Axis Communications 241SA User Manual 2

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA Video Server

User’s Manual

About This Document

This manual is intended for administrators and users of Axis video servers. This manual describes AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA, with firmware release 4.47. The manual includes instructions for using and managing the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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! operation. Do not proceed beyond any of the above notices until you have fully understood the implications.

Indicates a hazard that can seriously impair

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

enu item “About” in the product’s user interface for more

m 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 requirem residential, commercial, and light industry.

ents for immunity according to EN55024/1998

Liability

Every care has been taken in the preparation of this manual; Please inform your local Axis office of any inaccuracy or omission. 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 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. h by product, category, or phrases

Searc

• 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 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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 241QA/AXIS 241SA

Table of contents

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

Overview of the AXIS video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

AXIS 241QA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

AXIS 241SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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

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

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

Using the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Accessing the video server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Setting the root password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Live View Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Video and audio streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Video stream types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

AXIS Media Control (AMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

How to stream MPEG-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Other methods of accessing the video stream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Configuring the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Video & image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Video source settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Quad stream settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Overlay/Mask settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Live View Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

HTML Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

External Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Sequence Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Pan Tilt Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Installing PTZ devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

PTZ configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

PTZ controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

PTZ control queue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Axis video server

Event configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Event servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Event types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Camera tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Motion detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Port status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

System options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Date & time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Network - Basic TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Network - Advanced TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Ports & devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Resetting to the factory default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Unit connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

The D-Sub connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

The I/O terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Schematic diagram - I/O terminal connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

COM ports RS-232 and RS-485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Checking the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Upgrading the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Frame rates - MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Bandwidth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Product description

Product description

This manual describes the AXIS 241QA: 4-port video server including 2-way audio, and the AXIS 241SA: 1-port video server including 2-way audio.

Overview of the AXIS video server

The Axis video server is fully featured for security surveillance and remote monitoring needs. It is based on the AXIS ARTPEC-2 compression chip, and can digitize up to four analog video sources and make these available on the network as real-time, full frame rate Motion JPEG and/or MPEG-4 video streams.

The Axis video server is equipped with RS-232 and RS-485 ports for connecting third PTZ systems. The 4 alarm inputs and four alarm outputs can be used to connect various third party devices, such as door sensors and alarm bells.

Up to 20 viewers can access the Axis video server sim 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 license 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.

Video can be viewed in five resolutions (up to 4CIF), configurable. The Axis video server 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 video server 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 video server has a built-in web server, through the use of a 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 VAPIX® Axis Communications’ powerful API (see www.axis.com/developer for further information).

ultaneously when using Motion JPEG

and image compression is

providing full access to all features

party

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Product description

DIP switch

LED indicators for Network, Status & Power

Video input (x4)

Control button

Line/Mic In &

Line Out

Front panel - AXIS 241QA

AXIS 241QA

The AXIS 241QA provides 4 BNC inputs for connecting analog video devices.

The AXIS 241QA also provides a Line/Microphone In (mono) connector for connecting

an external microphone or other source, producing a line level signal. An active speaker with a built-in amplifier can be connected to Line Out (mono), to enable two-way communication. Audio communication can be bi-directional (full-duplex), push to talk (half-duplex) or in one direction only (simplex).

AXIS 241SA

The AXIS 241SA provides 1 BNC input and 1 matching loop-through output. This model can also accommodate S-Video (Y/C) by using a Y/C to BNC cable (not included).

The AXIS 241SA also provides a Line/Mic In (mono) connector for connecting microphone or other source producing a line level signal. An active speaker with a built-in amplifier can be connected to Line Out (mono) to enable two-way communication. Audio communication can be bi-directional (full-duplex), push to talk (half-duplex) or in one direction only (simplex).

an external

LED indicators

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

Network

Status

Unlit No connection.

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

Unlit When configured for “no flash” on access.

Green Steady for normal operation. Can be configured to flas

whenever the unit is accessed.

Amber Steady during startup, reset to factory def

Red Slow flash for failed firmware upgrade.

for network activity.

h green at intervals

ault or when restoring settings.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Product description

Power adapter

connector

12-pin I/O terminal

connector

RS-232 connector

Network connector

Serial number on underside label

Power Green Normal operation.

Amber Flashes green/amber during firmware upgrade.

Switches & connectors

DIP switch - A corresponding line termination switch is supplied for each video input. All units are shipped with line termination enabled for each video input; that is, with the DIP switch set in the down position.

If the video source is to be connected in parallel with other equipment, disable the input termination by

Note:

turning the corresponding DIP switch to the up position (OFF). Failure to do so may cause reduced image quality.

