Types of HD CCTV

There are several different types of HD CCTV on the market and they are all subtly different. It's important to make sure you choose the right type.

HD-SDI

This was was the first analogue HD technology widely available and was supposed to allow HD over existing coax cable. There were 2 main problems, you needed really good quality coax cable which meant systems had to be re-wired anyway and the maximum cable runs were quite short. You needed to fit boosters or repeaters every so often, the other problem with HD-SDI is you can't use CAT5 cable. Most people want to use CAT5 because it's future-proof and easy to run. Finally, HD-SDI is not backwards compatible with standard-definition CCTV.

HD-CVI

This technology is manufactured by a single company in China - Dahua. Even within the CVI family, there are compatibility issues, 720P wasn't compatible with 1080P and there are a couple of different generations with later equipment not being fully compatible with previous equipment.

HD-TVI

This is our preferred technology. It is fully compatible with standard definition analogue cameras (D1 and 960H resolution), 720P and 1080P are both supported although we only sell the higher resolution 1080P cameras. Cable runs can be made in CAT5e or CAT6 cable using video baluns just as you would with standard CCTV. As with standard definition, CCTV HD-TVI allows long cable runs without the need for repeaters. The other great thing about TVI is that unlike HD-CVI which is only available from one company HD-TVI was developed by the American company Techpoint and is supplied as an open platform which means it is used by many different manufacturers.

HD-AHD

Another technology from China. The big benefit is the cost, it's cheap. Image quality isn't as good as HD-TVI and it is more limited in terms of hybrid compatibility.

IP

The NVR or network video recorder is at the heart of an IP-based CCTV system. An IP network can be expanded and customised as required and can run over a very large area with the use of wireless bridges. As long as an IP camera can be plugged into the same network, anywhere on the network, then an NVR can add that camera for recording. There is also a wide range of cameras for differing uses including number plate recognition, facial recognition, speed domes and analytical processing.

Please feel free to call and discuss the various HD options available on the market.