Performance ********
***** ** *** *****, VMS ****** ********** *********** falls **** ***** ******:
- ****** ***********:******* *** ******* ***** (and *** ****) **** the *** **********. ******* scored ******** ** * out ** *** ** categories *** ******* ** the ********* *, ***** Network ***** *** ****** scored ******** ** * categories. *** * ******** no **** ******.
- ***** ***********:******** *** ***** ****** strongly ** * **********. Avigilon ****** ****** ***** Stream *********** *** ***** scored ****** ** ***** Stream ***********.
- ******** ***********:*****, *********, *** ********* were *** ****** ******* VMSes. ********* ****** ****** in * *** ***** scored ****** ** * categories, ***** ********* ****** poorly ** *. *** 3 ****** ******** ** 4 **********, *******, *** only ****** ****** ******** was ****** ******* **********.

*** **** ********, *********** rankings **** ***** **** common ***** ********* **** monitoring ******* **** **** a ***. ***** ********* of ******** *****, *** control, ********* ******* *******, and ******* ****** ***** playback.
***** ** ** **** Webinar ** *********, ******** 19th, ** **** *** where ******* *** ******* will ** ********, *** questions **** ** ******** (******* ************ ****).
Summary ** *******
***** ****** **** *** full ******* *** **** Live ********** ******* ********. Some ** *** ******** like "******** / ******* Favorite *****" *** "**** Event **********" ****** ******* or ****** ** **** of *** *****, ***** "Video ****** ***********" *** "Digital *** *******" *** average ** **** **** more **** **** ** the ***** ** *** test.


Key ***************
*** ********* ********** **** areas **** ****** *** most ******** ******* *****:
- **** ********* ******: ***** *** ********** designs ******* ****** ***** and ********** ****** ******** allow ********** *** ******** everyday ***** ** ******** tasks ******* *** *********. Avigilon, ******* ***** *** Hanwha ********* ********. *****, Exacq, *******, *** ********* scored *******, ***** ********* performed ******.
- ******* *** *******: ***** **** ** quickly ****** ******* *** presets ** * **** important ** * *** than ********* ********* *** presets ** *** *** of ****** ********** ******* continues ** ******* **** (**** ***** *** ***** Declining). * ***** ***** Digital *** ******* (******* and *****), *******, ***** requires *** ****** ***** Page *** ****** *******, while ******* ****** ****** creation *** ****** ***** in *** ********** ****. 3 ***** ***** ******* Multistream ***** **** ***** views (*****, ******* *****, Hanwha), ***** **** **** in ***** ** *******. 2 ***** ****** ****** (Hikvision *** *********) ******* they ***** ** ******* PTZ ****** *******.
- ******* **** ******* *************: ** ** ********* that ***** *** ********* viewing ***** ****** *** standard (***, ***, ***.) layouts. ***** **** ***** tested ******* ** ******** in **** ********, *** difference *** *********** ******* the ********* ********** (*****, Genetec, *********) *** *** poorest ********* (*********)
- ***** **** *******: ***** **** ******* is * ***** *******, however, **** *** ****** video **** ******* ******* remote ****** ** ******* output *******. **** ***** tested ******* ** ******** in **** ********, ****** Dahua.
- ***** ****** ***********: **** **** ** the ***** ******* **-****** diagnostic *********** (***** ****, throughput, **********), ***** *** provide ***** ****** *********** for *************** *** *******.
Video ******** / *** ********* *** **********
** *** ********* ******, we ****** **** *** scoring, ****** *** ********* and **********.
********
******** ****** ******** ** 7 ********, *** ******* in *. **** **** scored ****** ** ***** Stream ***********.
*****
***** ****** ******** ** average ** ** **********, and ****** ****** ** Video ****, *** ***** in ********** *****, *** Video ****** ***********.
*****
***** ****** ******** ** 7 **********, *** **** scored ****** ** ***** Stream ***********. **** ****** average ** *.
*******
******* ****** ******** ** 9 ********** *** *** not ***** ****** ** any **********.
*********
********* ****** ******** ** 4 ********** *** ******* in * **********. **** scored ****** ** * including ** ******, ***** Sequences, ******* *** *******, Web ***** ** ********** Tile *** ***** ****** Diagnostics.
*********
********* ****** ******* ** 6 ********** *** ******** in *** *******, ***** Sequences, ******* ****** *********, Stream ******* ********** *** Web ***** ** ********** Tile. **** ****** ****** in **** ******* ************* and ******* *** *******.
******* ***** / ******
******* ***** *** ****** scored ******** ** * categories *** *** *** score ****** ** *** categories.
User ********* ******
*** ** *** ***** except ********* ****** ******* or ****** ** *** category ** ** ******. The ******** *** ** Design *** ********** *********** functionality *** **** ********, uncluttered **** ****** *** responsive ********** **** *** not **** ******** ** options **** **** *********** based ** ****** *************. A ********** **** * Masters ****** ** ********-***** Interaction **** ******** ********** reviewed **** *** *** the ****.

