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CCTV Glossary

A
AC Adaptor Generally referred to as a power supply. All CCTV devices need power of some sort. Each device has its own power requirements, usually 12V. The power coming out of the wall in the UK is 240V AC. The adaptor converts the AC power to DC power and will adjust it to a specified amperage.
AGC Automatic Gain Control. A circuit for automatically controlling amplifier gain in order to maintain a constant output voltage with a varying input voltage within a predetermined range of input-to-output variation.
Alarm input An input connection to a security VCR or DVR that triggers the unit to start recording if the alarm is activated.
Analogue An analogue signal can be represented as a series of sine waves. The term originated because the modulation of the carrier wave is analogous to the fluctuations of the human voice or other sound that is being transmitted.
Angle of view For security cameras, this refers to the range in degrees that you can focus the camera image. When focusing close up, you can generally see a wide angle of view. If the focus is distant, the angle of view is smaller or narrower.
Audio/Video Interleave (AVI) An AVI file is a sound and motion picture file that conforms to the Microsoft Windows Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) specification. AVI files (which end with an .avi extension) require a special player that may be included with your web browser.
Auto Balance A system for detecting errors in colour balance in white and black areas of the picture and automatically adjusting the white and black levels as needed for correction.
Auto Iris A lens in which the aperture automatically opens or closes to maintain proper light levels on the faceplate of the camera pickup device.
Automatic Brightness Control A self-acting mechanism which controls brightness of the device as a function of ambient light.
Automatic Gain Control A process by which gain is automatically adjusted.
Automatic Iris Lens A lens that automatically adjusts the amount of light reaching the device.

 

B
Back Light Compensation (BLC) A feature on newer CCD cameras which electronically compensates for high background lighting to give detail which would normally be silhouetted.
Bandwidth The bandwidth determines the rate at which video can be sent through a network - the greater the bandwidth, the more video that can be sent in a given amount of time. Usually measured in bits-per-second.
Baud The baud rate is how many bits can be sent or received per second.
Bitmap A bitmap is digital graphic that basically consists of a map of dots. Bitmaps include GIF, JPEG and other file formats.
BNC connector Is a type of connector used to interconnect two coaxial cables or connect a cable with other CCTV components.
Brightness The attribute of visual perception in accordance with which an area appear to emit more of less light. (Luminance is the recommended name for the photo-electric quantity which has also been called brightness.)
Broadband A general term for different types of high-speed, high-bandwidth connections to the Internet, including ADSL and cable.

 

C:
Category (CAT) 5 Cable Cable that is capable of transmitting data at high speeds (100 megabits per second and faster). CAT 5 cable is commonly used for voice and data applications. Usually comes with RJ45 connectors.
CCTV Common abbreviation for Closed-Circuit Television.
Coaxial Cable A particular type of cable capable of passing a wide range of frequencies with very low signal loss. Such a cable in its simplest form, consists of a hollow metallic shield with a single wire accurately placed along the center of the shield and isolated from the shield.
Codec Short for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. Examples of Codecs include Wavelet, MPEG-4, JPEG.
Composite Video Signal The combined picture signal, including vertical and horizontal blanking and synchronizing signals.
Compression Technology This is the Codecs used for compressing and decompressing video data.
Contrast The range of light to dark values in a picture or the ratio between the maximum and minimum brightness values.

 

D  
Day/Night Cameras Day/Night Cameras are regular cameras with an especially sensitive CCD chip that allows a good image to be captured in very low ambient lighting.
Depth of Focus The range of sensor-to-lens distance for which the image formed by the lens is clearly focused.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) A digital video recorder is basically a computer that converts the incoming (analogue) signal from the cameras to digital, and compresses it, and stores it. The DVR replaces the function of a multiplexer (or quad or switcher) and a security VCR.  The image quality from digital is much better than from analogue.
Downstream The downloading of data from the Internet to the PC. ADSL has both upstream and downstream data rates.
Duplex A circuit that permits transmission in both directions. In CCTV, duplex is often used to describe the type of multiplexer that can perform two functions simultaneously: recording in multiplex mode and playback in multiplex mode.

