Terrorist activities, robberies, thefts and hooliganism are affecting the lives of people all over the world. It is time to take up the cudgel and fight back. But how do we do that? You and I are just normal people leading a normal life – we cannot think of using arms against intruders or terrorists. The most plausible path is to keep a strong vigil on our offices, homes or public premises that we manage. This can be done when we have a good set of CCTV cameras.

Today, CCTV cameras are used for surveillance at business hubs, public transport, and even apartments. In spite of the huge popularity of these gadgets, we hardly think about the cutting edge technology that drives them. In fact, credit goes to the underlying technology that has led to such high quality devices. Let us learn a few things about the quintessential CCTV cameras, which ensure all-round protection.

CCTV Camera & CCD

The mainstay of a CCTV camera is its Charged Couple Device (CCD) sensor. The function of this device is to convert light into electrical impulse or signal. The electronic circuit inside the camera converts electrical signal into video signal output. This output can either be displayed live on a monitor, or can be recorded. However, the way this video signal output is treated entirely depends upon the type of the camera that is used.

CCTV cameras usually use CCD chips, which are specifically designed to suit consumer camcorders. Previously, chips used were half-inch image diagonal. However, the demand for reduced camera size has resulted in development of one third-inch and very recently quarter-inch chips.

CCD chip cameras are categorized into 2 main varieties – Analogue cameras and digital cameras.

Digital Cameras are available as: –

• Medium resolution monochrome
• Medium resolution color
• High resolution monochrome
• High resolution colors, and
• Day/night cameras

CCTV Cameras & DSP

Day/night cameras provide color images during the day and monochrome at night, even in complete darkness. Monochrome cameras offer Infra Red (IR) sensitivity. This why, they can be used with covert IR illumination to track intruders and trespassers. Even a few years back analogue CCTV cameras were the ones used for surveillance. With the introduction of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), users now have the option of using digital security cameras, which produce improved quality of color images.

DSP is basically operated by some computer microchips, or ‘chip sets’. These chip sets have replaced integrated circuits in camera heads.

The DSP technology comes in two categories – standard DSP and premium DSP. Standard DSP cameras offer more reliable image quality than their analogue counterparts. They are also capable of operating under a wider variety of lighting conditions. Premium DSP cameras are equipped with richer functionality, which includes intelligent backlight compensation (BLC). BLC can be programmed or customized to suit the specific needs. These value added features make the Premium DSP cameras highly popular. These cameras facilitate better surveillance at town centers and market complexes which witness higher footfall. One of the main features is the ability to latch onto and track individual moving objects.

Equipped with the above knowledge, you can go ahead with buying a good CCTV surveillance system for your office or home. Complex CCTV cameras that exceed your surveillance needs maybe an overkill. Make an informed purchase so that you get the best surveillance at a pocket-friendly price.