Virtually everyone who’s reading this today can’t imagine a world without video. The only exceptions may be folks who spent their earliest years somewhere without technology, but video has been around for the rest of us as long as we’ve had self-awareness. Given that, since that time, it has changed leading to IP surveillance and so much more!
We’ll begin when IP surveillance was but a glimpse in a programmer’s eye.
As a child, the highlight of my week was walking down to the local video store, picking out a movie (and scaring myself silly with the horror section covers). Since then, “video” has gone from meaning VHS to DVD to streaming! Blockbuster ate up that charming video store. I later found myself working for the once ubiquitous chain in two different states, before it went under. Netflix made it obsolete with mail-order DVDs…then Netflix and other streamers made that service obsolete!
Today, we can watch videos on a TV, computer, tablet, or phone! We can even stream it live. That was impossible 15 years ago, let alone when the first motion pictures were created.
There’s no historical agreement on who produced the first video. Generally video historians argue between“horse in motion” and the “Roundhay Garden Scene.” But some claim it was even earlier, in 1874, whenFrench astronomer Jules Janssen and Brazilian engineer Francisco Antônio de Almeida “recorded” Venus.
Part of that depends on your definition of video.
Regardless, the inventors who created the first motion picture likely never dreamed of everything we could do with them today.
Film to Digital
Those first movies were recorded in photographic film. Since then, we’ve collectively made a shift to digital film.
Though the development of digital photography began in the 70s, it wasn’t mainstream until the 90s when digital cameras started to replace film. Later, in the 2000s, film studios began to create movies (and later television) with digital photography. Eventually, it all but replaced traditional film mainly due to speed and costs. Though “film” still exists, it is used primarily in artistic settings.
Digital Film
So far, we’ve primarily talked about film abstractly or in relation to the entertainment industry, but of course, as a business technology company, RCI uses cameras for digital and IP surveillance.
Back when we first began providing surveillance in the 1980s, it was called closed-circuit television. “Closed circuit” was used to differentiate it from broadcast television that was sent somewhere else (like network TV). Instead, closed-circuit stayed on the network where it was filmed.
The term CCTV still sticks around as a vestige of a time when it was an accurate description.
Back then, you could store video, but it was more expensive than it is today because you needed film for every moment of recording you wanted to save. And since you never knew what you would need until there was a problem, most businesses would keep their footage for at least 30 to 60 days.
Digital Surveillance
Digital surveillance removed the need to keep physical copies of the footage. Instead, the footage was stored on a server attached to the system. Businesses use digital video recorders (DVRs) to store footage.
Today, many businesses still use digital video for their recordings, even as IP (internet protocol) cameras are dominating the market. There are several reasons why some companies haven’t made the switch.
Security
One of the main reasons people continue to use digital video cameras instead of switching to IP or cloud surveillance is security. When cameras transmit information wirelessly or over the internet, it can be easier to hack.
When cameras are truly CCTV, you need to be on-site to get or alter footage. You need to break into the “closed circuit.” When cameras use IP tech, they’re closer to old-fashioned broadcasting because they send the information out.
Reliability
Similarly to security, some people continue to use CCTV or digital cameras for reliability. Because they are wired in, they’re more challenging to take out, and not being reliant on the internet gives them one fewer point of failure.
Cost
Finally, some people stick with digital cameras because they were installed before IP was readily available or was more expensive. As most business owners know, if something is working, you need a compelling reason to spend money to replace it.
Cloud & IP Surveillance
We briefly mentioned IP cameras in the previous section but didn’t go far into explaining them. Like IP phones, IP cameras are built to transmit over the internet. They take less cabling because you can use power over ethernet (POE) to run the network over the same cable that connects them to the network.
Where digital cameras use DVRs, IP cameras use Network Video Recorders (NVRs). IP technology also makes it easy for someone to monitor from offsite.
Today, many people are going a step further by using wireless cameras. In residential neighborhoods, camera app combos like Ring and Google Nest have made it easier than ever to see what’s happening outside your front door.
With that said, there are some security setbacks with wireless cameras and possible vulnerability to interference. We mentioned some of these concerns earlier, such as vulnerability to hacking and interference.
Wireless cameras also depend on the strength of your Wi-Fi network, and we’ve all had issues with unexpectedly spotty wireless.
Conclusion
Like the people who made the first motion pictures in the late 1800s, chances are we can’t picture what leaps forward video will take. As of now, the near future is moving toward IP cameras.
As a business owner, it’s vital to weigh out the pros and cons of various digital and IP surveillance systems with a professional company with a DCJS certification before deciding what system and equipment will be best for you.
