Axis 215-E User Manual

AXIS 215 PTZ/ AXIS 215 PTZ-E

Network Camera

User’s

Manual

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS

<Product Name> Quick User’s Guide

About This Document

This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS 215 PTZ/ AXIS 215 PTZ-E Network Camera, and is applicable for software release 4.49. Previous experience of networking will be of use when installing and using this product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based systems would also be beneficial, for developing shell scripts and applications. Later versions of this document will be posted to the Axis Website, as required.

Safety Notices Used In This Manual

Caution! - Indicates a potential hazard that can damage the product. Important! - Indicates a hazard that can seriously impair operation.

Do not proceed beyond any of the above notices until you have fully understood the implications.

Intellectual Property Rights

Axis AB has intellectual property rights relating to technology embodied in the product described in this document. In particular, and without limitation, these intellectual property rights may include one or more of the patents listed at http://www.axis.com/patent.htm and one or more additional patents or pending patent applications in the US and other countries. This product contains licensed third-party software. See the menu item “About” in the product’s user interface for more information. This product contains source code copyright Apple Computer, Inc., under the terms of Apple Public Source License 2.0 (see http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/). The source code is available from: http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/bonjour/

Legal Considerations

Camera surveillance can be prohibited by laws that vary from country to country. Check the laws in your local region before using this product for surveillance purposes.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

Note: To comply with limits in Class B, use one of the following accessories when connecting I/O cables:

20291 ACC FERRITE SPLIT SNAP IN EUR 20292 ACC FERRITE SPLIT SNAP IN US

USA - This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency

energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause interference to radio communications. It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case the user at his/her own expense will be required to take whatever measures may be required to correct the interference. Shielded cables should be used with this unit to ensure compliance with the Class B limits.

Canada - This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Europe - This digital equipment fulfills the requirements for

radiated emission according to limit B of EN55022:1998, and the requirements for immunity according to EN55024:1998 residential, commercial, and light industry.

Japan - This is a class B product based on the standard of the Voluntary

Control Council for Interference from Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is used near a radio or television receiver in a domestic environment, it may cause radio interference. Install and use the equipment according to the instruction manual.

Australia - This electronic device meets the requirements of the Radio

communications (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Standard 1998 AS/NZS

3548.

Liability

Every care has been taken in the preparation of this manual; Please inform your local Axis office of any inaccuracies or omissions. Axis Communications AB cannot be held responsible for any technical or typographical errors and reserves the right to make changes to the product and manuals without prior notice. Axis Communications AB makes no warranty of any kind with regard to the material contained within this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Axis Communications AB shall not be liable nor responsible for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance or use of this material.

Trademark Acknowledgments

Ethernet, Internet Explorer, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netscape Navigator, UNIX, Windows, WWW are registered trademarks of the respective holders. Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. UPnP is a certification mark of the UPnP

Implementers Corporation. Axis Communications AB is independent of Sun Microsystems Inc.

Axis Customer Services

Should you require any technical assistance, please contact your Axis reseller. If your questions cannot be answered immediately, your reseller will forward your queries through the appropriate channels to ensure a rapid response. If you are connected to the Internet, you can:

• download user documentation and firmware updates

• find answers to resolved problems in the FAQ database. Search by product, category, or phrases

• report problems to Axis support staff by logging in to your private support area

• visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup/

Safety Notice - Battery Replacement

The AXIS 215 PTZ/ AXIS 215 PTZ-E uses a 3.0V CR2032 Lithium battery as the power supply for its internal real-time clock (RTC). This battery will, under normal conditions, last for a minimum of 5 years. Low battery power affects the operation of the RTC, causing it to reset at every power-up. A log message will appear when battery replacement is required. The battery should not be replaced unless required! If the battery does need replacing, please observe the following points: Caution! Danger of Explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent battery, as recommended by the manufacturer. Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.

RoHS

This product complies with both the European RoHS directive, 2002/95/EC, and the Chinese RoHS regulations, ACPEIP.

