The history of CCTV

Now a common item of street furniture, it can feel as if CCTV has been around forever. However, the history of video recording technology is relatively short. The first instance of CCTV was seen in 1942, when Siemens AG installed it in Nazi Germany to observe the launch of the V-2 rockets. Back then, the systems were simply a way of seeing an image, with no way to record the footage or store the information.

In the 1970s when VCR technology became available, it made it easier for the footage to be recorded and erased and so CCTV became more commonplace. The technology improved further in the 1990s with the launch of digital multiplexing, which meant that several cameras could record at the same time. Time lapse and motion sensitive recording also became available. Nowadays, statistics from 2016 suggest there are 350 million CCTV cameras worldwide, with 65% of those in Asia.

The systems of today

The CCTV systems that TouchStar ATC provide offer a wide-variety of modern technological advances. These include instant playback allowing people to instantly rewind and view footage in the event of an incident, round-the-clock monitoring with digital footage storage devices and zoom functions so cameras can focus in on suspicious activity. Furthermore, simultaneous multiple views enable uninterrupted transmission to monitoring centres regardless of distance, weather or environment and high quality maximum image definition irrespective of lighting conditions. Our systems can also integrate into any other security systems you may have, including alarm management systems, remote access control and live audio warning systems.

The benefits of using CCTV

A study conducted in 2009 by the University of Cambridge looked at the ways in which CCTV has led to a reduction in crime in some of the major cities around the world. The key finding from the research was that CCTV is most effective in car parks, where crime fell by half when a CCTV system was in place. Many businesses use CCTV as a deterrent to crime and as an added security system. When an incident does happen, CCTV recordings are frequently used in prosecutions as visual proof of what has taken place.

Case study: Aston University

We installed a high-definition system to enhance the CCTV network in place at Aston University in Birmingham as maintaining student safety is one of the University’s main duty of care. Rather than replacing all the existing hardware, we deployed a HD solution - a key advantage of which was the ability to easily remove the analogue cameras and install 25 new full-HD cameras, while still utilising existing camera housings. The addition of several extra camera positions extended external coverage by approximately 25% and with plug-and-play simplicity, the system was easy to set up, connect via power over Ethernet and configure for optimal performance, combining high image quality with no visible latency. Intuitive software now enables the housing team to remotely monitor camera views with ease from the desktop or remotely via iPhone or an Android device.

To discover more about TouchStar's CCTV systems visit https://www.touchstar-atc.com/cctv .

To read the Aston University case study in full visit https://www.touchstar-atc.com/case-studies/aston