System sprite

System Sprite video multiplexers provide multi-screen viewing and continuous full-frame recording for standalone nine and 16 camera, or extensive multiple-camera networked systems. The eight products in the range build on the industry standard Sprite product concept, offering user-friendly set-up for installers and simple operation for users, with enhanced alarm and activity detection handling to maximise priority recording. Having been designed and manufactured by Dedicated Micros, they also feature the company's leading product picture quality, and more than most in the features specification.

Most importantly, System Sprite provides a cost-effective solution for networked applications. Standalone multiplexing is provided by front panel control keys. Beyond the basic standalone requirement the product line comes into its own, with a variety of flexible networked systems that may be developed by combining the three key System Sprite 'building blocks'; keyboard, multiplexer and video monitor switcher. This presents the ideal opportunity for medium-sized CCTV systems, and also for installations that may need to be expanded over time.

Fundamental to the application of networked System Sprites is the use of the video switcher unit, which allows images from any camera to be routed to any control point monitor. By combining the building blocks, a range of medium- sized systems with any number of control points can be created extremely cost effectively. With just two monitors and a keyboard, each fully equipped control point has the capability to view images from any camera in the system up to a massive 256, and includes the capacity to control pan, tilt and zoom telemetry units. The product therefore presents strong rivalry to smaller matrix set-ups where cost is the prohibitive factor.

Supporting its mid-sized installation capabilities are a number of features which ease the job of the installer and reduce the time it takes to set up a new system. These include more features borrowed from the Sprite range such as the ACD and VEXT auto VCR recognition facilities. Additionally, fully integrated telemetry control of DM, BBV and Dennard receivers, as well as leading manufacturers' domes, is available using the System Sprite keyboard's in-built telemetry joystick.

What our experts say...

The word 'system' strikes fear into many an installer, especially when applied to video surveillance. It can mean a manufacturer or distributor has cobbled together a collection of disparate components, and more often than not they will be the only ones to have ever got all the parts to work in unison. That is not so for the System Sprite. The key elements have been designed from the ground up to work together. System Sprite is based on three components or 'building blocks'. The core device is a multiplexer; several versions are available with nine or 16 camera inputs. They can be used independently in a standalone configuration or with the second component, a keyboard unit. This controls all the multiplexer set-up and operational options and extends the system's functionality with telemetry control for remote cameras. It provides interface and control facilities for the third part of the system, a video switcher, which enables any number of control points to be built into an installation, each one comprising a keyboard and a pair of monitors (main and spot). It also provides a simple upgrade path for increasing the size and capabilities of the system, up to and including a large-scale network installation with the potential to support several hundred cameras. The multiplexers are housed in low-profile rack-mountable metal cases measuring 48 x 432 x 325mm. Apart from the number of input sockets on the back panel, camera selector buttons on the front and display options; the various models are functionally identical. The headline features are single and multi-screen displays (full screen with single picture-in-picture, quad, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and ten-way) picture zoom and multi-lingual menu. It has multiple alarm options including external triggers and programmable activity detection. There is full duplex operation, user programmable camera titles, time/date displays and password protected system set-up. Additional convenience and performance related features include S-Video in/out to VCR, dual monitor outputs (main and spot), timer controlled detection periods, automatic daylight saving and time switching. Connections to other components are handled by DM's proprietary 'C-Bus' (carrying RS485 serial data), which can be used to form the basis of a flexible and easily expanded network allowing up to 16 multiplexers to be linked. On the rear panel are two rows of BNC sockets for the camera inputs and outputs, monitor and VCR video connections. A pair of mini-DIN sockets handle S-Video signals to and from the VCR, a six-way plug-in connector block carries alarm relay and VCR control signals and two 'MMJ' telephone-style sockets are used by the C-Bus cables. Power comes from an external mains adaptor (90 - 240v AC, 50/60 Hz input), which plugs into a multi-pin socket on the far left.

A row of buttons on the panel is responsible for manual camera selection; pressing a selector button a second time enables the x2 electronic zoom facility. The four blue buttons on the far right double as 'virtual' pan/tilt controls, shifting the area of the image displayed on the monitor screen. These buttons have a number of other functions; each selects a monitor display mode (full screen, picture-in-picture, quad, multi-screen) and they act as navigation keys for the on-screen menu display. The menu is called up by pressing and holding the mode button on the far right of the panel. (The button's main function is to toggle between operating modes).

