Milestone Launches DVRs

Meh, wake me up when they get a combo VCR/DVR/NVR model.

I think it's interesting that Milestone Systems, who touts themselves as "a world-leading provider of open platform IP video management software (VMS)" launched the Husky appliance at all- given its more analog than IP.

Btw, Milestone is giving away 3 DVRs during ASIS - enter here.

I can't quite understand how the expansion of Milestone's product offerings comes in conflict with the "Open platform" concept. As a long time partner of Milestone in my country in Eastern Europe I have always seen this concept as the possibility to implements various brands and types of IP devices in a single, integrated software platform. Yes, Milestone was acquired by another company and still they do support (on driver level) more than 1000 different devices. Yes, they released an embedded NVR and still you can assemble your own server and put on top Milestone's software. So I would say that the "Open platform" concept still is pretty much alive. What will or might become in the future is pure speculation at that point..

I will give you another perspective based on my experience on the market in Eastern Europe. In fact various Milestone partners here have been begging them to release an embedded server/NVR. The reasons are different, some of them being:

- Large part of the system installers/security companies do not have enough knowledge and/or experience to calculate and assemble the right IT server. Or at least it takes them considerable time and human effort to do it. Many of them are still coming from the analogue world and they expect to have similar logic in the IP area, at least regarding the embedded recording device. The IP migration is quite a task for them, and any help in the way of a ready to use out-of-the box recorder is a big plus. I have had various customers (system installers) who are afraid to do all the calculations and assembling IT servers, not to mention the installation of OS, drivers, etc.

- The Husky NVR that I saw it is just a pre-assembled PC server with Milestone pre-installed. Nothing more. It does not hold any new technology, it does not lock or limit the future customers (it can be expanded with licences). There are not any PC cards or something, no propietary hardware. It is just a third-party PC made by DELL (even the warranty comes from them). So it is not a Milestone product, but rather an IT product distributed by Milestone. The main advantage for the customer as we will try to show it is the fact that it can save a lot of time for the installer, while the end-user can have a total-solution-equipment from one provider (which on our market is a plus)

The software itself is still hardware agnostic and any integrator can assemble and support any other kind of PC server, given that he has the adequate knowledge, time and desire to do so..

Indeed, you are quite right about the "pure software play". I attended a seminar in spring 2012 where E. Fullerton argued exactly the same - they are only software focused manufacturer, they do not offer any hardware devices. He emphasized that IP is the only way to go. He even went so far as to suggest that if the customer asks for analogue or even hybrid - we should let him go and don't offer at all.. In a market where the ratio between analogue and IP was 80/20, this sounded really unrealistic (if not arogant). I would say that his presentation made a bad impression to many. Even from today's point of view in late 2014, IP is still not dominant on many markets and CVI/TVI/AHD are probably going to further threaten some parts of it - so I would say that the sectarian approach of Fullerton today sounds even more on the wrong side. And at that seminar in 2012 people were asking him about hybrid solutions (or at least not to pay for every channel of the expensive multi-channel encoders), about embedded devices with Milestone, about support of DVR devices..

It is a pity that they listened to the clients so late.. But hey, better late than never :)

" Sad, very sad"...Why would this be sad? Sorry, but the personal Milestone bashing over here is getting old.

We use Milestone on pure analog retro fit projects--it works perfectly.

1. Because Milestone records at D1 vs CIF, it makes the old cameras look like new and all we changed was the software and server.

2. Your strictly analog system now has an upgrade path for IP cameras as they add new cameras.

3. How can you beat Milestone's new pricing??? 1 license per analog card IP address. You get 16 cameras in Milestone VMS for the price of 1 license. That's incredible! A huge cost saving that makes these analog only upgrades now competative with DVRs. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Avigilon (4 analogs for 1 lic).

4. New projects may be IP, but there's a HUGE market for upgrades that need to be done where analog is still going to stay.

We don't currently use the Husky appliance because our server builds are designed for us and more cost effective, but we'd certainly evaluate it for future projects.

I love IPVM but please, lets keep the personal bashing out of it. Just the facts....just the facts.

On the one hand this sounds crazy, but on the other hand one observes...

- encoders cost approximately zero (check out grandstream. is it really only 25% as good as the Axis equivalent?)

- all-in-one-box solutions are appealing to a -cough- technically challenged channel (i.e. trunkslammers don't need to learn so much networking)

- Swann and the others are climbing up the evolutionary scale, maybe these people are scared of that.

My opinion only, this is all Canon. John asked a question just after the buyout that basically asked if it was a good move or not. I remarked something to the effect it would not take Canon long to change things. Milestone has had a market stance for years - open platform, software only, etc. They are now owned by someone else. That old market stance no longer applies. That was them then, this is us now.

This was absolutely inevitable from a Canon perspective. To Bill's point, Milestone is "perceived" as a market leader, and yes the market is fractured to the point that there is no break-away leader. Milestone has always had excellent marketing. That too will change. Canon does not have the same marketing ability. That fractional market makes it tough on integrators and very tough on end-users in years to come. Who knows if half of these people will be in business 5 years from now?

There is a very old adage in business, you grow or you die. This was inevitable. I predict in the next couple of years, Axis will have a full VMS product that competes with everyone else. Their market share is slowing to a grind. Competition is everywhere and profits are tougher to realize. You do what you have to do to survive.