Satellite installation in new university campus

Alcad headend

The UJ campus

The requirements of the investor - Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow - included design and installation of antenna system and distribution network capable of providing satellite and terrestrial TV channels. An additional request was possibility of easy combining of digital terrestrial programs in the future, without a need of changing amplifiers or making any modifications, as well as distribution of video from other sources (e.g. DVD players). In the case of satellite programs, there were taken into consideration selected FTA channels and, optionally, some pay-TV broadcasts.

The tender was won by ZSK company (the website in Polish), a supplier of integrated IT, telecommunication, and automation solutions based on the latest technologies. The contractor decided to use ALCAD headend and ZG-401/601 channel amplifiers. The employed ALCAD equipment features low noise (C/N > 60 dB) and ensures high reliability of the SMATV system. Channel amplifiers allow to connect RF modulators that are used for distribution of educational content from DVD players etc.

Currently the installation allows to receive eight satellite channels that can be distributed to 200 outlets. The headend receives FTA channels. After installing CA modules (e.g. A9944) and using appropriate smart card/s there can be distributed pay channels. The cabling is based on TRISET-113 E1015 cable and Signal equipment.

The investor had positive opinion on ALCAD devices due to reliable operation of the equipment in other buildings of the campus. Once more the results have been very satisfactory for the university.

ULTISYSTEM

ULTISYSTEM got a distinction

The ULTISYSTEM software suite that enables cooperation of local monitoring systems with city video surveillance has been honored at Video Surveillance Conference and Exhibition ALARM, in Kielce, Poland (Nov. 5-6, 2008).

ULTISYSTEM allows to connect to the city surveillance system based on IP technology (and its monitoring center) a number of local CCTV systems, e.g. in:

• sports facilities, concert halls etc.
• schools, universities etc.
• banks, offices, agencies etc.

using analog cameras connected to DVRs.

ULTISYSTEM is a perfect platform both for small local monitoring systems and large, advanced video surveillance structures. ULTISYSTEM allows to manage the whole structure with all its sub-systems from one, professional Monitoring Center (live monitoring, PTZ control, recording). It is possible to organize temporary sub-centers for the security of mass events. The whole concept is focused on cost reduction of the installations and their operation.

CCTV in Israel - report

Israel belongs to the group of countries most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Issues relating to security are among the priorities of the state. However, many of the methods used to prevent attacks cause concern around the world: building of a wall separating Arab villages in the West Bank, closing of access roads to Arab towns, etc.

Video surveillance is not a matter of controversy, being highly effective. In terms of popularity of CCTV systems, Israel is the world leader. Surveillance cameras are more common than in many European countries, maybe except for Great Britain. Israel leads in the world in the most advanced technologies for monitoring, especially in the software associated with the analysis of video and wireless data transmission.
Confirmation of that leading position are some achievements of Israeli companies.

- According to IMS Research, focused on electronic market, the Israeli company Ioimage has 37% share of the global software market associated with advanced image analysis (Video Content Analysis - VCA).
- Nice company, offering integrated managing systems for video surveillance installations, indicates that their solutions are used by 85 organizations from the list of the world's 100 biggest companies (the list of Fortune magazine). Also by the latest one - the Chinese Railways.

- Another Israeli firm, Vigilant, successfully competes in the UK market, providing monitoring systems for several districts of London.
- Verint Systems delivers its solutions for IP monitoring of the Underground, the world's longest subway. Previously, Verint Systems sold surveillance systems to 57 airports.
- The systems for wireless transmission of video data offered by Israeli companies, among them Radwin and Alvarion, are well known for their quality and innovative solutions.

TV-Sat Fair "SatKrak" in Poland

SatKrak 2008 trade fair was held in Krakow, Poland, on October 16-18. This annual event is dedicated to digital television and broadcasting industry.

The exhibition took place in the biggest television market in Central and Eastern Europe, which is Poland. Among the exhibitors there were leading manufacturers and distributors of receiving equipment from Poland and abroad, and all operators of digital platforms.

Observing the range of the equipment, listening to the discussions at the stands of the exhibitors, and looking at the offers of the platforms, one can make predictions for the next year.

The forecasts on large interest in digital terrestrial TV broadcasts in Poland were too optimistic. HD programs available in several Polish cities did not meet a wider interest of consumers. However, many companies (Technisat, Maximum, RWT) presented tuners for receiving digital terrestrial television, with future prosperity in mind.

A prosperous segment of the market is still satellite industry. A wide range of attractive programs, especially HD broadcasts, gave the impetus for the customers to change their receiving equipment. Many of them are interested in receivers enabling independent recording of satellite channels.