** ******* ** * strong ** ****** ***** is ******* *****, *** the ******* ******* ***** and ***** **** ******:

******** **** ****** ********, however, ***** **** **** minor ****** **** ******* PTZ *******. **** ***** can ** ********** ***** a ***** *****, *** left-click-and-drag ** *** ********* for ******* ****** *** "hand" ******* ****** ** selected. *** *** ******** is ********** ** *****-*****-***-********, which ** ** ************ behavior ******:

Digital *** ****** ******* *** *********
* ** *** ***** scored ******* ** ****** in *** ******** ** Digital *** *******, ********* and ********* ** *** offer ****. *** ******** for ******* *** ******* was ******** ***** ** create *** ****** ******* within *** **** ********** View, *** ********* *** user ** *** *** configuration **** ** *** VMS.

* **** ******* ** Genetec's ******* *** *******, which *** ******* *** recalled **** *** **** monitoring ****:

***** ****** *******, *******, it ****** ******* *** presets, *** ******** *** user ** ***** *** live **** *** *** up *** ******* ****** the ***** *****:

*****, ******* ***** *** Wave ***** *****-**** *******, but *** *** *******, which ****** ********* ****** windows **** *** ** saved ** * ******** View *** ******:

Tile ******* *********** *********
* ** *** ***** scored ******* ** ****** in *** ******** ** Tile ******* *************, **** Milestone ******* ******. *** criteria *** **** ******** was ******** ***** ** create ****** *******, **** no *********** ** *** many *** ** *******. Milestone **** *** ***** customization ** ******* *****.

* **** ******* ** Exacq's ******* ************* ****, which ****** ******** ****** layouts ** ** *******, up ** ** ******* on * ****** ******:

***** ******** ****** **** Pattern *************, **** ****** average ******* ***** ** a ***** ** ** total ******** **** *** be *****.
Video **** ******* *********
******* ***** ***** ***** a ***** *******, ***** VMS ****** ******* ***** wall *******. *** ** the ***** ****** ******* or ****** ****** *****, which ****** ****** ******* it ***** *** ** successfully **********, **** **** technical ******* **** *****. Hikvision *** ********* ****** average ******* ***** ***** wall ***** ******** ************* more ************* ***** ** function.

** ******* ** * strong ***** **** ***** is ******* ****** ****, which ****** ****** ******* of ******** ******** **** Clients ****** ******** ******** from * ****** ******** Desk ********** ****:

Video ****** *********** *******
**** **** ** *** VMSes ****** ******* ********** stream *********** ** * live ********** ****. **-****** diagnostics *** ******* *** quick ****** ******* *** troubleshooting, ********** ** ****** systems **** ******** ******** streaming ***** **** * WAN.

** ******* ** * strong ***** *** *******, which ******** ******** *********** on * ***** ******* that ** ******* ** or ***:

