FAQs

Q: How are individual images or video clips copied from the recorded image data?

The client software enables individual images to be copied onto digital media, or attached to an email or output onto a printer.

Video clips from a single or multiple cameras can be copied to digital media by selecting the start time and the end time and choosing the target medial (CD, DVD or USB storage).

• Wavelet (requires Waveplayer software for playback)
• MPEG-2 (for playback in Windows Media PlayerTM / Real PlayerTM etc.)
• DVD Video (for playback in standard DVD players)

Large video files can be exported directly onto a USB Mass Storage Device.

Q: What is the procedure to use if the police require the original video recordings?

Increasingly it is recognised that a digital copy is the same as the original data, so a backup will suffice. However, many Wavestore recorders have hard drives mounted in caddie trays, which can be removed and replaced.

Since the system administrator can assign each camera to a specific hard drive, all archives data relating to each camera can be contained on a specific drive.

If the drives are configured into a RAID format, then the best method is to create a digital back-up on a removable storage device.

Q: What different recording options are provided within the operating software?

Three different recording options are provided as standard; being Prime, Time Lapse and Alarm. These provide a great deal of flexibility to address a wide range of application requirements. These include the ability to boost the image rate on alarm, or record the images from individual cameras at different image rates.

Q: How much hard disc storage is required for an application with analogue and megapixel IP cameras

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer.

The factors that affect the amount of hard drive storage include the image rate, the image file size, whether motion detection is enabled, the total of recording hours a day and the number of days that data is to be retained.

Analogue camera image sizes vary depending on the compression format used (whether Wavelet, MPEG-4 or H.264). The image file sizes with Megapixel cameras will be much larger when using the Motion JPEG format. The file sizes will be less if MPEG-4 or H.264 formats are employed, however the resolution (CIF, 2-CIF, 4-CIF, D1 etc) will also affect the volume (and image quality).

We plan to publish a white paper on the web site.

Use the Wavestore storage calculator to estimate the volume required for your particular configuration, and vary the settings to assess the impact on the project requirements.

Q: Why is Wavestore offered with two different analogue compression technologies?

The choice available is either Wavelet or H.264 compression technologies. Wavelet records full images which is ideal for forensic analysis. H264 (which is equivalent to MPEG-4 Part 10) records in a manner more efficent than MPEG-4, and requires less disk storage than Wavelet compressed images.

The Wavelet compression technology captures complete images, and the Wavestore solution can provide up to 50 frames per second recording capability.

Q: What is the benefit of H.264 compression when used with IP cameras?

IP cameras are offered with M-JPEG (which creates a video stream from a succession of JPEG-compressed still photos), MPEG-4 (where each frame is defined as the previous frame plus changes), or H.264 (otherwise referred to as MPEG-4 Part 10), which requires less bandwidth and less storage volume.

H264 has been widely adopted by IP and megapixel camera manufacturers, and supported by the ONVIF and PSIA initiatives, which encourages greater innovation and harmonisation for the benefit of the installer and customers.

Q: What is the benefit of using Megapixel cameras with H.264 compression?

Most megapixel cameras are offered with M-JPEG, (or MxPEG in the case of Mobotix) which create large image file sizes. H264 achieves smaller file sizes that are typically 10 to 20% of a comparable M-JPEG video stream (for a camera in the range of 1 to 2 megapixels), and 30 to 50% of a comparble M-JPEG stream (for a camera in the range of 3 to 5 megapixels).

Although hard drive prices have reduced, this storage volume reduction can have a significant impact for a large system.

Q: What issues should I be aware of when considering a recording system based on the H.264 solution?

One drawback with H264 is that more processing power is required to display many megapixel camera images simultaneously, however the Wavestore design is optimised to display multiple megapixel camera images in real time.

Q: Is there a Wavestore solution that supports NAS storage?

NAS (Network Attached Storage) is often the data storage choice for IT systems, and CCTV camera images recorded using the Wavestore equipment can be stored onto a NAS solution.

The Opal, Topaz and Pearl recorders include an iSCSI interface, that enables video images to be stored onto NAS solutions such as the SNAP server.

The Rock and Granite recorders support iSCSI, SAS or Fibre Channel controllers to interface to external RAID storage systems.

Q: Why is Wavestore a better investment?

The Wavestore design is upgradable and expandible to meet your future security requirements for additional cameras or more storage.

When a system is purchased (with the current software version) all subsequent version releases are available free of charge.

Each software release expands the range of cameras supported (and tdetailed features) as well as new system features requested by the Wavestore users.

Which Wavestore product you choose, they are all inter-operable and networkable to provide your applications with your ideal solution.

Q: What do I do if I need technical support or advice?

Wavestore recorders are designed and maufactured in the UK, where a qualified technical support service is maintained.

Many issues can be resolved over the phone, or diagnosed remotely using a secure process over the internet; and in the rare occurrence of a hardware failure can be diagnosed and repaired.

Q: What are the benefits of Linux over a Windows based video recorder?

Linux is an operating system that is extensively used in commercial server designs. Linux is a well proven and does not require a user licence, firewall or anti-virus software. An important benefit is that when mains is restored following a power failure, the Wavestore recorder will restart and continue recording automatically. Also, the hard drives in a Wavestore recorder do not require de-fragging, so the recorder can operate continuously without any degradation in storage performance. When installing the software upgrades (which are free for the version of software originally purchased), the server rarely requires to be shut down; so recording is not interrupted.

Q: How are analogue and IP camera images recorded in the same video recorder?

The recorder uses a video compression card for the analogue video signals (connected via individual coaxial cables). This card digitises the camera images, which are then stored on the hard drives.

IP and megapixel camera images are transmitted over the Ethernet network and simultaneously recorded directly to the hard drive (Multiple cameras using different compression formats can be recorded concurrently).

Q: Can analogue and IP camera images be viewed simultaneously?

Each individual user can set up their live display preferences for 1, 4, 9, 13 or 16 images simultaneously, which can be combinations of analogue and IP camera images.

Similarly single or multiple archived images comprising of analogue and IP cameras can be displayed and played either in forward or reverse direction from any point in time from the stored data.