Axis Communications 243SA User Manual

AXIS 243SA Video Server

User’s Manual

About This Document

This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS 243SA, with firmware release 4.45. The manual includes instructions for using and managing the Video Server on your network. Previous experience of networking will be of use when installing and using this product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based systems would also be beneficial, for developing shell scripts and applications. Later versions of this document will be posted to the Axis Website, as required. See also the product’s online help, available via the Web-based interface.

Safety Notices Used In This Manual

Caution! - Indicates a potential hazard that can damage the product. Important! - In operation. Do not proceed beyond any of the above notices until you have fully understood the implications.

dicates 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 menu item “About” in the product’s user interface for more information.

Legal Considerations

Camera and audio surveillance can be prohibited by laws that vary from country to country. Check the laws in your local region before using this product for surveillance purposes. This product includes one (1) MPEG-4 decoder license. To purchase further licenses, contact your reseller.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

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

USA - This equipment has been tested and found to comply

with the limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case the user at his/her own expense will be required to take whatever measures may be required to correct the interference.

Europe - This digital equipment fulfills the

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

Australia - This electronic device meets the requirements of

the Radio communications (Electromagnetic Compatibility)

Standard AS/NZS CISPR22:2006.

Canada - This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian

ICES-003.

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.

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 or responsible for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance or use of this material.

Trademark Acknowledgments

Ethernet, Internet Explorer, Linux, Microsoft, 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. Search by product, category, or phrases

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

te support area

priva

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

Safety Notice - Battery Replacement

The Video Server uses a 3.0V CR2032 Lithium battery as the power supply for its internal real-time clock (RTC). This battery will, under normal conditions, last for a minimum of 5 years. Low battery power affects the operation of the RTC, causing it to reset at every power-up. A log message will appear when battery replacement is required.

The battery should not be replaced unless required! If the battery does need replacing, observe the following points:

Caution!

• Danger of Explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced

• Replace only with the same or equivalent battery, as

recommended by the manufacturer.

• Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's

structions.

AXIS 243SA Video Server

Contents

Product description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Switches & connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Using AXIS 243SA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Accessinccg the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Live View page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Video and audio streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Video stream types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

AXIS Media Control (AMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

How to stream MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Other methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Configuring the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Accessing the Setup tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Video & image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Video source settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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

Advanced - MJPEG settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Overlay/Mask settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Audio settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Live View Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

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

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

Event configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Event servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Event types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Camera tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Motion detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Port status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

AXIS 243SA Video Server

Pan Tilt Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Installing PTZ devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

PTZ configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

PTZ controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

System options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

802.1x - Network Admission Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Date & time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

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

Network - Advanced TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

SOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

QoS (Quality of service) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

SMTP (email). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

SNMP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

UPnP™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

RTP (Multicast)/MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Bonjour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Ports & devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Resetting to the factory default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Unit connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

The D-Sub connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

The I/O terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Schematic diagram - I/O terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

COM ports RS-232 and RS-485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Y/C to BNC cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Checking the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Upgrading the firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Frame rates - MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Bandwidth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

AXIS 243SA Video Server

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

AXIS 243SA - Product description

Product description

The AXIS 243SA is a one-port video server including two-way audio, fully featured for security surveillance and remote monitoring needs. It is based on the AXIS ARTPEC-2 compression chip, and can digitize one analog video source and make it available on the network as real-time, full frame rate Motion JPEG and/or MPEG-4 video streams.

The AXIS 243SA is equipped with RS-232 and RS-485 ports for connecting systems. The alarm input and alarm output can be used to connect various third party devices, such as, door sensors and alarm bells.

Up to 20 viewers can access the AXIS 243SA simultaneously when using MPEG-4 unicast. The number of simultaneous viewers can be increased by using multicast MPEG-4. When using AXIS Media Control (AMC) to view MPEG-4 video streams, each MPEG-4 viewer requires a separate MPEG-4 decoder license. One licence is included, and further licenses can be purchased separately from your Axis dealer. If using other clients to view the MPEG-4 video stream, no additional MPEG-4 decoder licenses are required.