According to the installation companies, a true hit can be prepaid offer. The new offer of TVN - "prepaid TV" - is in the focus of interest today. Probably other platforms will follow this way.


Everyone could notice popularity of multiswitch systems, being a standard solution in modern buildings. Multiswitches were presented by practically all companies dealing with satellite equipment.

During the fair there were traditional awards for "Best product on the market" in various categories. This year the range was extended by categories for assessment of programs broadcast by Polish operators. The best thematic channel in the Polish market became HD Sport - Canal +.

We are pleased to inform that we received the award for the "Best Product of the Year 2008" in the category "SMATV systems" - for TERRA headend distributed by DIPOL.

The ceremony of presenting the "Best Product of the Year" award
to Mr. Virgilijus Repecka from TERRA and Mr. Tadeusz Szydlowski from DIPOL

SatKrak 2008

Multimedia home at Satellite Fair in Cracow

It is the guideline of DIPOL exposition at SatKrak 2008 exhibition (October 16-18, Krakow, Poland). The idea for designing and implementing structural cabling combines all modern services needed by the residents of modern homes. The solutions are suitable both for one-family and multi-family houses.

The 7th edition of "Engagingly about antennas" has been adjudicated

Everyone could exercise imagination, and the results show that this activity, as usual, brought a lot of interesting compositions with antennas, the objects that does not seem to be so inspiring.
The entries often present antennas as bridges linking various worlds:

• technology - nature; industrial products often replace the natural rest places for birds: "We like it, will we fly away?" - Marek Niedoba,
• the present day - history; the antennas bridging the gap between old cultures and the most advanced technologies of the modern world: "Antenna in Mongolian grassland" - Piotr Szydlowski,
• deserted regions - research stations: "Global range" Grzegorz Kupis,
• poverty - consumption; antennas on falling apart homesteads - a symbol of the luxury for the poor: "Cairo" - Katarzyna Zwolska,
• peace of the nature - media noise; antennas found in backwoods: Evening cartoon, supper and bed - Paweł Skonieczny,
• sky - ground; "Morning news" - Weronika Zielinska, "Out of a window... - Mariusz Krason,
• isolation - a sense of community: "Loneliness in a big city"- Wojciech Pigla.

As every year, they were carefully watched by fine art photographer from Krakow, Mr. Pawel Zechenter, who awarded the first and second prizes. Another award has been granted by the DIPOL Technical Department.

Megapixel revolution in CCTV

Development of IP CCTV technology has been relatively slow to date. An important reason was that DVRs with network functions (sometimes more advanced than those of some IP cameras) supported by low-cost analog cameras were an attractive alternative to IP CCTV systems.

But the limit of analog CCTV (PAL, NTSC) is resolution of the images (PAL: 720 x 576). Such restrictions do not exist in the IP CCTV systems equipped with megapixel cameras.

An analysis of the advantages of megapixel cameras can be carried out assuming that the optimum monitoring requires approximately 130 pixels per one meter of the observed object. For a 50-meter wide scene, an analog system (720 pixels) would require to employ 9 cameras. In the case of a camera with 1.3 Mpix resolution (1280 x 1024), the number can be reduced to 5 such cameras, for a 2 Mpix camera - only 4 cameras will do the same job.

A smaller number of cameras has other advantages. First of all, it lowers the cost and time of installation and maintenance. It also lowers operational costs - it is easier to conduct surveillance with a smaller number of points.

Of course, there is another alternative for megapixel cameras - very popular speed dome/ PTZ cameras. With adequate lens, it is even possible to cover the area mentioned above with a single PTZ camera. However, such a solution has many drawbacks. First of all, the camera can be set only in one of two ways. The first one provides an overall view, without possibility of recognition of some important details, e.g. the license number of a car. The second way, using optical zoom, increases the capability of identifying details, but at the expense of losing the rest of the scene.

In addition, PTZ camera has to be controlled by the operator, who must decide what is interesting at the moment and focus on that area. In the case of fixed megapixel cameras, there is always available a complete picture, with all events recorded by the system. Due to a very high resolution of the cameras, the details can be viewed using digital zoom.

TERRA multiswitches are compatible with HD broadcasts

The most flexible multiswitch installations in multi-story buildings are based on 9-cable system (signals from two Quatro LNBs and terrestrial TV antenna). On each floor we employ the splitter providing signals to multiswitches. It allows to shape the network according to actual requirements - we may deploy practically unlimited number of outlets.