WEEE Directive

The European Union has enacted a Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive). This directive is applicable in the European Union member states. The WEEE marking on this product (see right) or its documentation indicates that the product must not be disposed of together with household waste. To prevent possible harm to human health and/or the environment, the product must be disposed of in an approved and environmentally safe recycling process. For further information on how to dispose of this product correctly, contact the product supplier, or the local authority responsible for waste disposal in your area. Business users should contact the product supplier for information on how to dispose of this product correctly. This product should not be mixed with other commercial waste.

AXIS 215 PTZ User’s Manual Part No: 36673 September 2009 Revision: 4.1

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Table of Contents

Accessing the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Accessing from a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Setting the root password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Accessing the camera from the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

The Live View page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Video and Audio Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Video Stream Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

How to stream MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

AXIS Media Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Other methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Other MPEG-4 clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Accessing the setup tools from a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

PTZ Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Event Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Event Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Event Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Motion Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Port Status (AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

System Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Date & Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Ports & Devices - I/O Ports (for AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Resetting to Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Unit Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

I/O terminal connector (for AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Connection diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Power connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Checking the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Customer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

File sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Frame rates - MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Accessing the camera

Accessing the camera

The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E can be used with most standard operating systems and supports Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x or later, Netscape 7.x or later and Firefox 1.4 or later.

The AXIS 215 PTZ-E Network Camera does not support audio and does not have I/O ports. All references in this manual to audio and to the I/O parts pertain to the AXIS 215 PTZ Network Camera only.

Note: To view streaming video in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, you must set your browser to allow the AXIS Media Control (AMC;

see page 9) to be installed on your computer. The first time an MPEG-4 video stream is accessed, AMC also installs an MPEG-4 decoder

for viewing the video stream. As a license is required for each instance of the decoder, the product administrator may have disabled the

installation. If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the camera can be configured to use a Java applet

for updating JPEG images. See the online help for more information.

Accessing from a browser

1. Start a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape Navigator).

2. Enter the IP address or host name of the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E in the Location/ Address field of your browser.

3. If this is the first time the camera is accessed, see Setting the Root Password below. Otherwise enter the user name and password set by the administrator.

4. A video image is displayed in your browser.

Setting the root password

1. When accessing the camera for the first time, the ‘Configure Root Password’ dialog appears.

Note:

Before you enter your password at this point, you can secure configuration of the root password via HTTPS by creating a self-signed certificate. To do so, click the Create self-signed certificate... button in the Create Certificate window, and then proceed as follows.

2. Enter a password and re-enter, to confirm. Click OK. The Enter Network Password dialog appears.

3. Enter the password set in step 2. If the password is lost, the camera must be reset to the factory default settings. See page 37.

4. If required, click Yes to install the AXIS Media Control (AMC). You will need administrator rights on the computer to do this.

Accessing the camera from the Internet

Once installed, the camera is accessible on your local network (LAN). To access the camera from the Internet you must configure your router/firewall to allow incoming data traffic. For security reasons this is usually done on a specific port. Please refer to the documentation for your router/firewall for further instructions.

For more information, please visit the AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service at www.axiscam.net or, for Technical notes on this and other topics, visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup

Note:

User functions in the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E may have been customized to meet the specific requirements of the application. Consequently, many of the examples and functions in this section may differ from those displayed in your Live View page.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Accessing the camera

The Live View page

The following provides an overview of each button on the Live View page. Depending on how the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E has been customized, some or all of the following buttons will be displayed:

The Video Format drop-down list allows the video format in the Live View page to be temporarily changed.

These buttons start/stop the Sequence Mode which automatically displays the view from preset positions at set intervals. Sequence mode is configured in Setup > PTZ Configuration > Sequence Mode.

The source list is used to select the preset positions already configured in the camera. These are created in Setup > PTZ Configuration > Preset Positions.

The Manual trigger buttons trigger an action directly from the Live View page. These buttons are configured under Setup > Live View Config > Layout. Click these buttons to manually start and stop events.

Use the Snapshot button to capture a snapshot of the image currently displayed in the window. Right-click on the image to save it in JPEG format on your computer.

Area Zoom

This allows you to draw a box over a desired area to zoom into. In order to fine-tune the precision, Area zoom should be calibrated from Setup > PTZ Configuration > Advanced > Calibration.

