GLENDALE, Calif. – Arecont Vision has expanded its MegaVideo portfolio of JPEG cameras to include a series of lower cost, compact versions aimed at fulfilling size constraints often found with environmental housings.
At 1.25 inches in length, the cameras are approximately half the size and one-third lighter than their MegaVideo full-size counterparts. The CMOS sensor cameras, which come in 1.3-, 2-, 3- or 5-megapixel formats, have been completely redesigned to allow for significantly lower price points while maintaining high performance, Scott Schafer, Arecont’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, tells SSI.
“You get a smaller form factor to fit into smaller enclosures, but the big thing here is we did some really important internal design work,” Schafer says. “It caused us to move from multiple boards to one camera board. We miniaturized and scaled things down.”
The new cameras are functionally equal to Arecont’s larger JPEG products, including equivalent frame rates, low light functionality and compatibility with NVR platforms. Along with color and day/night models, the cameras feature Arecont’s trademarked Moonlight mode that provides an extended exposure and proprietary noise canceling feature.
Each model in the new line functions by the use of Power over Ethernet (PoE) and is not outfitted with auxiliary DC power. Nor do the compact cameras include auto-iris functionality; however, Schafer says this allowed engineers to scale down and miniaturize the camera design while helping lower overall cost.
The camera line will open new opportunities for systems integrators to offer megapixel technology that will match or beat current VGA market prices, especially for cost sensitive projects, Schafer says.
“It still provides a price point that is effective but gets an integrator into the game where they can be getting higher margins for their design work, for their customization and configuration,” he says. “They get into a whole host of services relative to onsite maintenance and other things that the normal DVR or low-end NVRs don’t provide with low definition cameras. It is a way to set themselves apart from what they were doing before.”
You can learn more about the new compact JPEG cameras at www.arecont.com.
