Integrating Arecont Vision Cameras

Quick Start Guide

Updated: November 1, 2012
Getting Started
This document provides a basic understanding of how to properly
integrate Arecont Vision cameras
Before reviewing this document, please download the Users
Manual from Arecont Visions Camera API webpage. The Users
Manual is referenced throughout this document.
Topics discussed:
Product families
Understanding Arecont Vision model numbers
Backwards & across family compatibility
Specialty cameras
Protocols supported
Key contact information
Plug and Play Integration
Arecont Visions goal is to make integrating our products as smooth as
possible.
Many of our products are backwards compatible with other Arecont
Vision cameras of the same resolution.
This document will illustrate the cross compatibility of our different
product families.
Please visit our Camera API webpage and download the Users Manual
Arecont Vision Product Families
AVxx0x AVxx3x AVxx1x
AVxx5x
MegaDome MegaVideo
AVxx2x
MegaView SurroundVideo
AVx36x AVx18x
D4Series
D4S
D4F
AVxx4x
MegaBall
D4SO
Model Numbers: Single and Dual Sensor
Body Type:
0 =MegaVideo

1 =Compact MegaVideo

2 =MegaView
3 =Dual Sensor
4 =MegaBall
5 =MegaDome

Resolutions:
1 =1.3MP
2 =2MP
3 =3MP
5 =5MP
10 =10MP
Compression / WDR:
0 =MJ PEG only
5 =H.264/J PEG
6 =5 +WDR
Features:
=Color
AM =AI +DN +M
AI =Auto Iris +Color (MegaVideo)
DN =DayNight
HB =Heater & Blower
HK =Heater (legacy)
IR =IR Illumination
M =Motorized Remote Focus & Zoom
-A =Audio
-H =Heater (new)
-S =SD Card Slot
-AH =-A +-H
-ASH =-A +-S +-H
AVxx0x AVxx3x AVxx1x AVxx55 AVxx25
AV3115DN
Generation
BodyType
Features
Compression
Resolution
Generation:
Generation of the
specific body type
AVxx4x
Model Numbers: MegaBall
Camera
AV1145
AV2145
AV2146 (WDR)
AV3145
AV3146 (WDR)
AV5145
AV10145
Lens:
04 = 4mm
3310 = 3.3-10mm
Mount:
W = Wall Mount
D = Dome
AV5145DN 3312 W
Camera
Lens
Mount
AVxx4x0310D AVxx4x04W
Model Numbers: D4 Series
Mount + In/Outdoor:
S = Surface Indoor
SO = Surface Outdoor
F = Flush Indoor
Camera Option:
AV1115
AV2115
AV3115
AV5115
Lens:
3312 = MPL33-12
D4S AV2115DN 3312
Mount
Camera
Lens
D4S D4F
D4SO
Model Numbers: Quad Sensor
Resolution:
8 = 8MP (4x 2MP sensors)
12 = 12MP (4x 3MP sensors)
20 = 20MP (4x 5MP sensors)
FOV Angle:
18 = 180
36 = 360
Compression / WDR:
5 = H.264/MJ PEG
6 = 5 + WDR
Series:
CO = Color Only
DN = DayNight
AV20185DN
Resolution
Compression
Series
FOVAngle
AV20365
AV8365
AV20185
AV8185
AV12366
Shipping1H2013
Imagecomingsoon
AV12186
ShippingQ42012
Imagecomingsoon
Future Proof Integration
AVxx0x
AVxx1x
AVxx55
AVxx25
AV8365 AV8185 AV8365DN AV8185DN
ArecontVisiondevelopstechnologiesthatcrossseveralofourproductlines.Thereforeintegratingonecamera
actuallyintegratesseveralcameras.
