May 21, 2008 -- Axis Communications, Bosch Security Systems, and Sony Corporation recently announced they will cooperate to create an open forum aimed at developing a standard for the interface of network video products. Currently there is no global standard defining how products such as cameras, video encoders, and video management systems should communicate with each other. The companies expect the new standard to comprise interfaces for specifications such as video streaming, device discovery, intelligence metadata, and other functions. The three will release a framework for the standard, incorporating key elements of network video product interoperability, in October at the Security show in Essen, Germany.
In a release announcing the collaboration, the three companies emphasized the standard's primary goal will be to facilitate the integration of various brands of network video equipment and to help manufacturers, software developers, and independent software vendors ensure product interoperability. A forum the three companies will establish in the fourth quarter of this year will be open to all companies and interest groups that would like to participate in the standardization work.
"We are very pleased to announce this cooperation between our companies," said Ray Mauritsson, president of Axis Communications. "An open standard will make it even easier for integrators and end users to benefit from the many possibilities offered by IP-based video surveillance technology."
"This cooperation represents a great leap forward in establishing an international open forum focusing on network video surveillance," said Gert van Iperen, executive vice president at Bosch. "For manufacturers of network video hardware and software, the forum and its standard will be an efficient way to ensure product interoperability."
"We entered this discussion based on our common belief than an open standard will provide great benefits for users and everyone involved in the security industry," Yoshinori Onoue, senior vice president and corporate executive with Sony said. "Representatives from Axis, Bosch, and Sony are now working intensively to develop a framework for the standard and to establish the guidelines for the standardization forum."