AN INTRODUCTION TO

CLOSED CIRCUIT
TELEVISION
(CCTV)

PRESENTED BY TYCO SAFETY

PRODUCTS

An Introduction to CCTV
Course Range:
This course will focus on the core elements of CCTV; ranging
from its components through to its application.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course the delegate will be able to:

Identify opportunities for selling basic CCTV systems.

Complete a product knowledge test, with a pass mark of
75%
Analyse the customers requirements and apply the
principles of CCTV systems to design a basic system to
meet the requirements.
Present the features, functions and benefits of a CCTV
system to match the customer needs.

Your details:
Name:
Job Title:
Company:
Branch:
Tel:
Trainer:

TRAINING OUTLINE
1. What is a CCTV system?
2. CCTV principles

Basic Components
Basic Camera features
Camera Sensitivity and useable video
Camera / System resolution
Basic Video Recording
Control Equipment
Formulas for lens calculations

3. Considerations and configurations

Camera view considerations

Monitor considerations
Moving cameras

4. CCTV application

Benefits to the Customer

Benefits to the Sales Executive
Qualification of the Customer

5. Where to find more information

6. Course Test
7. Course Feedback and close

1. WHAT IS A CCTV SYSTEM?

A Closed Circuit Television system is a system for visually
monitoring and recording events in the defined area.
The function of a CCTV system can generally be classified as
follows:
1. Deter Criminal Activity
2. Assist in Detection of Crime
3. To give confidence to staff and visitors that they are in a
secured area
4. To provide management information for health & safety or
commercial reasons
And a system can be used in any number of ways; for
example:

Entry control

Intruder verification

Incident recording

Response management

Crowd monitoring

Intelligence gathering

Industrial monitoring

Video patrolling

General surveillance

Health and safety monitoring

Traffic management

Fraud countermeasures

More on the applications of CCTV later.

2. CCTV PRINCIPLES
Basic Components Of A System

Camera
Video Signal Transmission
System
Lens
Viewing Monitor
Power

Power

Other equipment which you need to take into consideration as

they may or may not be required:

Housing
Recording equipment
Control equipment
Lighting

The Camera

Camera Types

Internal
External
Static
Pan/tilt/zoom
Day / Night
Monochrome
Colour
Covert

Colour Or Monochrome Cameras?

Note:

Colour Cameras require more light than Monochrome

Cameras.
Colour Cameras are not sensitive to Infra-Red Light.
Colour Cameras are available which change
automatically to Monochrome operation so that they can
operate with Infra-Red light.

CCD Image Sensor (Charged-Coupled Device)

A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a specially made integrated
circuit that responds to light. CCDs are used to capture and
store image data in telescopes, scanners, bar code readers,
and digital still and video cameras. A good CCD can produce
an image in extremely dim light, and its resolution (i.e.,
sharpness or data density) doesn't degrade in low light the way
those of film cameras do.

CCD Size
1/3 Inch

1/2 Inch

Note:
The larger the CCD the greater the size of the image viewed or
recorded. Also cameras with a inch CCD sensor need less
light to operate effectively compared to the light required by a
CCD camera. Typically a inch camera needs 25% more
light.

Camera Sensitivity
A Cameras sensitivity is the minimum amount of light required
for the Camera to work.
Sensitivity is usually measured in Lux
Sensitivity is usually quoted by the manufacturer as the
minimum illumination required to provide a USABLE picture
It is important to note that:
Full Video is the minimum illumination required to produce a
1vpp video signal. This figure would be higher than Usable
Picture hence manufacturers do not publish this figure.

There are other factors that effect Camera Sensitivity

Reflectance:
This is the usually quoted as a percentage figure and is
the amount of light reflected from the scene. I.e. a
Tarmac car park will have a lower reflectance level than
a Concrete car park.
Lens F-stop number:
All lenses reduce the amount of light entering the
Camera. This is quoted as an F-stop number. The
higher the number, the greater the amount of light
prevented from passing through the Lens to the
Camera.

Light

The human eye adjusts automatically to various light

conditions.
A CCTV system requires Auto Iris lenses / Direct
Drive to do so.
Cameras must be matched to available light levels.
The amount of light reflected from an object
determines how Bright it appears.

