ONVIF Newsletter June 2017

Greetings from Per Björkdahl,

Happy summer, everyone.

With the trade show season in full swing, ONVIF is pleased to announce that it will be a sponsor of IFSEC 2017, kicking off next week in London. If you will be attending, please stop by the ONVIF Café on stand B550, where you can take a few minutes to recharge and learn more about the latest ONVIF initiatives. Our presence at IFSEC tops off a spring that included several speaking engagements, at ISC West and the annual meeting of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants, speaking to attendees on the broadening use of ONVIF specifications and Profiles. You can read more about both presentations later on in this newsletter.

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News 

 

ONVIF Sponsors IFSEC International

ONVIF will sponsor IFSEC International 2017 in London, 20-22 June, 2017, at ExCel London. IFSEC International is Europe’s largest security exhibition and more than 27,000 security professionals are expected to attend this year’s event.

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Highways England to Deploy Standards-based CCTV System Based on ONVIF Open Standards  

ONVIF has announced that Highways England has adopted an ONVIF–centric open standards approach to video technology for the continued expansion and management of its national highway CCTV and traffic system. The use of an open, standards-based CCTV system allows the national transport organization to support existing CCTV cameras while providing a pathway for adding new, ONVIF Profile S conformant cameras from a variety of different vendors to the system.

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Use Cases Needed for Working Group

The ONVIF Use Case Working Group (WG) is looking for use cases for discussion to help in their work of developing real-world use cases in response to market demand. The Use Case WG is responsible for developing a set of market requirements and use cases that will be provided to the organization as input for future versions of the technical specification and new profiles. The Use Case WG also works with the organization to update and maintain the ONVIF technical roadmap – i.e., what future features and functions will be included in the work of ONVIF.

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ONVIF Holds 16th Developers’ Plugfest in Québéc City

ONVIF hosted its 16th ONVIF Developers’ Plugfest (ODP) May 10–12 in Québéc City, Québéc, at the Delta Hotel Quebec City in the Old Town district, offering interoperability testing for five ONVIF profiles, including the Release Candidate of Profile A for broader access control configuration, which is scheduled for final release in July.

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ONVIF Member Spotlight

Dora Han, Protocol Development Manager for Hikvision, Full ONVIF Member

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ONVIF Member Spotlight

Ottavio Campana, Product Manager for Videotec S.P.A., Contributing ONVIF Member

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ONVIF Publishes Release Candidate for Profile T for Advanced Video Streaming

ONVIF will publish the Release Candidate (RC) for Profile T for July as well. The Profile T RC is a draft specification with advanced streaming capabilities that includes support for H.265 video compression and an expanded definition of features that extends the capabilities of ONVIF video profiles for systems integrators and end users.

Read more

ONVIF Leads Webinar on Access Control: The Market, Standards and Future

As technological innovations in access control occur faster than ever, the demand for integrations and interoperability between access control, video surveillance and a multitude of other disciplines continue to increase. Join ONVIF and Security Systems News for a July 13 webcast on “Security and beyond: ONVIF interoperability standards driving integration.”

Read more

Greetings from Per Björkdahl!

Happy summer, everyone.

With the trade show season in full swing, ONVIF is pleased to announce that it will be a sponsor of IFSEC 2017, kicking off next week in London. If you will be attending, please stop by the ONVIF Café on stand B550, where you can take a few minutes to recharge and learn more about the latest ONVIF initiatives. Our presence at IFSEC tops off a spring that included several speaking engagements, at ISC West and the annual meeting of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants, speaking to attendees on the broadening use of ONVIF specifications and Profiles. You can read more about both presentations later on in this newsletter.

Of course, the biggest news for ONVIF is its release of two new Profiles in July. The first, Profile A for broader access control configuration, has been in Release Candidate status for several months and has just recently been finalized for publication and implementation. Given the access control market’s history of offering primarily proprietary solutions, Profile A is set to play a significant role in making multi-vendor access control systems a reality for end users and systems integrators alike.