To activate Area Zoom on the Live View page, click the Center mode button in the AMC viewer toolbar (in other Internet browsers choose PTZ > Center). Click in the image and while holding down the left mouse button, draw a square over the area you would like to zoom into.

Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls

The Live View page also displays the Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls. These are enabled/disabled for specified users by the administrator under System Options > Security > Users > User List.

See also Advanced, on page 23 for information on E-flip, proportional speed and Auto-flip (PTZ Configuration > Advanced > Limits.)

The two types of Output button (AXIS 215 PTZ only) each control the output directly from the Live

View page. These are configured under Setup > Live View Config > Layout.

Pulse - click this button to activate the

output for a defined period of time, e.g. to switch on a light for 20 seconds.

Active/Inactive - click these buttons to manually start and stop a connected device, e.g. switch a light on/off.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Accessing the camera

The control panel

Click the Ctrl panel button to display the control panel, where the following settings are available:

• Auto focus - automatically adjusts the image focus.

• Backlight comp - enabling backlight compensation makes the subject clearer if the image background is too bright, or if the subject is too dark.

• IR cut filter - when set to off, the camera will be able to “see” infrared light at night, thus making the image clearer. The image is shown in black & white when the IR cut filter is off.

• Brightness - the image brightness can be adjusted using the +/- buttons, where a higher value produces a brighter image. Click the Reset button to revert to the values saved under Video & Image > Advanced > Camera.

• Shortcuts - these buttons can be configured to provide direct access to various built-in auxiliary commands provided by the PTZ driver.

Viewer controls

The default viewer to use for displaying moving images is selected from Setup > Live View Config > Layout. The AMC viewer toolbar is available in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows only. See How to stream

MPEG-4, on page 9 for more information. The AMC viewer toolbar displays the following buttons:

The Play/Stop buttons start and stop the live video stream.

The Snapshot button takes a snapshot of the currently displayed image. The Snapshot function and the target directory for saving snapshots can be configured from AMC (AXIS Media Control), which is available from the Windows Control Panel (Internet Explorer for Windows only).

Click the Start recording button to make an MPEG-4 recording. Click again to stop the recording. The recording is saved in the folder specified in the Recording tab in the AMC Control Applet. Only available if the recording button is enabled on the Live View Config page

Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen area. Press Esc (Escape) on the computer keyboard to cancel full screen view.

Click the Mute /Microphone buttons to switch the sound off and on. Only available if Audio is enabled. (AXIS 215 PTZ-E does not support audio.)

Use the sliders to control the volume on the speaker and microphone. The volume can be set between 0 and 100. (AXIS 215 PTZ-E does not support audio.)

Navigation mode:

Center will move the camera view to center on the position that was clicked. Also used for Area zoom. Joystick moves the camera in the direction indicated by a mouse click, relative to the center of the

image. The further from the center the image is clicked, the higher the movement speed.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Accessing the camera

PTZ Control Queue

Only one user can use the Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls at any one time. When multiple users are accessing the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E’s Live View page, they can be placed in the PTZ control queue and assigned a set period of time during which they have the use of the PTZ controls. Use the buttons to request or release control of the PTZ controls.

The PTZ Control Queue is set up by the administrator under PTZ Configuration > Control Queue.

Server push (not available for Microsoft Internet Explorer)

With this method, the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E maintains and controls an open HTTP connection to the browser and sends data as and when required, for as long as required.

QuickTime

For use with MPEG-4 only. Note that in the settings for Video & Image > Advanced > MPEG-4, the Video object type must be set to Simple.

Java applet

This alternative uses a Java applet to update the images in the browser. No download is required. Note that when this alternative is selected, external video sources will not be available on the live view page, and audio will be mono-directional only (to the client only). (AXIS 215 PTZ-E does not support audio and does not have I/O ports.)

Still Image

Displays still images only. Hit your browser’s Refresh button to view a new image.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Video and Audio Streams

Video and Audio Streams

The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E provides several different image and video formats. Your requirements and the properties of your network will determine which one you choose.

Unicasting is communication between a single sender and a single receiver over a network. This means that the video stream goes independently to each user, and each user gets their own stream.

Multicast is bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces bandwidth usage by simultaneously delivering a single stream of information to multiple network users.

