Analog V/S IP technology

Where analog on one hand is the old way of security devices, IP is the new technology in use. Linking the security device to wires and keeping the monitoring part restricted had been the conventional way but now the scenario has changed and people want to keep a check on the security of their belongings while they are on a go. To cater to this need the IP technology comes into play.

The principle difference between analog and IP cameras is the method by which the video signal is transmitted and, ultimately, where the video is compressed, or ‘encoded’.

IP

Analog

IP cameras excel in capturing high definition, megapixel images but have trouble with low lighting conditions. Dropped frames and video artifacts are commonly seen in IP CMOS cameras.  IP cameras are limited in encoding resources. As a result choices have to be made with respect to codec, frame rates and quality where the selection of one decreases quality of another. Since the video is being compressed before monitoring, you can never have the highest quality or real time images. Encoding at the camera introduces latency, which becomes an issue when an operator needs to track something with a PTZ controller and overcorrects. IP traffic, like Voice-Over-Internet (VoIP), is subject to a myriad of potential faults, such as: bandwidth limitations, network congestion, varying bit rates, large file sizes, load balancing, viruses and latency. If the network fails, even momentarily, the recorded or monitored video will cease or degrade.

Analog CCD cameras perform well across a variety of lighting conditions and manage motion well. Analog cameras do not have capabilities above the NTSC/PAL standards. As analog compresses the video in the DVR there are more hardware and software resources available to provide increased video quality and frame rate. Analog cameras transmit the video image to the DVR uncompressed where it can be viewed live with no latency pre-compression. Analog video traffic is not subject to any networking issues or risks. The bandwidth is virtually unlimited. It is a passive connection, similar to an analog telephone connection, and cannot be interfered with due to problems external to the video surveillance system.