Sony unveils Industry First Security Solution

Thursday October 9, 2003

Sony has released an end-to-end IP based surveillance system designed to enable co-ordinated emergency response from site administrators, police and other respondents, who can control cameras and gain access to the live footage simultaneously via the Internet.

The turnkey IP Surveillance solution is built on Cisco Infrastructure and includes fixed-view and pan/tilt/zoom IP addressable cameras with built-in web servers and Ethernet ports, "Real Shot" camera recording and video management software, Sony's SSM monitor line-up and a network attached storage server to record and archive video.

The SNC-Z20N network video camera is the new addition to the remote pan/tilt/zoom camera line-up. Its embedded web server can handle up to 50 simultaneous viewers monitoring remote sites through its auto-focus 25x optical zoom lens with 12x digital zoom. The camera also has web server capability with an assignable IP address and can cater for access from laptops or handheld PC's using a Wi-Fi link, further extending further the versatility of the system in emergency situations.

The network application server component allows for the management of up to 16 cameras and can record and archive video up to one month.

The product represents the security industry's first end-to-end IP-based system according to Sony, with results from early implementation of the system - a pilot program held on two campuses of the Grossmont Union School District in San Diego County in the US - has shown a significant drop in vandalism and inappropriate use of school facilities and resources.