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

No. 23/2013 (June 3, 2013)

Google vs Nokia - the stakes are high.

On June 17, 2013, there will be a premiere of new video compression standard from Google - VP9. The American internet giant is fiercely fighting for the introduction of a new, open, and royalty free video standard that will be implemented into YouTube as quickly as possible. From the beginning of its creation, VP9 suffered from problems related to licensing. According to the competition, it violated 12 patents. Google questioned the validity of these allegations, but playing it safe, entered into agreements with their owners, closing claims of 11 companies. However, Nokia holds its ground. What does this mean for Google?
Nokia patents restrain Google from launching new, open video codecs.
Will Google pass this obstacle and give the world unlicensed and royalty-free standard?
Never ending legal disputes can last for years. It is certain that Google will introduce the new standard. At the beginning, it will be supported by the Chrome browser and downloadable as an update. In this battle Google is not alone, a great ally is Mozilla, other supporters are organizations interested in free access to video compression standards. An efficient and royalty free standard is awaited by many businesses and corporations, as well as schools and amateur programmers.
Is the lack of fees the only advantage offered by the Google solution? At the moment, each day YouTube broadcasts 4 billion videos, which translates into 6 billion hours per month. The current king of all codecs, 10-year old H.264 AVC, is the bottleneck in watching high quality content. Its successor, H.265 HEVC, is also to be paid. The VP9 from Google in connection with HTML11 is to be an alternative to the Flash technology and HEVC codec. The efficiency should be increased by 50% compared to the H.264 AVC. This is a huge benefit, given the amount of data transferred on the Internet. Both the servers and links will not be so overloaded. Given the huge share of multimedia in the network traffic, the change is to noticeably speed up the Internet.

Attenuation measurement in fiber optics - the source of light.

Measurements of optical power loss in fiber networks performed with optical power meters are possible only when the source of light is calibrated and stable. It is unacceptable to measure the attenuation of an optical path with the use of active devices, such as SFP modules, media converters, etc. Inadequate precision and stability of the light sources embedded in these devices does not allow for reliable measurements, and the uncertainty can reach even several dB.
Optical laser source GRANDWAY FHS1D02 L5825 is the tool necessary for measuring optical power loss in fiber-optic networks (FTTx). The source generates a laser beam of predetermined wavelength and power for precise measurements.
Optical Laser Source GRANDWAY FHS1D02 (1310nm/1550nm)
Optical laser source 1310nm/1550nm GRANDWAY FHS1D02
L5825
The device generates laser bream of the wavelength 1310 nm or 1550 nm at the power level of -5 dBm. The measurements can be very reliable - a short-term stability of the light source is better than 0.1 dB and a long-term stability is better than 0.2 dB. The device can operate in the temperature range of -10°C to +50°C, which means that the installer can perform measurements all year long, even in even in unheated rooms.
Due to small size and low weight the device is ideal for field applications. The tip is dedicated for FC/PC connectors with 2.5 mm ferrules. The device is powered by Li-Po 800 mAh rechargeable battery or from the included 230 VAC / 5 VDC adapter-charger.

The contest begins!

From June 1 until September 31 everyone can send photos to the twelfth edition of the photo contest "Engagingly about Antennas". If you like to take pictures and one, two, or three of them have something in common with antennas - why won't you upload them to the contest? The detailed information you can find in the contest description and rules.
Engagingly about Antennas - 11th DIPOL's Summer Holiday Contest 2012
In 2012, the first place was awarded to Mr. Wojciech Domagala for the picture "Dish and fork"

How to transform surveillance video into DVB-T signal distributed in antenna system?

DIPOL offers the cheapest DVB-T modulator on the market - Signal-350 R86350. The A/V-COFDM modulator encodes input analog audio-video signal into MPEG-2 stream that modulates RF signal in compliance with DVB-T standard (COFDM). The signal from a CCTV camera connected via RCA cable is converted into DVB-T RF signal and can be distributed via coaxial cables to hundreds of televisions. What is important, the digital signal is received as a next digital terrestrial television channel. In the case of employing an analog modulator, the users would be forced to manually change the source of the signal (to analog tuner) which might be inconvenient.
Outdoor Compact Camera: n-cam 670 (day/night, D-WDR, 650TVL, Sony Effio-E, 0.03 lx, 2.8-12mm, OSD, IR up to 30m) SMPS AC/DC Adapter ZI-1000 12V/1A (for CCTV cameras)Professional Compression BNC Connector PCT-BNC-9<br />(for TRISET-113)Coaxial Cable (75 ohm): TRISET-113 1.13/4.8/6.8 [1m]F-socket - RCA plug adapterDVB-T Modulator Signal-350 (AV/COFDM encoder & RF modulator)Coaxial Cable 75 ohm: TRISET-113 PE (gel-filled) [1m]UHF TV Antenna: DIPOL 44/21-69 Tri Digit2-Way TV/FM Splitter R-2 Signal1-way Tap: Signal O-1-12dB (5-1000MHz)1-way Tap: Signal O-1-12dB (5-1000MHz)1-way Tap: Signal O-1-11dB (5-1000MHz)1-way Tap: Signal O-1-11dB (5-1000MHz)75-ohm terminating resistor in F plug75-ohm terminating resistor in F plug
In the example above the Signal-350 R86350 modulator combines the DVB-T signal processed from the video coming from the n-cam 670 M11284 camera and DVB-T signals received by the UHF Tri Digit A2670 antenna. All the signals are distributed in the antenna system via Triset-113 E1015 coaxial cable, 2-way RF splitter R-2 R60102, and a set of Signal RF taps

Service output in CCTV cameras.

