Redundancy and reliability of the system were important factors. Gaming Board regulations dictate that the casino can only use a gaming table or slot machine if video is being recorded, so any downtime would have immediate commercial implications.
The system was designed and is being installed by Miami based Aware Digital Inc, and consists of over 550 cameras controlled by ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s enterprise video and alarm management software. This provides control, administration and viewing of the live camera feeds and recorded video over the IP network. Recording will be achieved with eight server-based NVRs, with over 70TB of storage, which provides 30 days of continuous full frame recording from all cameras and a suite of tools for fast location of events within large amounts of video. Aware Digital will also be installing a number of custom built applications using the IndigoVision Software Development Kit (SDK). IndigoVision’s says its efficient compression technology and Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) minimise requirements for bandwidth and storage.
The cameras will be connected to the network via the company’s 10-way transmitter/receiver racks, which convert analogue video to MPEG-4 digital video for transmission over the network. The security control centre in the new complex will house more than 10 terminals running ‘Control Center’ software, and a video-wall driven by high-end ‘Control Center’ PCs.
“The key factor for IndigoVision was our performance guarantee that all video would be DVD-quality, 4CIF, 30fps and that no frames would be dropped,” said Steve Wright, IndigoVision’s US SE regional sales manager. “This was a fundamental requirement of the Gaming Board and the Casino operator. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve.”
Indigo Vision says the project demonstrates that IP video technology is now a mature platform for the demanding CCTV requirements of casino operations, which need high resolution video images and fast analysis of recorded footage.