MOBOTIX cameras have an integrated long-term high resolution storage system for Linux and Windows computers. Every camera manages its own storage space as a ring buffer on the assigned share. Thanks to the decentralised approach, 30 live cameras can store images on a regular Pentium 4-class computer with 25 frames per second each, in high resolution and including audio.

Event or time-controlled

Just like event-controlled recording upon detecting movements in the image, the cameras can also record when the volume recorded by the microphone or the temperature is outside a set trigger value. Using scheduled recording, time tasks can start and stop recording or uploading of images to a website while running special programs on weekends and holidays.

Ways of recording

MOBOTIX cameras offer a selection of three different recording modes:

• Event clip with variable frame rate and audio
• Continuous recording with event-controlled frame rate increase including audio
• Single frame without audio with pre and post-alarm images

Recording always takes place in the ring buffer process; that means that the camera deletes old images if storage space becomes tight or if the set retention time elapses. Images are stored either in the camera or on a PC/server. There is no need to install any plugins because the MOBOTIX cameras manage the image and audio data themselves.

In parallel to event-controlled recording, history images can be saved cyclically in the ring buffer. Where necessary, your image format may differ from the live image. This means, for example, that an additional megapixel image can be saved every 10 minutes for event-controlled video/audio recording in VGA format.

Event clip with audio

A video and audio clip of variable length are recorded in the event clip process. The frame rate can be up to 25 fps. This mode is used as standard in security technology. It only starts recording in response to actual events, such as motion in the camera image. With an advance run of up to 10 seconds, the run-up to an event can also be recorded. Irrespective of the live frame rate set, the storage frame rate can be adapted in line with requirements and the available storage capacity.

Since MOBOTIX cameras have multi-channel capability, they can output JPEG single frames to PDAs, motion-JPEG images to plug in-free standard browsers and video streams with an audio channel via ActiveX browser components simultaneously. The frame rates which the individual users set may also differ if necessary. This is a decisive advantage in long-time recording and storage, in particular, because despite a high-speed live display rate of 25 fps, the storage frame rate can be reduced to 2 fps, saving on storage space while maintaining synchronized audio.

The event clips are divided into 10 second increments (files) and stored on the PC in a folder in the ring buffer. This greatly reduces the number of files compared to a comparable single frame process with pre and post-alarm images. The recording PC used with this system is therefore about 10 times more efficient than in other systems. Since the camera's internal temporary buffer also reduces the peak network load, altogether 100 cameras can save their images on a single PC on an event-controlled basis.

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