R UP apr13_000_Benchmark_apr13 04/03/2013 16:40 Page 6
Round-Up
Hikvision DS-2DF1-783
82%
The D2-2DF1-783 is a fully functioned dome with day/night performance and integral illuminators. The latter are claimed to have a range of 100 metres. The camera offers dual streams, with H.264 and MJPEG options. The main stream is HD1080p, while the sub-stream can be up to 4CIF. The unit uses a 1/2.8 inch CMOS sensor. Optical zoom is 20x, and there is also a 12x digital zoom. The lens has a focal length of 4.7–94mm. Video functionality includes wide dynamic range, video motion detection, privacy masking, AGC, digital noise reduction and twoway audio. There are also adjustments for colour, brightness, sharpness, as well as supplementary options. Low light performance is quoted as 1.7 lux. Mechanical functionality includes 360 degree continuous pan and a tilt range of 100 degrees with auto-flip. Maximum speed is 240 degrees per second pan and 200 degrees per second tilt on presets, or 160 degrees per second pan and 120 degrees per second tilt with manual operation. Up to 256 presets are supported, as well as 8 tours of up to 32 presets and 4 patterns. Other features include two alarm inputs and outputs, RS485 connection and support for an
Samsung SNP-3371THP
SD/SDHC card. The unit uses a 24V AC power source (included). It is supplied with an operation guide, and a CD containing viewing software. Connection to the camera is via a static IP address. The process is painless, although you will need to adjust the PC’s address to match the camera before you assign it the required address. The menu is fairly intuitive, and the only quibble is that some changes prompt you to reboot the camera, even if the configuration isn’t finished! With a real-time HD1080p image, with bandwidth set to its highest level (around 8Mbps) and a H.264 stream, quality is good. Colours are clean and motion is smooth, and manual PTZ functionality is more than usable if you keep to the lower speeds. Dropping the bandwidth to 4Mbps doesn’t greatly affect the overall performance. Low light performance is average. The image starts to show noise at around 5 lux, but the earliest we could get it to switch was 1.6 lux, which was too late. Mechanical operation is good with regard to tours, presets and patterns, which are very easy to set up. Manual control is decent enough if you keep the overall speeds limited; this will still allow the tracking of objects.
81%
The SNP-3371THP is a fully functioned day/night dome that offers multiple streams with H.264, MPEG4 and JPEG options. The camera delivers up to 4CIF resolution in real time, featuring a 1/4 inch double density CCD sensor with virtual progressive scan. Optical zoom is 37x, and focal length is 3.5–129.5mm. As is the case with most Samsung cameras, video functionality is high. The unit boasts wide dynamic range, SSDR contrast enhancement, SSNR noise reduction, digital image stabilisation, video motion detection, privacy masking, AGC and slow shutter mode. It also features intelligent video analytics. These include directional detection, virtual tripwire, object appear and disappear, and scene change: a license is not required. Sensitivity is quoted as 0.7 lux. Mechanical functionality includes 360 degree continuous pan and a tilt range of 190 degrees. Maximum speed is 500 degrees per second for presets, or 120 degrees per second for manual operation. The dome supports up to 255 presets, as well as auto-tracking. Other features include alarm inputs and outputs, two-way audio and an integral SD/SDHC card slot. The unit is supplied with a paper quick start guide and two mini-CDs: the first contains the full manual along with installation software, whilst the other includes the Samsung Net-i viewer software. Connecting the camera to the network can be done via a static IP address. The IP Install utility also works well and allows multiple units to be set-up quickly. The menus are straightforward. One slight niggle is that some settings cannot be over-typed. You need to delete the existing figures before typing in new ones! Aside from that, the configuration has a very ‘security’ feel to it. With the unit streaming a 4CIF image with a bandwidth of 5Mbps, image quality is very good with minimal latency. Colour fidelity is high and detail is sharp. In reality, at 5Mbps you expect this; reducing bandwidth to a more realistic 2Mbps does see very slight signs of pixelation on edges, but moving to around 2.5Mbps smooths things out. In low light, the iPolis unit doesn’t have the depth of adjustment that the corresponding analogue units offer. However, the image remains clean and noise-free – without pushing the processing to a point where it becomes obvious in the image – until around 5 lux. The earliest we could get the camera to switch was around 1.5 lux, which we felt was too late. Automated PTZ control is good, and easy to implement. Manual control at the lower speeds works well, and makes tracking targets simple.
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