Video can be viewed in five resolutions (up to 4CIF), configurable. The AXIS 243SA contains support for video motion detection, which allows the unit to trigger activity in the video image, and advanced scheduling tools which can also be used to trigger an event. As the AXIS 243SA 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 243SA has a built-in web use of a standard web browser. The built-in scripting tool allows creation of basic applications, providing basic surveillance solutions. For advanced functionality, the Video Server can be integrated via the use of the VAPIX®API (see www.axis.com/developer for further information).

server, providing full access to all features through the

and image compression is

third party PTZ

Motion JPEG and

Front panel

The AXIS 243SA provides 1 BNC input and 1 matching loop-through output. These models can also accommodate S-Video (Y/C) by using a Y/C to BNC cable (not included). See page 63 for more information.

AXIS 243SA - Product description

Front panel - AXIS 243SA

The AXIS 243SA also provides a Line/Mic 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).

Front panel - AXIS 243SA

Line/Mic In and

DIP switch

Control button

Video OutVideo In

LED indicators for network, status and power

LED indicators

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

Network

Status

Power Green Normal operation.

Switches & connectors

DIP switch - The AXIS 243SA provides a single DIP switch for line termination of the video input. Upon delivery the DIP (dual in-line package) switch on the AXIS 243SA is configured for composite video input, as follows:

Switch 1 2 3 4

Description

Composite video input on off on n/a

Y/C video input on off on n/a

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. See the online help for more information.

Amber Steady during startup, reset to factory default or

Red Slow flash for failed firmware upgrade.

Amber Flashes green/amber during firmware upgrade.

75 ohm video

termination

75 ohm video out

termination

Connects video in and

video out

for network activity.

h green at intervals

when restoring settings.

Not used

AXIS 243SA - Product description

Power adapter

connector

12-pin I/O terminal

connector

RS-232 connector

Network connector

Serial number on underside label

Note: • If the video source is to be connected in parallel with other equipment, disable the

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

• The AXIS 243SA a Y/C to BNC cable (not supplied).

supports conversion between composite video and Y/C (S-Video) using

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

Resetting to the factory default settings, AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service (See the

on page 59, or to install the video server using

Axis Video Server Installation Guide).

Video Input - The

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

Video Output - Loop-through co

nnection to the video signal from the Video In connector. Terminated with a coaxial/BNC connector. Allows direct connection of an external monitor for example. Set DIP switch to OFF when in use.

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 connection of the power adapter.

I/O terminal connector

digital transistor output, one digital input, and an RS-485 interface. See Unit connectors,

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

on page 60 for more information.

Note:

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

AXIS 243SA - Product description

Network connector - The AXIS 243SA 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 60 for

Using AXIS 243SA

The AXIS 243SA can be used with most standard operating systems and web browsers. The recommended browser is Internet Explorer with Microsoft Windows, and Firefox with other operating systems. See also the Technical specifications,

on page 69.

Note: For information on installing the video server, pl

ease refer to the Installation Guide.

Accessinccg the video server

1. Start your web browser.

2. Enter the IP address or host name of AXIS 243SA 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:

To view streaming video in Microsoft Internet Explorer, set your web browser to allow the installation of AXIS Media Control (AMC) on your computer. AMC is required to enable audio in the AXIS 243SA. 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. See page 30 for more information.

If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the AXIS 243SA can be configured to use a Java applet for updating JPEG images. Please see the online help for more information.

Using AXIS 243SA

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

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

The Live View page

If your AXIS 243SA has been customized to meet specific requirements, the buttons and other items described below may or may not be displayed on the Live View page. The following provides an overview of each available button:

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

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

change the

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.

The trigger buttons trigger an event directly from the Live View page. These buttons are configured under Se 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 toolbar

Explorer and displays the following buttons:

ay/Stop buttons start and stop the media stream.

The Pl

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 in Internet Explorer.

Click the View Full No other window is visible. Press Esc screen view.

(AXIS Media Control) is available only with Microsoft Internet

Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen.

tup > Live View Config > Layout. Click these

(Escape) on your keyboard to cancel full

The

configured

Using AXIS 243SA

Click the Record button to start a appear on the Live View Settings

AMC Audio controls

There are audio controls for controlling the client computer’s speaker output and microphone/line input.

Click the Speaker and Mi speaker and microphone, respectively.

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

When using the Half-duplex mode, this button toggles, allowing you listen. The first icon indicates that you can talk an 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 has a toggles effect. It allows you to speak, and is dimmed when you do not want other clients to receive any audio.

