Hanwha Wisenet X Tested
Hanwha has released their latest generation, the Wisenet X series, powered by their new Wisenet 5 processor. This new series claims improvements to low light, WDR, compression/bitrates, and image stabilization.
To see how the X series performs, we bought the 2MP XNV-6080R vandal dome and tested against:
- Samsung Wisenet III SNB-6004
- Axis P3225-LVE
- Hikvision DS-2CD4256
- Panasonic S2531L
We tested daytime and nighttime imaging, wide dynamic performance, smart codec performance, image stabilization, and more.
Summary
Our testings show the Wisenet X series offers a number of improvements over Hanwha/Samsung's previous high-end line, the Wisenet III series, without an increase in price, including:
- Moderate imaging improvements in low light and WDR,
- Significant bitrate reductions in all scenes (due to H.265 + Wisestream)
- Strong image stabilization (due to gyroscopic image stabilization) and additional analytics.
For those already installing/using Hanwha, the Wisenet is an attractive upgrade.
The XNV-6080R performed similarly to competitors in low light and WDR scenes tested. Additionally, Wisenet X H.264 bitrates were lower than all competitors but Axis due to its inclusion of Dynamic FPS (which only Axis and Wisenet X include).
Finally, the XNV-6080R's H.265 bitrates with Wisestream enabled were among the lowest (if not the lowest) we have seen in our tests, as lower as 1 Kb/s in well lit still scenes. However, as with all H.265 cameras, support for H.265 is limited, with only a handful of VMSes supporting H.265 in general and none listing Wisenet X H.265 models.
Pricing
The Wisenet X XNV-6080R sells for ~$620 USD online. This is in a similar range to competitors such as the Axis P3225-LVE, Dahua DH-IPC-HDBW82A1EN-Z, or Hikvision DS-2CD4526, as well as the previous generation SNV-6084R.
Physical Overview
The XNV-6080R is typical of vandal resistant outdoor dome cameras, with two uncommon features:
- Dual SD slots: The camera is equipped with two MicroSD slots, for a total of up to 512GB on board storage.
- Wi-fi dongle: Hanwha offers a USB wireless dongle which may be plugged into the camera for aiming and focusing via mobile phone/tablet app. This is uncommon, though others such as Avigilon and Sony also offer this capability.
Compared to typical vandal domes, the XNV-6080R is average sized, shown here compared to a Hikvision 4526.
Configuration
The Wisenet X uses Hanwha's new web interface, similar to the P/Q series. The only new additions are options Dynamic FPS (discussed below) and audio classification analytics.
The screencast below show this web interface (taken from our review of the Wisenet Q).
Image Quality Comparisons
We tested the Wisenet X camera against competitive 1080p vandal dome models, as well as the previous generation Wisenet III, using this indoor field of view:
Night, ~0.1lx
At night, all integrated IR models produced solid images of the subject and test chart, shown below.
In color mode without IR illumination, the Wisenet X camera is significantly better than competitive cameras and the previous generation Wisenet III, close in performance to the Hikvision 4526, which uses a larger 1/1.8" imager.
Wide Dynamic Range
The XNV-6080R's WDR performance was similar to or slightly better than others in our tests, adjusting quickly to the door opening and subject stepping inside.
Day, ~300lx
Finally, in well lit scenes, performance was similar across all cameras, seen here:
Bandwidth Comparison
In the Wisenet X series, Hanwha has introduced Dynamic FPS, in addition to dynamic compression and GOV adjustments previously available. This feature is a simple on/off checkbox, with no minimum setting (similar to Axis Zipstream 2).
Due to this addition, the XNV had some of the lowest bitrates seen in our tests in still scenes, comparable to the Axis P3225 (which also includes dynamic FPS). However, in a high motion scene, bitrates were ~3 Mb/s higher than Axis, approaching the Panasonic S2531L with Smart Coding.
(Dynamic GOV 160, Dynamic FPS, and Wisestream Medium were used in these comparisons)
When using H.265 with Wisestream, the XNV-6080R's bitrates dropped to extremely low levels, 1 Kb/s in still, well lit scenes, and <2 at night. As in H.264, however, bitrate spiked in a high complexity scene to ~5 Mb/s, though bitrate was ~30% less than H.264 in the same scene.
Improved Digital Image Stabilization
Due to an on-board gyro sensor, the Wisenet X line claims enhanced digital image stabilization. In our tests, it indeed offered more stable images when under vibration or outright shaking of our test rig, shown below (Wisenet X on left, Wisenet III on right):
Like other cameras featuring image stabilization, camera field of view is reduced when enabled, removing the area highlighted in red below:
Test Parameters
Cameras were tested using default settings with few changes:
- Exposure was set to a maximum of 1/30s in all models.
- SSDR level 22 and WDR "High" were used in Hanwha / Samsung models
The following settings were used for each camera's smart codec:
- Hanwha XNV-6080R: Dynamic GOV 160 / Dynamic FPS On / Wisestream High
- Axis P3225-LVE: Zipstream Extreme / Dynamic GOP 1200 / Dynamic FPS On
- Hikvision 4526: H.264+ On
- Panasonic S5231L: GOP Control On (Mid) / Smart Facial Coding On
Firmware versions used:
- Hanwha XNV-6080R: 1.00_170117
- Axis P3225-LVE: 6.50.1
- Hikvision DS-2CD4526FWD-IZH: 5.4.41 build 170310
- Panasonic WV-S2531L: 1.41
- Hanwha SNB-6004: 3.03_150918