 

F
Field One of the two equal but vertically separated parts into which a television frame is divided in an interlaced system of scanning. A period of 1/60 second separates each field start time.
Field of View The maximum angle of view that can be seen through a lens or optical instrument.
Firewall A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks.
Focal Length Of a lens, the distance from the focal point to the principal point of the lens.
Focal Plane A plane (through the focal point) at right angles to the principal point of the lens.
Focal Point The point at which a lens or mirror will focus parallel incident radiation.
f/Stop Also called F Number and F System. Refers to the speed or ability of a lens to pass light. It is calculated by dividing the focal length of the lens by its diameter.
FPS Frames Per Second - this term is generally used to detail the number of framers (per second) a DVR will record. 

 

G
Gain An increase in voltage or power, usually expressed in dB.
Ghost A spurious image resulting from an echo.
Gigabyte (GB) This unit is typically used to measure large data storage or data transfer capacities (by current standards). 1GB = 1024 MB = 1,048,576 KB = 1,073,741,824 bytes.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) The communication system used by cellular phones in the UK.
Gray Scale Variations in value from white, through shades of gray, to black on a television screen. The gradations approximate the tonal values of the original image picked up by the TV camera.

 

H
H.264 Compression It is generated from MPEG-4, but more advanced for video compression. It has more complex coding algorithm, lower usage of bandwidth and smaller royal fee than MPEG4. It works well on a very wide variety of applications, networks and systems (e.g., for broadcast, DVD storage, and multimedia telephony systems).
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) The storage device usually fixed inside of your computer or DVR used to store information.
High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) A GSM transmission standard that allows data to be transferred at up to 28.8kbps

 

I  
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Digital telephony scheme that allows a user to connect to the Internet over standard phone lines at speeds higher than a 56K modem allows. Capable of speeds from 57.6 K to 128 K.
IP (Internet Protocol) The TCP/IP standard protocol that defines the IP datagram as the unit of information passed across an Internet and provides the basis for connectionless packet delivery service.
IP Address The numeric address of a computer on the Internet. An IP address is written as a set of four numbers separated by periods (each number can range from 0 to 255). An example of an IP address is 123.123.4.5
Image Intensifier A device coupled by fiber optics to a TV image pickup sensor to increase sensitivity. Can be single or multi stage.
Incident Light The light that falls directly on an object.
Infra Red Camera Infrared cameras (night vision cameras) have special infrared lights installed around the perimeter of the camera lens. This provides special light that the camera uses to capture a good picture even in total darkness.
Insertion Loss The signal strength loss when a piece of equipment is inserted into a line.
Interference Extraneous energy which tends to interfere with the reception of the desired signals.
Iris An adjustable aperture built into a camera lens to permit control of the amount of light passing through the lens.

 

J  
JPEG Stands for `Joint Photographic Experts Group` who designed the standard. This is a standard way of compressing images which works particularly well for photographic images (as opposed to graphic art).
JPEG2000 JPEG2000 is image coding system and the successor of the JPEG format. Its architecture lends itself to a wide range of uses from portable digital cameras to advanced pre-press, medical imaging and other key sectors. Compared to JPEG, JPEG2000 offers higher compression without compromising quality, progressive image reconstruction.

 

