How much challenge does China have to face in developing high-definition surveillance?

Video surveillance is the most important part of the security industry. Whenever we look up at a street or a video surveillance camera installed in a building, we seem to remind us from time to time that "there is a security system installed here." Of course, there are scruples about people who want to behave erratically, and there is also a certain amount of protection in the hearts of those who worry about security. However, we have seriously thought that so many cameras have recorded innumerable video data. How many people are required to manage such a huge video record? In the event of an actual accident, is it really capable of functioning, and can people draw useful videos from video-like materials in the mountains?

Everyone knows that when the London Underground was hit by a terrorist attack, the three million cameras all over London played a key role in allowing the police to confirm terrorists attacking the London Underground from video footage. So we can understand that video surveillance is not for video, but for providing information. Of course, video recording is an important means for providing information, but video recording alone cannot achieve the purpose of security monitoring.

What conditions must a monitor HD camera have in order to provide effective information? As the number of installed monitoring cameras has grown rapidly, the total number of video recording hours has increased in steps, and management with the human eye has become overburdened. Not only is the effectiveness poor, but many important video content are often overlooked by the human eye. Therefore, intelligence is the only solution to the modernization of video surveillance. Only through intelligent automatic video screening, computer facial recognition, and computer target acquisition and comparison can the effective use of video surveillance results. To achieve this goal, high-definition surveillance cameras for video surveillance must have high-resolution, clear video images, and a high video signal compression ratio in order to meet the basic needs of intelligent monitoring systems.

Intelligent video analysis is to solve the problem that the human eye cannot handle a large amount of video information. Only through intelligent information processing can we quickly use the ability of high-speed computer computing to quickly process a large number of video images. But after all, computers are not as good as the human eye. If there is not enough resolution and clear images, the computer cannot play its role. Therefore, high-definition cameras for intelligent monitoring systems must provide high-resolution and clear video images for effective computer processing. In other words, the intelligent monitoring system has very strict requirements on the video quality, and it is no longer a matter of “picture quality is OK”.

Because the amount of video information of high-definition video cameras has greatly increased, which exceeds the carrying capacity of traditional analog video transmission lines and exceeds the total storage capacity of general video storage systems, digitization and high video compression ratios have become the necessary functions for high-definition cameras in surveillance systems. Only digitization can transfer video signals from cheap and popular networks to deliver digitalized video information. Only with high compression ratio video coding, can a large amount of video information be compressed to a range that can easily be handled, facilitating smooth transmission in a limited network bandwidth, and at the same time reducing the need for video information storage and processing Storage space makes it easy for intelligent computing programs to process these video messages efficiently. Since surveillance HD cameras play a pivotal role in intelligent security systems, what are the key technologies? How are these key technologies developing in China?

The high-definition cameras used for surveillance are composed of three key technologies: optical and photosensitive chips, video processing, and video compression and encoding. The surveillance HD cameras are different from commercial or home cameras and must capture each frame clearly in different environments and scenarios. Figure (1) is a typical example: In a scene where the light intensity becomes intense, the general camera can only choose to capture the details of the dark place with a large aperture (Figure 1A), or capture the image of the bright place with a small aperture (Figure 1B). However, high-definition video cameras used in video surveillance systems must use advanced optical and image processing technologies, and clearly capture images in dark places and bright places (Figure 1C). These special functions are by no means general commercial or home video cameras. Can do it. We can sum up the features of a high-definition camera used for surveillance systems into four points.
Working environment

Surveillance cameras may be installed outdoors or in hot and humid climates in harsh weather conditions. Whether it is cold or hot or hot or cold, surveillance cameras must be able to operate normally at all times.

2. Camera environment

Surveillance cameras must be able to clearly record each frame of video under various scenarios and dramatic lighting changes. Whether it is in the dark, a scene of an explosion, or someone in a dark alley deliberately using a flashlight to shoot a camera lens, it can capture the process of the incident.