The impact of the Release Candidate Profile T for advanced video streaming, also set for July release, will likely be significant on the security market as well, due to its support for H.265 video compression. In addition to support for H.265, Profile T ultimately offers an expanded, standardized feature set that expands the functionality and scope of Profile S, the first video standard provided by ONVIF.

We’re pleased to make a major announcement about a well-known government transportation body’s adoption of the ONVIF video specification for its national traffic and CCTV systems, covering the roadways and intersections across an entire European country. This collaborative effort illustrates the important role that physical security and standards can play on the larger scale of the broad technology market.

To learn more about these and other ONVIF initiatives, please read on. You can also follow us on social media to stay on the cusp of what’s next for ONVIF!

Complete News

ONVIF Sponsors IFSEC International

ONVIF will sponsor IFSEC International 2017 in London, 20-22 June, 2017, at ExCel London. IFSEC International is Europe’s largest security exhibition and more than 27,000 security professionals are expected to attend this year’s event.

ONVIF will host the IFSEC Cafe on stand B550, where attendees can relax and find educational materials about ONVIF. In addition to its sponsorship, ONVIF will be represented by nearly 80 member companies exhibiting at IFSEC International this year.

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Highways England to Deploy Standards-based CCTV System Based on ONVIF Open Standards  

ONVIF has announced that Highways England has adopted an ONVIF–centric open standards approach to video technology for the continued expansion and management of its national highway CCTV and traffic system. The use of an open, standards-based CCTV system allows the national transport organization to support existing CCTV cameras while providing a pathway for adding new, ONVIF Profile S conformant cameras from a variety of different vendors to the system.

Highways England sought a standards-based approach for its CCTV and traffic system, which oversees motorways and major roads in England, in order to maximize the value of its legacy CCTV cameras and to help keep tax payer-funded expenditures as low as possible. In addition to enabling continued control of existing CCTV assets and an incremental migration from legacy analog to IP, a standards-based approach offers Highways England the ability to use new innovative CCTV technology as it appears in the general market. As part of the ONVIF-centric, open standards approach, Highways England will specify that any new cameras added to the CCTV system must be conformant to ONVIF Profile S, while recording shall conform to ONVIF Profile G.

Visit the ONVIF website to read more about this exciting announcement.

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Use Cases Needed for Working Group

The ONVIF Use Case Working Group (WG) is looking for use cases for discussion to help in their work of developing real-world use cases in response to market demand. The Use Case WG is responsible for developing a set of market requirements and use cases that will be provided to the organization as input for future versions of the technical specification and new profiles. The Use Case WG also works with the organization to update and maintain the ONVIF technical roadmap – i.e., what future features and functions will be included in the work of ONVIF.

Please contribute if you have any use cases for discussion by emailing cathy.zhou@huawei.com. This is a great opportunity to contribute to ONVIF and make sure that the organization’s work reflects the needs in the market in the best possible way. Participation in the working group is open to all ONVIF members at the full and contributing membership level or by invitation from the Use Case WG.

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ONVIF Holds 16th Developers’ Plugfest in Québéc City

ONVIF hosted its 16th ONVIF Developers’ Plugfest (ODP) May 10–12 in Québéc City, Québéc, at the Delta Hotel Quebec City in the Old Town district, offering interoperability testing for five ONVIF profiles, including the Release Candidate of Profile A for broader access control configuration, which is scheduled for final release in July.

During the Plugfest, engineers and developers from ONVIF member companies tested their products’ implementation of ONVIF Profile Specifications with other ONVIF Profile-conformant products to ensure interoperability between conformant products from other vendors. In addition to Profile interoperability tests, attendees were offered one hour of testing using the ONVIF Device/Client Test Tools, as well as the opportunity to discuss with Test Tool developers any issues that arose during conformance testing.

The ONVIF Developers’ Plugfest in Québéc City drew 32 attendees from 17 member companies from 13 different countries. Attendees logged 177 hours of total testing time during the three-day event, testing five ONVIF profiles for interoperability, including Profile Q for out-of-the-box interoperability, Profile S for IP-based video systems, Profile C for IP-based access control, Profile G for edge storage and retrieval and the Release Candidate of Profile A for broader access control configuration.

