What's new in Omnicast 4.5

October 31, 2009

From a better support of on board video analytic to Security improvements, Omnicast 4.5 includes tons of interesting features. I resume the most important improvements in Omnicast 4.5, for more details please refer to the Release Notes.

Onboard Video Analytics support

We improved our support for onboard video analytic in this release. More and more camera vendors offer analytic built-in the camera. The video is analyzed directly by the unit, and events are sent to the System for real-time alarms and notifications. The events are stored by the Omnicast Archiver so they can be queried at a later date. You can also use the Config Tool to associate actions to your edge analytics events to determine how the system will handle them.

Omnicast 4.5 has built in support for onboard analytic from Sony, Bosch and Panasonic and any OV Ready Compliant units.

With OV Ready compliant units, you can use the Config Tool to set up rules that will trigger events based on suspicious actions without having to open a separate interface for configuration. We tested the Pelco and Lan Access OV Ready units but more manufacturers will be available in the future.

Please refer to the Genetec Technical Assistance Portal (GTAP) for the exact list of models and manufacturers with edge analytic support.

It is important to mention that our implementation of analytic on the edge does not require more resource on the video server; the standard rule of thumb (100 cameras 4cif 30 Fps/Archiver or 300 cameras up to 300 mbit/s) is still true even if all cameras have analytics on board. Since the analytic support is implemented in the archiver no need to install a plugin like we do for server based analytic.

Security Improvements

The security model in Omnicast is very flexible and powerful but we added a few options requested by our customers because confidentially around video surveillance has always been a concern.

Password protected export

When exporting a video file from the Archive Player, Omnicast allows you to add an encryption key to your file that is also required for viewing that file.

Restrict number of workstations a user can login from

You can now limit the number of simultaneous workstation connections a user has to the system. This option prevents a user from using all the available user connection licenses if they logon (or forget to logoff) multiple stations.

Password expiration

To increase the security of the system, you can now restrict the number of days a password can be used. Once set, the user is required to change his/her password at regular intervals and the previous password cannot be used.

Playback improvements

Four new playback speeds to help you view events. For fast forwarding, a 6x and 8x speed has been added. For rewinding, a -1x and -4x speed has been added.

A single-click Archive Player is now available as a free tool on the Omnicast installation DVD. The single-click Archive Player has the same functionality as the full Archive Player but you do not need any Omnicast software installed to use it.

When in offline mode, you can now export a portion of a previously exported .g64 video. This is useful when you want to view a small segment of a previously exported clip.

H.264 software motion detection

Omnicast 4.4 doesn't have software motion detection for H.264, it was available through unit events. With 4.5 it supports server base motion detection without decoding the entire stream. Server based motion search is also available to search all the video archives.

It's supported for the following H.264 camera manufacturers:

Arecont
Axis
Sony
IQinVision
Pelco

Video and PTZ Integrations

Here's a quick overview of the improvements we made organized by vendor. Many new cameras models are supported since 4.4, for the exact list of features and supported models, please refer to the GTAP portal.

Bosch IntuiKey CCTV keyboard support

Omnicast supports the Bosch IntuiKey CCTV keyboard and the following functions:

PTZ control
Camera switching
Video playback
Alarm acknowledgment
Run macro
Trigger alarm
1x1 display change
2x2 display change

IQinVision Extension

A new extension is now available in Omnicast for IQEye hardware. The IQinVision extension gives configuration and multi-stream capabilities for most IQEye megapixel cameras.

JVC

Omnicast now supports JVC cameras under the generic plus extension.

March Networks

Some IP cameras from Cieffe/March Networks are now supported under the Genetec extension.

Optelecom-NKF

Omnicast now supports Optelecom-NKF units under the generic plus extension.

Panasonic PTZ

Omnicast now supports the latest PTZ protocol with position data return for analog Panasonic PTZ. We also added support for pattern configuration on IP PTZ WV-NS954 and WV-NW964.

Sony

Input pins are supported for second, third, and fourth generation Sony video units, and output pins for all generations of Sony video units. It's now possible to upgrade Sony firmware through the ConfigTool.

H.264 streams are now supported on third generation Sony units.