Ultra
Violet

Infra-Red

Visible

Wavelength of light (in Nanometres)

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

Daylight
Fluorescent Lights
White Filament Lights
Sodium
Tungsten Halogen Lights
Infra-Red Lights (depending on filter cut off)

Infra Red
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Infrared light, invisible to the human eye. It usually refers to

wavelengths longer than 700 nm. Monochrome (B/W)
cameras have extremely high sensitivity in the near
infrared region (715 to 800nm) of the light spectrum.
Therefore in very low light conditions infra red lights will
sometimes be mounted on cameras in order to obtain a better
image.
Light Levels
Light levels can vary enormously throughout the day. For
example:
a) Daylight with full sun represents 100,000

lux.

b) On an overcast day the light level will be between

10.000
and 1,000
lux.
c) At sunset levels fall to 100 lux.
d) By the start of twilight there are just 10 lux present.
e) As twilight dwindles the 1 lux level is reached.
During the night:
a) Under street lighting the lux level is between 3 and 5
b) A dark sky with a full moon can represent as low as
0.1 lux
c) With a crescent shaped moon the light level will be
between 0.01 and 0.001 lux
d) A starry night will only give around 0.0001(100
micro) lux

Under each picture write down the approximate lux level.

10

Camera Features
Resolution
TVL stands for Television Lines and is used as the measure of
resolution of either a camera output or a monitor display.
The greater number of vertical TVL the better the picture
resolution.
Colour
> 450 TVL = High Resolution
320 450 TVL = Medium Resolution
< 320 TVL = Low Resolution
Black & White
> 420 TVL = High Resolution
320 420 TVL = Medium Resolution
< 320 TVL = Low Resolution
Back Light Compensation BLC
A function of the camera that compensates for excessive light
directed at the camera causing the video to bloom or causing
the images in front of the light to be unusable.
An example of this would be:

A camera looking at the entrance door

to a reception area
Peak White Inversion
An electronic circuit that turns white parts (highlights) of a
picture, above a set threshold, to black or a shade of grey.
The benefit being

You get a useable picture when bright

light is shone directly into the camera.

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Lenses
Types
There are three main types of lens.

Fixed Focal Length

Zoom

Vari Focal

With each having their particular benefits depending upon the

circumstances that they are going to be used in.

Lens Features
Focal Length

Angle Of View

12m

The greater the focal length, the smaller the angle of view;
therefore the image viewed will be larger.

12

Angle Of View Continued

For example, the following pictures were all taken by the same
camera, but the focal length of the lens was different for each
picture.
80
80
80

30
30
30

44

15
15
15

Remember:
The size of the CCD in the camera can also effect the picture
size. e.g. a 1/3 camera with an 8mm focal length lens will have
a smaller picture than a 1/2 camera with a 8mm lens.
Lens Iris

Light Level

The smaller the Iris (measured in F stops) the less light can exit
the lens onto the CCD sensor.

F Stops

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Is a scale on the side of a lens to indicate how open the iris of

the lens is.

F8

F1.2

The greater the F stop the smaller the Iris aperture. Therefore
a lens with a minimum F stop, say F1.2, will let more light
through than a lens with a minimum F stop of F3.4. This is
particularly significant in low light situations.
Lens Iris Control Method
Auto Iris:
AI. An automatic method of varying the size of a lens aperture
in response to changes in scene illumination. An auto-iris lens
has integral circuitry for assessing the amount of light which
controls the iris movements. An auto iris lens is suitable for
exterior use
Direct Drive:
DD. An automatic method of varying the size of a lens aperture
in response to changes in scene illumination, where the
electronic has been removed from the lens and is built into the
camera. To use a DD lens with a camera, the camera must
have a DD output. A direct drive lens is only suitable for
internal use.
Fixed Iris:
A lens where there is no electronic control over the size of the
iris in response to varying light levels. Therefore this type of
lens is only suitable where the light levels varies insignificantly.

