DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

No. 15/2013 (April 8, 2013)

In just a moment... H.265!

Envivo - a supplier of software and hardware solutions dedicated for streaming multimedia to any device (live and on-demand content), announced the start of implementation of HEVC codec (H.265) in their devices. The HEVC Early Access program should result in the first market application of the recently approved encoding scheme, in the first half of this year. In addition, the American corporation has been working with one of the largest chipset manufacturers - Broadcom Corporation. It is almost certain that the result of this joint venture will be a wide range of products based on H.265 codec and its strong promotion.
Already during the April conference in Las Vegas, Envivo and Broadcom will present encoder and decoder of media streams, based on the HEVC standard. UltraHD stream will be encoded by Envivo Muse encoder and decoded by Ultra HD TV Home Gateway Chip from Broadcom - BCM7445. The combination of these devices will enable the launch of a new pay-TV platform in the coming months.
As mentioned in a previous Newsletter, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced the approval of a new version of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) under the code name H.265 in late January 2013. HEVC is the successor to H.264/AVC that burst onto the consumer electronics markets. It helped in the rapid development of the whole multimedia part of the Internet. Its high compression efficiency allows the transmission and remote sharing of video and multimedia content intended both for personal computers and, in recent times, for mobile phones.
A comparison of the effects of H.265 and H.264 standards.
Bit rates: 610 kbps (H.265), 1183 kbps (H.264).
(source: dot-color.com)
The benefits of implementing the new compression method are obvious, e.g digital terrestrial television may offer broadcasts in Ultra HD resolution (twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of the 1080p HDTV format, with four times as many pixels in the image). Similarly, extra-quality materials may be offered on the Internet, without a need for higher data transfers. The higher compression efficiency will also slow down the growth of the size of disk resources. Without a doubt, the expansion of new technique for encoding signals will be the reason for growing interest of consumers in 4K content. At this year's CES in Las Vegas, manufacturers of consumer electronics made ​​it clear that TVs supporting this resolution are another step in the market, after 3D TV and "Smart" solutions.

Universal or outdoor fiber optic cable?

The project consisted in the deployment of optical links between 3 buildings on a campus, with no possibility of using an existing infrastructure. The cheapest solution was to use fiber-optic cables laid directly in the ground or carried overhead.
Outdoor Cable: DRAKA A-DQ(ZN)B2Y MM (8xOM2 50/125) [1m]Outdoor Cable: DRAKA A-DQ(ZN)B2Y MM (24xOM2 50/125) [1m]
The scheme of the network - the L79008 cable is installed above the roofs of the two close buildings,
the L79024 cable is buried in the ground between the second and third building
The server rooms in the 3 buildings have been connected via 2 cables, 30 m and 700 m. Due to a short distance between the buildings #1 and #2, the 8-fiber cable L79008 is installed above the roofs of the two close buildings over a distance of about 10 m. The 24-fiber cable L79024 between the buildings #2 and #3 has been directly buried in the ground. Both cables are composed of OM2 multimode fibers compatible with the active devices installed in the buildings.
The outdoor cables have been inserted into the buildings over distances not longer than 15 m from the inlets. The distribution systems in the buildings are based on cables with LSZH sheath - in accordance with the requirements for installations inside buildings compulsory in most European countries. If the indoor section in a building should be longer, it would be necessary to use a universal cable over the whole link.

Code L79008 L79024 L79508 L79524
Name DRAKA A-DQ(ZN)B2Y
Fiber type
multimode single-mode
Standard OM2 50/125 μm G.652D
Number of fibers
8 24 8 24

Building amplifiers in shared antenna systems.

Building amplifiers belong to the main components of MATV and CATV systems. Their main function is to strengthen RF signals to the levels necessary for the distribution network. In the case of MATV systems distributing DVB-T programming, the amplifiers should ensure one-way transmission to the user outlets, whereas CATV networks usually use two-way devices with return channel, which can provide subscribers with triple play services (TV, Internet and telephone).
Besides the implementation of a return channel, the choice of an amplifier will depend on other key parameters, such as frequency range, gain, maximum output level, adjustments in forward and return paths. The following table lists several broadband amplifiers dedicated for shared antenna systems.
 
Name HA-129R65 HA-123 HA-126 AS-038R65 HA-204R65
Code R82316 R82301 R82303 R82040 R82308
Band [MHz] 5-65
87-862
47-862 47-862 5-65
87-862
5-65
87-862
Max outp. lev. [dBμV] 100 117 117 100 105
Gain -  forward path [dB] 24-27/32-36 28 34 23 37
Return path YES
NO NO YES YES

Ret. path gain [dB]

18-21 - - -2 27/-4

How to protect security cameras from the weather?

