Pelco's Sarix Competitive Price/Positioning Examined

Published Sep 08, 2011 00:00 AM
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Pelco entered the megapixel market moderately late and with a relatively limited lineup. Now, with the release of their WDR / low light optimized SureVision series, Pelco has filled an important hole at the high end of their product portfolio. Additionally, this Spring, Pelco reduced its prices on a number of existing Sarix cameras.

Given this progress, in this note, we compare the price and feature sets of Pelco's IP cameras, including the new SureVision line, to Axis and Sony's offerings for box, interior and outdoor dome cameras.

Box Camera Comparison

Comparing Pelco's standard, mid-level box camera (1.3 megapixel, H.264, day/night) to other vendors, we find the following approximate online pricing:

  • Pelco IXE10DN: $618 (does not include lens)
  • Sony SNCCH120: $550 (includes 2.8-8mm lens)
  • Axis color only M1114: $530 (includes a 2.8-8mm lens) or Axis D/N P1344: $720 (includes 3-8mm lens)

Pelco is at somewhat of a disadvantage in this case, since they do not include a lens, and are priced higher than Sony. Comparison to Axis depends on the Axis model selected. The M1114 is a color-only camera, whereas the rest are true day/night. The P1344, on the other hand, also reports more advanced features such as higher sensitivity, WDR, remote back focus, etc. The Axis M1114 will be approximately $200 less expensive than Pelco's IXE10DN after purchasing a lens. The IXE10DN and the P1344 price out approximately the same.

At the higher end, pricing breaks down as follows:

  • Pelco IXE10LW (SureVision): Estimated $750 online (no lens included)
  • Sony SNCCH140: $800 (includes 2.8-8mm lens)
  • Axis P1344: $720 (includes 3-8mm lens)  

Again, Pelco comes up at a modest disadvantage, though not too far outside the price range of their competitors.

Interior Dome Comparison

Interior domes are probably the most-used camera form factor, making this an important comparison. Again, the following are 1.3MP/720p day/night cameras with varifocal lenses.

This puts Pelco at an advantage for similar cameras. Axis does not have a true comparison to these two cameras. The M3204 is Axis' low-end 720p dome, but is color-only, a major feature difference. The P3344 (below) is day/night, but features remote zoom capability and other features which price it outside of this range.

Higher end domes price out as follows; again, keep in mind that this Pelco model's pricing is only an estimate on our part.

  • Pelco IM10LW10: $665
  • Sony SNCDH140: $950
  • Axis P3344: $830

If this pricing stands upon release, Pelco will be at a $200-300 advantage versus two major competitors, making the IM10LW10 very attractive for scenes requiring wide dynamic range and low-light performance.

Outdoor Dome Comparison

Making a comparison of outdoor domes among these three companies is difficult. Sony's outdoor-rated domes are equipped with IR illuminators, which neither Axis nor Pelco have done. No exterior domes are available from Sony without IR, which results in higher costs for their outdoor cameras. Axis' P3344-VE is a more capable camera, as noted above, than the Pelco at this level. Having said that, this is how these cameras compare on price:

  • Pelco IM10DN10-1E: $574
  • Sony SNCDH160: $800

This is an obvious advantage for Pelco. Some users may prefer the Sony model's built-in IR, but we believe most don't require it for their applications.

On the higher end, pricing shakes out like this:

  • Pelco IM10LW10-1E: $765
  • Sony SNCDH180: $1,200
  • Axis P3344-VE: $1,050

This is a clear price advantage for Pelco. For users needing outdoor surveillance without the IR illumination or remote zoom features of competitive cameras, Pelco would be a very reasonable choice.

Conclusions

Overall pricing for Pelco is close with modest disadvantages on the box side and modest to significant price advantages on the dome side.

We plan to test SureVision this fall to better understand relative performance with Axis and Sony. Our earlier tests of the IXE line (including the camera solo test and later incorporation in shootouts) were dissappointing.

While Pelco clearly has a powerful channel structure and we have seen Sarix regularly specified in large projects, we infrequently hear Pelco as the choice of knowledgeable independent integrators we speak with regularly. It will be interesting to see if SureVision will change our perception of Sarix's competitiveness or the preference of the broader integration community.