Hanwha Wisenet P 4K Bullet Tested

Hanwha Techwin (formerly Samsung) continues their push into H.265 cameras, now with the high-end P series, including 4K resolution and smart codec.

We tested their high end bullet model, the PNO-9080R against Axis, Dahua and Hikvision 4K bullet and dome cameras to see how it compared in night and day scenes:

We tested IR performance, bitrate comparisons, configuration issues, and more.

Summary

In our tests, the PNO-9080R provided slight advantages in image quality over competitive 4K bullet models day and night, along with solid IR range, competitive bitrates, and smart codec support, at a price similar to or lower than competitors tested.

Its inclusion of H.265 may further reduce bitrate. However, these streams are not yet supported by most VMSes, making this an advantage only in end-to-end Hanwha systems.

Overall, for those looking for a 4K outdoor option, especially where low light is a key concern, the Wisenet P is a solid choice.

Pricing

The PNO-9080R has an estimated street price of ~$1,000 USD, similar in price to other 4K IR bullets, such as the Hikvision DS-2CD4A85F-IZH or Dahua's IPC-HFW81200E-Z. Compare these and other 4K IR cameras in the IPVM Camera Comparison Tool:

Physical Overview

The PNO-9080R is similar in construction to most full size bullet cameras. We review its construction and physical features in this video:

IR Range

In our tests, the PNO-9080R exceeded its 40m (~130') IR range spec, reaching about 150'. This can be seen as the subject becomes clearly illuminated as he approaches ~150', the first illuminated marker (seen on the right of the field below). 

This full resolution 4K clip shows the subject approaching from ~250' to the camera:

Test FOV

We tested in an outdoor parking lot/field day (shown below for reference) and night with exterior lights off. Night time light levels ranged from ~6.5lx with lights on near the cameras to below 0.01lx with lights off in the field. 

Low Light Comparisons

At near range, with PPF high (~160), the Wisenet P and Panasonic 781 perform similarly, with facial details of the subject and clear chart legibility to line 5/6. The Hikvision 4585 appears slightly blurred, though note this is not due to improper focus, as the camera was refocused prior to testing. We observed these issues in our test of that camera, as well. The non-IR Axis P1428-E provides no detection of the subject, with the chart only barely visible.

Moving further from the cameras (~60' range), PPF drops to ~50. At this range, the PNO-9080R is the brightest of the cameras tested, with a slight advantage in detail, as the subject's glasses and jacket may be roughly discerned, not possible in other cameras.

Finally, at 35 PPF, the subject is still easily detected in the Samsung bullet, but lost in noise/artifacts in other cameras.

Day Time Performance

Nearest the camera during the day, details delivered by all four cameras are similar due to very high PPF, though the Axis P1428-E is noticeably darker than others (despite it being ~3,000 lux on an overcast day).

Moving further, at ~50 PPF, the Samsung camera provides slightly better details of the subject and chart than other cameras, with more details of his facial features, glasses, and clothing.

The same is true at ~100', with the second line of the test chart visible in the Wisenet camera, and rough facial details, while only the first line is legible in others, with no details of the subject.

Warning: VBR Is Not VBR

As with The Q series does not include a true VBR implementation which fixes compression at a specific quantization. No compression control is included in the web interface, shown below. Past Samsung models provided a 1-20 scale of compression levels. Without this option, comparing bitrate/quality against other H.264 requires trial and error adjust the bitrate cap to reach a specific quantization in a specific scene, discussed below.

Bandwidth Comparison

Since the P does not include any means to fix compression, we adjusted quantization by changing the camera's bitrate cap in a given scene until it averaged ~28 Q according to our measurements (see How to Measure Video Quality / Compression Levels). In well lit scenes, this was 4 Mb/s, and 8 Mb/s in dark scenes.

The Wisenet P's H.264 stream bitrates with Wisestream set to "Medium" were similar to other smart codec cameras in day and night still scenes, though slightly higher in high motion scenes. H.265 bitrates were notably lower. However, note that at the time of testing, no major VMS supported this camera's H.265 stream.

We review this and other Wisenet Q/P cameras' H.265 performance separately in our Samsung Smart H.265 Test.

New Wisenet Web Interface

The Wisenet P series ships with Hanwha's updated web interface, which most notably includes cross browser support, working in all web browsers, while the past Samsung Wisenet interface required ActiveX for both live viewing and configuration. Oddly, the web interface varies depending on which browser is used, with the new interface shown in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, while IE displays the older style interface.

Note that this web interface is also responsive, and usable on mobile phone browsers as well as PCs (MJPEG streaming only).

Aside from these changes, much of the web UI is laid out in the same order/menu structure as the old version. Note that only the Wisenet logo is shown, not Hanwha nor Samsung.

Test Parameters

The following firmware versions were used:

• Wisenet PNO-9080R: 1.00_160620
• Axis P1428-E: 6.40.1
• Hikvision DS-2CD4585F-IZH: 5.4.0
• Panasonic WV-SFV781L: 2.50

ExacqVision 8.0.3.10130 was used for recording.