Do you need eye-level panoramic surveillance with the ability to shift to a close-up view? See Pelco’s new video management system and camera

by Brianna Crandall — August 20, 2018 — Pelco by Schneider Electric, a global provider of professional video surveillance and security system products and technologies, recently announced two new products engineered to improve the user experience for video surveillance operators by enhancing visibility of events and enabling faster response.

Feature-packed VideoXpert software release with enhanced “Panomersive” viewing

Pelco’s VideoXpert Video Management System, version 2.5 (VX v2.5), is packed with numerous new capabilities including enhanced “Panomersive” immersive context viewing when using Pelco’s Optera camera with Pelco Camera-Link technology and a Pelco “Enhanced” series Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) camera. This new feature allows system users to automatically and seamlessly shift from the panoramic view of Optera to a targeted subject or object within the same view using a nearby Pelco PTZ camera.

Robert Beliles, Pelco chief marketing officer, explained:

Combining immersive cameras with PTZs has been attempted by competitors in the past, but our ability to easily link separate Optera and PTZ cameras provides security directors with a great deal of flexibility in how they design their system while potentially saving money by using previously deployed cameras. The operator simply clicks on the panoramic view in Optera, and the PTZ instantly moves to the same spot. This combination of immersive context viewing combined with PTZ detail and tracking at distance allows operators to spend less time locating the object or person of interest, and more time recording their movements.

VideoXpert v2.5 is one of the larger releases in terms of long-sought-after features in a video management system (VMS). VX v2.5 delivers a new Rules Engine User Interface and a new flexible Monitor Wall enhancement to make the creation of any size monitor wall and the ability to send events to any specific monitor quickly and easily.

Beliles concluded:

Several features in the VX v2.5 release significantly advance Pelco’s efforts to drive relevant and contextual video where and when it’s needed, enabling impactful responses as well as effective automation. New analytics overlays in the VX v2.5 Ops Center Client allows operators to easily view and then export relevant video footage with the same analytics overlays to law enforcement far more efficiently than what is available in the market today.

Pelco expands camera portfolio with the wall-mounted fisheye Evolution 180 panoramic camera

Pelco also announced the release of a new camera, the Evolution 180, which provides a dewarped view without blind spots to capture the areas of greatest interest, making it ideal for crowded areas such as banks, hotels, malls, schools and eateries, as well as hospital and clinic waiting rooms.

Typically, ceiling-mounted fisheye cameras present less detail on faces and objects that are situated at the periphery of the camera’s field of view, or captures the tops of subjects’ heads when located directly below the camera. Available in indoor and outdoor versions, the wall-mounted Pelco Evolution 180 with true day and night capability is built by Oncam and is specifically designed to deliver a high-definition panoramic view, including a detailed eye-level view of people and vehicles.

Kevin Saldanha, principal product manager for the Evolution 180, pointed out:

In contrast to conventional fisheye panoramic cameras that waste pixels on low-interest views of ceilings and floors, the Evolution 180 focuses on areas of interest while providing 12 percent more pixels per foot and minimizing storage and bandwidth requirements. Thus, the Evolution 180 is an affordable solution that further helps price-sensitive customers.

Both the Pelco Evolution 180 and VideoXpert v2.5 are available now; Pelco VideoXpert customers can download version 2.5 online. For more information about how Pelco by Schneider Electric is meeting today’s security and surveillance challenges, with a local presence in 136 countries and over 1,500 channel partners worldwide, visit the company’s website.