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

For information on using Pan/Tilt

crophone buttons to switch the sound off and on, for the

/Zoom controls, please see Pan Tilt Zoom, on page 38.

recording. The button must be configured to

page.

to speak and

d the speaker attached to the

When using a browser other than Microsoft 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.

Internet Explorer with AMC, instead of a stop,

Video and audio streams

The AXIS 243SA provides several video and audio stream formats. The type you want to use depends on your requirements and the properties of your network.

The Live View page in AXIS 243SA provides access to Motion and audio streams, and 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.

JPEG and MPEG-4 video

Video stream types

Motion JPEG

This format uses standard JP displayed and updated at a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows constantly updated motion.

The Motion JPEG stream image contained in the stream.

Note that multiple clients access

MPEG-4

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

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

EG still images in the video stream. These images are then

provides excellent image quality and access to every individual

ing Motion JPEG streams can use different image settings.

od use of bandwidth, and which can

and AXIS 243SA provides certain subsets of

• 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 requires the Simple object type.

When using MPEG-4 it is also possible to control the of bandwidth usage. 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. AXIS 243SA 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™, for example,

bit rate, which in turn allows control

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 Proto the real-time transmission of multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.

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

• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a communications protocol that 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, for example. 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 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.

col) is a protocol that allows programs to manage

as a control protocol, to negotiate

offers limited

sender and a single receiver over a

that reduces bandwidth usage by

AXIS Media Control (AMC)

The recommended method of accessing live video (MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG) and audio from the Axis video server 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.

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 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 broadcasting, so 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 the maximum of 20 simultaneous viewers to be considered.

RTP/RTSP

This unicast method is RTP tunneled over RTSP. This can be used to exploit th 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 fi configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.

ient usage of bandwidth, especially when there are

that there is no video

e fact that it

rewalls. Firewalls are commonly

Configuring the video server

This section describes how to configure the Axis video server and is intended for administrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools

The Axis video server is more information on supported browsers, see the Technical specifications,

configured from the Setup link, in a standard web browser. For

on page 69.

Accessing the Setup tools

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

1. Start the browser and enter the IP address or host name of the Axis video server in the location/address field.

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

AXIS 243SA - Video & image settings

Video & image settings

The following descriptions show examples of the available features in the AXIS 243SA. For details of each setting, please refer to the online help available from each page. Click to access the online help.

Image settings

Image Appearance

Modify the I requirements.

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

See also the specifications for frame rates

Text Overlay Settings

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

mage Appearance to optimize the video images according to your

• High resolution generates larger files

• Lower compression improves image quality

• Black & White uses less bandwidth than Color

• Rotating the image 90 or 270 degrees will and bandwidth on page 73.

, but generates larger files

lower the maximum frame rate

ce of the video server,

color of the

AXIS 243SA - Video & image settings

Video Stream

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

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

Test

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

ate allowed to each viewer can

saving, click Test. When you are

Video source settings

Select the physical connector the video source is connected to, BNC or Y/C.

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

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

The video type can be converted from composite video to Y/C (S-Video) by using a Y/C to

cable. See page 63 for more information. See also Switches & connectors, on page

BNC

These settings also allow you to eliminate black Offset adjustments. See the online help for more information.

camera or other video equipment

borders surrounding the image, by making

or other video equip-

Advanced - MPEG-4 settings

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

The MPEG-4 standard provides many different coding tools different situations. As most MPEG-4 clients do not support all 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 controlling the bandwidth used by the MPEG-4 video stream.

For more information on these advanced set

variable or constant is a good way of

tings, please see the online help.

for various applications in

AXIS 243SA - Video & image settings

overlayText

Image

overlay

Advanced - MJPEG settings

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

Overlay/Mask settings

Overlay/Mask type

Overlay/Mask type allows you to place an privacy masks over the video image:

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

overlay, or up to three

• Upload and place an image an overlay - usually used

as to provide extra information in the video image.

• Place up to three config-

urable privacy masks to

eal different areas of

conc the video image.

will display further settings available for

Note:

A privacy mask cannot be bypassed, but an overlay image can be bypassed with the help of the VAPIX API.

Upload and use an overlay image

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

New options appear.

2. In the field Upload own image, click the Browse button and locate the image file

on your computer or server.

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

To use an already uploaded image:

1. Select an uploaded image from the Use

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

3. Click Save.

Note:

The x and y coordinates, and the width and height of the overlay/mask are relative to the maximum available resolution of the product.

image drop-down list.

