February 20, 2008 -- Milestone Systems recently announced the release of its XProtect Enterprise 6.5. The company says the latest version of the open platform IP video management software offers new functions for significantly improved surveillance system use, better utilization of archiving media, and reduced bandwidth and storage needs.
According to Milestone, XProtect Enterprise 6.5 uses the latest IP video compression technology, i.e. H.264, MxPEG and MPEG4 ASP, enabling less data volume on the network without lowering image quality. This multi-streaming capability also optimizes bandwidth; one stream goes from the camera to the server with optimal frame rate and resolution, splitting into two differentiated streams for recording in optimal frame rate and resolution, with viewing in a lower frame rate and resolution.
Other new functions in Milestone XProtect Enterprise 6.5 offer multiple advantages, says the company. Two-way audio enables operators to communicate verbally while viewing people remotely; this capability is especially useful when operating a gate or entranceway. The software also allows one to integrate the video with alarm or other security systems and access control devices via OPC Data Access support (OLE for Process Control, a standard commonly used in industrial and building management).
DVR support provides the ability to integrate DVRs into the IP video management system, enabling greater versatility and efficient re-use of existing equipment. Dynamic archiving allows archived video data to span multiple disks automatically, maximizing the use of less expensive storage media. Disks for archiving are simply nominated and the system only uses the storage as needed, maintains the company.
"In a large network with many guards watching live video, the network is heavily constrained from all the video traffic between cameras, servers and users," explains Kim Macallan, head of product management at Milestone Systems. "Using the latest compression technologies in XProtect Enterprise 6.5, traffic from the cameras is kept at a minimum. The servers are recording in good quality while the guards watch in a reduced factor such as lower frame rate or resolution. The video data now produces considerably less stress on the network, recorded video quality is ensured, and guards can easily follow what's happening."
The software is now available in languages including Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Spanish. The language functionality covers the software's graphical user interface, the online help function, installation procedures, and more.