Control Button - Press this button to restore the factory default settings, as described in Resetting to the factory default settings,

video server using AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Installation Guide).

on page 56. This button is also used to install the

Service (See the Axis Video Server

Video Input - Each supported video input (1

or 4 depending on the model) is connected using a coax/BNC connector. Physical connections made using a 75 ohm coaxial video cable have a recommended maximum length of 800 feet (250 meters).

Line Out - Mono

audio output (line level), which can be connected to a public address (PA) system or an active speaker with a built-in amplifier. A pair of headphones can also be attached.

Line/Mic In - Sin

gle 3.5 mm input for a mono microphone, or line level mono signal (only the left channel is used from a stereo signal).

Rear panel

Power adapter connector - For connecting the power adapter.

I/O terminal connector - The

I/O terminal connector provides the physical interface to four digital transistor outputs, 4 digital inputs and an RS-485 interface. See Unit connectors, on page 57 for more information.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Product description

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

Network connector - The Axis video server 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 Typically used for connecting Pan/Tilt/Zoom devices. See Unit connectors, more information.

providing an RS-232 serial connection.

on page 57 for

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Using the video server

Using the video server

The AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA can be used with most operating systems and web browsers. The recommended browser is Internet Explorer with Windows, and Mozilla with other operating systems. See also the Technical specifications, on page 66.

Note: For information on installing the video server, pl

ease 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 241QA/AXIS 241SA in the Location/Address field of your browser.

3. If you are accessing the camera for the first time, see Setting the root password, on page 10. Otherwise enter your user name and password, as set by the administrator.

4. A video image is displayed in your browser.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Using the video server

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 is required to use audio in the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA. AMC also 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.

• If your computer restricts the use of additional software components, the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA can be configured to use a Java applet for updating JPEG images. Please see the online help for more information.

• When using a browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer with AMC, instead of a stop, a snapshot and a full screen button, there is a stop and a play button in the bottom left corner of the live view page. For a description of these buttons see The Live View Page, below.

Setting the root password

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

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 the spellin

g. Click OK.

3. The ‘Enter Network Password’ dialog appears. Enter the User name: root

Note: The default administrator user name root is permanent and

cannot be deleted.

4. Enter the password as set in step 2 above, and click OK. If the password is lost, the cameras must be reset to the factory default settings. See page 56.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Using the video server

Pulse - click this button to activate the port for a defined period of time, such as switching on a light for 20 seconds.

Active/Inactive - click these buttons to manually start and stop a connected device, such as switching a light on/off.

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

The Live View Page

If your AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA has been customized to meet specific requirements, all the buttons and other items described below may not be displayed on the Live View page. Below you have an overview of all the buttons:

The Video Format drop-down list allows the 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.

video format on the Live

These buttons start/stop the Sequence Mode. This mode is created in Setup > Live View Config > Sequence mode and automatically displays the view

from two or more video sources at set intervals.

From the Source list, select the desired video image(s). The list can contain internal video sources, external video sources, or the Quad Stream view. The Quad Stream option displays all four video images in one stream.

The trigger buttons trigger buttons are configured under Setup 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 on your computer.

The AMC viewer

Explorer only and displays the following buttons:

toolbar (AXIS Media Control) is available in Microsoft Internet

The Play/Stop buttons start and

an event directly from the Live View page. These

> Live View Config > Layout. Click these

stop the media stream.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Using the video server

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

Click the View Full area. No other windows will be visible. Press Esc cancel full screen view.

Click the Record button to viewing MPEG-4).

AMC Audio controls

There are audio controls for controlling the client computer’s speaker output. These controls are only available in the MPEG-4 video format and when audio is enabled, see Audio Settings,

Click the Speaker and Microphone buttons speaker and microphone, re

When using Half-duplex mode, this button toggles between allowing you to speak and listen. The first icon indica video server plays your voice. The second icon indicates that you will hear audio

from the video server, but no audio is sent to web clients. When in simplex talk mode, the icon toggles between allowing you to speak, and is dimmed when you do not want other clients to receive any audio.

on page 23.

Use the slider to control the volume on the speaker and microphone. The volume can be set between 0 and 100.

Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen

(Escape) on your keyboard to

start an MPEG-4 recording (only available when

to switch the sound off and on, for the

spectively.

tes that you can talk and the speaker attached to the

configured

The

Note that these AMC toolbar functions can also be accessed by right-clicking in the image. For information on using Pan/Tilt/Zoom cont

rols, please see Pan Tilt Zoom, on page 37.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video and audio streams

Video and audio streams

The AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA provides several different video and audio stream formats. The type to use depends on your requirements and on the properties of your network.

The Live View page in the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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.

provides access to Motion JPEG and

Video stream types

Motion JPEG

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

The Motion JPEG stream provides excellent image quality individual image contained in the stream.