The Live View page in the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E provides access to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 video streams, as well as to single JPEG images. Other applications and clients can also access these video and audio streams/images directly, without going via the Live View page.

Note: AXIS 215 PTZ-E Network Camera does not support audio.

Video Stream Types

Motion JPEG

This format uses standard JPEG still images in the video stream. These images are then displayed and updated at a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows constantly updated motion.

The Motion JPEG stream uses considerable amounts of bandwidth, but also provides excellent image quality and access to each and every individual image contained in the stream.

Note also that multiple clients accessing Motion JPEG streams can use different image settings.

MPEG-4

This is a video compression standard that makes good use of bandwidth, providing high-quality video streams at less than 1 Mbit/s.

The MPEG-4 standard provides scope for a large range of different coding tools for use by various applications in different situations, and the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E provides certain subsets of these tools. These are represented as Video object types, which are selected for use with different viewing clients. The supported video object types are:

• Simple - sets the coding type to H.263, as used by e.g. QuickTime™.

• Advanced Simple - sets the coding type to MPEG-4 Part 2, as used by AMC (AXIS Media Control)

When using MPEG-4 it is also possible to control the bit rate, which in turn allows the amount of bandwidth usage to be controlled. CBR (constant bit rate) is used to achieve a specific bit rate by varying the quality of the MPEG-4 stream. When using VBR (variable bit rate), the quality of the video stream is kept as constant as possible, at the cost of a varying bit rate.

Notes:

• MPEG-4 is licensed technology. The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E includes one viewing client license. Installing additional unlicensed copies of the viewing client is prohibited. To purchase additional licenses, contact your Axis reseller.

• All clients viewing the MPEG-4 stream must use the same image settings.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Video and Audio Streams

How to stream MPEG-4

Deciding the combination of protocols and methods to use depends on your viewing requirements, and on the properties of your network. The available options in AMC are:

AMC negotiates with the camera to determine the transport protocol to use in the order listed above. This order can be changed and the options disabled, to suit specific requirements.

AXIS Media Control

For accessing live video (MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG) and audio from AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E, the AXIS Media Control (AMC) in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows is recommended. This ActiveX component is automatically installed on first use, after which it can be configured by opening the AMC Control Panel applet from the Windows Control Panel. Alternatively, right-click the video image. See AXIS Media Control User’s Manual, available from the Network Video link in www.axis.com/techsup

Note: AXIS 215 PTZ-E does not support audio and does not have I/O ports.

Other methods of accessing the video stream

Video/images from the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E can also be accessed in the following ways:

• If supported by the client, the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E can use Motion JPEG server push to display video. This option maintains an open HTTP connection to the browser and sends data as and when required, for as long as required.

• As single JPEG images in a browser. Enter e.g. the path: http://<IP address>/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi?resolution=CIF

• Windows Media Player. This requires AMC and the MPEG-4 decoder to be installed. The paths that can be used are listed below, in the order of preference.

• Unicast via RTP: axrtpu://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp

• Unicast via RTSP: axrtsp://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp

• Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTP: axrtsphttp://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp

• Multicast: axrtpm://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp

Unicast RTP This unicast method (RTP over UDP) should

be your first consideration for live unicast video, especially when it is important to always have an up-to-date video stream, even if some images are dropped.

Unicasting is used for video streaming, so that there is no video traffic on the network until a client connects and requests the stream.

Note that there are a maximum of 20 simultaneous unicast connections.

RTP over RTSP This unicast method (RTP tunneled over

RTSP) is useful as it is relatively simple to configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.

RTP over RTSP over HTTP

This unicast method can be used to traverse firewalls. Firewalls are commonly configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.

Multicast RTP This method (RTP over UDP) should be used for live multicast video. The video stream is always

up-to-date, even if some images are dropped. Multicasting provides the most efficient usage of bandwidth when there are large numbers of clients viewing simultaneously. A multicast broadcast cannot however, pass a network router unless the router is configured to allow this. It is not possible to multicast over the Internet, for example. Note also that all multicast viewers count as one unicast viewer in the maximum total of 10 simultaneous connections.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Video and Audio Streams

Other MPEG-4 clients

Although it may be possible to use other clients to view the MPEG-4 stream, this is not guaranteed by Axis. For some other clients, such as QuickTime™ the Video Object Type must be set to Simple. It may also be necessary to adjust the advanced MPEG-4 settings.