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Monitors
Monitors to view the picture form the camera(s) come in
various shapes and sizes.
For example:

<900 TVL monochrome

<550 TVL colour
Metal cased (usually a high quality
monitor)
9, 15, 17, 21 monochrome
10, 14, 17, 20 colour
Flat screen
Housings
There is a housing to suit just about any application where a
camera might be sited.

INTERNAL DUST PROOF

EXTERNAL WEATHER PROOF,
POSSIBLY WITH A WASH / WIPE
CHEMICAL RESISTANT
EXPLOSION PROOF
SPHERICAL DOMES
Power Supply
Each camera needs its own power supply. There are a
choice of power supplies available, ranging from:
24VAC 500MA up to 4A
12VDC 750MA up to 4A
Keep in mind that you may need a larger power supply if
you are powering the heater in a housing.

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Cable
Coax for video signal

RG59 < 260M

RG11 < 420M
CT125 < 540M

Telemetry cable might share the coax or be twisted pair

Video Recording
Recorders

Real time max. 3 hour

24 hour to 960 hour models
Super VHS

High quality
Maximum 3 hours
Lifespan 900 hours

Tapes

A typical four camera system using a switcher to alternate

which cameras picture is being recorded on the video recorder
and simultaneously showing on the monitor.
Camera 1
Lens

Viewing Monitor

Power

Camera 2
Lens

Power

Camera 3
Video Recorder
Lens

Power

Sequential
Switcher

Camera 4
Lens

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8

Power

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Real Time VCR Recording

Video tape records
for 3 hours, Real Time

8 X 3 hour tapes required

to record for 24 hours
To archive recordings for 31
days will require 248 tapes

For this 4 camera example we

would require 992 tapes

Time Lapse VCR Recording

Allows a 3 hour tape to record for longer periods
The example below shows the delay experienced between
recorded frames on a one camera system.
3 hr Real-time

Frame Delay = 0.04 sec

12 hr mode

Frame Delay = 0.16 sec

24 hr mode

Frame Delay = 0.32 sec

48 hr mode

Frame Delay = 0.64 sec

72 hr mode

Frame Delay = 0.96 sec

480 hr mode

Frame Delay = 6.40 sec

960 hr mode

Frame Delay = 12.80 sec

This means that the longer the mode the greater the delay
between each frame recorder. This may result in an incident
not being recorded at all.
For systems that have more than one camera additional
equipment is needed to control what happens to the pictures.

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Control Equipment
Control equipment allows you to administer the pictures from
the cameras when you have more than one camera connected
to a system
Switcher

Alarm contacts
Cameras
Mode
Seq

Display
Home

Switcher

ALL

Video Recorder
Monitor
(sequencing
picture)

Quadsplitter
Alarm inputs
Cameras

Quad

Video Recorder
Monitor view choices
1

1 2
3 4

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Multiplexer
Multiplexing and is the technique used to enable a number of
video inputs to be recorded onto a single tape.

PLAYBACK

RECORD

Multiplexer Features

Simplex

Duplex

Triplex

Multi screen display

Multiple Screen Displays

The configuration of the screen depends upon which

multiplexer is being used.
Various models are available normally from 4 to 16 channels
with a choice of black & white or colour variants.

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Frame Delay Example

The greater the number of cameras on a system the greater
the frame delay rate.
The example below is four a four camera system

Frame delay is now

multiplied by 4
3 hr
12 hr
24 hr
48 hr
MULTIPLEXER

72 hr

Frame Delay Continued

for a 16 camera system the frame delay would be:
03 hr video frame delay = 0.64 sec
12 hr video frame delay = 2.56 sec
24 hr video frame delay = 5.12 sec
48 hr video frame delay = 10.24 sec
72 hr video frame delay = 15.36 sec
Taking the 72hr VCR as an example, this means that you will
see one frame of picture from a camera every 15.36 seconds.

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Digital Video Recording

An alternative to recording the images from the camera(s) to a
VCR would be to use a digital video recorder.
The advantages of this would be:

Near Infinity recording never stops recording

Up to 100 images per second frame record rate

Record in near real time

Networkable.

Digital Image = higher image quality.

Faster image search & retrieval.

Instant playback.

Remote viewing.

Export recorded images with ease.

