DM

Technology

Dedicated Micros (DM) is the world's leading manufacturer of Digital

Video Multiplex Recorders (DVRs) for security applications. Fine-
tuned by more than twenty years experience in the CCTV business,
DM equipment now records more than five million images every
second of every day, installed in some of the most prestigious and
security-conscious locations around the globe.

DM offers a wide range of DVRs, from the entry-level Eco4 for the simplest of installations, to
the professional BX2 Continuous Archive, which allows users to remove a copy of all recorded
images stored in the machine instantaneously without interrupting the recording process. The
benchmark Digital Sprite 2 has rightly earned the reputation as the de facto industry standard
against which all other DVRs are judged, and the latest DV-IP family of networked
components takes large system security to another level.

Despite the diversity of these offerings, every member of the product portfolio shares certain
key technologies and a consistent design philosophy:

Never stop recording

Of the billions of images captured by CCTV cameras every year, only a handful are reviewed
during an investigation. The problem, however, is that criminal behaviour is rarely predictable,
and it is impossible to know beforehand which images will prove to be crucial. For this reason,
all DM recorders are designed to make recording their top priority, and this key principle is
reflected time and again throughout every product. For example, even if you are
simultaneously viewing live images, searching for specific events and archiving data to an
external CD-R, recording of new images will continue unaffected. But it doesn't stop there.
The internal architecture is based on a purpose-designed, real-time, embedded core, rather than
a modified PC, for maximum reliability and immunity from virus attack. Our network Servers
contain local storage to ensure that the recording process can continue uninterrupted even in
the event of a network failure. Several RAID options are available to support the construction
of fault tolerant systems. And of course, our units are built to the highest quality standards.

Data integrity

Of the small number of CCTV images used during an investigation, even fewer ever find their
way into a court of law as evidence in a prosecution. However, for those that do, their
authenticity must be guaranteed. All DM DVRs employ sophisticated digital signature
technology such that the recorded images, and the associated audio and meta-data information,
cannot be tampered with without detection. This level of integrity has helped secure numerous
convictions in courts around the world.

Continuous innovation

The history of DM has been one of market leading advances in the world of CCTV. The
founder, Mike Newton, is credited with the invention of the first commercially available CCTV
video multiplexer, and since that time DM has gone on to win numerous technology and
innovation awards. Currently, key areas of development include video indexing & searching
mechanisms, intelligent video analysis and IP connectivity, perhaps most importantly, reflected
in the latest DV-IP product range.

Operational simplicity

Despite a continuing investment in new technology, we never loose sight of the fact that ease
of installation and use remain at the very heart of our success. With our simpler products, all
that is required is literally to connect the cameras and switch on the power. Some competitive
products boast feature lists that fill multiple pages, but what use is this if the installer has to
spend three times as long on site, and the security guard has to read the manual to do anything
useful?

Quality and reliability

All of our DVRs are designed by our own engineers and built at our own manufacturing plant
in Malta. The Company, including the production facility, is fully ISO-9001 registered, and
backed up by best-in-class technical support.

In addition to our own resources, DM is also able to draw upon the expertise and experience of
AD Group, its parent company. AD Group's interests now include CCTV systems for aircraft,
emergency vehicles, public transport and smoke detection, as well as the cameras themselves.
All Group companies are able to take advantage of a shared technology base, offering the
potential for flexible, integrated CCTV solutions on the ground, in the air and on the move.

The Group is also firmly committed to the implementation of effective CCTV standards, and
its senior personnel play an active role in key industry bodies, helping to drive best practice in
critical areas such as the recently adopted BS8418 standard for detector activated CCTV
systems, and the use of digital video evidence in law enforcement.
 Checksum
Operation

As images are recorded to disk in a Digital Sprite a checksum or fingerprint is generated that
can be used to validate the image later. The algorithm used at this stage generates a unique
128bit checksum that is based on the whole of the header data and a pseudo-random sub-
sampling of the image data.

The actual algorithm is proprietary and secret to Dedicated Micros. It is sensitive to the
smallest changes in its sample data, generating greatly different results even for single bit
change.

The Images themselves contain header data that includes, amongst other things, the camera &
unit details, the date & time of the recording (according to the date/time settings of the Digital
Sprite unit) and an incremental sequence number.

As images are archived to CD the fingerprint is recalculated and reapplied using the header
data and the WHOLE of the image data. As images and files are copied to the CD then further
fingerprints are generated culminating in a single 128bit checksum that can be applied to the
whole CD and is recorded in the header area of the CD.

The upshot of this is that the final checksum of the CD can be used to verify that the entire
contents of the CD are as originally recorded right down to the bit level within images. This
checksum should be noted when the CD is first produced.