The new ceiling cameras CAM 650 M10770 and v-cam 520 M10774 have been equipped with service video outputs. Such output connected to a service monitor allows the installer to locally monitor the image without a need to disconnect the camera from the system. The installer can easily adjust the parameters of the camera to light condition, set the optimum focal length and focus.
Service video output in v-cam 520 M10774 camera. The kit contains the cable
used for connecting with a service monitor, e.g. M3103.

DDNS in Hikvision DVRs.

DVRs connected to the Internet are hots with specific IP addresses, an example is 62.121.130.38. It would be difficult to remember a number of such numeric strings, so they are translated from human-friendly computer host names by Domain Name System (DNS). A DVR gets its host name - a much "natural" form of address. DDNS means Dynamic DNS, which allows for using fixed domain names in the case of IP addresses being assigned dynamically. The function is necessary when the ISP cannot provide fixed IP addresses, or such option is too expensive.
Hikvision DVRs M72104, M72108, M72116 support the following services:
  • hkDDNS (organized by Hikvision),
  • NO-IP,
  • PeanutHull,
  • DynDns,
  • IPServer.
DDNS configuration window in M72104, M72108 and M72116 DVRs
Choosing e.g. the hkDDNS service, the administrator has to create a user account at www.hik-online.com and enter into appropriate boxes of the configuration window: user name, password, domain name (host name of the DVR).

Wireless access to the Internet.

When the Internet is distributed wirelessly, we need a wireless router with WISP (Wireless Internet Service Providers) mode enabling configuration of its wireless interface as WAN port.
When the antennas supplied with the router do not ensure stable operation, it is possible to connect a suitable outdoor antenna via 50 ohm RF cable (e.g. Tri-Lan 240 E1171_100).
A home network with Internet access via a wireless link
List of equipment that can be used in such installations:
  • Device no. 1 - the device with the wireless access to the Internet, responsible for its distribution to multiple computers within the local network:
    • N2954 - WISP access point TP-Link TL-WR843ND with built-in router and 4-port switch.
    Device no. 2 - for wired access to the network from a desktop PC:
    • N2997 - PCI NIC TP-LINK TG-3269 10/100/1000 Mb/s,
    • N2998 - PCIe NIC TP-LINK TG-3468 10/100/1000 Mb/s,
    • N2999 - PCI NIC TP-LINK TF-3239DL 10/100 Mb/s.
  • Device no. 3 - for wireless access to the network from a desktop or mobile PC:
    • N2922 - 802.11n USB adapter TP-LINK TL-WN722N, 150 Mb/s with external 4 dBi antenna,
    • N2924 - 802.11n USB adapter TP-LINK TL-WN721N, 150 Mb/s ,
    • N2926 - 802.11n USB adapter TP-LINK TL-WN822N, 300 Mb/s 100 mW,
    • N2927 - 802.11n USB adapter TP-LINK TP-Link TL-WN723N, 150 Mbps, "mini",
    • N3221 - 802.11n USB adapter TP-LINK TL-WN821N, 300 Mb/s.
New products offered by DIPOL:
Shielded Antenna Preamplifier: LNA-188 (box-mounted, 32dB)
Ceiling Dome Camera: cam 650 (day/night, 650 TVL, D-WDR, Sony Effio-E, 0.01 lx, 2.8-12mm)
WiFi Range Extender: TP-LINK TL-WA850RE (300Mbps)
Shielded Antenna Preamp
LNA-188 (32dB)
B4010
Ceiling Dome Camera CAM 650
D-WDR, 650TVL, Effio-E, 2.8-12mm
M10770
WiFi Range Extender
TP-LINK TL-WA850RE (300Mbps)
N2946
Worth reading:
Fiber optic mechanical splicing - how does it work? One model of mechanical splice can be used for different types of optical fibers whereas mechanical connectors are intended only for specific fibers... more
Cross section of an SC/UPC mechanical connector
Two IP cameras without additional switch. It seems that the easiest way to send signals from two IP cameras via a single optical fiber is to use a switch. However, another device requires additional space and power supply, which may cause some problems... more
IP CCTV system using two pairs of M-407M-2 L11542 media converters
Powering cameras through twisted-pair cables. Due to the low installation cost, twisted-pair cables are often used to transmit analog video signals. The price difference compared to conventional CCTV cables with power wires is the greater, the longer the transmission paths are. Since the systems based on twisted pair cables involve the need for additional components (video baluns), the difference is blurred is the case of small systems... more
The video transmitter/receiver set Etrix 1VAP M16659 transmits video (using baluns) and power from a single source via a twisted-pair cable. The stabilized power supply ZK-65 M18294 with adjustable output voltage (11.4-13.2 VDC) can solve the problem of too short range. By increasing the output voltage to 13 V, the maximum distance can be doubled.