Video encoders are taken for granted in the CCTV industry today but perhaps without realizing it they are the most underestimated tool in the box. Traditionally expensive, with little thought as to how they may be best deployed, manufacturers have been churning out various offerings in the last few years. Used to transform analogue cameras onto an IP platform they offer the ability to re-use existing infrastructure and insert it into new Video management software to give end users an upgrade path to IP.
There are an estimated 100 million or more analogue CCTV cameras installed in the world today . With IP grabbing all the headlines most would have you believe that they are of no use going forward. Nothing could be further from the truth. The average lifetime of many of these cameras is six to eight years, so many systems out there have plenty of life left in them yet.
Video encoders can bridge between analogue CCTV and IP this offers a world of opportunity.
As a result we would expect to see the following happen.
1) The price of encoders to half in the next year.
2) More companies who have committed to IP appreciate that supplying a cost effective encoder will mean more chance of sales further down the line.
3) More installers encouraging the use of encoders to prolong the life of existing infrastructure.
Slow growth of IP has been blamed on analogue technology becoming cheaper, but in reality it is more likely people are reluctant to throw away what they have. It seems that if we make it easier for people to get into a position where they can have HD cameras without losing what they have already installed then we will all be onto a winner.