I do agree that Box is the solution when you need long distance (>15m) identification or plate recognition - with long vari focal lenses CS capabilities... (5-50 , 15-50 or more)
But I know lots of integrators (or may be more installer profiles.) deploying boxes, because they got BNC ports , like analog much easier to setup with analog display handheld.... Camera formfactor is just matching their ways to manage installations and also maintenance.