Tohelpwiththecrosscompatibility,allcamerafamilieswillbeseenastheMegaVideomodelnumbers,
AVxx0x
Forexample:TheCompactH.264AV2815willbeseenastheregularMegaVideoAV2805,andthe
MegaDomeAV5155willbeseenasanAV5105
PleaserefertotheUsersManualforexplanationonhowtoreadtherealmodelnumber
Future Proof Integration
Resolution
Mini
MegaVideo
Compact
MegaVideo
MegaView MegaDome MegaBall
SurroundVideo
180 /360
1.3MP AV1305
AV1315*
AV1115
AV1325*
AV1125
AV1355
AV1255 AV1145+
2MP AV2105 AV2155
1080p AV2805
AV2815*
AV2115
AV2116
AV2825*
AV2125
AV2126+
AV2255
AV2256+
AV2145+
AV2146+
3MP AV3105
AV3115
AV3116
AV3125
AV3126+
AV3155
AV3255
AV3256+
AV3145+
AV3146+
5MP AV5105 AV5115 AV5125
AV5155
AV5255 AV5145+
8MP AV8185/AV8365
10MP AV10005 AV10015 AV10255
12MP AV12186/AV12366 +
20MP AV20185/AV20365
Inthebelowtable,allcameras inthesamerowshouldbeintegratedifanyoneofthemisintegratedproperly
As mentionedonthepreviousslide,allcameraswillappearastheMegaVideoproductsinthefirstcolumn
KEY: *Discontinued
+NotshippingyetasofNovember1,2012
Future Proof Integration
First check the backward compatibility model number to see if
preexisting integrations will work for the camera
{ip}/get?model
Second check the release name to see populate the software with the
actual model number
{ip}/get?model=releasename
A less used command is the fullname command that will tell whether the
camera is color or DN. This command is not used on the newer
cameras
{ip}/get?model=fullname
Get?Model= Responses for H.264 Models
H.264 H.264
AV1305
AV2105
A:R4:3
AV2805
A:R 16x9 AV3105 AV5105 AV10005 AV3135
MegaVideoMini AV1305,AI,DN AV2105,AI,DN AV2805,AI,DN AV3105,AI,DN AV5105,AI,DN AV10005,DN AV3135
MegaVideoCompact AV1115,AI, DN AV2115,AI,DN AV3115,AI,DN AV5115,AI,DN AV10115,AI,DN
AV2116DN AV3116DN
AV1315,DN AV2815,DN
MegaView AV1125DN,IR AV2125DN,IR AV3125DN,IR AV5125DN,IR
AV1325DN,IR AV2825DN,IR
MegaBall AV1145,DN AV2145, DN AV3145,DN AV5145,DN
AV2146DN AV3146DN
MegaDome AV1355,DN AV2155,DN AV3155,DN AV5155,DN
MegaDome 2 AV1255AM, etc AV2255AM, etc AV3255AM, etc AV5255AM, etc AV10255AM, etc
AV2256AM, etc AV3256AM,etc
AV8185 AV8365 AV12186 AV12386 AV20185 AV20365
SurroundVideo AV8185,DN,CO AV8365,DN, CO AV12186DN AV12386DN AV20185DN, CO AV20365DN, CO
MJPEG MJPEG MJPEG
AV1300 AV2100 AV3100 AV5100 AV3130 AV8180 AV8360
MegaVideoMini
AV1300,M,AI,DN AV2100,M, AI,DN AV3100,M, AI,DN AV5100,M, AI,DN AV3130,M
MegaVideoCompact
AV1310,DN AV2110,DN AV3110,DN AV5110,DN
SurroundVideo
AV8180 AV8360
Get?Model= Responses for J PEG Models
Integrating DN, AI, IR and other features
After the last numerical digit of the model number, Arecont Vision adds
suffixes that distinguish specific features
(blank) Color (except for MJ PEG MegaVideo)
M Color for MJ PEG MegaVideo(Except AV3130)
DN DayNight with mechanical cut filter
AI Auto iris (MegaVideoonly)
IR Infrared illumination (MegaView only)
The optional code to integrate these features is available in the API
section of the Users Manual
Technology Generations
ProductFamily GEN3Technology GEN4Technology
MegaVideo AVxx05,AV3135(Mini) AVxx15,AVxx16(Compact)
MegaDome AVx155, AVx355 AVx255,AVx256
D4Series n/a See MegaVideoCompact
MegaView n/a AVxx25,AVxx26
MegaBall (Release:Q312) n/a AVxx45,AVxx46
GEN4 new features:
Extended Motion Detection
Privacy Masking
Flexible Cropping
PSIA Compliant
ONVIF Compliant (when available)
New Features
As technology evolves, so do Arecont Visions
features. Please see the table for products that
have our newest features:
Extended Motion Detection
Privacy Masking
Flexible Cropping
PSIA Compliance
ONVIF Compliant (coming soon)
