Panasonic Corporation of North America News

The potential costs and consequences of hackers getting through firewalls and onto the user’s computer networks can be devastating Theft of NATO data. Leakage of emails. Hackers setting up a live streaming website for over 100 New York City private webcams and even hacking the infrastructure servers of the U.S. government. As news of malicious takeover of private and corporate networks as well as incidents of malicious software programs, referred to as malware, conti...

NVRs of the past may have been expensive & complicated to use, but today NVRs have user-friendly functionality How much do you know – or think you know – about network video recorder (NVR) appliances? Manufacturers in the sector say there is a lot of misinformation in the market about these workhorse system components. We asked several manufacturers to help us set the record straight. A common misconception among end users is that NVRs lack features and reliab...

SIA will present Mr. De Fina’s family with the 2015 Lippert Award during SIA honours night gala The Security Industry Association (SIA) recently announced the selection of Frank De Fina, former senior director, strategic sales, for Hikvision USA Inc., to receive the 2015 George R. Lippert Memorial Award posthumously. Mr. De Fina passed away unexpectedly in July 2015. At the time of his death, he was serving on the SIA Board of Directors. The SIA Lippert Award Committee,...

Most of today’s video surveillance cameras are capable of providing audio, but when should it be implemented? Acceptable uses of audio surveillance, as opposed to video, are a different concept in many jurisdictions worldwide. Privacy laws regarding audio may be more stringent than those for video, but both tend to centre around the concept of an “expectation of privacy,” which may mean something different in the case of audio versus video. How can system designers and end user...

Milestone Systems XProtect allowsUTA's video security system toexpand to over 2,000 cameras Milestone Systems open platform networked video management software (VMS) is the leading-edge technology helping the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to improve security dramatically, ensuring passengers a safer experience getting where they need to go.UTA employs 2,200 staff and moves approximately 120,000 passengers daily. It services Salt Lake Valley, Park City, Provo and Brigham Ci...

Genetec will also demonstrate the security solutions portfolio alongside its industry hardware and software partners at the event Genetec™, a manufacturer of unified IP security solutions, will attend the ASIS 2015 seminar in Anaheim, CA (Sept. 28—Oct.1) on Booth # 2639. The company will demonstrate its full product portfolio of security solutions alongside its many industry hardware and software partners, and will unveil new features for Security Center 5.4, its u...

Milestone XProtect VMS open platform allows schools to manage 1,169 video cameras from a mix of manufacturers Milestone Systems open platform IP video management software (VMS) has greatly improved security for the second largest school district in California. The San Diego Unified School District’s previous video surveillance solution presented a number of problems. It required two management servers in which most settings had to be replicated, which was awkward and cum...

Frank De Fina’s death this week came as a shock to everyone in the security industry. The industry has lost both a giant presence and a good friend. He made his mark as a talented executive at some of the biggest companies in the security industry. The “Dark Restaurant Society” I saw Frank De Fina a lot in dark restaurants. I was honoured to be among the security industry journalists invited to his twice-yearly press dinners, held at nicely accoutred (if dimly lit) restaurant...

We have all heard the sales pitch: Use of megapixel cameras lowers the camera count needed to provide adequate video coverage, thus making the overall system less expensive. Use of fewer cameras equates to less infrastructure, bandwidth and storage, according to the claims, and megapixel cameras provide enough detail that you don’t miss anything using fewer cameras. It’s a compelling pitch, but one that has sometimes been questioned in the market. To look beyond the marketing hype, w...

For many years, generally speaking, the use of video surveillance has been seen as an extension of an end user customer’s security system. However, recently, we have also heard about how video can help customers more generally, providing benefits that extend beyond security and encompass better operations and management. Easier economic justification is one important aspect of looking more broadly at the benefits of video surveillance to the enterprise as a whole. Better return on investme...

Matrix Comsec is a leading manufacturer of enterprise-grade telecom and security solutions. The company has announced interoperability of SATATYA, its IP video surveillance solution with select models of Panasonic IP cameras. This interoperability, will offer customers the flexibility to have a wide range of IP cameras to choose from. Enterprise customers need flexibility in implementing video surveillance security due to their complex functioning and geographically scattered operations. Suppor...

Mura IPX packs 4K capture plus high-density encode and decode functionality onto a single PCIe® card Matrox® Graphics Inc. recently announced Matrox Mura™ IPX Series, a new line of 4K capture and IP encode/decode boards that let OEMs and AV system builders deliver advanced video wall controllers featuring high-quality, low-bitrate, multi-channel 4K or HD encoding and decoding over standard IP. The first two Mura IPX Series cards will be introduced at InfoComm 201...

Rapid technology innovation in the physical security market comes with it a commensurate need to dispose of older systems as they are replaced. Some technologies can help minimise the waste, providing, for example, the ability to use existing coaxial cable with newer IP video systems. However, absent the ability to reuse equipment, how should integrators manage disposal of systems at end-of-life? Here are some responses from our Expert Panel.

The SIA Public Policy Dinner is open to registered attendees of the SIA Government Summit The Security Industry Association (SIA) will honour Paul Schomburg, senior manager of government and public affairs at Panasonic Corp. of North America, with the SIA Statesman Award during the SIA Public Policy Dinner on June 9, SIA announced recently. Established in 2006, the Statesman Award is an annual award presented by SIA to an individual (or individuals) who makes an extraordinary...