L
LAN (Local Area Network) A communications system that links computers into a network, usually via a wiring based cabling scheme. LANs connect PCs, workstations and servers together to allow users to communicate and share resources like hard disk storage and printers. Devices linked by a LAN may be on the same floor or within a building or campus. It is user-owned and does not run over leased lines, though a LAN may have gateways to the PSTN or other, private, networks.
LED Light Emitting Device is a type of light source which generates an infrared frequency when stimulated by electricity.
LCD Liquid Crystal Display. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) offer several advantages over traditional cathode-ray tube displays that make them ideal for several applications. LCD’s are flat, and they use only a fraction of the power required by CRTs. They are easier to read and more pleasant to work with for long periods of time than most ordinary video monitors. There are several tradeoffs as well, such as limited view angle, brightness, and contrast, not to mention high manufacturing cost.
Lens A transparent optical component consisting of one or more pieces of optical glass with surfaces so curved (usually Spherical), that they serve to converge or diverge the transmitted rays of an object, thus forming a real or virtual image of that object.
Lens Preset Positioning Follower Pots are installed on lens that allows feedback to the controller information relevant to zoom and focus positioning allowing the controller to quickly adjust to a pre-selected scene and arrive in focus at the proper focal length automatically.
Lens Speed Refers to the ability of a lens to transmit light, represented as the ratio of the focal length to the diameter of the lens. A fast lens would be rated f/8. The larger the f number, the slower the lens.
Light Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm.
Line Amplifier An amplifier for audio or video signals that feeds a transmission line; also called program amplifier.
Loop Through Also called looping. The method of feeding a series of high impedance circuits (such as multiple monitor/displays in parallel) from a pulse or video source with a coax transmission line in such a manner that the line is bridged (with minimum length stubs) and that the last unit properly terminates the line in its characteristic impedance. This minimizes discontinuities or reflections on the transmission line.
Loss A reduction in signal level or strength, usually expressed in dB. Power dissipation serving no useful purpose.
Luminance Luminous intensity (photometric brightness) of any surface in a given direction per unit of projected area of the surface as viewed from that direction, measured in footlamberts (fl).
Lux International System (Sl) unit of illumination in which the meter is the unit of length. One lux equals one lumen per square meter. A camera`s light gathering ability. The lower the number, the better the image in low light conditions. A sunny day would be about 100,000 lux - a full moon at night would be about 0.1 lux - street lighting would be about 1 to 10 lux - home/office lighting would be about 100 to 1000 lux.

 

M  
Megabits Per Second (MBPS) A measurement of the transmission speed of data measured in 1,048,576 bits per second.
Motion Joint Photographic Experts Group (MJPEG) This compression standard generally refers to JPEG images shown at high frame rate, generally 25 frames per second. It gives high quality video images, but the comparatively large file sizes of each individual image does put demands on the transmission bandwidth.
Modem(Modulate/Demodulate) device for the transmission of data via dial-up networking.
Modulation The process, or results of the process, whereby some characteristic of one signal is varied in accordance with another signal. The modulated signal is called the carrier. The carrier may be modulated in three fundamental ways: by varying the amplitude, called amplitude modulation; by varying the frequency, called frequency modulation; by varying the phase, called phase modulation.
Monitor A unit of equipment that displays on the face of a picture tube the images detected and transmitted by a television camera.
Monochrome Black and white with all shades of gray.
Monochrome Signal In monochrome television, a signal wave for controlling the brightness values in the picture. In color television, that part of the signal wave which has major control of the brightness values of the picture, whether displayed in color or in monochrome.
Monochrome Transmission The transmission of a signal wave which represents the brightness values in the picture, but not the color (chrominance) values.
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) MPEG is an international standard for video compression. MPEG-1 is a low-resolution format currently used on the World Wide Web for short animated files. MPEG-2 is a much higher resolution format being developed for digital television and movies. MPEG-4 is increasingly being used in CCTV solutions.
MPEG-4 MPEG-4 is a graphics and video compression algorithm. It is further development of the MPEG-2. MPEG-4 resolves the picture more effectively and can thus compress sequence quicker and maybe smaller. Now, it is popularly used for Internet transmitting.
Multiplexer A device primarily developed as a means to record multiple cameras simultaneously to a single video tape. They also allow viewing of multiple cameras on a single monitor in various arrangements.

 

N
Night Vision Cameras that have night vision have the ability to see in low light conditions. To judge how dark it can be for your camera to work, look at the Lux rating on the camera. The lower the lux, the better it will see at night.
Noise The word `noise` originated in audio practice and refers to random spurts of electrical energy or interference. In some cases, it will produce a `salt-and-pepper` pattern over the televised picture. Heavy noise is sometimes referred to as `snow`.
Non-Composite Video A video signal containing all information except sync.
NTSC Abbreviation for National Television Systems Committee. A committee that worked with the FCC in formulating standards for the present day United States color television system.

