In the world of video recording, products and technologies march forward at an ever-dizzying pace. Many of these changes are being driven by a move to high-definition and megapixel cameras, which in turn is being driven by consumers’ expectation of high-quality video.

We only install IP,” keynote Domenic Flores, senior project manager for Royal Caribbean Cruise LTD, Miami, bluntly said while discussing the cruise lines’ security philosophy at the Axis A&E Technology Summit 2011. Flores’ presentation illustrated one simple message from Axis Communications Inc., Chelmsford, Mass., and its technology partners during the summit — IP adoption continues to move full steam ahead with stronger business value and a rapidly falling price tag that matches the added features and functionality IP-based systems offer.

As in the consumer market, prices for flat-screen monitors for security applications continue to fall dramatically. If CRT monitors haven’t disappeared completely, then that day will come soon. Propose using CRT monitors in an application and see how long it takes your customer to burst out laughing. People just expect flat screens. That CRTs also take up more space and are less energy-efficient only serve to underscore their coming demise. In the world of flat-screen monitors, LCD monitors appear to have taken the lead over other technologies. Advances in the technology have resulted in monitors that offer improved image quality, truer color reproduction, increased clarity and better contrast — all factors that are crucial in security applications where life-or-death isn’t just a saying.

ComNet, Communication Networks, released a unique product that transports IP video from the camera using existing coaxial cable while delivering operating power for the devices to be transported back through the same coaxial cable to provide operating power for the Power over Ethernet (PoE) camera. 

The fastest growing segment of the security video market is the network or IP camera. And the fastest growing IP camera technologies are HD and megapixel.  Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), and megapixel cameras.