| Stores digital, still pictures as standard jpegs. |
Uses video capture either onto VCR or digital disk. |
| Requires extremely small storage space. 10Gbytes will hold approximately 500,000 pictures. Even at the constant rate of one picture per second this will equate to over 5 days of viewing. With the VMD this will be very much more. |
Due to the limited length of a VCR tape, image size and quality is often degraded to an extent that the image becomes almost unusable. The storage space required for streaming digital video is enormous. |
| Cameras use standard computer network wiring. This includes Fibre Optic between buildings and Wireless LANS. Installation costs are extremely low. |
Special, thick co-axial cable has to be installed over the entire length for each camera. Installation costs are very high, especially if the camera has to be moved. |
| Live camera transmission range is infinite and can also include the Internet. |
Viewing range is restricted to the length of the co-axial cable. |
| New cameras are easy to install and configure. |
Extra cameras have to be installed by a professional installer at extra cost. |
| Captures pictures at a rate of 2 per second, when movement is detected. With no "interesting activity", it will be in an idle state. |
Will only take pictures based on a time schedule set up previously, irrespective of whether there is "interesting activity" or not. |
| Viewing through a day's activity for "interesting" pictures takes seconds, as only these are stored. |
Viewing a day's activity means a lengthy search through the videotape. If a number of cameras are involved this can take a long time. |
| Coverage is absolute. All cameras work simultaneously and can be sequenced so that all movement is captured in chronological succession. |
CCTV cameras are connected by thick cable to a device that automatically switches each camera on in a predefined order. All the operator sees is a "time slice" of pictures. |
| No limit to the number of cameras. |
Camera numbers are limited to the system capabilities. |
| Viewing can be on any PC located on the network, or optionally via the Internet. |
Viewing can only be via conventional TV-type monitors, in a fixed location. |
| Pictures can be printed in full colour on any printer connected to the network (including the Internet). Captured images can also be pasted into documents. |
No picture capture is available. |
| Pictures can be emailed or uploaded to the Internet. |
No picture capture is available. |
| Intruder alerts can be sent automatically to any number of mobile phones as SMS messages and directly to the people who matter. |
No such alerting is possible. |
| 24 hour monitoring is achieved by the transmission of actual pictures to anywhere in the world. 100% verification of a break-in can be made instantly. |
Motion detectors signal via the telephone to a monitoring centre that contact the police and the owner. Often results in false alarms. |
| Pictures can be made instantly available to the Police, for immediate identification, even before the intruder has left the premises. |
"The Police are looking through the CCTV tapes.". Searching for evidence can take days. |
| Archiving of pictures onto a CD that can then be viewed on any PC which has a copy of the viewing software. |
Archiving usually means storing large quantities of video tapes and picture degradation. |
