Axis Communications 215 PTZ-E User Manual

AXIS 215 PTZ/ AXIS 215 PTZ-E

Network Camera

User’s Manual

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 4.40. 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

nderstood 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

erms of Apple Public Source License 2.0 (see

t http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/). The source code is available from:

ttp://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

nnecting 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

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS

<Product Name> Quick User’s Guide

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, ategory, 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

acturer.

manuf Dispose of used batteries according t

o 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

ndicates that the product must not be disposed of together with

i 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

ispose of this product correctly. This product should not be mixed with other

d commercial waste.

AXIS 215 PTZ User’s Manual Part No: 34088 December 2008 Revision: 2.00

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

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

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

Setting the Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

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

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

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

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

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

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

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

Other methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

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

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

Custom Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

User Defined Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

PTZ Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Event Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Event Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Event Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Motion Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Port Status (AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

System Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Date & Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Network - SOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Network - QoS (Quality of Service) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Network - SMTP (email) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Network - SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Network - UPnP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Network - RTP/MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Network - Bonjour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Ports & Devices - I/O Ports (for AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Resetting to Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Unit Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

I/O terminal connector (for AXIS 215 PTZ only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Connection diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Power connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Checking the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Customer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

File sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Frame rates - MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 5

Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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 Mozilla 1.4 or later.

The AXIS 215 PTZ-E Network Camera does not support manual to audio and to the I/O parts pertain to the AXIS 215 PTZ Network Camera only.

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

Note:

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.

audio and does not have I/O ports. All references in this

Accessing from a browser

1. Start a browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, 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. Enter the user name and password set by the administrator.

4. A video image is displayed in your browser.

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.

Setting the Password

1. When accessing the camera for the first time, the ‘Configure Root Password’ dialog will be displayed on the screen.

2. Enter a password and then re-enter it, to confirm the spelling. Click OK.

3. Enter the User name: root Note: The default administrator user name root is permanent and cannot be deleted or altered.

4. Enter the password as set in step 2 above, and click OK. If the password is lost, the camera must be reset to the factory default settings. See page 34.

5. 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 Servi notes on this and other topics, visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup

ce at www.axiscam.net or, for Technical

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

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.

The Live View page

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

The Video Format drop-down list allows the video format on 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 configure are created in Setup > PTZ Configuration > Preset Positions.

d in the camera. These

The Manual trigger buttons trigger an action di configured under Setup

> Live View Config > Layout. Click these buttons to manually start and

rectly from the Live View page. These buttons are

stop events.

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 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 Vi

ew 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 - Limits, on page 2 (PTZ

Configuration > Advanced > Limits.)

1 for information on E-flip, proportional speed and Auto-flip

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

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

cut filter - when set to off, the camera will be able to “see” infrared light,

• IR e.g. 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 where a higher value produces a brighter image. Click the Reset button to revert to the values saved under Video & Image > Advanced > Camera.

ortcuts - these buttons can be configured to provide direct access to vari-

• Sh ous built-in auxiliary commands provided by Ctrl Panel on page 22.

Viewer controls

The default viewer to use for displaying moving images is selected from Setup > The A

MC viewer toolbar is available in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows only. See AXIS Media

Control, on page 9 for more information. The AMC viewer toolbar displays the

The Play/S

The Snapshot button takes a snapshot of the target directory for saving snapshots can be configured from AMC (AXIS Media available from the Windows Control Panel (Internet Explorer for Windows only).

- automatically adjusts the image focus. es the subject clearer

the +/- buttons,

the PTZ driver. See Advanced -

Live View Config > Layout.

following buttons:

top buttons start and stop the live video stream.

currently displayed image. The Snapshot function and the

Control), which is

Click the Star recording is saved in the folder specified in the Recording tab in the AMC Control Applet. Only available if the recording

Click the View Full will be visible. Press Esc (Escape) on the computer keyboard to

Click the Mute /M enabled. (AXIS 215 PTZ-E does not support audio.)

Navigation mode:

Center Joystick

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

t recording button to make an MPEG-4 recording. Click again to stop the recording. The

button is enabled on the Live View Config page

Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen area. No other windows

cancel full screen view.

icrophone buttons to switch the sound off and on. Only available if Audio is

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

will move the camera view to center on the position that was clicked. Also used for Area zoom.

moves the camera in the direction indicated by a mouse click, relative to the center of the

microphone. The volume can be set

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

Server push (not available for Micros

With this method, the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E maintains and controls an open HTTP co 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 Vid object type must be set to Simple.

Java applet

This alternative uses a Java applet to 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

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.

oft Internet Explorer)

nnection to the

eo & Image > Advanced > MPEG-4, the Video

update the images in the browser. No download is required. Note that

Refresh button to view a new image.

The PTZ Control Queue is set up

by the administrator under PTZ Configuration > Control Queue.

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. The type to use depends on your requirements and on the properties of your network.

The Live View page in the AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E provides access 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.

to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 video

Video Stream Types

Motion JPEG

This format uses standard JPEG still images in the video stream. a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows constantly updated motion.

The Motion JPEG stream uses considerable amounts of access to each and every individual image contained in the stream.

Note also that multiple

MPEG-4

This is a video compression standard that makes good use at less than 1 Mbit/s.

The MPEG-4 standard provides scope for 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:

clients accessing Motion JPEG streams can use different image settings.

a large range of different coding tools for use by various applications

bandwidth, but also provides excellent image quality and

These images are then displayed and updated at

of bandwidth, providing high-quality video streams

• Simple -

• Ad

vanced 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 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 2

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

turn allows the amount of bandwidth

15 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 MPE

G-4 stream must use the same image settings.

