Which camera system technology to choose - AHD vs. IP
Basic comparison of camera system technologies:
AHD camera systems | IP camera systems |
This is currently the latest camera system technology in the world. It is a unique analogue technology for transmitting images over coaxial cable (up to 500m) or over UTP cable using twist converters (just like the old analogue). It is a direct successor to analogue systems, with the only difference being the high resolution from 1.0Mpx (HD - 1280x720px) to the newest 8.0Mpx (3840x2160px). | Relatively young technology, using a computer (digital) network for image transmission. It is characterized primarily by its high image resolution, which commonly ranges from 1.0Mpx (HD - 1280x720px) to 8.0Mpx (4K - 3840x2160px). |
Benefits:
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Benefits:
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Disadvantages:
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Disadvantages:
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Indicative price of 4 camera system: 7 000 - 15 000 CZK |
Tentative price of 4 camera system: 13 000 - 25 000 CZK |
Most common applications:
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Most common uses:
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Analog camera systems (AHD):
Systems based on analogue cameras began to be used in the 1930s. The first deployments date back to the World War II era at the V-2 rocket factory. Thus, these systems were primarily used in industrial manufacturing, where they helped monitor hazardous production or radiation-contaminated environments.
Massive use in the civilian sector did not begin until the 1980s. Here, they were gradually applied in transport, banking and industry, where they were continuously monitored by security guards. At the turn of the 1990s, camera systems began to be equipped with recording devices, which initially recorded on tape, and later with digital devices (DVR), which convert the analogue signal into a digital signal. In the first phase, inexpensive computer cards were widely used for digital recording, but over time the direction of recording began to move towards stand-alone recording devices. These devices are advantageous mainly because they fulfil only the intended purpose, i.e. recording. Their reliability is much higher and their operation is easier than that of computer cards.
In the last five years, analogue technology has made great strides in the field of capture chips, which have much greater sensitivity, resolution and a number of additional features that help with image enhancement.
The next step in the evolution is a technology called AHD (Analog High Definition). The desire of developers to build on the success of analog systems over several decades and the demands of customers for greater image resolution has given rise to this new technology. Its main advantage is full compatibility with existing analogue systems (recording devices are backwards compatible and can take classic analogue cameras), so you can extend your current analogue system with cameras with up to 4K resolution without any change in cabling or connectors. Easily add or replace an existing analog camera and recording device with an AHD-capable device. So if you have an analogue system deserving of an upgrade, an AHD system is the ideal choice. You will be amazed by the change in picture quality between traditional analogue and AHD.
IP camera systems:
Fully digital camera systems began to appear in larger numbers in the late 20th century. The emergence of this technology was driven by customer demand for greater image quality that current analog camera technology was unable to achieve. The systems operate on a fully digital basis, so the chip captures digital images directly and can therefore have several times the resolution.
IP (Internet Protocol) systems require a sufficiently high-capacity network (LAN) infrastructure and powerful servers that can process large amounts of data in real time. This criterion has also conditioned the further development of this technology in recent years, where processors and other HW have made great performance advances while reducing energy consumption and physical size. This technology is mainly used in areas where the variability of the wiring infrastructure or wireless transmission is required.