 

O
Output The signal level at the output of an amplifier or other device

 

P
PAL The UK’s colour television standard.
Pan and Tilt A device upon which a camera can be mounted that allows movement in both the azimuth (pan) and in the vertical plane (tilt).
Pan/Tilt Preset Positioning Follower pots are installed on pan/tilt unit to allow feedback to the controller and provides information relevant to horizontal and vertical positioning, allowing the controller to quickly adjust to a pre-selected scene automatically.
PCI Video Card A PC card that allows video from analogue cameras to be fed into a computer.
Picture Element See Pixel
PIR Passive Infrared. Widely used in devices to detect motion. A special lens on the front of the PIR divides the sensor into zones. A individuals body heat radiation is detected as it moves through the sensor zones in front of the PIR
Pixel Short for Picture Element. A pixel is the smallest area of a television picture capable of being delineated by an electrical signal passed through the system of part thereof. The number of picture elements (pixels) in a complete picture, and their geometric characteristics of vertical height and horizontal width, provide information on the total amount of detail which the raster can display and on the sharpness of the detail, respectively. Monitor resolution is measured in pixels. CCTV pictures of 640 x 480 pixels (full screen) and 320 x 240 (quad screen) are most common.
Proxy Server A server that acts as an intermediary between a user's computer and the computer they want to access. If a user makes a request for a resource from computer \"A,\" this request is directed to the proxy server, which makes the request, gets the response from computer \"A,\" and then forwards the response to the client. Proxy servers are useful for accessing World Wide Web resources from inside a firewall.

 

Q
Quad Processor Is a device which uses digital video to display pictures from 4 cameras on a single monitor.

 

R
RJ11 A type of telephone connector. Standard in the US.
RJ45 A standard network connector, often found at the end of CAT-5 cable.
Real time video is a picture with more than 24 frames per sec and therefore looks continuous
Resolution (horizontal) The amount of resolvable detail in the horizontal direction in a picture. It is usually expressed as the number of distinct vertical lines, alternately black and white, which can be seen in a distance equal to picture height.
Resolution, Limiting The details that can be distinguished on the television screen. Vertical resolution refers to the number of horizontal black and white lines that can be resolved in the picture height. Horizontal resolution refers to the black and white lines resolved in a dimension equal to the vertical height and may be limited by the video amplifier bandwidth.
Resolution (vertical) The amount of resolvable detail in the vertical direction in a picture. It is usually expressed as the number of distinct horizontal lines, alternately black and white, which can theoretically be seen in a picture.
Retained Image Also called image burn. A change produced in or on the target which remains for a large number of frames after the removal of a previously stationary light image and which yields a spurious electrical signal corresponding to that light image.
Resolution is a measure of picture definition and clarity and is represented by number of lines. Greater the number of lines, higher the resolution.
RG-59 is a type of coaxial cable used for transmission of video signals up to 230m. It is the most popular cable used in CCTV.
RF (Radio Frequency) A frequency at which coherent electromagnetic radiation of energy is useful for communication purposes. Also, the entire range of such frequencies.
Roll A loss of vertical synchronization which causes the picture to move up or down on a receiver or monitor.

 

S
Saturation In color, the degree to which a color is diluted with white light or is pure. The vividness of a color, described by such terms as bright, deep, pastel, pale, etc. Saturation is directly related to the amplitude of the chrominance signal.
Scanning The process of moving the electron beam of a pickup tube or a picture tube across the target or screen area of a tube. Sensitivity - In television, a factor expressing the incident illumination upon a specified scene required to produce a specified picture signal at the output terminals of a television camera.
SCART Standard European 20 pin connector used for carrying both video and audio signals in domestic TV appliances, now utilised on some CCTV equipment
Serial Port Also known as a communications port or COM port. The serial port is a location for sending and receiving serial data transmissions. These ports are known by the names COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4.
Shutter Ability to control the integration (of light) time to the sensor to less than 1/60 second; eg. stop motion of moving traffic.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio The ratio between useful television signal and disturbing noise or snow.
Snow Heavy random noise.
Spike A transient of short duration, comprising part of a pulse, during which the amplitude considerably exceeds the average amplitude of the pulse.
Static IP address An IP address which is the same every time you log on to the Internet. The alternative to a dynamic IP address. Often standard for business broadband but not for domestic broadband.
Subnet Mask A numeric designation, with the same format as an IP address, which determines how much of an IP address is used to partition a network using TCP/IP into smaller entities called subnets.

