Digital CCTV camera vs. analogue CCTV camera
Below is the same image, accurately rendered to reflect the quality of the image as recorded by both a digital CCTV camera (top image) and an analogue CCTV camera (bottom image).
As is obviously apparent from the image below, digital CCTV cameras provide a clearer, crisper picture. Digital CCTV cameras provide anywhere between 4 times and 10 times the quality of image compared to an analogue camera, which is incredibly useful if trying to accurately identify individuals in a given scene.
Why Gaia Technologies and CCTV?
With advances in technology, CCTV has gone digital and has converged with computing, making it more integrated, intelligent, easier to maintain and, more importantly, more affordable - and a perfect compliment to Gaia's other education IT services.
Why Digital CCTV?
Image Quality
The maximum resolution that a conventional analogue camera can provide is 0.4 megapixels (MP), which output a relatively poor picture.
Digital cameras, on the other hand, range from being 4 times better (at 1.3mp) to more than 10 times better (4.0mp) than analogue cameras. Digital cameras can capture a clearer image when objects are moving so, when you need to identify particular details in a scene (such as peoples faces, car registration plates etc.), you need a crystal clear image, making digital cameras the obvious choice.
Installation & configuration
Your school will more that likely already have a network in place. As digital cameras are all IP based, a digital CCTV system will integrate very easily within your existing network.
Analogue networks, on the other hand, require a seperate network of coax cabling
Digital cameras, utilising Ethernet, can plug into the nearest network switch, which drastically reduces the length (and therefore expense) of cabling needed to connect cameras to the network. Cabling for analogue cameras need to be cabling from the camera directly to the digital video recorder, leading to long, expensive cabling runs.
Powering cameras
Analogue cameras require a separate power source to the video transmission source, meaning that you'll require additional cabling and available power outlets to power the cameras.
Digital cameras can use Power over Ethernet (PoE), meaning that both power and video transmission can go across the same cable, reducing the need for additional cabling and power outlets.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Traditionally, analogue systems have always been easier to implement. But, with the quality of digital camera systems increasing and pricing decreasing, factoring in installation, configuration and maintenance fees, there is no doubt that digital CCTV systems provide an overall lower TCO.