After getting some information from installers on improper cooperation of some multiswitches, coming from certain manufacturers, with digital platforms, we decided to thoroughly test this issue in the case of TERRA equipment.

The tests showed that MS-XXX, MSR-XXX, and MSV-XXX series are fully compatible with HD broadcasts.
Multiswitches from Terra operate properly both in the case of 8PSK modulation (e.g. TVN) and QPSK (e.g. Cyfrowy Polsat, Cyfra+). They are suitable for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compressions.

Terra multiswitches allow to build SMATV systems up to 250 outlets, using various topologies. The most flexible multiswitch installations in multi-story buildings are based on 9-cable system. It allows to shape the network according to actual requirements - one may deploy a suitable number of outlets.

Mesh - community networks of the future?

Mesh networks differ from other networks in architecture - the component parts can connect to a number of neighbor nodes. It allows for continuous connections and reconfiguration around broken or blocked paths by jumping from node to node until the destination is reached.
The main features of wireless mesh networks:

• dynamically arranged connections - routes of packets depend on the state and work load of individual nodes,
• due to switching between the nodes - the risk of disruption of data transmission is considerably lower than in the case of star-shape architecture,
• possibility of quicker transmission thanks to lack of a central node,
• easy expansion by adding new nodes,
• new nodes can be installed in any places where they can communicate with other nodes and power supply is available.

So far, there is no final standard for this kind of wireless networks, but the work is on track since 2003 (the proposals were submitted to a vote in 2005). The result is IEEE 802.11s - a draft IEEE 802.11 amendment for mesh networking. Lack of accepted standard is the reason that mass development of the networks is a matter of time. This kind of solution is often used for applications requiring good network coverage and high reliability, where wired systems are not available or feasible.

Halogen-free TRISET cables

Halogen-free TRISET cables The new cables from TRISET family - TRISET-113 HF E1019 and TRISET-11HF E1029 are manufactured using HF (halogen free) technology. When burning, they do not give off toxic gases.
This feature allows to use the cables in public buildings (hospitals, schools, theaters etc). In such buildings there have to be used safe cables which, in the case of fire, do not pose any additional risk for people. It is not permissible to use compounds of chlorine, fluorine, bromine, or iodine - the halogen compounds hazardous to health (carcinogenic) that would give off in high temperature.

Cables in PVC sheath (containing chlorine) and those based on polyethylene and polypropylene (admixture of bromine) are halogen cables. In the mentioned halogen-free cables there are used more expensive aluminum compounds instead.

The halogen-free TRISET cables belong to NC/LSOH group, i.e. they do not emit corrosive fumes (Non Corrosive), or much smoke (Low Smoke), or, of course, halogen compounds (O Halogen - Zero Halogen - sometimes marked as ZH).

The both cables comply with EN 50268-1, 2 - (low smoke) and EN 50267-2-2 (non-corrosive, halogen free).
TRISET family has been awarded at SatKrak 2007 (international satellite trade fair in Krakow). Due to low loss, high screening efficiency, and perfect matching, TRISET cables ensure high performance of multiswitch systems and large cable installations (MATV, cable TV).

TRISET HF cables comply with highest safety standards and feature outstanding technical parameters:

• high screening efficiency (A-class: above 100 dB),
• low loss (at 2150 MHz: TRISET-113HF - 27.7 dB, TRISET-11 HF - 21.0 dB).

ANGA Cable 2008

ANGA Cable 2008, May 27 - 29, Cologne, Germany. This year's trade fair was a success - more exhibitors and visitors, perfect order and excellent organization. There were present the "typical" companies like TELEVES, TERRA, ALCAD, Kathrein, but also the representatives of Web technology, e.g. Cisco.

Trends in IP video transmission

The main problems in transmission of video data is size of the files and sensitivity of video streams to time delays. Currently and in the foreseeable future, H.264 algorithms ensure the best results - the lowest bandwidth and disc space requirements, the shortest download time. The parameters are about 30% better than in the case of MPEG-4 ASP compression. The newest codec is used by the most technologically advanced companies using mainly Texas Instruments platform (DaVinci).

Market research shows that in 2011 H.264 will catch up with MPEG-4 and then become the undisputed leader.
The tendencies were the subject of ACTi lecture at IFSEC in Birmingham.

Trends in television in Olympic year - Anga 2008

The next Anga Cable in Cologne is taking place from May 27 to 29, 2008. This exhibition and conference is dedicated to cable television, broadband networks, and satellite broadcasting. There will be 369 exhibitors from 28 countries. The organizers are expecting about 10 000 visitors.