To access the video stream from e.g. QuickTime™ the following path can be used:

rtsp://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp

This path is for all supported methods, and the client will negotiate with the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E to determine exactly which transport protocol to use.

Audio transmission methods (AXIS 215 PTZ only)

The audio stream can be accessed in the Live View page when viewing either Motion JPEG or MPEG.

Using Motion JPEG

The basic transmission method of audio used in conjunction with Motion JPEG video streaming is transmission over HTTP. The video and audio streams are not synchronized when using Motion JPEG so the streams may be slightly out of sync. The latency in any stream should be low, but this will depend on the network infrastructure.

Using MPEG-4

When using MPEG-4, audio is streamed using the same protocol as the video stream.

When audio is transmitted using MPEG-4, the Axis product sends synchronization information along with the streams to the client that is performing the synchronization.

Audio is streamed from the client to the server over HTTP when using Motion JPEG and MPEG-4.

Accessing the Audio Streams (AXIS 215 PTZ only)

In addition to accessing audio in the Live View page using AMC, audio from the Video Server can also be accessed in the following ways:

The VAPIX® API

You can read about accessing audio for the other protocols through VAPIX, Axis Communications’ powerful API, at http://www.axis.com/techsup

QuickTime/Windows Media Player

It is possible to use QuickTime and Windows Media Player to listen to the audio stream using the same methods to access video streams.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Setup

The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E is configured from the setup link in your web interface. The menus that appear can be used by:

• administrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools

• operators, who have access to the Video & Image, Live View Config and Event Configuration settings.

See the section on Security, on page 29 for more information on user access control.

Accessing the setup tools from a browser

Follow the instructions below:

1. Start the browser and enter the IP address or host name of the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E in the location/address field.

2. The Live View page is now displayed. Click Setup to display the Setup configuration tools.

Setup

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Video & Image settings

The following descriptions offer examples of the available features in the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E. For details of each setting, please refer to the online help files

To optimize the video images to your requirements, modify the following settings under Image Appearance:

• Resolution (including Aspect ratio correction and 4CIF de-interlacing)

• Compression

•Rotate image

• Color setting

Notes: •All configuration of images and overlays will affect the performance of the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E, depending on the usage and

the available bandwidth. Please keep in mind the following when changing the image settings:

• Lower compression improves image quality, but generates larger files

• Color uses more bandwidth than Black & White

• Rotating the image will lower the maximum frame rate

• When using MPEG-4 as the video format, the compression setting will define the minimum compression level. The compression level will

temporarily increase as and when required, i.e. when the bit rate approaches the maximum value as defined in the current profile@level combination.

• In certain conditions, the white balancing system will not operate effectively. See Video Image Problems, on page 43 for more

information.

You may need to click the Stop and Play buttons on the Live View page before the settings take effect.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Overlay Settings

Use these settings to include an image as an overlay, and/or the date and time, along with text of your own.

See Overlay Image Settings below for instructions on how to upload an overlay image to the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E.

Text overlays are included on one line at the top or bottom of the video image. Use text overlays in combination with OSDI (On-Screen Directional Indicator) on page 31 to aid the viewer in navigating the camera.

Video Stream

The video stream time can be set as Unlimited, or a maximum stream time per session in seconds, minutes or hours can be defined. When the set time has expired, a new stream can be started by refreshing the page in the Web browser. Note that the maximum video stream time does not apply to clients connecting via multicast.

To avoid bandwidth problems on the network, the frame rate allowed to each viewer can also be limited. Select either Unlimited or define a maximum frame rate per viewer.

For a preview of the image and overlay settings click Test. When satisfied with the settings, click Save.

Please use the online help files for more information.

Overlay Image

An overlay image is an image included in the video image. This might, for example, be your company logo. Follow these instructions to upload and use an overlay image:

1. Go to Setup > Video & Image > Overlay Image.

2. To upload the image to the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E, click the Browse button and locate it on your computer or server.

