Samsung PNV-9080RP 4K Vandal-Resistant Network IR Dome Camera

2017 has seen a surge in popularity for 4K UHD cameras and it is not difficult to see why. Increasingly, sectors beyond video surveillance are coming to appreciate the advantages that come with the higher resolution offered by 4K cameras. To be clear, 4K is not a future technology for video surveillance purposes; it is already here and one of the most exciting new additions to the 4K UHD camera market is Samsung PNV-9080RP. 

An impressive new edition to Hanchwa Techwin’s P-Series of cameras, the PNV-9080RP contains all the HT technology that we have come to expect from their products. Built around Wisenet III, this static dome camera is vandal resistant and, most importantly, complies with all of the technological standards expected of a genuine 4K UHD camera. 

When HD video cameras first came onto the video surveillance market, many were labelled ‘HD’ erroneously as they did not comply to the technical standards required to be legitimately called High Definition video. Therefore, it is crucial, for those installing or selling 4K UHD video cameras, to understand that a camera must comply with certain technical standards in order to be advertised as a 4K UHD video camera. In terms of picture quality, 4K UHD video cameras not only record a (3840 x 2160 pixel) picture but do so at a frame rate that must be higher than 25 FPS. Samsung PNV-9080RP meets this standard before we even begin to discuss its additional features. 

For customers looking to invest in cameras with a certain amount of ‘future proofing’ built into them, the higher cost of 4K UHD video can be viewed as a prudent investment in technology that will still be relevant long after HD becomes obsolete. Furthermore, this advance in video resolution means that, in the event of 4k video footage being reviewed, significantly more picture information is available to analyse than with standard HD video. 

4K UHD video cameras make it possible to zoom in on a region of interest and still feasibly maintain HD resolution. Furthermore, the increased frame size allows regions of interest within that frame to be used as virtual cameras.  In practice, this means that, in some contexts, fewer 4K surveillance cameras can provide the same coverage as multiple HD video cameras. The ability the PNV-9080RP to simultaneously record up to 3 streams of video means that zooming in and recording a particular area of interest, or using a zoomed in shot as a virtual camera, need not be done at the expense of losing the camera’s entire field of view. Both the camera’s widest possible field of view and specific regions of interest can be captured at the same time. 

Specifications
The PNV-9080RP has a resolution of up to 12 MP (4000 x 3000 pixels) with a frame rate of up to 25 frames per second and, also, an 8 MP mode: At 8MP, the possible maximum frame rate increases to 30 FPS. However, 8MP streaming still complies to the 4K UHD standard and the  PNV-9080RP can support as many as 3 simultaneous streams. H.264, H.265 and MJPEG video compression standards are supported. 

The features of this camera allow it to function in an impressive array of lighting conditions. Integrated into the PNV-9080RP is infrared illumination with a 0.3 lux quote sensitivity, a 1/1.7 inch CMOS sensor, and a 4.5mm to 10mm motorised VF lens. The fact that this lens supports a precise (P) iris means that it is adaptable to contexts in which the light is continuously changing, avoiding the potential blurring that can take place when lower quality lenses stop down in reaction to sudden bright lights. Furthermore, this lens has easy focus AF to aid installation. In addition, the considerable wide dynamic range that this camera allows for means that it will capture more detail in the darkest and brightest areas of every frame of video than cameras with a lower WDR. Combined with its defogging capability and motion detection feature, this camera is adaptable to most internal and external commercial environments. 

In addition to the PNV-9080RP’s impressive WDR and ability to cope with diverse  lighting conditions, it has several other features that makes this camera well worth paying attention to. One of the most useful of these is ‘Wisestream’, which is what Hanwha Techwin have dubbed their camera’s capability to dynamically encode video. This means that, if you’re struggling for bandwidth, the PNV-9080RP has the flexibility to adapt its encoding to a lower or higher bandwidth. Edge storage lets users store their video footage via SD, SDXC or SDHC cards, and the camera’s intelligent video analytics give personnel a greater range of securtiy options and capabilities. 