ANGA Cable has become the most important trade exhibition of TV technology and related areas in Europe.

Great sporting events are very important for television market - they generate demand for new services, can be a breakthrough in introducing new technologies to the public.

This year the technology that has a chance for popularization due to sports transmissions is HDTV.
The first step was free HDTV transmissions on the British Freesat platform, which began in May. It has created demand for suitable receivers, adaptation of existing antenna systems to new requirements, multiswitch installations.

On the one hand it seems that there is a market opportunity for DVB-T receivers with MPEG-4 decoders. Practically all European countries plan to introduce the system enabling terrestrial HD transmissions. On the other hand, only several countries have adopted this standard, so the manufacturers cannot take advantage of mass production.

CCTV at IFSEC

CCTV comapnies at IFSEC:

• Panasonic
• JVC
• Norbain
• Bosch
• Dedicated Micros
• Sanyo
• Sony
• Samsung
• Mitsubishi
• Dallmeier
• Cieffe
• IndigoVision
• Axis Communications

IFSEC 2008 untill tomorrow

IFSEC 2008: 12 - 15th of May.

Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Norbain, IBM, Group 4 Security, Honeywell, Siemens… The exhibition showcases the very best manufacturers and distributors in the industry and is the ideal opportunity to source a range of product and services under one roof.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR EXPORT STRATEGY? LOOKING TO INVEST IN THE UK?
"Representatives from British Embassies and Consulates in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, India, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and Turkey will be at IFSEC and can offer first hand knowledge and experience of their markets." - information at organiser's website.

ACTi visit in DIPOL

DIPOL's office in Cracow

DIPOL and Elsa Cheng at Securex fair

Elsa Cheng from ACTi is responsible for market development in Eastern Europe. For the first time she visits Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary. On April 22 she was the guest of Securex trade fair in Poznan and she also visited our headquarters in Cracow.

New megapixel camera from ACTi

The new product of one of the leading manufacturers of IP cameras - ACTi - marked as ACM-4200 (K1510) belongs to megapixel group. Its 1.3 Mpix (1280 x 1024) resolution means three times more pixels in comparison with standard CCTV cameras. The employed CMOS sensor allows operation from 0.5 lx level without day/ night function. Implementation of MPEG-4 codec allows to transmit and record images of 1.3 Mpix resolution without high bandwidth and disc space requirements. Below we compare this camera with a product of another leading manufacturer.

	ACTi ACM-4200 K1510	???
Lens	C/CS	fixed
Compression	MPEG-4 / MJPEG	MPEG-4 / MJPEG
Minimum light intensity	0.5 lx	2 lx
Resolution	1280 x 1024	1280 x 1024
Bandwidth requirements	3 Mbps	9 Mbps
Audio transmission	2-way	1-way

China managed to implement terrestrial HDTV

In January 2008 there was started terrestrial HDTV transmission in the Beijing area. Until the Olympics open in Beijing in August, the transmissions will have been available in the rest of the host cities: Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, as well as in Guangzhou and Shenzhen industrial zones. China plans to deploy the infrastructure in the whole country by 2010.

HDTV broadcasts will be available also via mobile devices. Intel, in cooperation with Silicon Legend, has prepared Intel Centrino processor dedicated for reception of the Chinese television. In June there are expected laptops from leading manufacturers, which will enable the users on the go to watch transmissions of the Olympic Games in HDTV standard. These will be products of Lenovo, HP, Asus, Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba for Chinese market.

Megapixel revolution - IFSEC 2008

From May 12 to 15, 2008, Birmingham will host the most important world security trade fair, IFSEC.
This fair enjoys excellent reputation both among exhibitors and visitors, so it is not affected by the decline of world exhibitions. The whole exhibition space is reserved long before the event. This edition will draw all major companies dealing with security issues.

The perfect location of the exhibition (the whole complex includes Birmingham airport and railroad station) makes the fair more accessible for the public - there are expected more than 30,000 visitors this year. High reputation of the fair is the result of hard work of its organizers. It is recognized as one of the best prepared fairs in the world. Permanent and often updated website promotes the exhibitors all year round. Early enough announced conferences and lectures attract many participants. Clear division of exhibition space into sections makes it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.

This year the main topics include: RFID & Smartcards, Counter Terror, Access Control and Security Solutions, CCTV Village, IP & Networks, Security Guarding & Support Services, Intruder Alarms & Physical Security, Fire Solutions. Due to participation of all major manufacturers, the fair is an indicator of technological developments and trends for the near future.

