Axis and Sony in partnership for advanced video server

In cooperation with the Japanese electronics giant Sony, Axis Communications has developed the SNT-V304 Video Network Station. Using Axis technology, traditional analog monitoring cameras can be used for integration with data networks. The images can be viewed in a conventional web browser anywhere within the digital network. The new video server makes work easier for a broad range of professionals, i.e. Security Managers, Quality Inspectors and market researchers. The security industry is undergoing a technology shift. From mainly having worked with analog technology the digital network based systems are now entering the arena. Axis and Sony are, with their jointly developed video server, driving this change. The video server enables the use of traditional analog cameras for monitoring with CCTV technology in the modern networks used today for other types of electronic communications. The video server is one of the most advanced in the market. It converts an analog signal into a digital format - JPEG. A video sequence can then be transmitted across a network in real time to, for example, the company's intranet, or via the Internet. The system can be used in combination with a digital video recorder of Sony and controllable analog video camera. Compared with analog technology, this equipment is easier to use and the costs of maintenance and installation are lower. The system can be programmed so that video sequences from an alarm event can be sent to a predetermined e-mail address. "The SNT-V304 Video Network Station is the result of the combined expertise in network technology and image processing of Axis and Sony. It will be able to improve our customers' existing security solutions and provide a secure future base for new security systems," says Ton Hendriks, Product Manager at Sony Broadcasting & Professional Europe. "We are extremely proud that Sony chose tocollaborate with us. Sony represents quality and we look upon our cooperation as evidence that Axis' technology is of absolute world class," says Anders Laurin, head of Axis Camera Division. The Sony SNT Video Network Station is based on Axis' ThinServer technology. Product information, SNT - V304 Video Network Station The SNT-V304 can connect four cameras and it incorporates an 8-MB video memory, allowing it to store pre/post alarm JPEG images from each camera. In addition to alarm-generated video sequences, a snap shot function allows live images to be captured manually. The following is an extract from the SNT-V304's technical specifications: • Password protection on three levels. • High image quality with Axis technology for image compression. • Video stream with 25 images per second. • Alarm output: - a trigger is sent to external equipment such as electronic door locks. • Alarm notification - E-mail SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): with attached JPEG file showing the alarm event, is sent to a pre-determined email address and/or a FTP server. • The connection of a Sony digital video recorder makes the system flexible and expandable. Images from a further 16 cameras can be saved.