Appendix B: Glossary - Cisco 4116 - EtherFast Switch Design Manual

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Appendix B: Glossary

A
Alert
Attenuation
C
Camera
Central Station
Channel
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV)
Coaxial Cable
Common Intermediate Format
(CIF)
Console (CCTV)
Contrast
D
Day and Night
Decoder
Depth of Field
Digital PTZ
Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
Dome Camera
E
Encoder
F
Field of View (FOV)
Frame
Frame Rate
Frames Per Second (FPS)
A message sent to security personnel indicating the location and nature of an
emergency or threat.
A decrease or loss of signal. Within a fiber or coaxial-cabled surveillance system, this
causes degradation in the video image (e.g. jitter, noise, loss of signal).
An optical device capable of viewing a given area and translating that view into an
electronic signal.
A remote location that is designed to monitor signals from physical security systems.
A single video signal.
A television system in which signals are distributed via cables to a closed network of
monitors. This system is most often used for security surveillance in small, closed areas
like buildings or parking garages.
(aka, Coax). A type of cable that is capable of passing a range of frequencies with low
loss. It consists of a hollow metallic shield in which one or more center conductors are
put in place and isolated from one another and from the shield.
The term CIF is used to mean specific video resolution: 352x288 in PAL 352x240 in
NTSC. CIF is 1/4th of "full resolution" TV, also called D1
The part of a monitoring station an operator uses to control surveillance cameras.
Usually consists of a joystick for PTZ control and a set of numbered buttons allowing
the operator to switch cameras displayed on an attached monitor. It may also refer to
the entire structure at a monitoring station that houses the keyboards, joysticks,
monitors, phones, etc. for controlling the physical security system.
The ratio of light to dark portions of a video image.
Refers to a video camera's ability to provide images in both lighted and dark conditions
by changing the imaging format from color to black-and-white, respectively.
A hardware or software device that employs a codec to translate a signal from its digital
form into an analog output for display on a monitor.
The distance between two objects, front to back, which is in focus in a televised scene.
With a greater depth of field, more of the scene, near to far, is in focus.
(aka, ePTZ). The capability to virtually pan-tilt-zoom within a digital image. The feature
does not require the ability to mechanically move a camera or its focus. Currently an
emerging feature of megapixel cameras.
Digital Video Recorder is the industry standard term applied to PC-based or embedded
systems that encode and record video images to a computer hard drive. DVRs provide
a quicker method of retrieving the recorded information unlike media such as VHS
tapes and other equipment that stores information in a sequential manner. DVRs are
often integrated into enterprise networks through a single Ethernet interface yet they
terminate multiple analog cameras, typically four, eight or sixteen. (See also Network
Video Recorder.)
A video imaging device contained within a demisphere. Generally supports the ability to
change its focus (i.e. camera PTZ inside the dome) within the field-of-view allowable by
the dome itself.
A hardware or software device that employs a codec to translate an analog video signal
into a digital form.
A camera's area of focus (i.e. what it can see).
The total area of the picture that is scanned. With interlaced video, the frame is
comprised of two fields.
See Frames Per Second.
A measure of a camera's rate of output of single snapshots. Also known as images per
second and frame rate.
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