Axis Loses Resolution Advantage, Pushes New Analog Counter

By: Brian Karas, Published on Sep 07, 2016

Axis has finally given up their key decade-long anti-analog position.

To get around this, Axis is shifting to a new strategy, that is far weaker than their previous position.

In this report, we look at Axis' IP camera benefits vs analog and how their anti-analog strategy is shifting in response to HD analog.

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Comments (13)

Undisclosed Manufacturer #1

09/07/16 04:15pm

Pretty dumb video with no actual usable/new info. Maybe someone should tell Axis that all cell phones still have antennas. They are just internal to the case.

Marty Calhoun

IPVMU Certified | 09/07/16 05:33pm

Lets keep this negative AXIS information rolling and maybe we can get enough steam to surpass the daily HIKVISION kerfuffle.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to Marty Calhoun | 09/07/16 06:17pm

If the company wasn't generating so many clicks with their "kerfluffle" I doubt it would be covered. However, Hikvision is enticing to many in the low end residential/gas station market, trending upwards in SMB, and looming in the near future for the Enterprise due to their subsidizing by the Chinese government. Needless to say their superficially inflated threat generates these articles a lot of clicks. Furthermore, IPVM is the only news source really calling out these concerns and putting in the research so even greater traffic is directed here to those articles.

As I have told product zealots complaining when Mobotix was covered in a negative light, Avigilon was covered in a negative light, and many others: don't click on the articles and stop derailing other threads with mentions of the product.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

09/07/16 06:21pm

It makes sense that Axis would pretend Analog HD doesn't exist as they don't have a presence or method to really combat it. Unfortunately, this feels much like when Axis was invading the market around 2003-2006 where Pelco, Bosch, and the like pretended IP didn't exist.

This is not a good tactic:

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

09/07/16 11:23pm

Admitting ignorance up front on HD Analog.

I understand the advantage if Coax is already in place. What is the advantage of HD Analog in a green fields install? Isn't HD Analog limited to a resolution of 1080P?

Avatar

Brian Karas

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 09/07/16 11:35pm

No, the technology itself has no technical upper-bounds (much like IP, though obviously at some point you may hit a bandwidth limit, it's beyond what matters today). Hikvision has announced 5MP HD-TVI cameras upcoming.

In the 1080p installs the primary advantage is cost, a simple HD-TVI system can be much cheaper for the equipment than an IP setup, even if you're running new cable.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 09/08/16 12:14am

But, are they not limited to a resolution of 1080P?

One thing with the higher resolutions is that so far HD analog higher resolutions are coming with lower frame rates - like 1080p/30 vs 3MP/20 vs 4MP/15 vs 4K (maybe 7.5fps). I am curious to see if this continues.

Undisclosed #5

In reply to John Honovich | 09/08/16 03:00am

Its funny but even with the lower frame rates, HD Analog transmits 10x (or more) the data of IP.

Maybe they will have to do a little compression* on the camera to get the data rate higher.

*Over Rockoff's dead body.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 09/08/16 03:12am

I don't think they are limited in resolution so far per se, so much as the frame rates, as John points out, seem to scale downwards as the resolution increases. Basically we are seeing:

720p / 1 MP - 60 FPS (theoretically)

1080p / 2 MP - 30 FPS

3 MP - 18-20 FPS (per LTS and IPVM report)

5 MP - 12 FPS (per IPVM report)

4K UHD / 8 MP - 7.5 FPS (speculated)

4K(?) / 12MP - 5 FPS (speculated)

The formula appears to be resolution in megapixels / 60 = FPS

I haven't been able to find any HD Analog on the market at greater resolutions than 3MP at this point, at least stateside. The question is currently whether it's a cabling/electrical limitation or a limitation of the technology as it stands currently. One is, in theory, easier to remedy than the other.

Also, before anyone points it out I lump TVI/CVI/AHD all in one.

Undisclosed #5

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 09/08/16 03:37am

I don't think they are limited in resolution so far per se, so much as the frame rates.

Its equally both as you point out:

4K is 4 times the resolution, 8 MP (2 MP x 4) at 1/4 the frame rate 7.5 FPS (30 FPS / 4)

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 09/08/16 11:28am

I haven't been able to find any HD Analog on the market at greater resolutions than 3MP at this point, at least stateside.

Same here. They have been talking about it since last fall. I am not sure if this fall releases will actually bring 4MP+ HD analog but I guess we will know soon enough as companies ramp up fall releases.

Mike Dotson

Seneca | IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 09/08/16 12:39pm

The transmission of a 'chunk' of data within a given FPS is a decent conceptual model.

As the resolution increases...the 'chunk' is larger. The FPS is strictly time.

The 'technology' (TVI,CVI) can only communicate at the rate dictated by its protocol and other electrical parameters.

See this high tech article on how high speed serial communications actually happens on cables.

The result of this is that as the resolution 'chunk' gets larger, the FPS has to drop to stay within the physical properties of the communication.

In the future we will see changes in these key parameters to support whatever resolutions are being demanded.

Undisclosed #4

09/07/16 11:27pm

I personally like this video from Axis. It has good mixture of information that could generate leads with end users as well as integrator. It is also focused on high level benefits rather than getting into the small details.

I agree with comments that Analogue is certainly easier to setup however i feel this ease of setup is limited to situations where a DVR is used. In the video you can see they are connecting through an encoder so this would certainly make setup take longer than an IP camera if using a VMS like milestone for recording.

I feel the fading into the past comment is not factually correct though. HD Analogue is certainly getting traction in the market and it will keep getting more popular.

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