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ONVIF Member Spotlight

 

Dora Han, Protocol Development Manager for Hikvision, Full ONVIF Member

 

How long has your company been a member of ONVIF?

Hikvision has been a member of ONVIF for about nine years, since 2008.

 

Is your company involved in any particular working groups?

The ONVIF Video Enhancement Working Group.

 

Why is it important for your company to be a member of ONVIF?

ONVIF is the most prevalent and the most widely supported standard protocol. Being a member of ONVIF provides us with more opportunity and competitiveness in the market.

 

Are there any specific benefits it brings to your business?

When we work on a project together with other vendors, we usually use ONVIF to integrate with other vendors’ products because it is a fast and established way that our customers accept easily.

 

Being a member of ONVIF, we also can learn about the latest industry developments, participate in discussing the best solutions to industry problems and promote the development of ONVIF.

 

As standards have evolved and become more prevalent in the security industry, how has that impacted you as a technology manufacturer? How has it impacted the industry?

ONVIF defines uniform connection interfaces for different vendors and makes their integration more convenient. ONVIF also helps member companies provide standard and quick solutions to their customers.

 

While video and access control have been the primary focus of standards development so far, do you believe there are other product segments that ONVIF should focus on moving forward?

As applications in the security market are developed, customers encounter new challenges and it’s those challenges that ONVIF can address, such as mobile products, smart home control and other technologies and applications.

 

Where do you believe the industry currently stands as it relates to the adoption of standards and where do you see the market headed in the future?

In China, network video surveillance systems have been widely used in public security, transportation, energy, education and other government departments and large enterprises. And there are similar applications in other countries whose needs ONVIF can’t fully meet right now.

 

Industry standards seem to be still be competing with proprietary, end to end offerings from a single vendor. Is this something you as a manufacturer come up against in the market? Do you believe it negatively impacts the work being done to create and comply with industry standards as a manufacturer?

Proprietary solutions and industry standards aren’t always in conflict with each other. Proprietary APIs can be updated quickly with new functions and features. If these new features become widely used, then they can be standardized. I don’t think it negatively impacts the use of industry standards, provided industry standards are updated as the industry evolves.

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ONVIF Member Spotlight

Ottavio Campana, Product Manager for Videotec S.P.A., Contributing ONVIF Member

 

How long has your company been a member of ONVIF?

Six years.

 

Is your company involved in any particular working groups?

The ONVIF Use Case Working Group and Video Enhancement Working Group.

 

Why is it important for your company to be a member of ONVIF?

Videotec is a company focused on manufacturing special devices, such as PTZ units for extreme outdoor environments or cameras that can be deployed in potentially harsh environments. These devices require special functions, and we contribute to the ONVIF group with our competence in these fields to make sure that the ONVIF specifications can match every scenario our customers face, even the most extreme. We do this because a complete standard simplifies the design, integration and maintenance of the projects in which we are involved.

 

Are there any specific benefits it brings to your business? 

The main benefit is that interoperability between our products and third-party video management systems is much, much easier with ONVIF. Since every vendor follows the same standard, the effort required for a new integration is significantly reduced.

 

We also benefit from how ONVIF specifications define how a device is expected to work. When adding new features to our devices, we know in advance how video management systems expect our devices to work, and this acts as a quality control measure that helps us to deliver the high quality that our customers expect.

 

As standards have evolved and become more prevalent in the security industry, how has that impacted you as a technology manufacturer? How has it impacted the industry?

Standards have had a positive impact, both commercially and technically. Issues related to interoperability have been dramatically reduced because of standards including ONVIF and as a result, our products are being integrated into many projects, even out of our expected scope. For example, we were surprised to see our PTZ units used for broadcasting video of tracked cars on a F1 Grand Prix track and in delivering gigapixel footage of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

On the technical side, we have added an ONVIF section to our initial training for new software engineers, so that all our developers share a common glossary and understand the products they work on and the standards that our products are expected to meet to be ONVIF conformant.

