Here are the Manufacturers that Do and Do Not Support Corridor Mode

Published Dec 23, 2014 05:00 AM

A lot of integrators like corridor mode.

This functionality is sometimes called 'hallway mode' or 9:16 or portrait or 90° rotation, etc.

The most common practical example is in hallways, where such a mode better fits that layout of what is being monitored, as shown in the comparison below:

Inside, we break down the results, including 7 manufacturers that do not support, 4 that do, and 2 that claim it is upcoming. Plus, we show how you can now search for corridor mode inside our Camera Finder.

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Comments (27)
JH
John Honovich
Dec 23, 2014
IPVM

If you know other camera manufacturers or VMSes that support this, feel free to respond in the comments.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Dec 23, 2014

On the Avigilon (& other) indoor cameras we install them with the sensor twisted 90 degrees and then in the software adjust the view by 90 degrees and it is the same effect. We do it a lot for halls / corridors and in some swim lanes & other areas that are taller/longer than they are wide.

JH
John Honovich
Dec 23, 2014
IPVM

A, thanks for the feedback.

In our testing, we could not even get Avigilon cameras to display rotated on third party VMSes even after using ACC to set it up.

For our Camera Finder, if we list Avigilon cameras as supporting corridor mode but someone uses any other VMS but Avigilon, it looks like it won't work. That's why we did not include Avigilon.

It's a tough case and it would be simpler / cleaner if it did work for Avigilon cameras connected to third party VMSes. Do you have any info / experiences to the contrary?

U
Undisclosed #2
Dec 23, 2014
IPVMU Certified

And yet the UI option to rotate image in ACC is only present, AFAIK, for (All) Avigilon cameras. It shouldn't be 'harder' to flip a non-Avigilon image than a Avigilon one, when done at the server, right?

So does that imply that ACC is intentionally limiting existing functionality to make their camera line more appealing?

It is of course normal and natural to have better integration with ones own cameras, but is it accepted practice to disable existing functionality for no other reason but marketing?!

How do Avigilon partners feel about this? Is this an industry wide practice?

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Ethan Ace
Dec 24, 2014

I haven't seen the option in ACC to rotate cameras other than Avigilon's own.

U
Undisclosed #2
Dec 24, 2014
IPVMU Certified

Agreed. Is there any technical reason you can think of why they can't do it for any manufacturer's camera just as quickly and easily as their own?

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Dec 25, 2014

Hi John,

Lilin camera L series (1080P @15fps) and Pro series (1080P@30fps latest firmware version) are supporting Corridor Mode.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Dec 29, 2014

I think I've run across a Sony or two that could do it by accident but definitely not supported on the majority of the line.

IJ
Ian Johnston
Jan 06, 2015

This is one great application of why having the camera knowing it's orientation is important. With ISD and DW Spectrum and Network Otpix, you can simply hang the camera sideways and it will automatically rotate the image to show the image right side up.

Great for cameras that accidentally get mounted upside down as well.

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Phil Coppola
Jan 06, 2015

Sony Firmware verison 2.4 which has been officially released will now support "corridor mode". The file has not yet been posted to our firmware download site, but should be up within a week. In the mean time, if you need this feature please contact your local Sony Security Account Manager or Local Area Rep. They can get you the file.

Avatar
Derek Ward
Jan 12, 2015
Hanwha

Sony has recently released firmware version 2.4.0 on their G6 camera lines, and we now have 32 Sony cameras that have corridor mode capability.

Check out and compare them in our IPVM Camera Finder!

MI
Matt Ion
Feb 07, 2015

I found this feature really useful on the 2MP Dahua mini-domes we were using (despite the strange fact that it would only work when the camera was set to 720p or lower)... was disappointed to find the newer 3MP replacements removed the 90-degree rotation feature altogether. Doing a lot of restaurants, I've found it's a great function for places like walk-in food coolers.

Avatar
James Talmage
May 07, 2015
IPVMU Certified
Samsung's Wisenet Lite does support "hallway" mode. Because heaven forbid the industry standardize on a term and miss an opportunity to "differentiate" themselves from the competition.
(1)
MI
Matt Ion
May 07, 2015

Axis, Dahua and HIK (at least the ones I've used) all just call it "Rotation" or "Rotate". Because heaven forbid a simple descriptive function be re-labeled with a catchy buzzword.

TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
May 07, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Which VMSes don't support rotation?

Is there a valid reason that any VMS/DVR/NVR software wouldn't include such a trivial transformation?

Of course if the camera can perform the transform without impacting its performance, then great. But otherwise, CPU cycles are cheaper at the server, no?

Avatar
James Talmage
May 08, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Rotation at the server would require a decode / reencode, which is not cheap. The cheapest points to perform the rotation would be when the image is in an uncompressed state; At the camera before compression, or at the client after decompression. If the camera does not support rotation, I imagine the most efficent way for a VMS to perform the rotation would be to store and serve it unrotated, and have the client perform the rotation for the viewer. That said, it does seem fairly simple to implement (client side) and I am not sure why VMS's would not support it.

(1)
TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
May 08, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Rotation at the server would require a decode / reencode, which is not cheap.

Good point! Besides CPU being not cheap, there would be the unavoidable loss of quality from the reencode, so that's not desirable.

I think that the viewer should be able to perform the transform during the decode, if necessary. As it creates the frame object in memory, by just swapping x and y array indices. Compared to the CPU effort of the decode it is already performing, such logic shouldn't add much.

As for which way consumes less resources overall, one thing to consider is the fact that most video never gets viewed and therefore never needs rotation. With the energy you would save over needlessly rotating a trillion frames or so, you could plant one less tree. Or something like that. :)

TA
Tasneem AbuQutaish
Sep 02, 2017
Adler Elreha Security Systems • IPVMU Certified

Regarding ACTI Cameras, you sure it supports Corridor format feature ? 
Thanks

U
Undisclosed #2
Sep 02, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Certainly on some models, for instance the I-series:

(1)
DE
Dennis Eversole
Dec 28, 2017

Certain cameras and Series do support Rotate/90/Hallway/Corridor/catch-word-of-the-day.  For instance, all the cameras in the A Series support it, some of the newer model cameras in the E and B series do as well.  As the product line is revised, it will be a standard feature across the line.

This should not be confused with Flip or Mirror, which are supported on the vast majority of models, but it a different thing.

Disclosure - ACTi BDM

TA
Tasneem AbuQutaish
Sep 04, 2017
Adler Elreha Security Systems • IPVMU Certified

Thanks, because the term "corridor" is not mentioned, and also on IPVM searching for ACTI models nothing shows up, so just to make things clear : is the flipping feature (even in other models) same concept as corridor format ?

Many thanks!

U
Undisclosed #2
Sep 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

is the flipping feature (even in other models) same concept as corridor format ?

Generally yes.  It's usually no more than a swapping of x and y coordinates.

Though if the camera image was by default was taller than wide, one could argue it was already in corridor mode.

(1)
U
Undisclosed #5
Dec 28, 2017

I don't believe this is correct.

My understanding is that 180 degree flip is a mirror image (either up and down or left and right) - it does not swap the x and y axis as hallway or corridor mode does.  Instead, it replaces a point on the x or y axis with it's own opposite.

Am I wrong?

DE
Dennis Eversole
Dec 28, 2017

Cant speak for other brands, but for ACTi, Mirror and Flip are two different things.  Sometimes linked, sometimes separate, depending on camera model.

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Rafael Oneda
Dec 28, 2017

It would be great if this report should updated.

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Ethan Ace
Dec 28, 2017

Thanks for your comment. We will update this, as it could use more examples of where to find corridor mode settings and more detail in manufacturer support.

We'll queue that up for the new year, but in the meantime some of that information (and test results) can be found in Corridor Mode Tested.

Avatar
Raymond Shadman
Sep 28, 2022
IPVMU Certified

Uniview is another manufacturer that supports Corridor Mode. It should be stated, however, that Corridor Mode does not offer the same pixels as mounting the camera on its side. The pixels are still in a 16*9 orientation with Corridor Mode. It only changes the view of the camera. To get the most pixel density in a hallway or along a perimeter, mount the camera on its side, and rotate the image 90 degrees with the camera or the VMS.