3. Click the Upload button and follow the on-screen instructions.

4. The image is now available in the Use overlay image drop-down list.

5. Click Save.

6. Go to Setup > Video & Image and modify the parameters under Overlay Settings.

overlay

Date & Time

image

To set up PTZ coordinates in text overlay

Use #P #L to show the Preset and OSDI Zone name as text overlay

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Overlay image requirements:

There are a number of limitations when using overlay images, such as the size and positioning of images. Please use the online help

for more information.

Advanced

Camera

To optimize lighting settings according to your requirements, modify the following settings under Lighting Conditions:

• Brightness - increase the value to brighten the image.

• Sharpness - increase the value to sharpen the image. A higher value will sharpen the image but also

increase the image noise, especially in low lighting.

• IR cut filter - set the IR cut filter to On, Off or Auto. The IR cut filter can also be set to On, Off or Auto

directly from the control panel on the Live View page.

• Backlight compensation - this setting is used to make the subject appear clearer - against a bright

background for example.

White Balance

White balance - This is used to always try to make the colors in the image appear the same, to compensate for the different colors present in different light sources.

The AXIS 215 PTZ Network Camera can be set to automatically identify the light source used and compensate for its color. Alternatively, the type of light source can be set manually.

From the drop-down list, select the white balance setting suitable for the lighting used for your camera.

For more information please refer to the online help .

Low Light Behavior

These settings determine how the camera will function in low light conditions. Adjustments made here affect image quality and are basically a measure of how much noise to allow in images. Please use the online help

for more information on each individual setting.

• Exposure control

• Max exposure time

•Max gain

• Exposure priority

Image Settings

• Auto focus enabled (default setting)- Auto focus can also be set to On/Off directly from the control

panel on the Live View page.

• Image freeze on PTZ - freeze the image either during pan, tilt, zoom movement or between preset

positions only. Once the camera has reached its position, the current image is shown.

Image Formats Image Size

• Windows 24-bit BMP (full color)

• Windows 4-bit BMP (16 colors)

The height and width of the overlay image in pixels must be divisible by 4.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

MPEG-4

The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E supports the following different MPEG-4 profiles and levels

Level 5 is preferred if there is enough bandwidth available, as the image quality of the video stream will be better than if level 3 is used. The viewing client must support the profile used for the video stream otherwise the MPEG-4 stream can not be viewed.

Note: AXIS Media Control supports all the configuration possibilities available on this page.

Client Compatibility

Select the correct combination of Video object type and ISMA compliant to use for your viewing client.

Video object type can be:

• Simple - This sets the video coding type to H.263, as used by e.g. QuickTime.

• Advanced Simple - Sets the video coding type to MPEG-4 part 2, as used by e.g. AMC (AXIS Media

Control). This is the recommended setting.

ISMA compliant - This option when enabled configures the generated stream to be ISMA compliant, which includes limiting the bit rate to 1500 kbit/s.

GOV Settings

The GOV structure can be set to either I or IP, which describes the type of images included in the video stream, as well as their internal order. The IP-structure generally sends the differences compared to the previous image and far fewer complete images, so this method uses much less bandwidth than the I-structure. The I-structure gives higher frame rates when using a high resolution, but requires more bandwidth.

The GOV length determines the sum total of P-images and I-images in a GOV. Setting the GOV length to a high value saves considerably on bandwidth. However there may be noticeable decay in the image at high values.

Profile@Level Properties

Advanced Simple Profile @ Level 3b Max bit rate = 1,5 Mbps

ISMA compliant

Advanced Simple Profile @ Level 5 Max Bit rate = 8 Mbit/s

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Note: GOV = Group of VOPs

VOP = Video Object Plane Video Object Plane = image

Bit Rate Control

Limiting the maximum bit rate is a good way of controlling the bandwidth used by the MPEG-4 video stream. Leaving the Maximum bit rate as Unlimited will provide consistently good image quality, but at the expense of increased bandwith usage whenever there is more activity in the image. Limiting the bit rate to a defined value will prevent excessive bandwidth usage, but images will be lost when the limit is exceeded.

Note that a maximum bit rate can be used for both variable and constant bit rates.