The PNV-9080RP’s intelligent video analytics allow for cross line and zone detection, analysing for a missing or abandoned object,acoustic detection,  and digital automatic tracking (including metadata). It also has features to prevent people from disabling the camera such as scene change which would trigger if, for example, somebody sprayed the lens, and defocus detection. The physical alarm can be set off through a number of triggering options: the network being disconnected, an acoustic disturbance, through the intelligent video analytics, or simply through the physical alarm I/O.  The International Protection Rating for this camera is IP66 and it has a Vandal Resistant Rating of IK 10.

In terms of the essential specifications, this 4K camera has the standard elements you would expect but are worth summarising. The unit is powered over Ethernet. However, AC supplies (both 12v DC and 24 AC) are also usable. Included with the camera are a number of connectors and cables which allow for the input and output of additional audio equipment, older (perhaps lower) power sources, and the outputting of composite video to assist when setting the setting the unit up. It has 2 way audio, the image can be flipped or mirrored and, if you need to monitor a long narrow space such as the corridor, there is a corridor mode. This mode maximises the effectiveness of the camera to monitor the length of a corridor, or similar space, while ignoring more of the wall where it is less likely that there will be anything of note to be monitored. It is also possible for a pixel counter to be supported by the PNV-9080RP.  

The information required for installing the PNV-9080RP is included in the form of a paper guide, which leads you through the actual physical installation of the unit. There is also advice included on how best to waterproof the cabling and a diagram illustrating how to mount the unit. A mini CD contains the complete manual and software for the installation. Installing the PNV-9080RP is relatively uncomplicated and, aside from some minor differences, engineers and installers who are familiar with HT video surveillance cameras will recognise the structure of the menus and the graphical user interface. 

Overall Performance
Firstly, do not get put off by the image quality when you view the initial video frames from the unit; the default setting for the PNV-9080RP is 4K UHD, encoded as MJPEG, 1FPS, with a six Mbps ceiling. The H.265 compression will provide a much better example of this camera’s potential and the required plug-in will be installed automatically. However, you need to restart the browser before it is available. 

The camera’s H.265 encoding allows for a 20Mbps bit rate and provides an impressive picture with well defined detail and none of the perceivable compression artifacts associated with lossy encoding. Similarly, the PNV-9080RP performs well on both colour fidelity and captures fluid movement without motion blur. The occasional exception to this occurs when the camera is recording particularly frenetic movement that fills a large portion of the frame; in these circumstances, a few dropped frames are visible. However, this issue can often be resolved after integrating the camera with Video Management Software. 

Even when the camera’s bit rate is lowered to 15mbps, the PNV-9080RP still performs to a high standard. This seems a testament to Hanwha Techwin’s Wisestream feature, which delivers reliable, dynamic encoding. It is not until we drop the bit rate to 10mbps that artifacts start to be more noticeable (largely in the parts of the frame containing less discernable detail) but, this is not to detract from HT’s achievement in proving that a stream of 4K UHD video is possible even at lower bandwidths. 

Verdict
What marks the PNV-9080RP out as a solid performer is its ability to perform well while streaming 4K UHD video. This is a credit to the Hanwha Techwin team’s development of Wisestream which allows the camera to dynamically encode 4K video under a range of bandwidths. 

While the PNV-9080RP may cost more than a  standard HD Video camera, investing in a 4K camera of this quality would seem a prudent and timely investment. Its ability to stream 4K UHD video suggests that it will be at the higher end of video surveillance technology for some time. There are also potential cost efficiency benefits to this camera. 

The opportunity to use regions of interest as virtual cameras, provided by the PNV-9080RP,  means that in appropriate contexts it would be feasible to replace multiple HD cameras with one PNV-9080RP recording up to 3 concurrent streams.That this camera manages to do all while delivering accurate colour, fluid motion and the capability to cope with low light and high light in diverse environments, means that the PNV-9080RP is a solid recommendation. 

Please see datasheet for more details

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