What you need to know about PTZ Cameras

Security

Let’s talk about security for your home and office.

Yes, we know we need to protect our network, we install anti-virus and set up firewalls. But what about camera security?

This is where the PTZ camera comes into play due to not only their high-quality video footage but their ability to Pan Tilt and Zoom which give their usage much more functionality than your ordinary camera. The head parts of the cameras can rotate in different directions, have a tilt mechanism and an optical 20x zoom PTZ camera function. Cameras can be controlled manually or automatically. This also helps reduce the number of cameras that are required to capture multiple angles.

Why buy a streaming PTZ Cameras

A PTZ camera is a camera equipped with pan, tilt, and zoom controls that allow you to point the lens at specific objects. The camera can be controlled manually using the remote control or automatically, thanks to a special guidance system. Because of their functionality, PTZ cameras have become widespread. They are used for:

video conferencing;
video surveillance;
video production and analytics;
filming videos, streams.

PTZ cameras do not compress the image and transfer it to capture cards or directly to the terminal without delays. Interesting and convenient is the fact that the rotary device allows you to catch and direct the camera towards the speaking person during the conference session. Almost all PTZ cameras can be controlled from the remote control or using a special control panel with a joystick. Using highly directional microphones or using technical capabilities to maintain selected positions in space and focus on them, PTZ cameras have earned their excellent reviews.

Benefits of streaming PTZ Camera

PTZ cameras should be evaluated comprehensively, in relation to the task for which they can be used. The cameras of this class have the following advantages:

significant viewing angle, up to panoramic and surround (360 horizontally and close to 90 vertically);
scalability, along with the optical zoom of servo-driven optics, most models offer digital image zoom;
the ability to set a schedule, a timing diagram, which includes both moving the viewpoint and changing the zoom and focus;
fully robotic control that allows you to set clear goals, the rest (moving, focusing, switching modes) will be done by smart built-in control of PTZ cameras;
the ability to implement different schemes for reacting to events.

With the right design of the outdoor ptz streaming camera it is able to show cost savings by replacing several stationary models at once.

Types of PTZ Cameras

What kind of pan-tilt-zoom camera are on offer? With a variety of choices for connectivity and control, such as HDMI and SDI and RS-232, DVI, and audio interfaces, there are many cameras available. Because of their ports, these cameras are different from one other. Coax wires, similar to those used by cable providers to install their boxes, are used to connect an SDI camera. The SDI connection sends 16 channels of PCM audio and uncompressed digital video. The most common RG-6 coax cable used to transmit SDI has 75 Ohm impedance and BNC connectors. SDI cameras employ 3G-SDI, which enables 1080p resolution up to 100 meters, as the most recent SDI connection technology. Compared to HDMI, 3G-SDI is a common pick since it is less costly.

How to operate a PTZ camera?

These cameras can be operated both manually and automatically, you can rotate them up to 360 °, as well as zoom in and out. Thanks to this, one camera of this type can replace several cameras at once, directed in different directions.

To control PTZ cameras manually, a special remote control is used with a joystick and buttons that allow you to switch to various camera functions.

The automatic mode works on the principle of responding to pixel changes in any part of the frame, i.e. detecting movement in the camera’s field of view. At the same time, the camera turns after the moving object, tracking its movement, turns the camera after it, and stops the camera when the movement stops.

There is also a setting for sensitive areas of the frame, in which the appearance of movement leads to the operation of the device. In this case, you can set insensitive those zones where movement occurs frequently.

Also, in most PTZ cameras, there is a function of automatic patrolling of the territory, which makes it possible to automatically rotate the camera along a given route. Depending on the camera model, you can set from 8 to 200 presets.

The auto-flip function provides automatic 360° rotation of the camera when the mechanical stop is reached, after which the camera continues to move along the established patrol route. Other functions of PTZ cameras include optical zoom. For analog cameras, it has an indicator of 36x, digital – 22x.

What you need to know BEFORE buying a PTZ camera

Before buying a PTZ camera, you should pay attention to a number of camera specifications, namely:

Resolution. For professional conferences, it is better to choose cameras with a resolution of at least FullHD.
Optical or digital zoom. The value of optical or digital zoom in the camera characteristic shows how many times you can change the shooting scale.
Viewing angle. Indicates how much area falls into the frame and depends on the physical size of the sensor and lens optics. For standard video conferencing in the workplace, 70 degrees will be enough.
The presence of a microphone. Models of the middle class and above have a built-in microphone, which often provides poor sound quality, so it may only be suitable for informal communication. During professional online conversations, it is better to use a separate solution or a USB headset to capture audio.

PTZ video camera should be evaluated in terms of the tasks for which it is used and the question “Who makes the best streaming PTZ camera?”. You just need to correctly apply all the necessary settings to obtain an informative and high-quality image.

Now that you can am gazing footage, don’t forget to store your footage in a safe place as you never know when you will need them