Looking through advertisements in magazines and fair announcements, we may expect in video surveillance technology:

• significant increase of the share of megapixel cameras. Wider use of these cameras will gradually supplant speed dome cameras,
• migration to MPEG-4 with H.264 codec in all IP CCTV devices including DVRs,
• dominance of WDR sensors in analog cameras,
• integration of CCTV and access control systems.

Megapixel surveillance technology in Hortpark, Singapore

IP technology, more and more popular in video surveillance systems, has practically monopolized monitoring of dispersed locations, where it is impossible to build cable systems.

An example can be extensive park or other open area. In Hortpark in Singapore such a system is based on wireless IP network and high resolution cameras. The cameras employed in the system - ACTi ACM-1231 (K1511) and its counterpart in dome housing - ACM-3411, provide to the monitoring center images of 1.3 Mpix resolution at 8 fps. Due to MPEG-4 compression it is possible to transmit high quality images of required parameters via wireless network (each camera generates traffic below 3 Mbps).

Professional WLAN omnidirectional antenna (vertical polarization) - Pacific Wireless OD58 12dB

A73320 - The antenna has been designed for base stations where client stations are located around them. It is recommended for distances 1-2 km. The antenna can be directly mounted on a mast.

Relatively high gain despite small dimensions, tough construction that is resistant to weather conditions, and solid mount make the antenna convenient to install and capable of operating for a long time. It is a very good solution for middle-sized WLANs.

Interesting blogs about technology

Technology review: Jason Potin's blog, neuro - science Ed Boyden's blog.

Transmit power wirelessly - the history of wireless transmission

/Article written by Jennifer Chu/

"In the late 19th century, the realization that electricity could be coaxed to light up a bulb prompted a mad dash to determine the best way to distribute it. At the head of the pack was inventor Nikola Tesla, who had a grand scheme to beam elec­tricity around the world. Having difficulty imagining a vast infrastructure of wires extending into every city, building, and room, Tesla figured that wireless was the way to go. He drew up plans for a tower, about 57 meters tall, that he claimed would transmit power to points kilometers away, and even started to build one on Long Island. Though his team did some tests, funding ran out before the tower was completed. The promise of airborne power faded rapidly as the industrial world proved willing to wire up.

Then, a few years ago, Marin Soljačić, an assistant professor of physics at MIT, was dragged out of bed by the insistent beeping of a cell phone. "This one didn't want to stop until you plugged it in for charging," says Soljačić. In his exhausted state, he wished the phone would just begin charging itself as soon as it was brought into the house.

So Soljačić started searching for ways to transmit power wirelessly. Instead of pursuing a long-distance scheme like Tesla's, he decided to look for midrange power transmission methods that could charge--or even power--portabl­e devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and laptops. He considered using radio waves, which effectively send information through the air, but found that most of their energy would be lost in space. More-targeted methods like lasers require a clear line of sight--and could have harmful effects on anything in their way. So Soljačić sought a method that was both efficient--able to directly power receivers without dissipating energy to the surrounding­s--and safe.

He eventually landed on the phenome­non of resonant coupling, in which two objects tuned to the same frequency exchange energy strongly but interact only weakly with other objects. A classic example is a set of wine glasses, each filled to a different level so that it vibrates at a different sound frequency. If a singer hits a pitch that matches the frequency of one glass, the glass might absorb so much acoustic energy that it will shatter; the other glasses remain unaffected.

Soljačić found magnetic resonance a promising means of electricity transfer because magnetic fields travel freely through air yet have little effect on the environment or, at the appropriate frequencies, on living beings. Working with MIT physics professors John Joannopoulos and Peter Fisher and three students, he devised a simple setup that wirelessly powered a 60-watt light bulb.

The researchers built two resonant copper coils and hung them from the ceiling, about two meters apart. When they plugged one coil into the wall, alternating current flowed through it, creating a magnetic field. The second coil, tuned to the same frequency and hooked to a light bulb, reso­nated with the magnetic field, generating an electric current that lit up the bulb--even with a thin wall between the coils."

Nomination for ULTISYSTEM at Securex fair

We are glad to inform you that ULTISYSTEM is nominated to Securex award. ULTISYSTEM is a unique system in world scale that allows to combine local monitoring installations with city monitoring systems and use network recorders with H.264 compression - all with this one managing software.

