is a standard for connecting and transferring data from external storage devices to a computer and competes with FireWire 400 and universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 to provide fast data transfer speeds for external storage devices.
F-number is the ratio of the focal length to the effective diameter of the lens. The smaller the f-number the larger the aperture allowing more light to pass through.
Face Detection is an analytic function in a camera, that detects human faces in digital images or videos by proper focusing & generates an alarm parallelly in case of preconfigured setting.
Focal length is the distance between the secondary principal point in the lens and the plane of the imaging device. The longer the focal length, the narrower is the angle of view.
FOV also called as angle of view is the width of the scene that a camera detects on its sensor. It is determined by the focal length of the lens in relation to the sensor size.
FTP is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network.
H.265 is a video coding standard that can reduce the bandwidth and storage requirements of IP video streaming by up to 50% compared to the previous standard, H.264.
In Vantage DVRs/NVRs there is HDD Group Mode which is used to manage multiple HDDs. Multiple HDDs are combined and made as groups, and video signals of the cameras can be recorded in specified HDD groups.
HDD quota is a limit set by a system administrator that restricts certain aspects of video file system usage on DVRs/NVRs. The function of using HDD quotas is to allocate limited disk space to record specified video signals.
A heat map (or heatmap) is a graphical representation of motion where the individual values contained in a matrix are represented as colors.
IK Ratings are an international numeric classification to indicate the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts.
An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a software application that monitors motion activities in a restricted area, raises an alarm and starts recording as per specified recording configuration.
An IP Rating represents the level of protection provided by a device against the intrusion of solid objects and liquids.
Iris is a mechanism within a lens that is adjusted to vary the amount of light falling upon the imaging device.
Line crossing detection is used to detect objects crossing a predefined virtual line within the camera and to generate an alarm during detection of such events.
A MAC address also called a physical address of a computer, is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.
The Mechanical ICR filter exists between the lens and the sensor to block IR light during the day and slides out of the way at night to allow the black & white mode to pick up the IR light, allowing True Day & night functionality in camera.
MIFARE DESFire is a smartcard technology that utilizes a simple application directory structure. Card data is encrypted using 128-bit AES with an additional layer of security provided.
Motion Detection is a software-based monitoring algorithm which detects motion and transmits the signal to camera through which an event gets captured.
Multi-address mode is a function of the NVR with more than one network port. Each Network Port works independently with separate parameter settings, which can be assigned with a different IP address in a different network. Multi-address mode can be used to establish network isolation.
A hot spare is used as a failover mechanism to provide reliability in system configurations. N+1 hot spare provides redundancy to the NVR. When an NVR fails to connect to the network, a hot spare NVR will take its place to ensure data integrity and reliability. After the failed NVR is online, the hot spare NVR will send the data back to the working NVR.
Net-Fault Tolerance Mode is a function of NVR in which more than one network interface card (NIC) is used for redundancy. If one NIC stops working due to any interruption, then other NIC will take control and NVR will not face any network breakdown.
NTP is an internet protocol used to synchronize with computer clock time sources in a network.
The NTSC is responsible for setting television and video standards in the United States. The NTSC standard for television defines a composite video signal with a refresh rate of 60 half-frames (interlaced) per second. Each frame contains 525 horizontal lines and can contain 16 million different colors.
Object removal detection detects removal of an object that is already defined in the area of interest in a scene and enables a preconfigured alarm to be generated. It is ideal for museums, high-end retail and similar asset protection missions.
ONVIF is a global and open industry forum with the goal to facilitate the development and use of a global open standard for the interface of physical IP-based security products.
OSD is a method of displaying set-up information such as time and date and/or instructions on a display monitor or directly onto a video stream.
OSDP is an access control communications standard developed by the Security Industry Association (SIA) to improve interoperability among access control and security products.
P-Iris is an automatic, precise iris control, involving a P-Iris lens and specialized software that optimize image quality. P-Iris provides improvements in contrast, clarity, resolution and depth of field.
P2P Cloud Video Management delivers video management applications over the internet cloud rather than using software that is installed on your personal computer.
