We encounter the video compression standard MPEG everywhere particularly in the consumer sector.

Internet, DVD, digital television or digital camcorders, motion images of any kind are compressed using the MPEG standard.
Consumer applications mainly focus on replay and transmission of MPEG-compressed video films. The calulating time needed for generating a high-quality and strongly compressed video sequence is irrelevant. When rewinding or displaying freeze images,
time lags or jumpings are accepted. Solely a high compression rate allowing to quickly transmit and replay the video film is of importance.
Just different for applications in video surveillance systems (CCTV).
The main focus is placed on real-time compression, high picture quality with preferably large compression rate, low bandwidths and storage costs, short latencies when transmitting live images and ideal replay mechanisms.
The currently available multimedia encoders are not suited for such applications.

MPEG4CCTV - the DSP-based GeViScope real-time encoder developed by GEUTEBRCK offers ideal performance features for CCTV-applications:
4

Picture formats:
For each GeViScope media channel the requested picture format can be adjusted
separately for permanent or event-triggered recordings:

VBR - Variable Bit Rate

4CIF
on request

Picture quality is the decisive factor in CCTV applications. Despite preferably high compression rates and low storage
requirements, the video images displayed without any latency must illustrate possible dangerous situations true to the detail.

2CIF

704 (H) x 288 (V) Picture elements (field, 2CIF),

352 (H) x 288 (V) Picture elements (CIF),
176 (H) x 144 (V) Picture elements (QCIF)
704 (H) x 576 (V) Picture elements (frame, 4CIF) on request

CIF
QCIF

A smaller picture format results into a proportionally smaller picture file size
after compression.

CIF = Common Intermediate Format

GeViScope
(max. 800 fields / s.)

DCS - Dual Channel Streaming

Parallel recording and network matrix.

Network (live video)

(16 x 25 = 400 fields / s.)

One camera picture (frame) consists of two fields.

At any one time GeViScope records one field
and tranmits
the second field
into the network. This separate processing
allows live recordings with up to 25 fps (fields per second)
and parallel live transmissions in the network with up to 25 fps
per video channel (network matrix).
The latency time for MPEG4CCTV transmissions is very low
and amounts to < 150 ms in undisturbed networks and is
therefore identical to M-JPEG.
VFR - Variable Frame Rate
The picture rate for permanent recordings and event-triggered
recordings can be adjusted variably. The adjustment range goes
from live (25 fps) up to timelapse recordings with for example
1 picture / 10 s.

GeViScope

Recording
(16 x 25 = 400 fields / s.)
Camera 01
(50 fields / s.)
Camera 02
(50 fields / s.)

MPEG4CCTV compresses video images with variable bit rate (VBR), i.e. the selected compression rate determines a
constant picture quality (CPQ) independent from any motion. More motion in the pictures will increase the bit rate in
comparison with pictures with less motion.
For calculating the required storage space an average value needs to be determined considering recording times with a lot of
motion as well as recording times with less motion in the pictures.
Uni-directional B-Frames
Standardized MPEG4 encoders (ASP) generate group of pictures (GOP) in a determined order; a series of reference and
difference pictures:
I-frames (reference pictures), P-frames (difference pictures referring to all previous P-frames and one I-frame) and
B-frames (difference pictures referring to previous and following P- and I-frames).

MPEG4CCTV only generates B-frames as difference

pictures, uni-directionally focussed on the previous
I-frame. This guarantees a latency-free logical picture
processing also for timelapse recordings as well as very
short latency times when displaying the images in various
modes such as freeze image, rewind, forward and picture
search.

I-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

Camera 03
(50 fields / s.)

VGL - Variable GOP Length and structure control

The standard GOP length of e.g. a MPEG sequence for DVDs is max. 15 images. Such a fixed GOP structure has a lot of
disadvantages for CCTV applications. If there is a lot of motion in the camera images, the size of the difference pictures
increases as long as the next I-frame is generated. If there is less motion in the camera images, many I-frames (reference
pictures) are generated due to the GOP structure although this is not needed, the required storage capacity is increased
considerably.

Camera 16
(50 fields / s.)

Compression Rate

MPEG4CCTV uses two compression tools: DCT (discrete cosinus transformation) with subsequent quantization for single
picture compression and DPCM (difference pulse code modulation) for difference compensation.
The compression rate (quality level) is adjustable from 1 - 100% and determines the quality of the compressed picture.
The higher the adjusted compression rate, the lower the amount of data and the more apparent the block artefacts.
The adjustments can be adapted to perfectly fit the requested picture quality. Thanks to the subsequent difference
compensation only picture areas that show changes are saved in difference pictures following a reference picture (I-frame).

MPEG4CCTV offers dynamic GOP length control which automatically generates a new I-frame if the camera image changes
considerably, or, if there is less motion, which keeps generating difference images (B-frames, referring to the previous
I-frame) for a considerably longer period of time.
Considerable picture change
(Alarm)

GOP - (Group of Pictures)

I-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

I-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

B-Frame

Summary:

MPEG4CCTV offers performance features tailor-made for CCTV applications. The compression reaches an average data
reduction of 50% in comparison with M-JPEG and similar picture quality. The dynamic GOP length control allows to further
reduce the data amount considerably depending on the motion patterns in the camera image.

Example: High compression rate

Example: Low compression rate

Example: Difference picture

The MPEG export integrated in GeViScope generates picture data compatible with MPEG2 resp. MPEG4 which can be
displayed using standard decoders also with VFR in the original flow of time.
24.04.2008, 14.03.2006 MKA / CLR en

MPEG4CCTV - our MPEG compression particularly suited for CCTV applications with GeViScope

MPEG4CCTV - our MPEG compression particularly suited for CCTV applications with GeViScope