Yes, Security Installer’s “CCTV Doctor” Jon Hill is now available any hour of the day or night on our website.
Jon has been writing his popular help column for over a year in the magazine and so we thought we’d collect them all together to make a great on-line resource for installers who want the basic questions answered in a clear, unbiased way.
Over the past year Jon, the video product specialist at Bewator, has answered the most asked questions from installers on subjects such as PTZ or domes? Which monitor? How much storage do I need? and What are RAID systems?
He’s also covered the ‘hot’ subject of video analytics and the controversial area of audio recording.
To access these advice columns and all future columns just go to the CCTV training section of our site.
As one of our online readers said at the bottom of Jon’s Q&A on RAID: “These little articles are priceless. Keep them coming.”
We certainly will, and if you want your questions answered or a subject tackled, email them to me and I’ll pass them on.
Watch out for DVR recording formats and, next month, “Interoperability”.
Backwards move
Interoperability … hopefully, easier to achieve than to say.
Like “system convergence” and “seamless integration”, it’s now a well-oiled word at security industry gatherings.
However over-used, these terms do have a meaning.
But what’s the excuse for the outbreak of “going forward” that seems to be infesting company literature and presentations. If they mean “in future” it’s hardly necessary for plans which can’t happen anywhere else.
It’s said that Harold Wilson first came up with the meaningless phrase “At this moment in time” to fill in the silence while he lighted his pipe. But what’s the excuse in this non-smoking era?
And spare us from the latest phrase I have just read in a press release from an IP company who claim to be the “thought leaders” in their field.
Make sure your company is not left behind in the thought race.
Localised storm
After the “storm” broke over the Panorama programme on security firms granted SIA licences I thought I’d stay up and watch the early morning repeat on the sign zone for the deaf.
I won’t comment on the contents as these have been covered in detail by my esteemed colleague Brian Sims and commented upon by the SIA, the BSIA and readers .
Having stayed up to watch it, the only thought I went to bed with was how stale and predictable that once great programme has become.
From the corny, covert handbag camera, the blurred face of the whistleblower, the ‘actor’ speaking his words, the presenter being filmed while driving (If that’s not as dangerous as talking on a mobile, I don’t know what is) everything about it had air of over-familiarity. I found my eyes drifting towards the person off-screen doing the sign language.
Here’s the formula, just insert name of industry, a couple of examples from which we can draw a damning, overarching conclusion. We’ll supply the shaky cam, the foreboding music etc and that’s another half hour filled. Next week, plumbers.
Time was when Panorama on Monday night would set the agenda in the next day’s national press. But the storm created by this programme was localised to the security industry teacup. While the industry has shown an honourable willingness to further investigate the claims, the programme’s impact seems to have been too weak to have made many waves in the wider world.
Gimee a gimmick
This gimmickry is not limited to Panorama. It also infects straight news coverage where correspondents must now be “personalities”.
Is the general public so unable to concentrate on the issues that they must be talked at by commentators whose mannerisms and whacky vocal gymnastics distract from what they’re saying? Do these people standing in front of Number Ten act like that at home?
“Had a nice day at work dear?
“Well, it was a race against time at the station again this morning. A top level inquiry is being mounted after sources close to the ticket office tell me they are short staffed, but eleventh hour talks could bring an early resolution …Only time … will tell”.
“Never mind dear, have a cup of tea.”
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