Visitors will get an opportunity to see how to save time and labour costs with the new camera configuration tool Video Insight, a leading developer of enterprise IP video surveillance software, will showcase new features for VI Monitor v6 at ISC West 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hosted at the Sands Expo Center, ISC West is the leading event in the United States for the security industry, bringing together over 1,000 exhibitors and brands for over 28,000 security professionals....

Genetec™, a manufacturer of unified IP security solutions, recently announced AutoVu Plate Reader Cloud, a new software-based license plate recognition solution for its AutoVu Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system. This new module will allow customers to enhance standard IP video surveillance cameras with ALPR capabilities instead of requiring a specialised license plate recognition unit. AutoVu Plate Reader Cloud is expected to be available in the United States early summer 20...

The ability to clearly see facial features and other identifying characteristics on each passenger greatly enhances security Some of the video technology used in the transportation vertical is purpose-built, but the wide range of applications and environments is conducive to a variety of general-purpose technology, too. Leading IP camera makers like Axis, Sony and Panasonic have introduced new products to enhance safety and security of travel in  trains, buses or oth...

Coming of age: storage devices have evolved to better record, manage and play back high-quality images Video surveillance and security technology continues to come of age. The sophistication of cameras that have moved to high-definition, high-resolution, megapixel imagery has transformed what users see on playback and greatly enhanced the usability of recorded video feeds. As the evolution continues, from the early days of grainy footage and barely recognisable images to HD, F...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communications....

In-vehicle technology allows security officials to view live footage from the bus’ cameras during an emergency One of the biggest security opportunities in transportation is onboard surveillance for buses and trains. While most transit organisations have invested heavily in video security for facilities such as terminals and stations, far fewer have taken the next step and installed IP cameras on board vehicles, says John Recesso, strategic business development manager,...

Technical webinar to be conducted on 11 Feb 2015 will cover features and benefits of United VMS 6.4 DVTEL announces the general availability of our United VMS 6.4 platform. The United VMS 6.4 platform allows to monitor all of their systems - whether Latitude, Horizon, or Meridian - concurrently, remotely, or locally over any network type. Features & benefits Monitor all of their systems - Latitude, Horizon, or Meridian - in real-time, concurrently, remotely, or lo...

Education is always a hot vertical market, so Panasonic’s acquisition of Video Insight is not a surprise considering the video management system (VMS) supplier’s popularity among school professionals. Panasonic cameras have been installed in a lot of schools, too, and the Japanese conglomerate has several other product categories that also play in the school market, such as interactive white boards, audio systems, etc. The surprising aspect of the acquisition, announced this week, i...

The acquisition is part of Panasonic’s strategy to expand business opportunities in the North American education market Panasonic Corporation of North America recently announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all shares of Houston, TX-based Video Insight, Inc., a leading developer of video management software, as part of its strategy to expand business opportunities for both companies in the education market in North America. Founded in 2002, Video Insi...

Panasonic System Communications Company of North America recently announced the immediate availability of its new i-PRO ULTRA 360 panoramic indoor (WV-SFN480) and outdoor IP66 rated weather and vandal-resistant (WV-SFV481) fixed dome 360-degree cameras offering ultra-high resolution, ultra-sensitivity, ultra-intelligence and ultra-toughness. The WV-SFN480 and WV-SFV481 are the first of a series of models based on Panasonic’s new, ground-breaking 12 megapixel sensor and 4K ULTRA HD engine....

Exacq Technologies, part of the Security Products business unit of Tyco, introduces the ability to set up and manage failover on exacqVision servers with exacqVision 6.6 and Enterprise System Manager (ESM) version 3.0, a health monitoring program for use with exacqVision Enterprise networked video recorders (NVRs). The new exacqVision version 6.6 VMS (video management system) also includes updates to the views and event monitoring features in exacqVision, faster searching with the Exacq mobile a...

There have been a number of developments in the last year which have impacted the security industry in one way or another.  As we begin a new year, we thought we'd ask our panellists to reflect back on 2014 and tell us what changes they think have made the largest impact in their areas of expertise within the security industry.

The ability to view surveillance footage on mobile devices adds greater flexibility to an organisation's security monitoring system. But of course, there are drawbacks. In the age of mobile devices, we are able to do more and more while "on the go" and are less limited by the need to be at a desktop computer with internet / network connectivity. We are seeing the proliferation of mobile apps designed to enable us to access our most important files and perform important tasks...

Remote monitoring offers a multiplying effect on security efforts The growth of IP-based networks has made it possible for security professionals to easily monitor surveillance activity from any internet-enabled PC, smartphone, or tablet anytime, anyplace. More and more, businesses are realising that remote monitoring can have a significant impact on their bottom line. Whether you’re a retail outlet, bank or hotel, remote monitoring offers a multiplying effect on securit...

Video cameras were big news at the ASIS International Seminar and Exhibits in Atlanta, but the eagerly anticipated new 4K Ultra-HD cameras took a back seat to other camera innovations, including a rash of new panoramic view cameras in various flavours and types (including faster frame rates) and a renewed emphasis on cameras as intelligent system components. Samsung announced its new Open Platform program that leverages the added computing capacity of Samsung’s WiseNetIII computer chip in...

Information overload. That's how tradeshows can seem. You're being fed lots of information by several different people in a short amount of time. It can all be very overwhelming. So what do you do? It's relatively easy to create a plan for smaller shows. But with larger events such as Security Essen, IFSEC and ASIS, it's far easier to become overwhelmed by the amount of choices and options. With Essen and ASIS just behind us, we asked some of our panellists to reflect on the...