Security glossary: Video surveillance

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AES Automatic Electronic Shutter: enables the camera to be adapted to fluctuating brightness levels through variable exposure times 
   
AGC Automatic Gain Control: boosts the level of the video signal, to compensate for poor lighting conditions 
   
AI Auto Iris: automatically adapts the aperture opening to match the prevailing light conditions 
   
ATM Automatic Teller Machine: ATM data can be shown in the video picture for the corresponding camera as part of the surveillance of bank counters or bank premises, using a POS function in the recording device 
   
AWB Automatic White Balance: adapts the camera's colour temperature to the lighting conditions at the recording location 
   
BLC Back Light Compensation: Shifts the measuring point for the brightness control of the AES from the centre of the picture to the edges of the picture, to compensate for the different brightness values 
   
CCTV Closed Circuit Television: customary designation for video surveillance 
   
CIF Common Intermediate Format: originally intended to be used for converting PAL to the NTSC standard. CIF corresponds to a video resolution of 352 x 288 pixels, 2 CIF = 704 x 288 pixels, 4 CIF = 704 x 576 pixels
   
CVBS Composite Video, Blanking and Sync. signal: The standard for colour video signal transmission, also known as "composite signal"
   
D1 Specific resolution: 720 x 576 pixels 
   
DNR Digital Noise Reduction: When lighting conditions are poor noise in the picture increases due to AGC. The 3D and 2D function of a DNR camera suppresses any picture noise 
   
DSP Digital Signal Processor: This is where analog picture and picture correction functions, (e.g. AGC, AES, AWB, BLC) are processed
   
DynDNS or DDNS Dynamic Domain Name Server entry: Network service which stores and updates its clients' IP addresses in a database.
   
ELC Electric Light Control: another designation for AES
   
ePTZ Electronic Pan Tilt Zoom: function in megapixel cameras used for digital zooming, panning and tilting in the picture 
   
fps Frames Per Second: unit for frame rate of video recordings for cameras or recorders 
   
FTP File Transfer Protocol: network protocol for file transfer 
   
H.264 Standard method for the highly-efficient compression of video signals, also known as MPEG-4 AVC.
   
IP protection classes Describes the degree of protection for devices with regard to the penetration of foreign matter and moisture
   
IR LED Infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode): used for discrete or semi-discrete lighting of camera near field in the dark 
   
Lux Unit for brightness: solar radiation in summer has a luminous intensity of 120,000 Lux, moonlight (full moon) 500 – 1,000 Lux 
   
MPEG-4 Compression method, H.264 predecessor
   
NAS Network Attached Storage: data storage on a network drive 
   
NTP Network Time Protocol: standard for synchronisation of clocks in computer systems through package-based communication networks 
   
OSD On Screen Display: comfortable type of menu display and operation through display 
   
PIP Picture In Picture: monitor function, to show a picture in a picture 
   
POE Power Over Ethernet: function in network cameras, which enables power to be supplied through the network cable 
   
POP Picture Over Picture: picture is displayed on top of another picture 
   
POS Point Of Sale: as part of video surveillance operation in the cash desk area, so-called POS data (cash desk data) are integrated into the video picture, to check the procedures at the cash desk by comparing them with the video picture 
   
PTZ Pan Tilt Zoom: for panning, tilting and zooming
   
RTPS Real Time Streaming Protocol: protocol for mobile data transfer to mobile phones or smart phones 
   
VGA Specific resolution of network cameras: 640 x 480 pixels 
   
WDR Wide Dynamic Range: compensates for major differences in contrast and brightness in the picture. The picture is exposed several times with different exposure times. The main picture is then digitally composed using each of the ideally exposed areas 

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