Backup copies of the CD can be made and will verify but these must be IMAGE copies of the
original, file-by-file copies will not generate the same checksum. The image viewer application
recorded to the CD with the images can be used to fully verify the contents of the CD.
 Feature
Enhancements

NetVu Connected
The new DS2 now has NetVu Connected technology built-in to ensure maximum compatibility with future developments in
networked
security. NetVu Connected technology enables the new DS2 to fully interoperate with other NetVu Connected products from DM
including the DV-IP Decoder, and the NetVu ObserVer PC Viewer. NetVu Connected technology uses industry standard
networking
protocols supported by a wide range of third-party integration products to allow a range of management, monitoring and
configuration
activities to be conducted remote from the unit.
MPEG-4 Video Streaming and Simultaneous JPEG Recording
Through advances in compression technology and the introduction of powerful new media processors unique to DM the new DS2
now
records evidential quality JPEG images on the local hard drive, whilst SIMULTANEOUSLY streaming live images to multiple
connections
in MPEG-4 format.
Instant Alarm Reporting
The new DS2 provides instant reporting of alarms (including dial-out on alarm) to any remote location, ensuring you find out about
a
situation in time to control it.
Alternative Signalling Path
To ensure the message gets through, the new DS2 provides the ability to set up two network connections to two independent
Alarm
Receiving Centres, with the second taking over if the primary fails. Support for wireless and mobile phone networks through
Ethernet
and Serial PPP ensures the diversity needed to protect against wireline network failures.
Email & SMS Messaging
For less urgent communications, the new DS2 now supports SMS messaging as well as Email messaging, providing out of hours
peace
of mind.
False Alarm Suppression
Advanced alarm zones added to the new DS2 allow you to combine multiple detection sources to minimise false triggers. Alarms
can
be triggered by a combination of a PIR and camera VMD to remove false alarms from either source. Added to this, each alarm
input can
be temporarily disabled by a remote administrator to ensure that faulty detectors do not mask real alarm incidents.
Tamper Proof Alarms
DS2 has upgraded internal alarms with EOL resistive tamper detection hardware, ensuring that your system cannot be
compromised
by attempts to bypass detectors (may require software upgrade).
Flash Disk Operation
To ensure that surveillance and alarm reporting functions are unaffected in the unlikely event of HDD failure, the new DS2 has a
built-in
Flash Disk containing all the essential program and configuration data.
Two Way Remote Audio
The new DS2 can receive audio from a remote network viewer and play it directly out of the unit for audio challenge or help point
applications. The received audio can also be optionally recorded with the images for enhanced evidence analysis.
Variable Record Rates
The new DS2 now allows you to set exact record rates for each camera, ensuring precise recording where and when you need it
most.
The out of the box settings still ensure the new DS2 is quick to install and ready for use immediately, whilst further configurations
allow
a range of timings from 1 picture per 100 seconds up to real time video.
7-day Schedule
The new DS2 has been enhanced to include a 7-day schedule, allowing each day to have customised hours e.g. late night
opening for
retail stores.
RAM Pre Alarm
Customers have previously been faced with two choices of pre-event recording; either activity prior to an event would be
continuously
recorded at the standard low rate or it would be unrecorded and only the images post the event would be captured. Now the new
DS2
includes the option to continuously record images into a RAM pre-alarm buffer. When an alarm is triggered, the buffer provides
the
ability to capture alarm images prior to the event. Available RAM can be allocated between the cameras to ensure that the most
important views are recorded for the longest time and highest quality, allowing the pre-alarm record rate to be specified on a per
camera basis.
Expandable External Storage
Previous versions of DS2 have provided up to 3.2TB of external storage. With the massive increases in hard drive storage
density, long
term storage and image quality expectations are continuously rising and the new DS2 has been enhanced to allow up to 10TB of
external storage in order to meet these requirements.
Automatic Archiving
Where critical events need to be copied from the DVR, automatic archiving is now possible. When an event occurs, the video
data can be
immediately copied to a remote server using FTP, or to a local optical disk (DVD-R/CD-R). Where network bandwidth needs to be
controlled, FTP archives can be delayed to the time of the day when traffic is lightest.

DVD-R Local Archiving

The ability to archive evidence locally has been dramatically improved with the ability to generate 4.7GB DVD-R recordings where
traditionally the DS2 was limited to CD-R media. The new DS2 still retains the ability to record to CD media where less data is
needed.
Spot Monitor Alarm Switching
DS2 operators have gained value from the ability to switch the main monitor to a camera as it enters alarm, but it can become
distracting and interfere with regular surveillance in some situations. Now the new DS2 can be configured to switch the spot
monitor
on alarm, freeing the main monitor to be used as required by the operator.
Improved Activity Detection
The resolution of activity detection has been doubled from 16x8 to 16x16 (PAL) making it easier to mask the exact area when
motion
detection is required, either for alarm triggering or retrospective Smart Search of recorded video. Advances in the setup process
have
been improved too, with a paint facility allowing any rectangular area of the screen to be quickly highlighted and all the cells in the
selected area enabled or disabled at the touch of a button.
On Screen Display Text Removal
The DS2 provides a range of useful status information on the main and spot monitors. In some scenarios, some or all of this
information is not required, needlessly reducing the size of the viewable image. New options in the DS2 now allow the
administrator to
disable some, or all of the on screen text to provide as much or as little information as is required. allowing the size of the
viewable
image to be increased. .
Duoview
The DS2 has traditionally provided playback in full screen, picture in picture and quad display modes. Now you can choose to
playback
in any multiway display mode, right up to 16-way. For ultimate flexibility you can now have any combination of live and recorded
segments on the multiway view, allowing you to review recorded material, while keeping an eye to ongoing surveillance.

Soft Codec Architecture

The new DS2 now has state of the art DSP technology integrated to provide the maximum flexibility in the choice of video and
audio
compression as new standards emerge.
IP Camera Integration
The new DS2, NetVu Connected architecture, will have the ability to support IP cameras, check the web site for the latest
developments .
Legacy Dome Support
DS2 now has the ability to support two RS-485 dome networks simultaneously, allowing you to use one protocol for existing PTZ
equipment while getting the most out of the latest DM Domes through optimised protocol support.
1 TB Hard Drive Options
Dedicated Micros has now introduced 1TB recording capacities on 16-way 100pps units of the Digital Sprite 2.
The introduction of larger disk drives into the Dedicated Micros product portfolio allows the user to:
Increase the amount of data held
Improve the quality of data stored
Extend the period with which data can be held on a unit,
The additional storage created by the introduction of these drive variants offers a tremendous increase in flexibility, providing
longer
storage, clearer images and faster record rates:
MultiMode Recording
The introduction of MultiMode makes the recording capabilities of the DS2 even more powerful. Taking the functionality and
flexibility of
DM DVR’s to a new level, MultiMode Recording gives greater control over individual camera settings by providing settable
recording
resolutions (4CIF down to QCIF), dynamically switchable MPEG-4/JPEG compression settings and configurable record rates per
camera. This increased flexibility allows greater freedom in how CCTV systems can be configured and allows the user to record
cameras how they like, when they like.
New ways to use MultiMode Recording
Record in JPEG and MPEG-4 format.
The DS2 can dynamically switch between compression modes on an alarm event and a schedule change.
No need for event recording only: Select continuous recording at a very low bit rate with MPEG-4 then on alarm switch to JPEG
recording at the best possible quality providing evidential integrity.
Use MPEG-4 on some cameras, but JPEG on others. – Flexibility to provide the image quality required for each task through a
seamless user interface.
To make the interface to the new recording modes as simple as possible, Dedicated Micros has included a Profile Wizard in the
web
pages, which configures the system for you, based on answering a few simple questions. Alternatively time constrained
installations
can take advantage of pre-defined profiles for MultiMode Recording that can be selected in seconds through the OSD.
Full RS Text Integration
Through the inclusion of Text Support, the DS2 can search captured transaction data for specific goods purchased, transaction
numbers, credit card references, keywords etc. and jump straight to the associated video sequence. Additional functionality
allows
alarms to be raised on the use of keywords from POS and other devices. Search and playback is also supported through NetVu
ObserVer.
Integration of the RS feature means that the DS2 can not only be installed in a traditional CCTV application but now the same unit
can
also be installed in a Retail environment making it a one stop solution.
Continuous FTP Archiving
No need to worry any longer about the possibility of images being overwritten without being archived. The New DS2 supports the
option
to enable continuous archiving of recorded video. The DS2 will archive recorded images to a centralised FTP Server ensuring all
recorded data is stored and maintained should it be required at a later date.
In addition the DS2 has the ability to identify any system problems with the FTP archiving of video ensuring images are not
overwritten
before the archiving process has been completed giving that extra peace of mind.
Hard Disk Failure Notification
Dedicated Micros have designed even more security into their DS2 by providing system diagnostics on hard drives.
In the unlikely event of a hard disk problem the DS2 can identify if the available internal hard disk space is running low, if it is has
reached maximum capacity and will need to start overwriting images or if there has been a hard disk fault the DS2 can be
programmed to notify the operator of these problems allowing them to take instant actions to prevent any loss of data.
Availability
All features that are detailed here are now shipping as standard.
 CURRENT
CONSUMPTION

AC CURRENT CONSUMPTION OF DIGITAL PRODUCTS

Note: Figures are typical values, for guidance only

DVIP (Dual disk, fitted wth 485bus equipment, SCSI tape drive & terminator)

DS2 (Dual disk, fitted wth 485bus equipment, SCSI tape drive & terminator)

D4DRA (Dual disk, fitted wth 485bus equipment, SCSI tape drive & terminator)

BX2 (4 disks, Remote k/b, SCSI tape drive & terminator, writing a CD)

Equipment used:
Lemo PR30 Current probe
Tektronix THS720 digital Oscilloscope measuring RMS of waveform
Variac (to provide 110VAC from UK mains)
Fluke 83 DVM