VMS ******** ******
- ******** ******* ****** *.**
- ***** ***** *** *.**.*
- ***** ****** *.*.*.***
- ******* ******** ****** *.* SR3
- ********* ****-****
- ****** **** *.*.*.***
- ********* ******** ********* **** R3
- ******* ***** ********* ****** 3.2.0.208
Shootout ****** *******
***** ** ** **** Webinar ** *********, ******** 19th, ** **** *** where ******* *** ******* will ** ********, *** questions **** ** ******** (******* ************ ****).
Comments (91)
Undisclosed Manufacturer #1
Love the shootout.
RE: 36 second mark on the Avigilon video. Right click and drag to pan when digitally zoomed.
RE: 2:03 mark - digitally zoom in on camera's field of view and save the view to maintain digital zoom
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Undisclosed Integrator #2
NX allows you to resize individual cameras and save them as layouts. This really gives you tremendous amount of flexibility in having a layout with different aspect ratio cameras as well as having more important views set to larger fields on the layout.
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John Bazyk
IPVMU Certified | 12/05/18 10:47pm
Interesting results. Great write up. We moved to Spectrum almost three years ago and haven’t looked back. The live view capabilities are one of the reasons our customers love it.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Good write-up Sean.
Interesting on digital PTZ presets - I've never had a customer or integrator ask about them. All kinds of small things people ask about, but no one's asked that one before.
If the camera allows the creation of digital PTZs, those could be imported into Milestone no sweat. I would presume this is how customers are doing it now if they want them, though I could see it being convenient to make them VMS side.
(Milestone employee)
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Undisclosed End User #4
Excellent report Sean! As a Genetec end user of a relatively large system (1,000+ cameras) we never utilized sequences, instead opting for task cycling as that fulfilled much of the same objective.
I agree with your finding on the PTZ configurations. The tour and pattern configuration is a unfortunate chor in what otherwise is a pretty slick interface.
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Itamar Kerbel
Regarding Avigilon as UM1 wrote you can pan using right click or the hand icon.
Regading no debuging.
1. There is site health window that will not display overlay info on the cameras, but will give you both site and camera current parameters.
2. There is a hidden option in Avigilon to see the camera parameters overlay on the camera. But since its hidden I guess it doesn't count :)
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #6
Good Report Sean.
What is your view on comparing paid fully fledged VMS platforms against free client software from Dahua & HIK?
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Brent Jacot
Sean, fantastic report.
Perhaps I missed it above. Can you share how these particular 8 VMS providers were chosen for the shootout? I assume market share, international footprint, others?
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Undisclosed #7
Was “real” PTZ control evaluated as well as digital?
Network Optix has a very unusual PTZ control, which personally I find difficult, although I suspect maybe I’m not using it optimally.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #9
Nice report Sean. How the users may actually interact with the Client is a different test metric for me.
The screen diag overlays are very helpful in what I do in the lab and being able to how them is key. The assessment you have is spot on.
Some of the VMS actually have a log file that contains the diag information, but do not provide a path to show the info on the GUI.
Others have a way to enable counters into the Windows perfmon tool which does help a lot when doing overall performance testing.
The performance capability is the primary question I am asked about all the time. This is defined as what one has to put into a system to show a certain amount of streams across a number of monitors at a particular resolution and FPS.
Each VMS has a different way to perform this basic task so the results of running a 1080p 15 FPS stream of 3Mbits/s "standard load" varies quite a bit on the same hardware.
One item that is showing up more and more lately is the use of large format 4K screens as opposed to large format 1080P ones. This is very stressful on the hardware driving the screens, so be sure to ask the question about the monitors so an appropriate GPU card is part of the solution.
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Undisclosed End User #10
First let me say I understand, you can't put everything and everyone in every shootout. That said, I would be curious to see how Mirasys stacks up in your testing. I find the UI to be one of the easiest for end users to move around and get what they need.
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Dennis Ruban
you must be kidding me. Comparing iVMS to Milestone, Genetec, etc.? It's like to compare nissan versa to Mercedes or BMW.
Is there a reason why you didn't pick Hikcentral for this shootout? Except for the fact that IPVM hates Hikvision and doesn't want it to look good?
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #12
One of the features on Genetec Security Center you should have tested is visual tracking. It makes following a person very simple
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Undisclosed Integrator #14
Hi
IPVM is a goldmine for us. The reports are usually fair and informative. This one is not. Comparing Genetec, Milestone and Avigilon multi-thousands VMS to freebies is not fair. Hikvision iVMS is not a VMS. It is free and frankly you get what you paid for. A fair comparison would have been with Hikvision offering the Hikcentral.
Cheers and Happy Holidays.
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Undisclosed Integrator #15
The UX of the client application is the one thing that OnSSI Ocularis does the best, in my opinion. We've looked into switching to one of the bigger players a lot, but we keep coming back to the client application. Circular menu, easy movement of the timeline, just a smooth UI.
There are a few places that I'd like to see improvement, such as the way scrolling works in the views menu or the slowness of the bookmarks system. But on the whole, our customers use it and as far as I know, love it. When I look at the other programs on this list, I really can't see our customers liking them. Just not the same "smoothness" of the UI.
I can't comment much about the advanced client features, such as alarms, video walls, or audio. We don't use those.
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Undisclosed Integrator #17
I noticed there were a couple comments letting you know that in Avigilon you have the ability to save the view of your digital zooms which you said they did not have that ability. I also noticed that you did not update the report re-scoring them and reevaluating since this had been a big hit against them. I assume it is simply a time issue. I took the liberty to set this up in under a minute and then screenshot it to share with you. I pulled 4 streams off the same camera into 4 views then digitally zoomed each one to a different area of interest. Saved the view. Exited. Then reopened and it populated all four back to my saved zoomed in positions. Thank you in advance for updating
the scoring and report to reflect this.
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Ameen Abdul Khader
Is it possible to have an updated test result now? Any chance to include HUAWEI?
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Undisclosed #18
looking on the Huawei 'Find a Channel Partner' page - using the product line filter 'Video Security' - I can find no resellers in ANY country - including China. :(
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