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360 Cameras the Most Significant Advance in CCTV History?
by John Honovich, IPVM posted on Aug 25, 2009 About John Contact JohnAccording to Frost & Sullivan, "the availability on the market of highly effective hemispheric camera technology is the most significant advance CCTV has witnessed in its history, the results of which will drive the success of the video surveillance industry for decades to come." This is an incredibly strong endorsement for Mobotix's hemispheric cameras.
What Do You Think?
Background on Frost & Sullivan
Significant evidence shows that Frost & Sullivan claims should be treated skeptically.
In our recent inquiry into their awards, numerous manufacturers verified that Frost asks and receives large payments to publish awards Frost grants. The consensus of commentors on the site were strongly opposed to the practice.
Frost's own employees rate the company as one of the worst in the world - with their CEO falling in the bottom 1% and their company overall in the bottom 4%.
After my report on Frost award's, a Frost executive spoke with me for a long time. While he was pleasant to speak with, he was never able to provide any evidence of their competence. The data he shared was little more than cut and paste from vendor marketing presentations.
The Most Significant in the History of CCTV?
Frost's claim is unbelievably strong. How about the transition from VCRs to DVRs? Or the first DVR that was network accessible? Or the first IP camera? Or video analytics?
All of these easily could be claimed as the most significant advance in the history of CCTV.
While I do think panoramic cameras have value, Frost' hyperbole is misleading and inaccurate.
Hemispheric Alternatives
The significant money Mobotix is spending on promoting their hemispheric cameras is over-shadowing many other offerings on the marketplace (most of which are less proprietary than Mobotix).
For instance, an objective analyst, integrator or end user examining hemispheric cameras should consider:
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