 

T  
Test Pattern A chart especially prepared for checking overall performance of a television system. It contains various combinations of lines and geometric shapes. The camera is focused on the chart, and the pattern is viewed at the monitor for fidelity.
Time/date generator is a device which generates time and a date superimposes it on the video signal.
Time Lapse VCR A video recorder, most often in the VHS format,that can slow down the recording process and create a time lapse between recorded frames. This increases the amount of recording time on an individual tape. Unlike a standard VCR which has a maximum recoding time of 8 hours, time lapse recorders can record from 2 to 960 hours on a standard VHS tape. Recording speeds available on some Time Lapse VCR.
Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) The protocols, or conventions, that computers use to communicate over the Internet.
TV Line Resolution the number of distinct horizontal lines, alternately black and white, which can theoretically be seen in a picture. Allows a buyer to judge the quality of any camera. Low resolution is between 300 and 380, medium resolution is between 400 and 480, high resolution is 480 plus.

 

U
Universal Serial Bus (USB) A standard port that enables you to easily connect external devices (such as digital cameras, scanners, and mice) to a PC.
Upstream The uploading of data from your PC to the Internet. ADSL has both upstream and downstream data rates.

 

V  
Varifocal lens is a type of manual zoom lens with a small zoom ratio (ranging between 4mm to 12mm depending on brand). It is used when the focal length of the lens needs to be fine tuned to meet the requirements of the actual scene.
VCR Activator A unit, when used with a PIR camera, will automatically instruct your domestic video to record. After motion has stopped, the VCR Activator will stop your video recording.
Vertical Resolution (TVL) The number of horizontal lines that can be seen in the reproduced image of a television pattern.
Video Amplifier A wideband amplifier used for passing picture signals.
Video Band The frequency band width utilized to transmit a composite video signal.
Video Capture Card Computer cards that you can install on the motherboard of your own computer to create your own video recording computer.
Video Graphics Array (VGA) The display standard for PC monitors. VGA outputs are compatible with PC monitors.
Video Motion Detection (VMD) A method for detecting motion in a video image by checking to see if the pixels in the video image have changed.
Video Signal (Non-Composite) The picture signal. A signal containing visual information and horizontal and vertical blanking (see also Composite Video Signal) but not sync.
Video Server A video server compresses video signal from analogue cameras to allow them to be viewed over a network such as a LAN or the internet.

 

W  
Wavelet A mathematical codec useful in image compression. In the Internet, wavelet has been used to compress images to a greater extent than is generally possible with other methods such as JPEG or MPEG.
Web Server A DVR or Software system with a built-in web server allows you to view cameras over an internet browser.
Wireless Camera Wireless cameras allow the transmission of video and audio data to be transmitted to the receiver without having to run wires (using radio waves). Wireless cameras often have an option to power the camera via mains in which case there will be a lead from camera to power point.
Wired camera A camera that transmits its signal via cable back to the recording/control device. Some wired cameras use composite cable (taking both the video and power signal) whilst some have separate power and video cables.

 

Y  
Y Signal A signal transmitted in color television containing brightness information. This signal produces a black and white picture on a standard monochrome receiver. In a color picture it supplies fine detail and brightness information.

 

Z:
Zoom To enlarge or reduce, on a continuously variable basis, the size of a televised image primarily by varying lens focal length.
Zoom Lens An optical system of continuously variable focal length, the focal plane remaining in a fixed position.