[IMAGE]1422[/IMAGE]

“With all the cameras we have added and everything digital now, whatever happens throughout any of our monitored locations, we will likely have some video of it. The system also can protect us from a liability standpoint,” says Sullivan.

Analog and IP Cameras are Seamlessly Integrated

In a testament to the pace at which IP-based video solutions have become more accessible in just the past few years, planning for the Renaissance project essentially preceded the emergence of IP affordability. The installation’s use of analog cameras is also proof of the traditional format’s continued viability.

“We had been talking to [Toledo Hospital officials] about cameras for at least two years. At the time, IP was still in its infancy and some of the early cameras were significantly more expensive,” Mramor explains. “The other consideration was we had to integrate more than 100 existing cameras. At that time the technology that integrates analog and IP wasn’t available either.”

Couple the budgetary consideration with the IT department’s bandwidth apprehension, and the decision to expand upon the existing analog backbone was a no-brainer.

“It wasn’t like an entirely new building in which we’d be starting with a clean sheet of paper. We had to always keep in mind that at some point we are going to have to integrate those existing cameras and some existing digital recording capability into the control center and we wanted to make it as seamless as possible for the officers,” Mramor says.

The hospital’s security personnel view video feeds on three 15-inch monitors, eleven 20-inch LCDs and three 42-inch plasma displays. The vendor’s camera types used in the new tower include compact domes for most areas, other models for high contrast lighting areas, plus a few outdoor and indoor pan/tilt/zoom (p/t/z) cameras.

The cameras feature Super Dynamic III (SDIII) technology with 128x dynamic range and pixel-based contrast correction circuitry to maintain image integrity regardless of contrast within a single scene or changing lighting conditions.

“We use Panasonic’s SDIII cameras in areas where there are glass partitions and doors,” says Mramor. “The ability to see inside and outside simultaneously has just been phenomenal. It has worked out very well for the hospital.”

[IMAGE]203[/IMAGE]

Rodney Bosch is the managing editor of Security Sales & Integration magazine.

 

If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Related Content