Salient CompleteView VMS Tested 2016

Really seems out of date and behind in functionality. What are the major aspects it's still around? Outstanding support? Momentum from past to users? Loyalty based on a strict dealer channel?

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Undisclosed Integrator #2

We recently looked at taking on Salient as another VMS to sell, but what killed the idea was having to exclusively buy through ADI. They used to sell direct from what we found out.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #1

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2

Just having to go to another screen or tab to play back video is a non-starter for me. One of those things that you feel almost personally no one should have to do. We've had customers before who went from one system that let you playback video in the same live view window, to a new system that required you going to different screen for playback and had a near revolt against it.

No ONVIF support is the other one. We all know ONVIF conformance is way from perfect or enforced, but it's a standard the majority of the industry has decided on and there's no excuse when the industry has too little standards to begin with. It gives me the impression of a company that has pulled back on investing in development, a common move by management who are trying to maximize short term profits at the expense long term competitiveness.

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Marty Calhoun

IPVMU Certified

Its easy, No ONVIF, No Way!

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Undisclosed #3

IPVMU Certified

Display scaling: This transcodes streams into only the resolution required by the current size of the viewing client...

Hopefully while at ISC, Salient stopped by the Avigilon Walk-in Confessional and got a voucher good for unrestricted HDSM usage, else...

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Brian Carle

[Full disclosure, I’m the Director of Product Strategy for Salient]

With respect to enterprise system management, there are some significant features that our large scale users benefit from. First, CompleteView’s Admin Console allows for centralized software updating. An administrator can select any number of NVR servers being monitored in Admin Console and push a software update to those servers simultaneously. The Video Client can be configured to ‘pull’ the update down from the servers which results in the ability for administrators to perform software updates to clients and servers from a central location. Another feature allows client configuration to be stored centrally on a Configuration Server in CompleteView. This allows for remote client configuration as well as roaming users (log into any client and the corresponding ‘user experience’ is downloaded to the client).

Another item of note is multi camera export. CompleteView includes a separate player application, called Video Player, which allows the user to open multiple exported video clips for synchronized playback.

With regards to ONVIF support in CompleteView, that feature will be released in version 4.7 of CompleteView scheduled to be released in July of this year.

Finally, on Display Scaling (what we call “Dynamic Resolution Scaling”), in the video posted (at 1:32) after zooming in the live streaming resolution does not update. CompleteView will actually crop out the areas of the camera’s field of view that are not displayed on the screen, so even though the user sees higher quality video in the digitally zoomed area the video resolution transmitted from the server to the client may not change. This feature helps save bandwidth even when digitally zooming in the client. Dynamic Resolution Scaling does not affect recorded video; CompleteView always records the native video resolution streamed from the camera.

Brian Carle

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #1

In reply to Brian Carle

Brian, the centralized update is a nice feature. I know of another VMS that updates clients when they are not at the same version as the server, but not as robust.

As for the video player for synchronized playback of video exports, I know of another system that does that, and others that export multi-cameras views like Exacq and others. Not a bid differentiator, in my own opinion.

Why support ONVIF now when ONVIF has been out for 7 or 8 years, with pretty much industry expectation of it as a standard for the last 3 or 4 years. In the cold eyes of the market, though, the answer would be moot as the question is rhetorical.

Finally, almost all the major players have some sort of scaling ability in their clients, just in different ways. You can be different, but how does it make it a must have above other considerations when similar results can be had by other products?

I know deciding what to spend time and resources on in the development road map that will best capture market sales is not an easy thing. My point is the different capabilities you have do not make up for not having what are now standard expectations.

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Jon Dillabaugh

Pro Focus LLC

So this is al they have to show for 20 years in the industry? They are light years behind NX Witness, which is still a very young program.

Pass.

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Itamar Kerbel

In reply to Jon Dillabaugh

Any chance IPVM will do a review like this one to NX Witness?

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Jon Dillabaugh

In reply to Itamar Kerbel

Pro Focus LLC

If so, make sure you get the latest release, v 2.5

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John Honovich

In reply to Itamar Kerbel

IPVM

NX Witness has the unfortunate ban on NA sales / requirement to both through DW (i.e., Spectrum). Otherwise, it would be doing better much better (DW has held it back).

That said, we might test it. Right now, we are testing DVTel's VMS and then are considering what is next.

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Itamar Kerbel

Actually I'm looking forward for DVTel as well.

Regarding NX since DW and NX are the same testing one will be the same as the other and benefit your international IPVM members :)

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John Honovich

In reply to Itamar Kerbel

IPVM

Itamar, well played! Btw, is NX available locally for you? Just curious to hear how it works in your region.

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Itamar Kerbel

Very early here, to early to say if there is real impact.

Digivod is gaining some strength here.

If you like I can send you directly a whole list of the major players here.

[IPVM note: Requested]

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Kyle Folger

•Apr 17, 2016

IPVMU Certified

I'm not sure that DW has held it back. NO (Network Optix) is always releasing new versions with the only problem being the length of time it takes for DW to release their re-skinned version. DW's biggest problem is that NX provides better support for it then DW does. DW doesn't even have a ticket support system that I can find. I have since given up contacting DW until they can get their act together.

Just recently they posted a press release on their Facebook page for V2.5 with the update code. However, it still wasn't posted on their website under downloads and it's still not updated. The phone app isn't released on the App Store. When you call in, tech support didn't know about the press release and said the product wasn't officially released. However, I updated my demo system.

If you can get past DW support, the product is still solid, and they are constantly adding features and fixing bugs.

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John Honovich

•Apr 17, 2016

IPVM

In reply to Kyle Folger

I'm not sure that DW has held it back. NO (Network Optix) is always releasing new versions

To clarify, when I say held back, I mean (DW) on the sales / marketing / distribution side.

