H.265 Emerging as Video Compression Frontrunner
With video resolutions on the rise, integrators are migrating to the latest H.265 standard to better optimize storage and bandwidth.
As of November 2016, all of Dahua's new product releases included dual codec support for H.265 and H.264. Additionally, some products now include Smart H.265+, featuring a collection of intelligent encoding algorithms developed by Dahua as an optimized implementation of the H.265 standard.
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High-definition (HD) and 4K video surveillance cameras have become the new standard, offering enhanced image quality and monitoring. Yet with these improvements comes an increase in bandwidth, which can overwhelm the network and storage infrastructure.
Now a new video compression standard is gaining traction, with the promise of providing up to 50% in bandwidth and storage savings. And the good news for installers is that it’s protected against becoming obsolete with backwards compatibility as it gains wider acceptance.
H.265 compression and noise reduction technology assist in lowering overall costs for video surveillance solutions. This will become progressively imperative as organizations increasingly deploy systems that provide higher resolution data feeds, which can increase both bandwidth and storage requirements.
H.265 TO UNSEAT H.264
Video surveillance manufacturers are layering their own compression algorithms on top of industry standards like H.265. The goal is to optimize storage and bandwidth by recording higher-resolution video only where certain activities are detected.
Dahua Technology, with U.S. headquarters in Irvine, Calif., is an example of a forward-thinking vendor that is transitioning its video surveillance portfolio to ensure its products are future-proofed when the industry and end customers are ready to fully embrace this latest compression standard.
H.265 is facing the very same barriers to entry that its predecessor, H.264, did. Specifically, when the industry moves to adopt a new encoding algorithm, VMS providers in turn will have to support it. That transition is not yet taking place among most major VMS providers. It’s noteworthy that Dahua’s own VMS does support H.265.
NEW FORM FACTORS WITH SMART H.265+
As of November 2016, all of Dahua’s new product releases included dual codec support for H.265 and H.264. Additionally, some products now include Smart H.265+, featuring a collection of intelligent encoding algorithms developed by Dahua as an optimized implementation of the H.265 standard. As a result, an additional savings on bandwidth and storage of 20%-30% over standard H.265 compression is realized.
“Dahua is committed to bringing the newest technologies to the market, so we’re pleased to announce a wide range of cameras with Smart H.265+,” says Jennifer Hackenburg, senior product marketing manager for Dahua USA. “With Dahua’s optimized Smart H.265+, these cameras represent significant bandwidth, storage and energy savings. And they’re future-proof with an H.264/H.265 dual-codec for backwards compatibility.”
All Dahua Smart H.265+ cameras provide users the flexibility to toggle between the codecs, so they do not have to reinvest in new products once H.265 technology is widely accepted. This includes Smart H.265+, H.265, Smart H.264+, H.264 and MJPEG.
With Intelligent Video System (IVS) analytics, Dahua Smart H.265+ cameras can detect and analyze moving objects for more efficient video surveillance. The cameras also provide intelligence at the edge, allowing recognition of abandoned or missing objects, and support tripwire, motion detection, scene change, intrusion detection and facial detection.
To ensure the latest standard can be used in products across different platforms, Dahua has built flexibility into Smart H.265+. Operators can configure the codec to tailor the encoding for a particular application or scene, adding flexibility and sophisticated image enhancement. Smart H.265+ technology is said to reduce bitrate and storage requirements by up to 80% compared to H.264 video compression, vastly improving the overall system capital expenditure (Capex) and operating expenditure (Opex).
Following is a look at Dahua’s current Smart H.265+ camera offering:
Pro Series:
- 2MP (N24) and 4MP (N44) fixed dome, bullet, wedge and eyeball options
- 2MP (N25) and 4MP (N45) vari-focal dome, bullet and box options<
Ultra Series:
- 12MP (NK8) dome, bullet and box options
- 8MP (N84) fixed dome, bullet and eyeball options
- 6MP (N68) vari-focal dome and bullet options
STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Installing security contractors are strongly urged to keep abreast of the industry’s transition to H.265 in order to best serve their end customers’ security, organizational and budgetary requirements. Keeping pace with additional enhancements to H.264’s eventual successor will only further position integrators as their clients’ go-to subject matter expert.
For a much deeper dive into the feature sets and benefits offered by Smart H.265+, be sure to check out SSI’s March issue for a four-page special insert titled “Video Compression Reaching New Heights With H.265” or visit securitysales.com/Smart_H.265.
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