ULTISYSTEM consists of software package and modern CCTV devices utilizing H.264 compression. NetStation software used in city monitoring cooperates with ULTIMAX DVRs (Gold Medal of INTERTELECOM 2008) and a wide range of devices: ULTINET web servers, ULTICAM IP cameras with 4CIF resolution, megapixel cameras, and IP surveillance products of ACTi, IQinVision, SONY, AXIS.

Half-power beam of terrestrial TV antenna

The angle of the beam (for the actual polarization) is determined by the two points on the antenna's characteristics where signal level decreases by 3 dB in comparison with its maximum value.
In the case of terrestrial antennas, lower half-power beam means better directivity, i.e. capability of rejecting reflected signals. In analog TV these signals are superimposed on the main image as "ghosts" - displaced images on the right of primary video information.

Half power beam is inversely correlated with the length of an antenna.
It is not always sensible to use antennas with narrow half-power beam. Sometimes one wants to use single antenna for receiving signals from transmitters situated in different locations - a shorter antenna with a wider angle will be more suitable then.

In the mountains, where usually there is no visibility of the transmitter, there should also be used antennas with wider beam. This solution gives a chance to receive any signal at all, and the reflections are a necessary evil.

Securex 2008 - a strong opening

The next edition of SECUREX - the fair of security systems - will be held on the grounds of the Poznan International Fair from April 22 to 25, 2008. A strong opening will be the presentation of ULTISYSTEM - a unique system in world scale that allows to combine local monitoring installations with city monitoring systems and use network recorders with H.264 compression - all with this one managing software.

Professional software for IP CCTV systems

NetStation (made by Alnet company) is an advanced network system designed for managing video and audio material in video surveillance system. The software cooperates with majority of CCTV devices, especially from leading manufacturers. NetStation is suitable for both IP and analog cameras (with appropriate cards), and mega-pixel devices that create a new quality of monitoring systems and will introduce new standards of video surveillance.

Remote client software enables simultaneous unlimited access to the archives and live images from up to 64 cameras. Netstation allows to use PTZ cameras. It has been equipped with all popular protocols, as well as with possibility of adding next positions or editing new ones. The cameras can be controlled by keyboard, mouse, or USB joystick

Vilnius

One of the most interesting buildings in Vilnius is St Ann church, built in the style of flaming Gothic

The Vilnius TV Tower is a 326.5 meter-high (1071 ft) building, the highest one in Lithuania. The tower was completed in 1980. Its structure is composed of a concrete base, a 190 m long hollow reinforced concrete pipe, and a 136 m long steel spike. At 160m there is an observation deck and coffee shop - in a concrete saucer. In 1991, 14 unarmed civilians lost their lives opposing the Soviet troops that wanted to seize control of the tower.

Prestigious award for ULTIMAX

Magdalena Stachula is receiving the award

The contest was hold for the 15th time. The goal of the contests at INTERTELECOM is to promote products and services that contribute to the development of telecommunications in Poland. ULTIMAX - 716 DVR won Gold Medal of Intertelecom, for the best product at 19th International Fair of Electronic Communication INTERTELECOM 2008 in Lodz, Poland. Reportage: here.

List of exhibitors - Intertelecom 2008.

International fair - list

Are you looking for information about trade fair somewhere abroad? There is a useful website which I was looking for a long time. So you can save your time :-) Fair in Poland, in Taiwan, Denmark, Stockholm et c. :-)))

Wireless IP surveillance system in shipyard

The board of MB'92, one of the well known companies providing services for the most luxurious yachts, mainly those making voyages from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and vice versa, decided to protect their shipyard facilities by installing video monitoring system.

Because of specific environment, no cabling could be used. The only solution has been application of wireless solutions based on packet transmission. There have been employed ACTi devices - PTZ cameras K1215 and fixed cameras K1118. Both models are Day&Night devices, capable of round-the-clock monitoring. Effective MPEG-4 compression limits disc space requirements for the server to 2.8 GB per day. code:RbN3TUWCf

multiswitches

Cascadable multiswitches

Cascadable multiswitches are dedicated for use in larger buildings. They can be deployed, according to the needs, on individual floors, which allows to optimize the cabling. Another advantage of this solution is easier maintenance. In case of a failure, the damaged multiswitch can be temporarily disconnected without influence on other outlets.

Cascadable multiswitches allow to extend the network (on condition that an adequate power margin has been anticipated).

Intertelecom award for ULTIMAX DVR - quick and precise

We are glad to inform you that ULTIMAX DVR, produced under our patronate, has won a prestigious award at Intertelecom fair. ULTIMAX is a series of 3rd generation digital video recorders, with implemented, so far the most efficient, H.264 compression.