3. Video capture

Because the intelligent video surveillance system must rely on correct and clear pictures, it can play an intelligent function. If a gray dress is photographed as a white dress in a bright light, or a skin-white face is made into a deep skin tone in a dark corner, or a fast-moving person is made into a distortion-distorting object, it will let Intelligent identification systems cannot accurately identify the target person or thing. Clearly recording each frame in high resolution is an essential element of an intelligent monitoring system.

4. Video compression

A video surveillance system often contains dozens to hundreds of cameras. Once HD cameras are used, the total amount of video information increases dramatically. This poses great difficulties for video transmission and wiring. Only in the case of no loss of picture quality within the camera, highly compressed video signals can significantly reduce the transmission requirements and costs of high-definition video signals, and transmit high-definition video signals via wireless or wired networks.

Although monitoring HD video cameras play such an important role in the security industry, China still has two fatal problems in the development of this technology. First, the key chip technology is in the hands of foreign manufacturers. Second, the development attitude of China's security industry for high-definition cameras for surveillance, still focuses on the market value of these cameras, ignoring the core value of product technology. Unfortunately, these two issues have become a vicious circle in China's security industry. Due to the adoption of foreign chips, the low risk of investment will make the domestic security industry unwilling to invest in the basic development of this technology field. The large foreign companies that supply these key chips have made great profits in China's security market, which has given these factories a stronger capital advantage. Even if the domestic security industry devotes itself, it will become even more because of technical barriers. Impossible.

2011 will be a key year for the transition of the surveillance camera industry. Digitization, networking, and high-definition of more than 5 megapixels will be the basic performance requirements for surveillance cameras. High integration and reconfigurability will be the mainstream of the surveillance camera industry. Due to the sluggish international economy, especially the advanced countries in Europe, America, Japan and the security industry have been hit hard, which opened up a rare opportunity for China's development of high-definition video camera technology. At present, several major foreign large-scale factories supplying key cameras for surveillance HD cameras have been affected by the economic downturn and have slowed their investment in this technology field. There is no definite timetable for when chips with good performance, low prices, and future market requirements can be supplied. These foreign giants only want to use their advantages of technological monopoly, on the one hand to fully combat and prevent new competition, on the other hand to use existing products to optimize and reduce the product performance requirements in an attempt to extend the life of existing products , continue to repackage old products to cope with customs clearance. Of course, this phenomenon is only temporary. As long as the economic situation improves, it is generally estimated to be around 18 months to two years. These large foreign companies will return to their original pace, rapidly develop new and better products, and continue to monopolize this industry through long-term replacement.

In recent years, China’s chip industry has made many impressive progress, but we look at the Chinese chip industry in a serious way. We still feel that this is the biggest pain in the development of China’s information industry. This has also relatively affected China. Security industry technology development. The security industry has always been a highly autonomous industry. In the United States, for example, the United States security industry does not use imported products or technologies, nor does it use common standards in the commercial field, such as MPEG4 or 1080P. However, the United States strongly supports general commercial chip companies outside the security industry to sell security products to China in order to weaken the autonomy of the Chinese security industry. When the key is necessary, the U.S. chips will occupy the advantages of high-end markets and key facilities in China. It will use the new US security system throughout China to become an extension of US homeland security and serve the United States.

In view of this, the development of independent core chips for surveillance HD cameras is an urgent task for China. It is also expected that this is the common aspiration of the Chinese security industry when it comes to the arrival of the new year; it also hopes that the Chinese security industry can not forget the competitive advantages and monopolistic practices of large foreign manufacturers while working together to achieve this mission. If you can't enter the market with the latest and best products, and just follow the way you follow, you can't succeed. Without attacking the hilltop fortress, it is impossible to make peace. Here, we hope that every reader will highly support, supervise and encourage manufacturers and individuals willing to contribute to China's security industry, and hope that we can meet again in this column in 2011 to review China’s security. Industry independent chip development results.

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