Arecont Vision Introduces 360 Degree HD 'Surround Video'

For those who like their surveillance in HD, Arecont Vision, a British developer of high-res video security systems, has unveiled its first 8 megapixel, quad-sensor panoramic network camera system (model AV8360). The firm said it can operate at full motion frame rates to allow real-time HD-quality 360-degree panoramic video surveillance.

The camera is based on the company's proprietary SurroundVideo technology and offers panoramic views and cinema compatible high frame rates to allow video surveillance with what Arecont said is 24 times the resolution of typical analog surveillance cameras.

The AV8360 houses four 2-megapixel sensors and allows concurrent transmission of zoomed and full field-of-view video streams, providing full motion video and instantaneous 360 degree electronic pan, tilt and zoom capabilities.

The HD camera has no moving parts. In recent years, 2 and 3 megapixel surveillance cameras have routinely employed fish eye optics that "spread" pixels from a single sensor over an entire semi sphere, delivering what Arecont contends is significantly lower resolution (per-unit viewing angle) than is typical for conventional non-panoramic NTSC and PAL cameras. The company said it addressed the low-res problem by its four 2-megapixel sensors.