Note also that multiple clients settings.

MPEG-4

This is a video compression standard that makes good provide high-quality video streams at less than 1 Mbit/s.

The MPEG-4 standard provides scope for a large various applications in different situations, and the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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:

accessing Motion JPEG streams can use different image

deo stream. These images are then

and access to each and every

use of bandwidth, and which can

range of different coding tools for use by

• Simple - sets the

• Ad

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

AMC (AXIS Media Control) supports both object types, while 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.

Notes:

• MPEG-4 is licensed technology. The AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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.

coding type to H.263

QuickTime™ requires the

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - 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 (Real-Time Transport Protocol) is a protocol that the real-time transmission of multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.

• RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) 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 communicati 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 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 se 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 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.

serves as a control protocol, to negotiate

allows programs to manage

ons protocol that offers limited

nder and a single receiver over a

that reduces bandwidth usage by

AXIS Media Control (AMC)

The recommended method of accessing live video and audio from the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA 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.

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.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video and audio streams

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 effic 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 the Internet, for example.

Unicasting should be used for video-on-demand b 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 us 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 firewall configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.

ient usage of bandwidth, especially when there are

roadcasting, so that there is no video

ed to exploit the fact that it

s. Firewalls are commonly

Configuring the video server

This section describes how to configure the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA and is intended for administrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools

The AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA is configured from the Setup link in a web b more information on supported browsers, see the Technical specifications, on page 66.

Accessing the Setup tools

Follow the instructions below to access the Setup

1. Start the browser and enter the IP address or host name of the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA in the location/address field.

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

Tools from a web browser.

rowser. For

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video & image settings

Video & image settings

Below you find examples of the features available in the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA. 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 image appearance to optimize the video images

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

• High resolution generates larger files

• Lower compression improves image quality

• Rotating the image 90 or 270 degrees

• Black & White uses less bandwidth than Color

See also the specifications for frame rates

will lower the maximum frame rate

and bandwidth on page 70.

according to your requirements.

, but generates larger files

the video server,

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video & image settings

Mirroring

Mirroring is the horizontal flipping of an image, that gives you another image perspective. This is a useful function when you need a direct view of the image, for example, in ATMs and door phones. The mirroring settings should be defined before you define the parameters for privacy masks and motion detection.

Text overlay settings

Include date, time and/or text of your text may be set to white or black, while the background color may be set to white, black, transparent or semitransparent. The position of the text is set either to the top or the bottom of the image. For more information, please see the online help .

Video stream

The Maximum video stream time can be set 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.

choice to be viewed on the image. The color of the

as Unlimited, or set per session in seconds,

To avoid bandwidth problems on the network, the also be limited. Select either Unlimited or define a Maximum frame rate per viewer.

Test

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

settings before saving, click Test. When you are

frame rate allowed to each viewer can

Video source settings

These settings allow you to:

• enter a descriptive name for the

• eliminate black borders surrounding the image, by making O See the online help for more information .

AXIS 241SA:

Select the physical connector the video sour

• BNC (composite video) connects a standard video camera ment

• Y/C (S-video) connects a Y/C (S-Video) camera

video source

ffset adjustments.

ce is connected to, BNC or Y/C.

or other video equip-

or other video equipment

Advanced

MPEG-4 settings

These settings are the tools for adjusting the MPEG-4 settings an bit rate.

d for controlling the video

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video & image settings

Text

overlay

Image

Overlay

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.

MJPEG

Sometimes the image size is large due to low light or complex scen

ery. Adjusting the maximum frame size helps to control the bandwidth and storage used by the MJPEG video stream in these situations. Defining the frame size as Unlimited provides consistently good image quality at the expense of increased bandwidth and storage usage during low light. Limiting the frame size optimizes bandwidth and storage usage, but gives poor image quality. To prevent increased bandwidth and storage usage, the maximum frame size should be set to an optimal value.

For more information on these advanced set

tings, please see the online help.

Quad stream settings

A Quad stream enables you to monitor all channels at the same time. Instead of having four Internet Explorer windows open, you can have just one window open with the Quad view. You can edit this view with the desired stream time, frame rate, and text overlay. These settings are the same as the Image Settings. See page 18.

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 overlay - usually used to

an provide extra information in the video image.

• Place up to three 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 VAPIX® API.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video & image settings

Upload and use an overlay image

1. Select Uploaded image as overlay in the drop-down list against Overlay/Mask Type.

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.

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 divisible by 4.

Overlay image limitations:

• The maximum overlay image size

supported by the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA is the same as the maximum image resolution. See the Technical Specifications, on page 66.

• When a text overlay is also used, this reduces the amount 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 p

art of it is outside the video image, it is relocated so that it appears over the video image. It is always the entire image that is displayed.

