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Home > Video Surveillance Terminology
A glossary of video surveillance terms and definitions -- your path to security and knowledge
May 19, 2005
By: Ben Davidson
From the smallest business to the largest corporation,
chances are they all rely on some form of video surveillance
to keep their workplace secure. With so many advances in the
video surveillance field and affordable options to choose
from, finding the system to suit your specific needs can
seem confusing.
With our guide however, it has never been easier. This
comprehensive glossary arms you with the necessary knowledge
to successfully carry out your search and make the right
consumer choices. As you research video surveillance
products and equipment, you may come across terms you're not
familiar with or want more information about. To help you
better speak the language of video security, we have
provided the most commonly used acronyms, terms and
definitions.
Below you will find hyperlinks to all twenty-six letters
of the alphabet. Below that is a chart with every word
contained in our glossary. To find the term you are
searching for, just click the letter that it begins with.
That will bring up a page with only those glossary terms
that begin with that letter. You will also be provided
a chart similar to that shown below, but with active
hyperlinks to each word contained on that page.
Clicking the word will bring you directly to that term.
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Access Card |
DNS (Domain Name Service) |
ITU (International
Telecommunications Union) |
Regulated power supply |
|
Access Code |
Dome Camera |
Joystick |
Remote head surveillance camera |
|
Access Point |
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) |
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts
Group) |
Remote monitoring |
|
ActiveX |
DSP (Digital Signal Processing) |
LAN (Local Area Network) |
RF (Radio Frequency) |
|
Activity Detection |
DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) |
Latency |
RG-11 |
|
AGC (Automatic Gain Control |
Duplex |
LED (Light Emitting Device) |
RG-59 |
|
AI (Auto Iris) |
DVR (Digital Video Recorder) |
Lens |
RGB (Red Green Blue) |
|
Alarm Input |
Dwell Time |
Level control |
Ripple factor |
|
ALC (Automatic Level Control) |
Dynamic IP address |
Light sensor |
ROI (Region of Interest) |
|
Algorithms |
Dynamic Range |
Limit switch |
Router |
|
Ambient Light Level |
EI (Electronic Iris) |
Linux |
RS232 (or RS-232) |
|
Analog Signal |
EIA (Electronic Industries
Association) |
Loss Prevention |
RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) |
|
Angle of view |
Electronic Shuttering |
Lumen |
RTSP (Real Time Streaming
Protocol) |
|
Annunciator |
E-mail notification |
Lux |
SAD (Sum of Absolute Difference) |
|
Aperture |
Embedded operating system |
Matrix switcher |
Scanning |
|
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) |
EMI (Electro Magnetic
Interference) |
Mimic panel |
Security Camera |
|
Aspect Ratio |
Ethernet |
Minimum scene illumination |
Sensitivity of a surveillance
camera |
|
Attenuation |
Event recorder |
MJPEG (Motion JPEG) |
Sequential switcher |
|
Automatic White Balance |
Extruded aluminum |
MMS (Microsoft Media Services) |
Shutter speed |
|
AVC (Advanced Video Coding) |
Fast lens |
MOD (Minimum Object Distance) |
Simplex |
|
Back Focus |
FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) |
Monochrome |
SMS (Short Message Service) |
|
Backlash |
Fence disturbance sensor |
Motion Detectors |
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) |
|
Balun |
FI (Fixed Iris) |
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts
Group) |
SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) |
|
Bandwidth |
Fiber Optics |
MPEG-4 |
Spot Cam |
|
Biometrics |
Field |
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) |
Static IP address |
|
BLC (Back Light Compensation) |
Field of view |
Multicast (or Multicasting) |
S-Video |
|
Blooming |
Firewall |
Multiplexer |
Sync generator |
|
BNC connector |
Flange back |
Network Camera |
Synchronization |
|
bps (Bits Per Second) |
f-number |
Neutral Density Filter |
TBC (Time Base Corrector) |
|
Bridging |
Focal Length |
NTSC (National Television
Standards Committee) |
TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol / Internet Protocol) |
|
Broadband |
fps (Frames Per Second) |
NVR (Network Video Recorder) |
Telephoto lens |
|
Bullet Camera |
Frame |
Ohms |
Test Pattern Generator |
|
Burn |
f-stop |
Optical Filters |
Time lapse VCR |
|
Bus Network |
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) |
Oscilloscope |
Touch Screen |
|
Byte |
Gamma correction |
Outdoor Camera Housing |
Tracking |
|
Cable tray |
Gen-lock |
Outdoor Dome Housing |
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) |
|
Cameo |
Ghost |
PAL (Phase Alternating Line) |
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) |
|
Candela |
Ground Loop |
Passive |
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) |
|
CCD (Charge Coupled Device) |
GUI |
PCMCIA Card (Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association) |
UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) |
|
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) |
Hertz |
Pelco-D |
Variofocal lens |
|
CIF (Common Intermediate Format) |
Horizontal hum bars |
Photon |
Vertical resolution |
|
CMOS |
Horizontal resolution |
Pinhole Camera |
Vibration sensor |
|
C-Mount |
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) |
Pixel (Picture Element) |
Video amplifier |
|
Coaxial Cable |
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) |
PoE (Power over Ethernet) |
Video compression |
|
CODEC |
Hub |
Polarizer |
Video distribution amplifier |
|
Composite Video |
IFrame |
Post-Record |
Video intercom |
|
Concave |
Image intensifier |
Potentiometer |
Video server |
|
Convex |
Impedance |
Power supply |
Video streaming |
|
Covert |
Index of refraction |
PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) |
Video surveillance |
|
Crosstalk |
Infrared camera |
Pre-Record |
WAN (Wide Area Network) |
|
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) |
Infrared detector |
Pressure mat |
Wavelength |
|
CS Mount |
Infrared illuminator |
Progressive |
Wavelet |
|
D1 |
Infrared radiation |
Protocol |
WDM (Wavelength Division
Multiplexing) |
|
dB (Decibel) |
Injection molded plastic |
PTZ camera |
Webcam |
|
DC (Direct Current) |
Insertion loss |
PTZ controller |
White balance |
|
DD (Direct Drive) |
Interlaced |
QCIF |
Wide angle lens |
|
Default Gateway |
Interleaving |
Quad |
Wireless |
|
De-multiplexing |
IP (Internet Protocol) |
Range finder |
Y/C |
|
Depth of field |
IP address |
Raster |
YIQ (Luminance In-Phase
Quadrature) |
|
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol) |
IP Camera (or Network Camera) |
Real Media |
YUV (Luminance Chrominance) |
|
Digital Signal |
Iris |
Real time video |
Zoom lens |
|
Distribution Amplifier |
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network) |
Reed switch |
Zoom ratio |
|
DivX |
|
|
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There you have it -- 249 terms, numerous choices, and a
wealth of information. If you keep this guide handy during
your search, you’ll find that zeroing in on the most
appropriate system options will be that much easier. It need
only be a matter of days until your personal or business
site offers the surveillance capabilities you desire.
About the Author
Ben Davidson is an experienced freelance writer of
technological subjects. His work provides clear and valuable
information about
CCTV
systems,
surveillance
equipment, and
wireless home
security products for consumers looking to make
purchases for their home or businesses.
Also See:
[ Effectiveness of
CCTV Security Systems in Crime Prevention ]
[ How
Network Based Video Surveillance Works ]
[ History of
Public Video Surveillance ]
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