IPv6 (coming soon)
Single&DualSensor
Cameras
Extended
Motion
Detection
Privacy
Masking
Flexible
Cropping
PSIA/ONVIF
Compliant
MegaVideo JPEG
AVxx00
NO NO NO NO
MegaVideo H.264
AVxx05
Cameramodeldependant
AV1305 NO NO NO NO
AV2105 NO NO NO NO
AV2805 YES YES YES YES
AV3105 NO NO NO NO
AV3135 NO NO NO NO
AV5105 NO NO NO NO
AV10005 YES YES YES YES
Compact JPEG
AVxx10
NO NO NO NO
Compact H.264
AVxx15
YES YES YES YES
MegaView
AVxx25
YES YES YES YES
MegaBall
AVxx45
YES YES YES YES
MegaDome
AVxx55
YES YES YES YES
SurroundVideo JPEG
AV8xx0
NO NO NO NO
SurroundVideo H.264
ColorOnly
AV8xx5
NO NO NO NO
SurroundVideo H.264
DayNight
AV8xx5DN
NO NO NO NO
Specialty Cameras
Specialty Cameras: AV3135
The AV3135 was the first day/night
megapixel camera in the marketplace
Contains two sensors:
3MP color sensor for day
1.3MP monochrome sensor for nighttime
Only one sensor is active at a time
The camera will automatically switch between the two sensors based upon
illumination level
It will be seen as a single camera
Contains one IP address & MAC address
If the VMS triggers an alarm when camera resolution changes, the AV313x could
trigger that alarm
Specialty Cameras: AV10115
The AV10115 series is the highest resolution single sensor camera
currently offered by Arecont Vision (November 2012)
Binning To enhance the low light performance of the AV10005, the
camera offers the option to bin it at night. Binning sets the camera
in quarter resolution allowing each 2x2 pixel array to sum their light
values, yielding better low light performance.
Dual Mode The AV10005 can be ran in 10MP mode at 6FPS or at
Full HD 1080p at 30FPS. This feature leverages binning coupled
with cropping.
Specialty Cameras: AV8xxx
The AV8xxx is a four sensor camera that provides either 180 or 360 field of view
Contains four 2MP sensors with preinstalled 90 or 45 lenses depending on the model
It will be seen as four separate cameras, or video feeds, at the client
It does not stitch the images
Contains one IP address & MAC address
Maximum frame rates:
Full Resolution: 6400x1200 @ 5.5FPS
Quarter Resolution: 3200x600 @ 22FPS
The camera architecture does not allow for guaranteed frame rates
This camera has two integration options:
Single stream: In this integration method, all four images are transmitted on a single data stream. The
software will be able to distinguish between images by reading the header file for each image. The
images are sent from the camera in a random order, based on the last image that filled its respective
buffer. This means its possible that some sensors could yield a higher frame rate than others, but over a
period of time, it should average out. Requesting 20 FPS will yield 5 FPS per sensor.
Four independent streams: In this method, each individual channel is independently accessed by the
VMS. Since each sensor is requested independently, requesting 5 FPS will yield 5 FPS for a specific
sensor. It is recommended that all four sensors be set to the same frame rate.
Supported Protocols
Protocol Options
Arecont Vision supports several protocols for integration:
RTP / RTSP
RTP over TCP
RTP over UDP
HTTP
HTTP 1.0 Push & Pull
HTTP 1.1 Push & Pull
TFTP
RTP Integration
RTP (Real Time Protocol), or more commonly known as RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol),
is the most popular method of integrating Arecont Visions H.264 cameras
RTP over TCP
This is the most popular integration method by our partners. Combining this with HTTP commands to
change the settings, this method provides a simple and proven approach to integrating Arecont Vision
cameras.