 

While video and access control have been the primary focus of standards development so far, do you believe there are other product segments that ONVIF should focus on moving forward?

Thanks to the ease of interoperability and integration, we expect ONVIF to be adopted in monitoring systems that not only include video and access control, but also include building management and smart sensors. We think that ONVIF Profile Q is the prelude to many other devices that will be easily integrated into the video management system of today. In fact, Profile Q covers configuring a device, setting up the necessary measures for security and retrieving data with the events-related functions, which you could argue is the beginning of an ONVIF-compliant Internet of Things.

 

Where do you believe the industry currently stands as it relates to the adoption of standards and where do you see the market headed in the future?

In the last year, we’ve witnessed a new wave of vendors trying to promote again their complete and closed end-to-end systems. We think that the temptation to try to lock-in the customers to a single manufacturer will never disappear, but our customers seem less prone to accept these kinds of systems. Closed and proprietary solutions may never disappear, but standards are going to be adopted more and more.

 

Industry standards seem to still compete with proprietary, end-to-end offerings from a single vendor. Is this something you as a manufacturer come up against in the market? Do you believe it negatively impacts the work being done to create and comply with industry standards as a manufacturer?

Several years ago, we had to choose whether to implement a proprietary IP protocol in our devices. Eventually we decided to implement only ONVIF and to take part in ONVIF as a contributing member to provide additional input and help fill the gaps we initially identified in the specifications. With this strategy, we achieved a higher level of interoperability for a fraction of the price of subsidizing integration with proprietary systems.

This is reflected in a lower cost for our customers, together with the guarantee that they will never be limited by a closed solution, and this is appreciated by our customers. For example, when you build an offshore platform, you must be sure that no matter what happens, you’ll be able to do maintenance on your system. The cost of having to deploy a completely new CCTV system because the original manufacturing company no longer exists because of acquisition or bankruptcy is so high that it is not worth the risk for our customers.

Nevertheless, we understand that in some scenarios the impact may be much different, and some companies may offer their proprietary solution with a lower initial price. In many cases, the lower price doesn’t necessarily offset the risks related to a proprietary solution. Customers just need to remember that there is no such thing as a “free lunch.”

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ONVIF Publishes Release Candidate for Profile T for Advanced Video Streaming

ONVIF will publish the Release Candidate (RC) for Profile T for July as well. The Profile T RC is a draft specification with advanced streaming capabilities that includes support for H.265 video compression and an expanded definition of features that extends the capabilities of ONVIF video profiles for systems integrators and end users.

ONVIF Profile T for advanced streaming employs a new media service that enables the support of H.265 video compression, based on the H.265 standard developed by several different international standards organizations that specifies how to decode data into displayable video. Profile T broadens the scope of the ONVIF video profile to include both the H.264 video compression standard that is widely used in video surveillance solutions today and H.265 video compression, which is set to become the defacto video compression standard in the very near future. In addition to support for multiple video compression types, Profile T also establishes rules regarding motion detection, meta-data streaming and other important features that ultimately offer an expanded, standardized feature set to system integrators and end users, in addition to interoperability between manufacturers’ solutions.

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ONVIF Leads Webinar on Access Control: The Market, Standards and Future

As technological innovations in access control occur faster than ever, the demand for integrations and interoperability between access control, video surveillance and a multitude of other disciplines continue to increase. Join ONVIF and Security Systems News for a July 13 webcast on “Security and beyond: ONVIF interoperability standards driving integration.”

This webcast will address how the standardization of IP network-based communications is becoming crucial in keeping up with end user demand for multi-device integrations and will also offer insight on how the use of ONVIF Profile C and Profile A can help maintain interoperability between different access control devices.

Attend this webcast and learn:

  • The features and functionalities of ONVIF Profile C and Profile A
  • How ONVIF profiles enable easier integrations between access control and video surveillance

Bob Dolan from Anixter, Vinay Ghule from Honeywell and Jim Dearing from IHS Markit will lead the discussion with Tim Purpura, Publisher of Security Systems News. The webcast is free and open to all. Sign up online today!

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