Antennas in "City of God"

There are few pictures from the "City of God", because only few photographers have the courage to penetrate this area at the cost of the equipment or even their lives. The people living here do not obey the laws of the country, and the police patrol the grounds from helicopters only. The alleys are too narrow and steep for the squad cars, and no one will send foot patrols there. Each intervention of armed police or army units means a full-scale war. The only law is the law of the jungle - it is survival of the fittest. If there is any doubt who is the boss, the gangs quickly "clarify" this issue among themselves.

"City of God" is situated close to the port called "River of January" - where is it? Brazil. The pictures come from Rio de Janeiro (River of January). The name "City of God" comes from the film with the same title - it was used for describing "favelas" - the slums and shanty towns. There are about 600 such places in Rio de Janeiro. In the fifties, they housed in about 7% of the city population, now it is ca. 20%.

What is DDNS?

If we wish to run a server for website hosting or accessing CCTV cameras, available from any Internet location - and we don't have a static IP address but a dynamic one supplied by DHCP server (e.g. ADSL service) - we have to use DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System).

DDNS server provides a database containing relations between domain names and numeric addresses, which may be updated on request, by the domain owner. Thanks to this feature, the server is available in the domain name regardless its current IP address.

We have to remember that when DHCP server changes the IP, it takes some time to detect this change by the client software or router. Then, after the notification has been sent to DDNS server, it takes another minute or so to send this piece of data to DNS server to update the database. As a result, our server will be periodically unavailable up to several minutes - every time the IP address has been changed.

Requirements for input signals in multiswitch systems

In the case of large multiswitch installation there have to be used many amplification stages, which increases the noise figure of such system. It directly translates into increase of BER. BER values above 10^-4 (in the outlet) will prevent the user from receiving satellite broadcasts (the receiver will not be able to restore the original signal). To ensure reliable and high quality decoding, the BER values should be at least about 10^-8 (in LNB outputs). Signals with low BER are ensured by use of appropriate dishes, e.g. 110 cm. It is very wise to use large dishes - the whole multiswich system needs only one set of dishes, being a small part of the total costs, but deciding on the quality of the input (and output) signals.

IP CCTV in fright forwarding company

Digital CCTV monitoring based on IP solutions becomes increasingly mainstream in video surveillance of buildings, parking lots, distribution centers etc. Not long ago the costs of professional IP CCTV monitoring systems were so high that they were mainly deployed in big cities. Recently the situation has changed significantly so that they may be used literally everywhere. IP CCTV systems ensure effective monitoring of geographically dispersed locations and building of installations with great number of cameras. They can be easily extended, reconfigured, and developed by software solutions. This cuts operational costs. Example of Spedkol company in Poland.

The thinker of the 21st century

CeBIT 2008

CeBIT 2008 - photo report

New trends in telecommunications - CeBIT 2008

An indisputable leader in display technologies - once again Samsung - Large Format Display (LFD).

The products awarded for aesthetics (International Forum Design): Access Point - Level One, computer of Sony, CCTV camera of Panasonic.

31-inch OLED television, so far the largest TV set made in this technology. AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED) displays, in the first place may replace LCD screens in mobile phones and still/video cameras.

CeBIT 2008 - new trends in telecommunications and IT. For many years CeBIT has been mapping out development of electronic industries in the world. This year we saw several forerunners of new technologies, and products that have a chance to become hits in the near future, as well.

The marked tendency revealed at the fair was increase of mobile multimedia market. Transfer rates of 100 Mbps available in mobile phones (LTE announced for 2009), OLED screens - consuming less energy, and more effective sources of energy - will mean cultural breakthrough, similar to that of GSM revolution. Low costs of broadcasting will allow the operators to offer many programs available all around the world. Video telephony and VOD will become really popular.

So far, many big companies, like Microsoft, Linksys, Netgear, promoted solutions based on fixed lines. In the future, home servers will be libraries with collections of films, music, computer games, and - at the same time - phone exchanges. Computer network will become the core of all communication and multimedia systems.

The trade fair confirmed strong position of IP cameras as important category of network devices. Majority of well known manufacturers of WLAN equipment have introduced (or will introduce) wireless cameras, as one of the main parts of the offers. Functionality of the devices will probably decide about elimination from the market of the traditional analog CCTV cameras.

Popularity of LFD (Large Format Display) will change the nature of advertising. Large screens connected to the Web and equipped with dedicated software will be able to react to the watcher changing the content (woman, man, child).

More information: http://weeklyreview.dipolnet.com/inf_dipo_2008_11.htm
More pictures: here.