AXIS 243SA - Video & image settings

Overlay image requirements:

Image Formats Image Size

• Windows 24-bit BMP (full color)

• Windows 4-bit BMP (16 colors)

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

Overlay image limitations:

• The maximum overlay image size supported

by AXIS 243SA is the same as the

maximum image resolution. See Technical Specifications, on page 69.

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

of space available to the overlay image. To keep the text readable at lower resolutions, the text overlay occupies proportionally more of the image at lower resolutions.

• If the overlay is initially positioned so that

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

Please see the online help for more information.

Use a Privacy Mask

To use privacy masks to hide differ

1. Select Co

nfigurable areas as privacy mask in the drop-down list for

ent areas of the video image:

Overlay/Mask Type. New options appear.

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

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

AXIS 243SA - Video & image settings

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

AXIS 243SA - Audio

Audio

The AXIS 243SA can transmit audio to other clients using an external microphone and can play audio received from other clients by attaching a speaker. The Setup page has an additional menu item called Audio, which allows different audio configurations, such as, full duplex, half duplex and simplex.

The speaker attached to the audio output must have a built-in amplifier, as is the case with, for example,

Note:

some PC speakers.

Audio settings

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

Enable Audio

Select the video sources that the AXIS 243SA

Audio Channels

There are two mono audio channels for the AXIS 243SA and each 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.

Full-duplex mode means that you ca 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.

n transmit and receive audio (talk and listen) at the

will transmit and receive audio from.

connected client, one

AXIS 243SA - Audio

Half-duplex mode also transmits and receives audio in both directions, but only in one direction at a time. This means that you must select when to receive or transmit audio 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 on page 15. It is also possible to configure the push-to-talk button so between speaking and listening modes. Half-Duplex bandwidth available.

When selecting Simp play audio, but no audio will be transmitted from AXIS 243SA to other web clients. This could be used to provide spoken instructions to a person seen in a camera. In this mode use the push-to-talk button.

implex - microphone only mode only transmits audio from the AXIS 243SA to any

The S web client. It does not receive audio from other web clients. This can be used in remote monitoring, and web attractions, to provide live audio and video in a monitored situation.

When using half-duplex, the Send the sound from the active client to all other clients option transmits

Audio Input

Audio from an external microphone or a jack of the AXIS 243SA. 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 6

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

able microphone power option provides DC power for the external microphone. If

lex speaker only mode, the speaker connected to AXIS 243SA will

the audio signal from the client that is talking to all other clients.

9 for the exact maximum levels.

configured from AMC, see AXIS Media Control (AMC),

that it toggles

mode is best if you only have limited

line source can be connected to the Line/Mic In

To use a high impedance dynamic microphone, 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.

If there are problems with the sound input being too low or high, it is possible to adjust the

put gain for the microphone attached to the AXIS 243SA.

Select the desired audio Encoding format, G711, and G726.

power should not be enabled. DC power

AXIS 243SA - Audio

Depending on the selected encoding, set the desired Bit rate (audio quality). The settings 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 is possible to adjust the output gain for the active speaker attached to the Axis video server.

When satisfied with the settings, click Sa settings.

Advanced Audio Settings

The Advanced Qual environment.

Enable sp close 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).

eech filter improves the sound quality while using a microphone that is placed

ity Settings allows you to tune the audio input to suit your

ve, or click Reset to revert to the previously saved

Enable ech

there is sound distortion, turning echo cancellation off may improve the sound quality.

Noise cancelling helps reduce background noise when 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:

When the incoming sound is louder than the threshold, it will lower than the threshold, the incoming sound is reduced by a certain attenuation factor. The threshold value should be set higher than the background noise, but lower than the useful audio.

o cancellation can reduce the feedback generated when using full duplex. If

there is no useful audio present. A

• Noise canceller threshold value

• Noi

se canceller attenuation

pass without changes. When

+ 60 hidden pages

Axis Communications 243SA User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Product description

Front panel

LED indicators

Switches & connectors

Rear panel

Using AXIS 243SA

Accessinccg the video server

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

Accessing the Setup tools

Video & image settings

Image settings

Video source settings

Advanced - MPEG-4 settings

Advanced - MJPEG settings

Overlay/Mask settings

Audio

Audio settings