The first page in the menu display covers time, date and language set-up. Menu 2 is for configuring the unit to work with a VCR, options include setting time-lapse and alarm parameters (Sprite is set to work with DM and Robot-type models by default) and to set the signal format (composite or S-Video). Menu page 3 is for setting up camera titles, each can be up to 12 characters. Menu 4 selects the cameras to be recorded and menu 5 determines which cameras can be viewed. Menu 6 is used to specify detection periods for the alarms and activity detection system. The options are 'on' between set times, always on, always off and external or keyswitch control. Menu page 7 covers the alarm actions. There are options to set alarm dwell (0 to 999 secs), main and spot monitor displays, playback display, alarm relay (close, open, always closed), alarm record (interleave for inserting alarm cameras in sequence, exclusive - record alarm camera only - and unchanged with all cameras recorded in sequence as normal).

The next menu (8) is for programming a preset camera position in the event of alarm activation and menu 9 is for selecting the display options (PIP position, quad sequence, time/date/text on main monitor & VCR output, text background and global sequence dwell). Menu page 10 deals with system options (setting ID number for networked Sprite units, menu password, and record lock, reset to factory defaults and daylight saving time set-up). Camera set-up is on menu. There are options for changing the title, setting input termination (on/off), alarm input connection (n/o, n/c, off), alarm module connection & ID, telemetry protocol (none, BBV, Pelco or DM DR4+/DTMF) and camera input (video detection alarm trigger on/off). The Activity System set-up is on menu 12, the options are dwell time (0 to 999 secs), activity record method (interleave, exclusive, unchanged), activity record speed (time lapse mode), activity relay (close open, unchanged) and extended relay setting. Menu 13 configures the activity detection for each camera. There are five sensitivity settings (indoor high, indoor low, outdoor high, outdoor low and very low). The system uses an 8x16 detection grid. In the set-up mode the grid is superimposed on the image and each 'sensor' can be switched on or off using the camera selector buttons. There is an activity test option, to fine-tune settings before the system is enabled. We move on now to the other components. The keyboard controller is housed in a gently sloping case. On the back is a single captive C-Bus cable. The top panel has four clearly defined banks of membrane switches - most of them have linked LED indicators - and there is a joystick for pan/tilt control of motorised cameras. The keyboard duplicates most of the multiplexer's front panel controls plus a number of extras, including telemetry buttons for remote cameras controlling zoom, focus, iris, wash/wipe, and lamps, auto pan and patrol functions. Also included in the telemetry control switches is a bright red Panic button, which manually activates the alarm relay. Additional features are picture freeze/hold, system status and viewing the alarm log and system control when the multiple Sprites are connected. The keyboard is powered from its associated multiplexer (or switcher) via the C-Bus cable.

The third component is the video switcher. This also lives in a slimline case, similar in size (but styled slightly differently) to the multiplexers. There is not a lot to see, the front panel is blank and on the back there are just two banks of camera input and output sockets (BNC), a pair of C-Bus sockets and a socket for the external mains adaptor. When a switcher is included in a system one of the C-Bus sockets is connected to a keyboard (or keyboards, via a junction box), the other C-Bus socket hooks up to the multiplexer. If more than one multiplexer is being used they are 'daisy-chained' together by C-Bus cables. Build quality on all three components is very high. The multiplexer has just two densely populated PCBs while the switcher box is mostly full of air; the single small PCB looks lost inside the almost empty box. All the mechanical components including the switches and joystick feel like quality items able to withstand the rigours of daily use. The manual for the multiplexer is well laid out, reasonably easy to follow and quite well illustrated. The authors have made a valiant attempt to explain the various functions and we expect most experienced installers won't have too many problems. Overall installation should be a doddle thanks largely to the C-Bus, which makes it possible to upgrade or add system components in a matter of minutes, simply by plugging in extra modules.

Set-up can be a bit long-winded, there is a lot of ground to cover. The menu displays could do with some tidying up, as it stands there is no easy way to move between pages other than stepping through them in sequence, inconvenient if you only want to go back a page. Selecting options is quite tedious as well, though you eventually get used to the way it works. Nevertheless, a single main menu with numbered selections would have made life a little easier. It becomes a lot more user/operator friendly when used with a keyboard, we consider this will be a near essential fitment on most installations. Incidentally, when the keyboard is connected it duplicates rather than overrides the local controls on a multiplexer. There is only one obvious omission from the otherwise very extensive range of set-up options and that is a facility to change the time/date and camera ID/titles. They are small and in fixed positions, which may not be convenient. At the least it should be possible to enlarge or shift the position of the displays. They are all uncomfortably close to the edge of the picture and could easily be masked or disappear altogether on a badly aligned monitor.

The multiplexer and switcher are virtually transparent to the camera video inputs with no significant loss of resolution, colour fidelity or any increase in noise on signals passing through it. Live full screen images are largely free of any processing artefacts, indeed picture stability is excellent and there is no blurring or jerkiness when displaying rapid movement.