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Kyle Folger

•Apr 17, 2016

IPVMU Certified

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #5

After posting, I wondered if that's what you meant. To that effect, I would agree. They offer too many IP products and Spectrum is simply one of the offerings.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #4

•Apr 19, 2016

One nice advantage that Salient now offers is through the OEM relationship they have with AMAG, which sells the software through their own channel and offers the best integration with their access control platform (I think it's the only one that actually provides 2-way integration, though I'm not 100% sure of that). Other platforms are clearly better, more advanced, and more flexible than Salient, but to AMAG clients, it really is a pretty solid solution.

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #5

•Apr 19, 2016

Is there any other VMS software that does QuickTrack like what Salient offers?

Most of the operators that I talked to in casino said that they will use hardware to record the video image again in another monitor that operator actually sees.

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Pekka Vainonen

•Apr 20, 2016

Yes there is, Ksenos VMS. Editable video clip in live video and recordings.

www.ksenos.com

Disclaimer: I'm CEO of Ksenos VMS

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Michael Miller

•Apr 20, 2016

@Undisclosed 5 Manufacturer Genetec has "incident recording" which very similar.

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Mike Dotson

•Nov 04, 2016

Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

I saw a question in a related thread that asked why Salient needs extra horsepower in the server.

I got involved with answering this question when a customer recently installed the VMS on one of our servers and the CPU choked.... processing less than 200Mbits.

What I discovered is that the architecture of the VMS has a large function built in that performs all the stream functions like transcoding and other client/server support.

You can either leave it on or turn it off.

The Server Side VMD is a big one and the Salient docs frequently recommend to do VMD on the camera. Their design tool also has this choice.

Also... every Client stream will be transcoded which is why the system sizing tool asks how many will be processed.

From the manual... this is the big function that users CPU resources.

CompleteView™ performs Stream Processing on the input video to provide advanced functionality including:
 Server Motion Detection
 Timestamp Overlay
 Camera Name Overlay
 Dynamic Resolution Scaling
 Dynamic Frame Throttling
 Dynamic Video Decoding
 Video Transcoding or Recompression
 Camera Previews
 Video Analytics
 Email Notifications

Processed video streams are then made available for live streaming to video clients and per-camera video recording.

Bottom line is you will need big CPU for this VMS ...frequently spec-ing a Dual Xeon config.

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Undisclosed #3

•Nov 05, 2016

IPVMU Certified

In reply to Mike Dotson

What if two clients are viewing the same quad for instance? Does the second client increase the amount of transcoding, or do they share?

Is the timestamp overlay burned into the recording?

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Mike Dotson

•Nov 07, 2016

Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

That is a good question for which I have no answer. Their documents suggest that each client gets its own 'transcoding engine'...however, the real life result is what clarifies that.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a Salient license to test with like we get from many other VMS partners.

For example, I would like to know if I can move the Completeview/Client function onto another system, where I could built it up with big CPU power and memory...and leave the Recording server as just that...save the recordings and serve up the old data.

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Brian Carle

[Please note, I work for Salient]

Undisclosed #3, for Dynamic Resolution Scaling to work the video from the camera being viewed must be decoded from its compressed format then scaled to the resolution being viewed at the client. Decoding is much more CPU intensive than scaling.

When multiple clients are viewing the same camera, the video stream of that camera is decoded just once. Each client stream is independently scaled and since that process is much less CPU intensive, having multiple clients view the same camera does not increase the CPU load significantly.

With respect to timestamp overlay, a timestamp (or camera name) can be added to the recorded video if the recordings are transcoded. In most CompleteView deployments timestamps are overlaid on the client but not in the recorded video. Video is recorded with the time as meta data added to the clip and can be viewed in our exported clip player, providing the benefit of an overlay without obscuring details in the video.

Mike, Dynamic Resolution Scaling does scale the video resolution independently for each client. Each client will receive the exact resolution of the viewing area for that camera on screen (up to the resolution the camera is recorded at), even if other clients are viewing the camera in a smaller or higher resolution.

Also, the CompleteView clients can be moved to a different computer than the recording server.

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Mike Dotson

Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

Brian...thanks for clarifying a few things. Now I have additional questions.

The server has two choices that will control heavy CPU use ...and their relationship is not quite clear.

These are the "Disable Stream Processing' and "Dynamic Video Decoding".

My interpretation is that the Stream processing choice is the 'master' where it must be doing its stream processing and the DVD is the 'slave' where it tries to reduce the CPU load per the criteria. If the Stream processing is disabled then the DVD has no purpose for that camera.

For the case where I have my cameras doing the motion detecting, and I have defined the 'Camera Alerts'...how does the Server Motion Detection get turned OFF for those cameras?

Please consider clarifying how these settings work together.

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Brian Carle

In reply to Mike Dotson

The Dynamic Video Decoding setting will prevent CompleteView from processing a camera stream when server based motion detection is not used and when no users are viewing a camera (and therefore, Dynamic Resolution Scaling is not required).

Disable Stream Processing disables all processing for a video stream. Users can still view video form cameras but the stream sent to clients will not be dynamically scaled. With Disable Stream Processing turned on, DVD is no longer used. In that sense, DSP is the 'master' and DVD is the 'slave'.

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Mike Dotson

Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

How does a user turn OFF server side motion detection? Doing this was not clear in the docs.

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Brian Carle

In reply to Mike Dotson

Server side motion is off unless the user configures motion detection on a camera by drawing motion zones in the camera's FOV during configuration. Motion recording also needs to be set on the recording schedule for the camera. The motion recording schedule controls both server and camera side motion detection and is required for either to be active.

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Mike Dotson