No tapes to administer

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Calculating The Lens Required

Camera
Format

If height of object is critical:h

H

XL=F

Where:h = Height of CCD Sensor (Format)

H = Height of scene or object
L = Distance from Camera to Scene or object
F = Focal Length of lens

note: All dimensions in Millimeters.

If width of object is critical:w

XL=F
W

Where:w = Width of CCD Sensor (Format)

W = Width of scene or object
L = Distance from Camera to Scene or object
F = Focal Length of lens

note: All dimensions in Millimeters.

Example

1/3

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3. CONSIDERATIONS AND
CONFIGURATIONS
Camera View Considerations

Angle of view

Internal or external

Static or remote control

Colour or monochrome

High or low resolution

Available light level

Building orientation

Blind area

Blind area

23

Monitor Considerations

12

17

21

Free standing ?

Suspended from wall or ceiling ?

Rack mounted ?

Moving Cameras
THE PTZ CAMERA

Viewing Monitor
Video Signal
Telemetry Signals

PTZ stands for Pan, Tilt & Zoom

24

Telemetry
Serial data used for the remote control (or monitoring) of a
system. Usually comprises a digital encoded data, which is
represented by voltages on the line. Sometimes the signal
can be audio tones, such as Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) or
Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF). It is intended to control
pan, tilt, zoom, focus, preset positions, wash, wipe and
similar. Being digital, it is usually sent via twisted pair cable but
it can also be transmitted over the video coaxial cable, in the
opposite direction to the video.

Controllers
Can be incorporated within a Digital Video Recorder, or a
separate unit.
Various features depending upon requirements.
Eg
Number of inputs and outputs
Presets
Tours
Salvos

Example configuration

25

Alarm Inputs
The ability to automatically move the cameras to a preprogrammed position upon activation of an alarm.
e.g.

External or detection device

Panic button

Access control system

26

4. CCTV APPLICATION
A CCTV system is generally used for one of the following
reasons:
1. Monitor and Control
2. Detection
3. Recognition
4. Identification
To effectively use a CCTV system for one of the above
applications, the following rules must apply:

Monitor and control

No t l e s s t h a n 5 %
of screen height

Detection
Not less than 10% of screen height
Recognition Not less than 50% of screen height
Identification Not less than 120% of screen height
This would therefore be
an example of
Identification
Recognition or
Detection
(delete as appropriate)

27

Why Would A Customer Need A CCTV System?

Helps to Create a Safer environment for Employees and

Customers.

Deters Theft, Violence and Vandalism.

Helps to Reduce Staff Theft when integrated with Pointof-Sale Monitoring.

Helps to Identify offenders when linked to EAS or

Access Control & Intruder Alarm Systems.

Provides evidence in prosecutions by Police.

Allows more efficient use of security staff.

Monitors sales floor activity to assist in management &

merchandising.

List specific customer benefits for a CCTV system

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What Are The Benefits To The Sales Person In

Promoting CCTV?

Additional sales opportunities

Customer loyalty

Link sales

One stop shop

Referrals

Qualification Of The Customer

What questions would be appropriate to ask the customer in
order to commence the process of establishing the need for a
CCTV system? (C1s & C3s)

Have you had any break-ins where the

perpetrator could not be identified?
Do other local business have CCTV
systems
Do you have any night time guards?
Do you have any hazardous areas on the
premises?
There are two very important questions to ask the customer
who has requested a CCTV system:
1. What do you want to see?
2. Why do you want to see it?
The response to these questions defines the customers need
and will give you the foundation to further qualify the customer
in order to propose a system that will meet than need.

29

Thank you

30

Scenario for presenting features, functions and benefits.

You own a small working jewellery shop.
Shop layout as follows

Workshop
Back

Shop

Store

5m

Counter
area

6m

You have a video intercom on the front and back door which has handsets in the shop
and workshop.
You want to be able to see a bigger view from the inside pointing out of your shop
window so you can see who is at your front door when you are in the workshop and you
want to be able to see an external view of the rear door area, again from within the
workshop.
You want to be able to record the events.
You close for no more than two days at a time.
Unless you have a customer, all your time is spent in the workshop.
There is normal street lighting at the front of the shop and you have flood lights at the rear
which come on when it is dark.

31