PAL is a colour encoding system for analogue television used in broadcast television systems in most countries broadcasting at 625-line / 50 field (25 frame) per second.
A pixel refers to the smallest unit of a digital image captured by a camera's image sensor.
A preset is a pre-defined view or shot programmed into the memory of a PTZ camera allowing the camera to be quickly moved on command to show an area of interest, such as an entrance.
Privacy mask is a feature used to hide selected areas within a video frame ensuring those areas remain private and are not recorded or monitored.
Progressive scan is a technology associated with an IP camera's imaging sensor and is used when transmitting, displaying or storing moving images.
A protocol is a set of rules and standards that allow different devices to communicate and exchange data.
PSIA is a global consortium of more than 65 physical security manufacturers and systems integrators focused on promoting interoperability of IP-enabled security devices and systems across the physical security ecosystem as well as enterprise and building automation system.
QCIF is a specific video resolution that measures 176 pixels in width and 144 pixels in height.
RAID is a feature through which same data can be stored on multiple hard disks to provide fault tolerance & to improve overall performance in a system.
Region entrance is a behavior analysis function that helps to detect an event and trigger an alarm If anyone tries to enter a pre-defined restricted area.
Resolution is the number of pixels (individual points of color) contained on a display monitor, expressed in terms of the number of pixels on the horizontal axis and the number on the vertical axis.
ROI is an area of an image that is the target for further analysis or processing.
RS-232 is a serial communication protocol which can be used for terminal communication purpose.
RS-485 is a serial communication protocol which can be used for higher speed and longer distance communications.
Scene change detection helps to detect change in camera direction and generate an alarm if anyone tries to change the installed camera direction so that camera can record different location video.
The Smart IR technology is able to intelligently change IR lighting levels based on the scene while reducing motion blur and ignoring areas where there is no movement. This allows the beam of IR illuminators to focus only on the relevant content within the scene and ensure IR illumination is not wasted on irrelevant content.
Smart Playback is a feature of Vantage NVRs in which the system will analyze the video containing motion or VCA (Video Content Analytics) information. The video with motion or VCA will be played at normal speed while the one without motion or VCA information will be played at up to 16-times speed. The Smart Playback rules and areas are configurable.
SMTP is an Internet standard communication protocol for electronic mail transmission.
SNMP is an application–layer protocol defined by the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) in RFC1157 for exchanging management information between network devices. It is a part of Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP⁄IP) protocol suite.
Signal to noise ratio refers to the measurement of the strength of a signal in relation to the background noise and is expressed in dB (decibels). In a video signal, values from 45dB to 60dB produce acceptable pictures and values less than 40dB will produce noisy pictures.
SNTP is a simplified version of Network Time Protocol (NTP) that is used to synchronize computer clocks on a network. This simplified version of NTP is generally used when full implementation of NTP is not needed.
TCP/IP is the basic communication language or protocol of the Internet, used to interconnect network devices on the internet.
Transcoded stream is a feature of Vantage NVR for remote view and playback, and is used at such locations where bandwidth is limited.
Triple stream means the IP camera can simultaneously output three different video streams, each of video streams can be configured with different resolution, frame rate, bitrate and codec type. Triple streams give much more flexibility to users by allowing different data streams to be sent simultaneously, and each for independent purposes.
Tripwire detection is used to define a virtual line within the camera view where an alert can be generated if an object is detected crossing the line.
Unattended Baggage detection detects and triggers an alarm when an object is left unattended over a predefined period of time. It can be used to detect illegal parking, or vehicles staying too long in certain zones, etc. It can also be used to search recordings for events such as parking violations and blocked freeways.
UTP cable is the most common kind of copper cable. Twisted pair is the ordinary copper wire that connects home and many business computers to the telephone company. To reduce crosstalk or electromagnetic induction between pairs of wires, two insulated copper wires are twisted around each other.
Video compression is the process of reducing the file size of a video file by reducing the amount of data needed to represent its content, but without losing too much visual information.
WDR combines two fields, high shutter speed exposure in bright areas and low shutter speed exposure in dark areas into one composite image. This feature helps to get clear images from dark parts without saturation from the bright part.