Security | News

New Security Camera Tech from Pelco Makes Night Look Like Day

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 09/29/11

Security vendor Pelco has launched a new imaging technology it calls SureVision that can significantly improve the viewer's ability to identify details in low or bright light environments. At the same time the company has released a new line of thermal imaging cameras that it says are lower cost than traditional offerings.

SureVision combines wide dynamic range, low-light, and anti-bloom capabilities--automatically adjusting to highly varied lighting conditions--but without requiring a high mega-pixel camera.

"The idea that the more pixels you have, the better the image quality is no longer true," said Scott Paul, senior product marketing manager. "It's not the number of pixels that matters. It's the quality of the image. Video security cameras can overcome some lighting challenges, but when one scene contains bright, shaded, and intensely lighted areas all together, image quality suffers."

He added that SureVision uses one kind of exposure level for some parts of a scene and another exposure level for other parts of the scene. "SureVision can see so well in low light, bloom, or glare situations and wide dynamic range scenes, we think this camera can see as well as the human eye."

SureVision uses multiple exposure levels within the same image to make more detail visible in poor lighting conditions.

The technology is currently being offered in Pelco's Sarix IX Series IP Cameras and Sarix IM Series Mini Domes. Paul estimated that the SureVision technology adds an approximate 20 percent premium onto the price of equivalent day-night models of cameras.

The company has also introduced a new line of Sarix Thermal Imaging cameras, which "see" with the presence of heat rather than with the use of light. These Sarix cameras have built-in analytics and IP capability that enable the security system to detect the presence of people and vehicles and notify security personnel automatically.

Dave Stanfield, also a Pelco senior product marketing manager, explained that the use of thermal imaging in security is of particular value in border and perimeter detection. Thermal imaging cameras can perform long-range detection of people and vehicles up to four miles away. He noted that security use cases include vehicle storage yards, construction sites, critical infrastructure, and remote sites.

"The concept of thermal imaging in security is not new," said Stanfield. "However, Sarix TI, by combining the best in networked video technology with the latest in thermal imaging science...is resonating with security professionals everywhere based upon its ease of integration, advanced image quality, and range of resolutions, lenses, and price points."

The new thermal imaging cameras will begin shipping in October.