Positive: Great for use on busy and enterprise networks
Limitation: Multicasting is not supported
Compression: H.264
RTP over UDP
This is similar to RTP over TCP but enhanced with the ability to multicast. No confirmation packets are
sent back to the client meaning on busy networks frames could be lost.
Positive: Multicasting
Limitation: Not recommended on slow or busy networks
Compression: H.264
HTTP integration
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the most popular method of integrating
Arecont Visions Motion J PEG cameras
HTTP1.0 Pull / HTTP1.0 Push
This is the oldest and most proven protocol in IP CCTV
Positive: Simple and proven
Limitation: Latency between images (in Pull mode only)
Compression: H.264 & J PEG
HTTP1.1 Pull / HTTP1.1 Push
This protocol has removed the latency issue of HTTP1.0 but comes at the cost of not being
able to tell the software when the image is complete
Positive: No latency
Limitation: No data on size of image
Compression: H.264 & J PEG
PSIA & ONVIF Integration
PSIA (Physical Security Interoperability Alliance) & ONVIF (Open Network Video
Interface Forum) are the new security industry standards that promotes plug-
and-play interoperability with all components that are PSIA certified
Positives: Easy and standardized integration
Availability:
AVxx15, AVxx25, AVxx45, AVx255 models (November, 2012).
SurroundVideo AVx18x & AVx36x are planned to have ONVIF firmware in December, 2012
Not all Arecont Vision specific features will be available via PSIA or ONVIF.
Compression: H.264 & J PEG
Documentation for PSIA can be downloaded from PSIA's website at
http://www.psialliance.org/
TFTP Integration
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) was Arecont Visions first
protocol because it worked well in delivering high frame rate
J PEG video over Local Area Networks. As the market demand
grows for H.264 and multi-subnet enterprise networks, the
benefits of TFTP are trumped by the more network friendly RTP
communication.
Positive: Fast on Local Area Networks with J PEG Video (not H.264)
Limitation: Not good with subnets; TFTP communication is typically
blocked by enterprise switches; Requires NDA
Compression: H.264 & J PEG
To receive documentation on TFTP integration, please send an email
to TechnologyPartner@arecontvision.comoutlining why the TFTP
integration would be the best method for your company. An NDA will
need to be signed. This method could take up to a few weeks for
approval.
New Slides
Managing Bandwidth
Arecont Vision offers three ways to manage bandwidth:
Constant quality / Variable Bitrate
This option is controlled by the QP or Quantization Parameter.
Values range from 36 -16.
36 is lowest quality, max compression, lowest bit rate
16 is highest quality, min compression, highest bit rate
CODE: http://camera_ip/get?qp=(36..16)
Rate Limit control
This control sets the maximum bitrate the camera will output. The camera will allow for variable bitrate unless the maximum value is achieved.
Values range from 0-65535. These values represent the kbps the camera will output, i.e. A value of 10,000 sets the maximum bandwidth to
10Mbps.
0 disables the feature
65535 is the maximum bit rate. It is unlikely the camera will ever achieve 65Mbps.
CODE: http://camera_ip/get?ratelimit_mode=(on|off)
CODE: http://camera_ip/get?ratelimit=(0..65535)
Available on the following models: AVxx15, AVxx25, AVx255
Bitrate control
This option overwrites the QP value and maintains a constant bitrate. If 4Mbps is selected, the camera will vary the quality, or QP, to try to
maintain that value, including increasing the QP to a higher value if needed. Values also range from 0-65535
0 disables the feature
65535 is the maximum bit rate. It is unlikely the camera will ever achieve 65Mbps.
CODE: http://camera_ip/get?bitrate=(0..65535)
Available on all H.264 single & dual sensor cameras
Key Contact Information
Key Contact Information
Integration webpage
http://www.arecontvision.com/cameraapi.html
Download necessary integration documents
Online integration support portal
http://support.arecontvision.com
Direct access to engineering staff
Open an account that all development engineers can share
J ason Schimpf, Director of Partner Relations
Manages the Technology Partner Program & MegaLab
TechnologyPartner@arecontvision.com
+1.818.937.0486 - office
J asonschimpf Skype