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

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 (Realtime Transport Protocol) is a protoco multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.

• RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) serves as a 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 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 s 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 onl

• Multicast is bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces bandwidth usage by single stream of information to multiple network users. This technology is used primarily on delimited networks (intranets), as each user needs an uninterrupted

y affects one user.

l that allows programs to manage the real-time transmission of

control protocol, to negotiate which transport protocol to

that offers limited service for exchanging data

ingle sender and a single receiver over a network. This means that

simultaneously delivering a

data flow and should not rely on network routers.

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 in Internet Explorer.

See AXIS Media Control User’s Manual, available from the

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

Note:

support pages on the Axis web site at: www.axis.com

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 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 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-o until a client connects and requests the stream. However, as more and more unicast clients connect, the traffic on the network will increase and may cause congestion. Although there is a maximum of 20 unicast viewers, note that all multicast users combined count as 1 unicast viewer.

RTP/RTSP

This unicast method is RTP tunneled over RTSP. This can configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.

usage of bandwidth, especially when there are large numbers of clients

n-demand broadcasting, so that there is no video traffic on the network

over TCP) should be your first consideration for live video,

be used to exploit the fact that it is relatively simple to

RTP/RTSP/HTTP

This method can also be used to traverse protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.

firewalls. Firewalls are commonly configured to allow the HTTP

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

Setup

The AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E is configured from the setup tools, which are available from the link in the web interface. The setup tools can be used by:

• admin

• operators, who have access to See the section on Security, on

istrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools

the Video & Image, Live View Config and Event Configuration settings.

page 27 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.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

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

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,

• Resolution (including Aspect ratio correction

modify the following settings under Image Appearance:

and 4CIF de-interlacing)

• Compression • White balance

• 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 40 for more

information.

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

Overlay Settings

Use these settings to include an image as an overlay, and/or

date and time, along with text of your own.

the

See Overlay Image Se

ttings 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 ma

ximum 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.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

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

Please use the online help files for more information.

Overlay Image Settings

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

1. Go to Set

up > 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 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.

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 settings

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

• Brightness - increase the value to bri

ghten 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 e.g. a bright

background.

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.

•Priority

•

Exposure control

• Max exposure time

•Max gain

Image Settings

• Auto focu

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

panel on the Live View page.

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

• 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.

MPEG-4 Settings

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

Profile@Level Properties

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

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

ISMA compliant

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.

AXIS Media Control supports all the configuration possibilities

Note:

available on this page.

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 lengt

h 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.

GOV = Group of VOPs

Note:

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

The bit rate type can be set as Variabl

e Bit Rate (VBR) or Constant Bit Rate (CBR). VBR will adjust the bit rate

variable and constant bit rates.

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.

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

Note:

Video Stream

This parameter can be set to fr

ame 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.

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, e.g. set the communication mode and adjust the sound levels in the microphone and speaker.

Enable Audio

Check the En to enable the audio functionality.

Audio Channels

There are two mono audio channels 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 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 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.

able Audio checkbox

between the AXIS 215

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

mode also transmits and receives audio in both directions, but only in one direction at a time. This

Note that the push-to-talk button i to configure the Push-to-talk button so is best if you only have limited bandwidth available.

When you select Simplex 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 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 audio signal from the client that is talking to all the other clients.

Audio Input

If there are problems with the sound input microphone connected to the AXIS 215 PTZ.

Source - se multiple microphones or a microphone with a built-in amplifier.

Input sensitivity - set

lect Microphone for an external microphone or Line for a Line in device, e.g. an audio mixer for

- Network Camera speaker only mode, the speaker connected to the AXIS 215 PTZ

the sensitivity level of the audio input according to the following:

s configured from AMC, see AXIS Media Control, on page 9. It is also possible

that it toggles between speaking and listening modes. Half-Duplex mode

mode transmits audio from the microphone connected to the

sound from the active client to all other clients option transmits the

being too low or high, it is possible to adjust the input gain for the

AXIS 215 PTZ/AXIS 215 PTZ-E - Setup

If Microphone is selected - set the Input sensitivity to:

• High if the connected microphone is an ordinary (unam clip-on mic.

• Low if the connected microphone has a built-in line amplifier.

Enable microphone power - microp battery. This setting should not be enabled when using a dynamic or battery powered microphone.

Input gain - volume made earlier in the audio path (see above).

Note: Low Input sensitivity should never be compensated by noise.

Encoding -

Bit rate - depending on

the greater the bandwidth required.

Alarm level - event types in the AXIS 215 type can be configured to trigger if the sound level rises above or falls below the set value.

The alarm level can be set in the range 0-100%, where

Audio Output

If the sound from the speaker is too low or high speaker.

select the digital audio encoding format to use.

control of the audio input. The Input sensitivity levels High and Low are volume settings

the selected encoding, set the required bit rate (audio quality). The higher the bit rate,

hone power should only be used with an electret microphone without a

PTZ can be set to use this level as a trigger. Each individual event

0% is the most sensitive and 100% the least sensitive.

it is possible to adjust the output gain for the connected active

plified) microphone, e.g. a computer mic or

a high Input gain, as this may cause unwanted

When satisfied with the settings, click Save, or click Re

set to revert to the previously saved settings.

+ 37 hidden pages

Axis Communications 215 PTZ-E User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Accessing the camera

Accessing from a browser

Setting the Password

Accessing the camera from the Internet

The Live View page

Video and Audio Streams

Video Stream Types

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods

AXIS Media Control

How to stream MPEG-4

Other methods of accessing the video stream

Setup

Accessing the setup tools from a browser