When Panasonic System Solutions and Panasonic Communications Company merged to become Panasonic System Networks Europe (PSNE) in January, not only the idea of "One Panasonic" for the security market was born. The amalgamation of experience and expertise from both parts of the company support Panasonic's strategy to unite communications and security networking products. IP Migration is a strong trend in the industry and with the merger it is Panasonic's goal to drive a strong competitive edge for the company and their customers through the delivery of products that are designed for the new network age. With this background, it was more than exciting for a selected group of Panasonic's global partners to see for the first time the presentation of the 3rd generation of i-Pro Network products and the new SmartHD concept in Tokyo in March during the Security show.

i-Pro Series 3rd Generation
Based on the new SmartHD concept Panasonic launched the 3rd generation cameras of the i-Pro Series. All cameras following this concept will deliver Full HD pictures superior to standard security cameras and will combine the advantages of high resolution video with smart and intelligent tools to help their customer's individual needs. For the retail business e.g. security cameras are used not only for surveillance, but also for marketing purposes where higher quality of services is required. To meet the demands there, Panasonic's new camera lineup with the i-Pro SmartHD concept is ideal.

Panasonic starts with box type network cameras that ensure high compression by H.264 high profile format: The WV-SP306, WV-SP305 and the WV-SP302 are scheduled for release in June. In addition, Panasonic also releases fixed dome network camera equipped with 3.6 variable focal auto iris lens, the WV-SF336, WV-SF335 and the WV-SF332 in July.

SmartHD Cameras Based on the UniPhier Platform and New Sensors
All the new i-Pro SmartHD cameras are equipped with Panasonic's proprietary platform UniPhier. With its H.264 high profile format, the transmission of 1,280×960 pictures at 30fps or 720p HD video (1,280×720) at 30fps is possible. Two streams of H.264 encoded video can be transmitted simultaneously. For example a 1.3 megapixel 30 ips recording at a Panasonic network recorder is possible, while for a multi-screen display, another video stream can be transmitted by VGA resolution. This reduces the total usage of the network bandwidth. With the combination of a newly developed 1/3 MOS sensor and 3D Digital Noise Reduction, 0.3 lux high sensitivity in colour is realized. The new i-Pro SmartHD cameras are also equipped with Panasonic Super Dynamic technology and a face recognition capability. With this combination, faces can be detected automatically even under strong backlight condition and the face can also be seen clearly with Super Dynamic technology. Furthermore, the new i-Pro SmartHD cameras have succeeded in reducing the power consumption by 45% compared with the conventional models.

IP Migration Made Easy
Panasonic does help its customers to migrate from analog to IP and has develop three valuable tools to for that purpose: New video encoders, coax converter and the IP Matrix Server software. The latest i-Pro Series of Network Video Encoder, the WJ-GXE500, are set for release in May 2010. The new four channel real-time network video encoder integrates four analog cameras at a time into an IP-based video surveillance system. Like the new network cameras, it is also equipped with the UniPhier system which enables the system to deliver superior images with the highly efficient H.264 video compression. Panasonic WJ-GXE500 can deliver multiple video streams simultaneously from each video channel at full frame rate. Furthermore, its cable compensation function offers high resolution images even in the long distance cabling situation. The WJ-GXE500 can control analog PTZ-cameras. For Panasonic's analog PTZ cameras, it can send PTZ commands over the coax, making additional cabling for the PTZ control redundant. It also supports Pelco-D protocol in order to make it possible to control other manufacturer's analog PTZ camera by a RS485 serial command. The face detection capability has a smart ability to detect human faces automatically. The system detects up to eight faces and sends that information to the head-end system as a meta-data. Combination of this Face Detection capability and Panasonic's other unique technology, various application are available for security surveillance purpose and business marketing purposes as well.

The IP Matrix Server Software was designed for the smooth migration from analog to IP. The software integrates video streams from analog cameras into an IP network and combines them with streams from IP cameras. The flexible system design allows IP and analog devices to be controlled seamlessly and to build even large scale systems without a device license fee or the need for a big video management software solution.

Reduce the TCO: SmartHD Ready
Knowing that the initial costs of IP devices are still expensive, Panasonic launches the SmartHD ready concept to assist a smooth and cost efficient migration. The SmartHD Ready concept is tailor-made for small enterprise solutions e.g. in the retail business. Up to 16 cameras can be connected (and are supplied with energy) via a Power-over-Ethernet-Hub to an i-Pro SmartHD recorder. The system guarantees a simple and smart set up: An HD monitor displays the situation and there is no need for a PC and video management software. Although simple to install, the SmartHD ready concept allows real time face recognition for up to eight registered faces and offers several energy saving modes to operate the system. Panasonics' experts have calculated that already the installation costs are significantly lower than usual IP and analog systems. For a 16 channel installation, the operation costs per year of a SmartHD ready installation are only a fraction of the costs a normal IP installation costs the owner and they are even lower than a standard analog installation of the same size.

For the customer the installation of a SmartHD ready system means a smart investment with a low total cost of ownership. At the same time the customer is offered the full advantage of an HD IP system that meets the highest quality requirements and includes all the Panasonic features that make the difference:

• High resolution that allows identification
• Superior low-light performance
• Wide dynamic range for difficult light conditions
• On-device intelligence like face recognition capability
• VRS (Variable Resolution at Specified Area) to save storage space