Scam application form - eurobusiness guide

Attention! False business guide company

There is a company, Eurobusiness guide from Netherlands that offers you to put information about your company at their website. It's called business guide that helps the others to find your company. Be careful, there is a trick. You can't see that they oblige you to pay 990 EUR per 1 year!!!

What else, you sign the application form (order) for 3 years. All those informations are written with small letters. What else, at the top there is an information: "Updating free of charge" - it makes you calm that you don't have to pay anything for ths service. After 1 month you get an Invoice telling you to pay. But there is even no VAT EU number of this company. They put your address, their bank account and count on your mistake to pay them.

When I got the invoice, I was really angry. I wrote e-mail to this company and that's what they replied that I should have read the small letters saying about 3 years insertion and price of 990 EUR... And that they oblige the company to pay!

What a company! They give you 7 days to cancel your order, but you even don't know that you ordered it not for free! Moreover, they send the invoice after 1 month - and it's already to late to cancel your order.I' ve found a blog saying also about it, you can read it here.

Wireless Internet in Cracow

Whre can you get access to wireless Internet in Cracow? Here you can see the plan.

Hotspots in Paris

	Logan S Hotspot‎ 71, Avenue D Italie, 75013 Paris, France 01 00 00 00 00‎
	Hot Spot In A Box - Inventel‎ 35, Rue Tournefort, 75005 Paris, France 01 00 00 00 00‎
	Enet Hot Spot‎ 14, Rue Dombasle, 75015 Paris, France 01 00 00 00 00

Hotspot Design Graphique‎

22, Rue Hauteville, 75010 Paris, France

01 44 79 04 41

The city of Paris is putting in Wi-Fi at various locations across the city, including museums, libraries and parks around the city. Here you can find a full list of Wi-Fi hotspots.

First Hotspot in Paris in 2004.

Monitoring of several locations with remote surveillance center

The main problem that has to be solved in this case is transmission and recording of video data. The solutions used in modern installations divide the video surveillance system into smaller units with individual servers. Management functions can be executed by client station connecting with the servers. Additionally, setting access rights, Internet browser will allow to follow the video online, e.g. when motion detection has been triggered. The solution can be can be implemented with ACTi devices, as in the picture.

Real Time Operating System

Why RTOS (Real Time Operating System)? Operating system is the core of every digital recording device. It determines the overall quality and stability of the device. In industrial applications of computers, operating system decides on the sequence and way of performing the tasks. For RTOS it is important to take into consideration the time factor - positive result of operations depends not only on the sequence, but also on the time of completion.

The example is conversion and compression of analog video signals. Recording of the signals in digital form (with set parameters: resolution, frame rate, number of channels) is a priority and has to be performed in real time. Any delay will cause loss of video data (e.g. several video frames). Real-time algorithms enable the system to perform critical tasks in precisely defined periods of time. In practice - DVR will delay less important operations (e.g. playback of archives) to ensure proper recording of video even with the maximum quality requirements. DVRs that are not equipped with RTOS systems simply decrease recording parameters, e.g. frame rate, losing some information.

CeBIT 2008

New concept of CEBiT - a success? This year's CEBiT in Hanover - the world's largest trade fair for IT and telecommunications - took place between 4th and 9th of March.

There were about 5900 companies (by 5 percent less than last year). For the first time in the history of the fair, China had the largest representation, surpassing in numbers the previous leader, Taiwan.
Among the notable absentees were Sony, Sharp, Philips, Lenovo, Dell and Nokia.

After several years of decrease of the number of exhibitors, the organizers decided to increase the number of conferences - to attract professionals, and shorten the event by one day - to cut the costs of exhibitors. But probably the main focus was to define the objectives of the exhibition.

Unfortunately the organization efforts didn't seem to refresh the event. They couldn't eliminate the feeling of deficiency, a want for new technologies and for an impulse to stop the decrease of investments in European telecommunications.

During the trade fair we could see a steady factor in European industry - expansion of red tape. The organizers, using subsidizing, invite national exhibitors that, instead of products, are showing travel brochures, and grassroots movements - promoting projects like Green IT.

In this situation the most interesting trends seen at the fair were network and mobile solutions for television - as an extension of offers of telecommunication operators. The solutions are based on technologies that improve data transfers, especially those of mobile telephony. The example is LTE technology presented by Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile.

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the newest transmission system for mobile applications, developed according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The specification accepted in January, 2008, adopts theoretical limit of 326 Mbps (practical speeds reach 100 Mbps).