Please see the online help for more information.

of space available to

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Video & image settings

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 Overlay/Mask Type drop-down list.

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 color for the privacy mask - black, grey, white, or red.

4. Check the Enable box to enable the masks you have defined and click on Save.

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Audio

Audio

The AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA can transmit audio to other clients using an external microphone and can play audio received from other clients by attaching a speaker. The Audio Settings allow different audio configurations to be set up, such as full duplex, half duplex, and simplex.

Note:

The speaker attached to the audio output of the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA must have a built-in amplifier, which is the case for e.g. some PC speakers.

Audio Settings

This section describes how to configure the basic audio 241SA, such as setting the communication mode and adjusting the sound levels in the microphone and speaker connected to the camera.

settings for the AXIS 241QA/AXIS

Enable Audio

Select the video sources that the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA will transmit and from.

Audio Channels

There are two mono audio channels between the AXIS 241QA/AXIS connected client, one for receiving audio and the other for transmitting audio. Each audio channel can be turned on or off, which means there are four audio mode options that can be used.

241SA and a

receive audio

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Audio

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 direction at a time. This means that you must select when to receive or transmit audio with the help of the push-to-talk button. To speak, press and hold the button (check that the microphone is not muted). When finished, 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 on page 14. It is also possible to configure the push-tobetween speaking and listening modes. Half-Duplex mode is best if you bandwidth available.

If you select the S AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA plays audio, but no audio is transmitted from the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA to other web clients. This could be used to provide spoken instructions to a person seen in a camera. This mode requires you to use the push-to-talk button.

Simplex - Video server microphone only mode transmits audio from the AXIS

The 241QA/AXIS 241SA to a web client. It does not receive audio from any other web client. This can be used in remote monitoring, and web attractions, to provide live audio and video of a monitored situation.

When using half-duplex, the Se option transmits the audio signal from the client talking to all the other clients.

Audio Input

Audio from an external microphone or a Line/Microphone In jack of the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA. The audio source can be set to

Microphone or Line. If you are using a microphone, the Input sensitivity can be set to High or Low. See Technical specifications, on page

also transmits and receives audio in both directions, but only in one

AXIS Media Control (AMC),

talk button so that it toggles

only have limited

implex - Video server speaker only mode, the speaker connected to the

nd the sound from the active client to all other clients

line source can be connected to the

66 for the exact maximum levels.

The Enable microphone you use a small electret condenser microphone such as a clip-on microphone or a PC microphone, this option needs to be enabled.

To use a high impedance dynamic microphone, DC power should not be enabled. DC will not harm the microphone, but if you are uncertain, try switching it off and on. DC power is enabled by default. To use a professional microphone requiring 48V phantom power, you need an external power supply and must use a balanced-unbalanced converter (audio transformer) in between.

power option provides DC power for the external microphone. If

power

AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA - Audio

If t the sound input is too low or high, it is possible to adjust the input gain for the microphone attached to the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA.

Select the desired audio Encoding format, G711, G726.

Depending on the selected encoding, set the desired B depend on the available bandwidth and the required audio quality, that is, a high bit rate setting requires more bandwidth.

Audio Output

If the sound from the speaker is too low or high it the active speaker attached to the AXIS 241QA/AXIS 241SA.

When satisfied with the settings, click Sa settings.

Advanced Audio Settings

The Audio Qual

ity Settings allow you to tune the audio input to suit your environment.

ve, or click Reset to revert to the previously saved

it rate (audio quality). The settings

is possible to adjust the output gain for

Enable s

to the person talking and can also help reduce background noise. The filter cuts the lowest and the highest frequencies. The bypass frequency range is approximately 250Hz to 3700Hz (measured at -10dB cut-off points).

Enable echo cancellation can reduce the feedback generated when using there is sound distortion, turning echo cancellation off may improve the sound quality.

Noise cancelling is a way of reducing the background present. A typical application could be when there is a noisy environment and you are only interested in hearing the sound when someone is speaking close to a microphone. There are two adjustable parameters available to optimize this function:

peech filter improves the sound quality if using a microphone that is placed close

full duplex. If

noise when there is no useful audio

• Noise ca

nceller threshold value nceller attenuation

+ 58 hidden pages

Axis Communications 241SA User Manual 2

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Product description

Overview of the AXIS video server

AXIS 241QA

AXIS 241SA

LED indicators

Switches & connectors

Rear panel

Using the video server

Accessing the video server

Setting the root password

The Live View Page

Video and audio streams

Video stream types

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods

AXIS Media Control (AMC)

How to stream MPEG-4

Other methods of accessing the video stream

Configuring the video server

Video & image settings

Image settings

Video source settings

Advanced

Quad stream settings

Overlay/Mask settings

Audio