The bit rate type can be set as Variable Bit Rate (VBR) or Constant Bit Rate (CBR). VBR will adjust the bit rate according to the images' complexity, thus using a lot of bandwidth for a lot of activity in the image and less for lower activity in the monitored area.

Note: Depending on the amount of motion, the required bandwidth may increase by 1-15% for each frame.

Video Stream

This parameter can be set to frame rate to increase the frame rate by 30% in 4CIF resolution. If the resolution is set to a value lower than 4CIF, the parameter should be set to bandwidth.

MJPEG Settings

In some situations the image size may get quite large due to low light or complex scenery. Adjusting the maximum frame size is a good way of controlling the bandwidth and storage used by the MJPEG video stream in these situations. Leaving the frame size as Unlimited will provide consistently good image quality at the expense of increased bandwidth and storage usage during low light. Limiting the frame size will prevent excessive bandwidth and storage usage, but image quality will suffer. To prevent increase in bandwidth and storage usage, the maximum frame size should be set to an optimal amount. During ideal light conditions follow these instructions to optimize frame size:

1. Click the View button and a pop-up window appears with Frame size and Compression in the text field.

2. Note the current frame size. To calculate a maximum frame size add 10 - 20% to the current frame size.

3. Enter the calculated frame size in the Limited to… field.

4. Verify the quality of the image in low light. Increase the maximum frame size if needed.

Note:

The maximum frame size allowed increases compression in order to maintain a low frame size starting at the compression value set under Image Settings > Image Appearance > Compression. When compression is 100, the image cannot be made smaller. You may also need to adjust the Resolution setting if a smaller frame size is needed.

For more information on these settings please refer to the online help .

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

Audio Settings (AXIS 215 PTZ only)

This section describes how to configure the basic audio settings for the AXIS 215 PTZ, such as setting the communication mode and adjusting the sound levels in the microphone and speaker.

Enable Audio

Select the Enable Audio checkbox option to enable the audio functionality.

Audio Channels

There are two mono audio channels between the AXIS 215 PTZ and other clients, one for receiving audio and one for transmitting audio. Each audio channel can be turned on or off, which means that there are four

audio mode options that can be used.

Full-duplex mode means that you can transmit and receive audio (talk and listen) at the same time, without

having to use any of the controls. This is just like having a telephone conversation. The only controls you may wish to use are the mute buttons to turn off the sound, and the sliders, to adjust the input/output volume levels. This mode requires that the client PC has a sound card with support for full-duplex audio. If your available bandwidth is 0.2 Mbit/s or less, it is recommended that you use Half-duplex mode instead.

Half-duplex mode also transmits and receives audio in both directions, but only in one direction at a time. This means that you must select when to receive or transmit audio using the push-to-talk button. To speak, press and hold the button (check that the microphone is not muted). When finished speaking, release the button. You will now be receiving audio from the other end of the connection.

Note that the push-to-talk button is configured from AMC, see How to stream MPEG-4, on page 9. It is also possible to configure the Push-to-talk button so that it toggles between speaking and listening modes. Half-Duplex mode is best if you only have limited bandwidth available.

When you select Simplex - Network Camera speaker only mode, the speaker connected to the AXIS 215 PTZ will play audio, but no audio will be transmitted from the AXIS 215 PTZ to other web clients. This could be used, e.g. to provide spoken instructions to a person seen in the network camera. This mode requires you to use the push to talk button.

Simplex - Network Camera microphone only mode transmits audio from the microphone connected to the AXIS 215 PTZ to any web clients. It will not receive audio from any other web clients. This can be used in remote monitoring, web attractions etc., to provide live audio, as well as video, of a monitored situation.

When using half-duplex, the Send the sound from the active client to all other clients option transmits the audio signal from the client that is talking to all the other clients.

Audio Input

If the sound input is too low or high, it is possible to adjust the input gain for the microphone connected to the AXIS 215 PTZ.

Source - select Microphone for an external microphone or Line for a Line in device, e.g. an audio mixer for multiple microphones or a microphone with a built-in amplifier.

Input sensitivity - set the sensitivity level of the audio input according to the following:

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Axis 215-E User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual