AXIS 242 User Manual

AXIS 242S IV Video Server

User’s Manual

About This Document

This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS 242S IV Video Server, with firmware release 4.30. The manual includes instructions for using and managing the Video Server on your network. 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. See also the product’s online help, available via the Web-based interface.

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.

Legal Considerations

Camera and audio 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. This product includes one (1) MPEG-4 decoder license. To purchase further licenses, contact your reseller.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment to an outlet on a different circuit to the receiver. Consult your dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. Shielded (STP) network cables must be used with this unit to ensure compliance with EMC standards.

USA - This equipment 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.

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.

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, Microsoft, Mozilla, OS/2, UNIX, Windows, WWW are registered trademarks of the respective holders. QuickTime™ is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Axis Communications AB is independent of Sun Microsystems Inc. UPnP™ is a certification mark of the UPnP™ Implementers Corporation.

Support 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 Video Server 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, 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.

AXIS 242S IV

Table of contents

Product description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Switches & connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Using the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accessing the video server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Live View page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Video and audio streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Video stream types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

AXIS Media Control (AMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

How to stream MPEG-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Other methods of accessing the video stream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Configuring the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Accessing the Setup tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Video & image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Video source settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Overlay/Mask settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Advanced - MPEG-4 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Live View Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

HTML Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

External Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Sequence Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Intelligent Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Module upload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Running IV module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Module list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Event configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Event servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Event types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Motion detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

AXIS 242S IV

Port status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Pan Tilt Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Installing PTZ devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

PTZ configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

PTZ controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

System options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Date & time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Network - Basic TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Network - Advanced TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

SOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

SMTP (email) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

SNMP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

UPnP™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

RTP (Multicast)/MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Ports & devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Resetting to the factory default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Unit connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

The D-Sub connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

The I/O terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Schematic diagram - I/O terminal connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

COM ports RS-232 and RS-485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

The S-Video connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Checking the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Upgrading the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Frame rates - MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Bandwidth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

AXIS 242S IV - Product description

Product description

Overview

The AXIS 242S IV is a 1-port video server that provides support for Intelligent Video (IV) modules. It is equipped with a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) dedicated to processing advanced intelligent video algorithms.

IV modules (IVMs) are uploaded to the video server, and each module provides its own configuration page. See

The AXIS 242S IV is fully featured for security surveillance and remote monitoring needs. Based on the AXIS ARTPEC-2 compression chip, it can digitize an analog video source and make it available on the network as real-time, full frame rate Motion JPEG and/or MPEG-4 video streams.

The AXIS 242S IV is equipped with RS-232 and RS-485 ports for connecting third party PTZ systems. The 4 alarm inputs and 4 alarm outputs can be used to connect various third party devices, e.g. door sensors and alarm bells.

Up to 20 viewers can access the AXIS 242S IV simultaneously when using Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 unicast. The number of simultaneous viewers can be increased by using multicast MPEG-4. When using AXIS Media Control (AMC) to view MPEG-4 video streams, each MPEG-4 viewer requires a separate MPEG-4 decoder license. One licence is included, and further licenses can be purchased separately from your Axis dealer. If using other clients to view the MPEG-4 video stream, no further MPEG-4 decoder licenses are required.

page 26 for more information.

Video can be viewed in 5 resolutions (up to 4CIF), and image compression is configurable. The AXIS 242S IV contains support for video motion detection, which allows the unit to trigger on activity in the video image, and advanced scheduling tools which can also be used to trigger an event. As the AXIS 242S IV is designed for use in security systems, it is equipped with several security features, such as IP address filtering, several user levels with passwords and HTTPS.

The AXIS 242S IV has a built-in web server, providing full access to all features through the use of a standard web browser. The built-in scripting tool allows basic applications to be created, providing basic surveillance solutions. For advanced functionality, the Video Server can be integrated via the use of the AXIS VAPIX API (see www.axis.com/developer for further information).

AXIS 242S IV - Product description

Front panel

Video output

Control button

Mic In & Line In

Video input

DSP & IV LED indicators

S-Video (Y/C) input

LED indicators for Network, Status & Power

DIP switch

Mic In & Line In - 2 separate inputs for Line In and Mic In, respectively. Note that these inputs are used for internal audio analysis only.

Video Input - The video input uses a coax/BNC connector. Physical connections made using 75 ohm coaxial video cable have a recommended maximum length of 800 feet (250 meters).

S-Video (Y/C) input - For direct connection of a Y/C video source.

Video Output - Video for debugging purposes is available on this output when the Digital

Signal Processor (DSP) is running an Intelligent Video module.

Control Button - Press this button to restore the factory default settings, as described in Resetting to the factory default settings, on page 48, or to install using AXIS Internet

Dynamic DNS Service (See the Axis Video Server Installation Guide).

LED indicators - See page 8.

DIP switch - The DIP switch is for line termination of the video input. Slide the switch to

the right to enable.

AXIS 242S IV - Product description

Rear panel

12-pin I/O terminal

connector

Power adapter connector

Serial number on underside label

Power adapter connector - For connection of the power adapter.

I/O terminal connector - The I/O terminal connector provides the physical interface to 4

digital transistor outputs, 4 digital inputs and an RS-485 interface. See page 49 for more information.

Note: The I/O terminal connector also provides an auxiliary connection point for DC

power.

Network connector

RS-232 connector

Unit connectors, on

Network connector - The AXIS 242S IV connects to the network via a standard network

cable, and automatically detects the speed of the local network segment (10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet).

RS-232 connector - A 9-pin D-SUB connector providing an RS-232 serial connection. Typically used for connecting Pan/Tilt/Zoom devices. See

Unit connectors, on page 49 for

more information.

AXIS 242S IV - Product description

LED indicators

After completion of the startup and self-test routines, the multi-colored LED indicators signal the following conditions:

Unlit No connection.

Network

Status

Power

DSP

Green Steady for connection to a 100 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Amber Steady for connection to a 10 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Unlit When configured for “no flash” on access.

Green Steady for normal operation. Can be configured to flash green at intervals

whenever the unit is accessed. See the online help for more information.

Amber Steady during startup, reset to factory default or when restoring settings.

Red Slow flash for failed firmware upgrade.

Green Normal operation.

Amber Flashes green/amber during firmware upgrade.

Unlit No IV module loaded.

Amber Steady for no IV module. Flashes during IV module upload.

Green Steady for IV module loaded.

Red Flashes for error in the IV module. Restart the video server and/or reinstall the

IV module.

Module-specific operation. See the documentation for the IV module.

AXIS 242S IV - Using the video server

Using the video server

The AXIS 242S IV can be used with most standard operating systems and web browsers. The recommended browser is Internet Explorer with Windows, and Mozilla with other operating systems. See also the

Note: For information on installing the video server, please refer to the Installation Guide.

Accessing the video server

1. Start your web browser.

2. Enter the IP address or host name of the AXIS 242S IV in the Location/Address field of your browser.

3. Enter the user name and password set by the administrator.

4. A video image is displayed in your browser.

Technical specifications, on page 57.

Notes:

•To view streaming video in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you must set your web browser to allow the AXIS Media Control (AMC) to be installed on your computer. AMC provides an MPEG-4 decoder for viewing MPEG-4 video streams. This decoder is installed the first time an MPEG-4 video stream is accessed. Please note that the product administrator may have disabled the installation of the decoder, as a license is required for each instance. See page 23 for more information.

•If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the AXIS 242S IV can be configured to use a Java applet for updating JPEG images. Please see the online help for more information.

AXIS 242S IV - Using the video server

The Live View page

If your AXIS 242S IV has been customized to meet specific requirements, the buttons and other items described below may or may not be displayed on the Live View page. The following provides an overview of each available button:

To resize the displayed image, click the View Size buttons: half-size

/2), full-size (x1), x2 or x4. This will not change the resolution of the

(x image (not available in Sequence Mode).

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

The Output buttons control an output directly from the Live View page. These buttons are configured under Setup > Live View Config > Layout.

The IV buttons are used to configure and view the status for the currently running IV module.

These buttons start/stop the Sequence Mode. This mode is created in Setup > Live View Config > Sequence mode and automatically displays the view from 2 or more video sources at set intervals.

From the Source list, select the desired video image(s). The list can contain internal video sources and external video sources.

The trigger buttons trigger an event 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.

Pulse - click this button to activate the port 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.

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

The AMC viewer toolbar (AXIS Media Control) is available in Microsoft Internet Explorer only and displays the following buttons:

AXIS 242S IV - Using the video server

The Play/Stop buttons start and stop the media stream.

The Snapshot button saves a snapshot of the video image currently being displayed. The Snapshot function and the target directory for saving snapshots can be configured from the AMC Control Applet, which can be opened from the Windows Control Panel or by right-clicking the image in Internet Explorer.

Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen area. No other windows will be visible. Press Esc (Escape) on your keyboard to cancel full screen view.

Note that these AMC toolbar functions can also be accessed by right-clicking in the image.

For information on using Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls, please see Pan Tilt Zoom, on page 33.

AXIS 242S IV - Video streams

Video streams

The AXIS 242S IV provides several different video stream formats. The type to use depends on your requirements and on the properties of your network.

The Live View page in the AXIS 242S IV provides access to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 video and audio 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.

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 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, and which can provide 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 242S IV 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

• Advanced Simple - in Axis products, this sets the coding type to MPEG-4 Part 2

AMC (AXIS Media Control) supports both object types, whilst e.g. QuickTime™ requires the Simple object type.

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.

AXIS 242S IV - Video streams

Notes: •MPEG-4 is licensed technology. The AXIS 242S IV includes one license for the decoder required

for viewing in AMC. Installing additional unlicensed copies of this decoder is prohibited. To purchase more decoder licenses, contact your Axis reseller.

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

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods

To deliver live streaming video over IP networks, various combinations of transport protocols and broadcast methods are employed.

• RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) is a protocol that allows programs to manage the real-time transmission of multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.

• RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) serves as a control protocol, to negotiate which transport protocol to use for the stream. RTSP is thus used by a viewing client to start a unicast session, see below.

• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a communications protocol that offers limited service for exchanging data in a network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). UDP is an alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The advantage of UDP is that it is not required to deliver all data and may drop network packets when there is e.g. network congestion. This is suitable for live video, as there is no point in re-transmitting old information that will not be displayed anyway.

• 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. A benefit of unicasting is that if one stream fails, it only affects one user.

• Multicast is bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces bandwidth usage by simultaneously delivering a single stream of information to multiple network recipients. This technology is used primarily on delimited networks (intranets), as each user needs an uninterrupted data flow and should not rely on network routers.

AXIS Media Control (AMC)

The recommended method of accessing live video (MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG) and audio from the AXIS 242S IV is to use the AXIS Media Control (AMC) in Microsoft Internet Explorer in Windows. 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 in Internet Explorer.

AXIS 242S IV - Video streams

How to stream MPEG-4

Deciding on the combination of protocols and methods to use depends on your viewing requirements, and on the properties of your network. Setting the preferred method(s) is done in the control applet for AMC, which is found in the Windows Control Panel. When this has been set, AMC will test all the selected methods in the specified order, until the first functioning one is found.

RTP+RTSP

This method (actually RTP over UDP and RTSP over TCP) should be your first consideration for live video, especially when it is important to always have an up-to-date video stream, even if some images do get dropped. This can be configured as multicast or unicast.

Multicasting provides the most efficient usage of bandwidth, especially when there are large numbers of clients viewing simultaneously. Note however, that a multicast broadcast cannot pass a network router unless the router is configured to allow this. It is thus not possible to multicast over e.g. the Internet.

Unicasting should be used for video-on-demand broadcasting, so that there is no video traffic on the network until a client connects and requests the stream. However, if more and more unicast clients connect, the server will at some point become overloaded. There is also a maximum of 20 simultaneous viewers to be considered.

RTP/RTSP

This unicast method is RTP tunneled over RTSP. This can be used to exploit the fact that it is relatively simple to configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.

RTP/RTSP/HTTP or RTP/RTSP/HTTPS

These two methods can also be used to traverse firewalls. Firewalls are commonly configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.

Configuring the video server

This section describes how to configure the AXIS 242S IV and is intended for:

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

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

The AXIS 242S IV is configured from the Setup link, in a standard web browser. For more information on supported browsers, see the

Accessing the Setup tools

Follow the instructions below to access the Setup Tools from a web browser.

1. Start the browser and enter the IP address or host name of the AXIS 242S IV in the location/address field.

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

Technical specifications, on page 57.

Setup tools

AXIS 242S IV - Video & image settings

Video & image settings

The following descriptions show examples of the available features in the AXIS 242S IV. For details of each setting, please refer to the online help available from each page. Click

to access the online help.

Image settings

Image appearance

Modify the Image Appearance to optimize the video images according to your requirements.

All configuration of images and overlays will affect the performance of the video server, depending on the usage and the available bandwidth.

• High resolution generates larger files

• Lower compression improves image quality, but generates larger files

• Black & White uses less bandwidth than Color

• Rotating the image 90 or 270 degrees will lower the maximum frame rate

See also the specifications for frame rates and bandwidth on page 61.

AXIS 242S IV - Video & image settings

Text overlay settings

Include the date, time and/or text of your choice to be viewed on the image. The color of the text can be set to white or black, while back

ground color may be set to white, black, transparent or semitranspar

Text

overlay

Image

Overlay

(see below)

ent. The position of the text is set either to the top or the bottom of the image.

Video stream

The Maximum video stream time can be set as Unlimited, or set a maximum stream time per session in seconds, minutes or hours. When the set time has expired, a new stream on the Live View page 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.

Test

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

Video source settings

These settings allow you to:

• Select the physical connector the video source is connected to, BNC or Y/C. BNC (composite video) connects a standard video camera or other video equipment. Y/C (S-video) connects a Y/C (S-Video) camera or other video equipment

• Eliminate any black borders surrounding the image, by making Offset adjust- ments. See the online help for more information.

AXIS 242S IV - Video & image settings

Overlay/Mask settings

Overlay/Mask type

Overlay/Mask type allows you to place an overlay, or up to three privacy masks over the video image:

• Upload and place an image as an overlay - usually used to provide extra information in the video image.

• Place up to 3 configurable privacy masks to conceal different areas of the video image.

Selecting the overlay/mask type from the menu will display further settings available for the selected type. See the online help for further information.

Note: A privacy mask cannot be bypassed, but an overlay image can be bypassed with the help of the AXIS VAPIX

API.

Upload and use an overlay image

1. Select Uploaded image as overlay in the drop-down list for Overlay/Mask Type. New options appear.

2. In the field Upload own image, click the Browse button and locate the image file on your computer or server.

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

To use an already uploaded image:

1. Select an uploaded image from the Use image drop-down list.

2. Place the image at the required location by entering the x and y coordinates.

3. Click Save.

AXIS 242S IV - Video & image settings

Overlay image requirements:

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 exactly divisible by 4.

Overlay image limitations:

• The maximum overlay image size supported by the AXIS 242S IV is the same as the maximum image resolution. See the Technical Specifications,

on page 57.

• When a text overlay is also used, this reduces the amount of space available to the overlay image. To keep the text readable at lower resolutions, the text overlay occupies proportionally more of the image at lower resolutions.

• If the overlay is initially positioned so that part of it is outside the video image, it will be relocated so that it appears over the video image, i.e. it is always the entire image that is displayed.

Please see the online help for more information.

Use a Privacy Mask

To use privacy masks to hide different areas of the video image:

1. Select Configurable areas as privacy mask in the drop-down list for

Overlay/Mask Type. New options appear.

2. Enter the (x,y) coordinates of the top left hand corner of the mask, and the height and width to define the masks’ placement and size.

3. Select the privacy masks’ color: black, grey, white, or red.

4. Click in the box beside Enable to enable one or more of the masks you have defined and click on Save.

Advanced - MPEG-4 settings

Tools for adjusting the MPEG-4 settings and for controlling the video bit rate.

The MPEG-4 standard provides many different coding tools for various applications in different situations. As most MPEG-4 clients do not support all of these tools, it is usual to instead define and use subsets for different clients or groups of clients. These settings allow you to define the type of viewing client to use.

Adjusting the maximum bit rate and setting it to variable or constant is a good way of controlling the bandwidth used by the MPEG-4 video stream.

For more information on these advanced settings, please see the online help.

AXIS 242S IV - Live View Config

Live View Config

Layout

These are the tools for deciding the layout of the Live View page.

The layout can be set in 3 ways:

• Use Axis look - the layout is unchanged.

• Use custom settings - modify the default page with your own col ors, images etc. Click the Config- ure button and see the following page.

• Own Home Page - Upload and use your own custom made page as the default web page. Click the Configure button and see the following page.

The other settings on this page concern which other features to include on the Live View page, e.g. buttons and links. See page 22 for more information.

AXIS 242S IV - Live View Config

Customizing the default page

The appearance of the default AXIS 242S IV Live View page can be customized to suit your own requirements, or you can upload and use your own home page. To upload your own files, click the

Upload/Remove

button and see the description below.

Note that the setup address is http://<ip address>/operator/basic.shtml

Upload Own Web Files

Your own web files, background pictures, etc. must first be uploaded to the AXIS 242S IV in order to be available for selection in the Custom Settings setup dialog. Once uploaded, the files are shown in the drop-down list.

1. Enter the path to the file, e.g. a file located on your workstation or click the Browse button.

2. Select the user level for the uploaded file. Setting the user access level means that you have complete control over which pages can be viewed by which users.

3. When the path is shown correctly in the text field, click the Upload button. Uploaded files are now shown in the list in the lower section of the page.

4. To use your uploaded file, click the radio button and select the file from the drop-down list by Own.

To remove a file, check the box provided next to it and then click the Remove button.

To use an external file located somewhere other than in the AXIS 242S IV, select this radio button and enter the URL in the field marked External.

Own Home Page

To use a previously uploaded web page as the default page, check the checkbox, select the page from the drop-down list and click OK.

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