CCTV cameras used outdoors must be protected from the weather. The degree of protection is indicated by the IP Code (Ingress Protection Code), sometimes also called International Protection Rating. IP rating describes the resistance against penetration of solid objects (the first number) and against liquids (the second number). Camera housings designed for outdoor applications are usually rated as IP 65 or IP66, which means that they are fully dust-resistant and partially waterproof. Environments with high humidity will require to use housings/cameras marked IP67 or IP68; the latter ones can even work underwater.
A Marathon housing (IP66) placed on a pole
Outdoor cameras should also be equipped with means of temperature maintenance, usually heaters and thermostats, sometimes also with fan(s) equalizing the temperature inside their housings.
Inside the housing of the n-cam 270 M11287 camera there are heater and thermostat
ensuring optimum temperature of the camera electronics

Increase the capabilities of your router!

Today, more and more consumer electronics devices have to be connected to the Internet. Without it, the functionality of a modern TV, stereo, home theater, or game console may be very limited. Home routers, so far used only to provide access to the Internet, often can be adapted to preform functions necessary for the requirements of the modern appliances.
Alternative software OpenWRT based on Linux (with optional graphical user interface) can be uploaded on selected models of wireless routers/APs. The software greatly extends the capabilities of the devices. It should be emphasized that all operations associated with the modification of the firmware are done at the user's risk. The best option is to install the software via a USB port of the router (when it exists it can be also used to connect a hard drive, USB modem or printer; a USB hub enables simultaneous operation of several devices).
Having appliances that support DLNA technology, the user can view movies (including Full HD ones, also .mkv with subtitles) or play music stored on the hard drive connected to the router directly on the TVs, computers, media players, smartphones.
The entire multimedia library (files) is stored on the hard drive connected via USB port to the router. DLNA server run on the router with OpenWRT system allows for sharing the content on multiple devices.
More information on compatible devices and OpenWRT system can be found here.
Diagram of a home network sharing the resources (photos, music, videos)
from USB drive connected to the router with any devices within the local network

How to monitor hard drives in CCTV systems?

A hard disk failure in the DVR, though it happens rarely, would mean the loss of all or a significant part of the archive. Modern DVRs and HDDs offer features that minimize such risks. WD1 DVRs of the newest Hikvision and Signal series support S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) function that monitors the operation of hard drive(s) and notifies the system operator of a risk of failure.
S.M.A.R.T monitors the following disk parameters:
  • number of start/stop cycles,
  • number of corrected ECC errors,
  • temperature,
  • number of seek errors,
  • number of errors in Ultra DMA mode,
  • total operation time.
CCTV Network DVR: HIKVISION DS-7208HVI-SV (8ch-WD1-HDMI)
CCTV Network DVR: SIGNAL DL-8508 (8ch-WD1-25fps)
DVR Hikvision 7208HVI-SV
8 channels, 15 fps
M72108
DVR Signal DL-8508
8 channels, 25 fps
M78508
The S.M.A.R.T. function offers increased security of data archiving. The DVRs are able to assess the condition of the installed hard drive(s) and, if symptoms indicate the possibility of data loss or disk failure, the operator of the system is immediately alerted. In addition to the real-time disk monitoring, the operator can test the disk(s) on demand. The test options include "Short Self Test" detecting most of possible problems, and significantly longer (up to an hour) "Extended Self Test" which carefully examines all disk parameters.
New products offered by DIPOL:
Wireless-N Router TP-LINK TD-W8968N (ADSL2+, EWAN)
Indoor Distribution Cable: ULTIMODE IDC-4MM (4xOM2-50/125, 2000m reel)
Gigabit Switch TP-LINK TL-SG105 (5xGE)
Wireless-N Router (ADSL2+)
TP-LINK TD-W8968N
N2909
Indoor Distribution Cable
ULTIMODE IDC-4MM 2000m
L7204_2000
Gigabit Switch 5xGE
TP-LINK TL-SG105
N29942
Worth reading:
Digital signage easier than ever! Digital signage is a system which uses electronic displays and managing software to show dedicated information, advertisements, news and other messages. The aim of Digital signage is to target individuals and groups of people in specific places at specific times. Such systems are used in airports, hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, service networks, etc... more
Distribution of a Full HD signal in cable DVB-T network and in WiFi network
based on Signal-751 R86751 (Signal-752 R86752)
Transmission of video from analog CCTV camera over optical network. Video converters are active devices that convert analog video signal fed via coaxial cable to a digital optical signal transmitted via optical fiber, and vice versa, at the other end of the optical transmission line. They can also send telemetry data from RS-485 port, one audio channel and alarm signal. In this way, they can extend the range of video transmission and PTZ control up to 20 kilometers... more
Optical fiber link as a part of an analog CCTV system
3G backup Internet connection. TP-Link TL-MR3420 3G/3.75G N2957 wireless router enables quick creation of a wireless/wired network allowing access to the Internet via a 3G connection. The device allows wireless transmission speed up to 300 Mbps (802.11n) and LAN connectivity (Ethernet) up to 100 Mbps. The Internet connection via 3G network is done through the USB interface cooperating with a suitable 3G modem (the list of compatible devices is available at the manufacturer's site)... more
Typical applications of the TP-Link TL-MR3420 N2957 router