Leading sporting goods retailer scores with Sony IP network security cameras

Academy® Sports + Outdoors has installed Sony's video surveillance system using IP network security cameras

Sony announced recently that Academy® Sports + Outdoors, one of the nation's largest sporting goods retailers, has deployed a video surveillance system using IP network security cameras at its new 1.2 million-square-foot-distribution centre located south of Atlanta. The company is using this installation as a pilot project and says it plans to roll out similar installations at future retail sites and warehouse facilities.

The system consists of a combination of Sony's SNC-DF50 minidome and SNC-RX550N pan-tilt-zoom cameras, used to patrol the building's interior and surroundings. The retailer also uses Sony's RealShot Manager™ video management software for command and control of the network.

According to Bryan Ray, loss prevention operations manager at Academy Sports + Outdoors, the cameras' capabilities made them well suited to the application. For example, he noted the benefits of the Intelligent Motion Detection, DynaView™ technology and the variable frame rate capabilities of the cameras.

"The intelligent motion detection capabilities filter out normal activities while alerting staff when important alarm events occur, such as cars suspiciously standing in one place for too long or individuals entering through an exit," said Ray. "We can easily punch in search parameters to find events instead of having to wade through hours and hours of footage."

According to Ray, the DynaView technology, which enables image capture in wide dynamic ranges, was a key factor that led him to choose the SNC-DF50 cameras. He said the technology was ideal for the company's distribution centre where backlit environments, a condition in which lighting is brighter in the background, make it challenging to capture clear images of objects in the foreground and background simultaneously.

"All of the images we've captured using Sony cameras, both in and around the warehouse, where the lighting can be harsh, have been noticeably clearer than what we've previously been able to gather," he said. "Instead of just seeing a person, you can recognize facial features; instead of just seeing a car, you can read the license plate."

Another advantage Ray noted is the variable frame rate recording capabilities of the SNC-RX550 cameras. They can be programmed to record continuously at a low (five frames per second) frame rate and increase to full motion (30 frames per second) during alarm events. This ability to switch from low to high frame rates conserves storage resources to capture as much as 60 days of images.