Integration News
Axis, Bosch and Sony forge alliance to create standard for network video products

Currently, there is no global standard defining how network video
products such as cameras, video encoders and video management systems
should communicate with each other. The new standard is expected to
comprise interfaces for specifications, such as video streaming, device
discovery, intelligence metadata, etc. The framework of the standard,
incorporating the key elements of network video product
interoperability, will be released in October 2008 at the World Forum
for Security and Fire Prevention show in Essen, Germany.

"The CCTV market is leaning more and more towards IP surveillance

solutions, and we’ve been hearing feedback from customers about the

effort needed to integrate products from different vendors,“ says Anne
Insero, Manager, public realtions with Bosch in Fairport,
NY. Now, when 
the penetration of network video products is becoming
significant, 
the time is right to establish a global open standard for
the 
interface of these products.“

The three companies are working on a global standard to specify how
video components 
should communicate with each other. In general, this
new standard 
will follow the requirements set by the SIA standard,
which specifies 
interface requirements — defining what information
should be 
exchanged — for network video components of a video
surveillance 
solution.

The main goal of this new standard is to facilitate the integration of
various brands of network video equipment and to help manufacturers,
software developers and independent software vendors ensure product
interoperability. A unified open standard will also offer end users
greater flexibility of choice, enabling them to select products from
different vendors in order to develop systems that fully meet their
needs. This standardization initiative demonstrates the strong
commitment of Axis, Bosch and Sony to supporting the ongoing shift from
analog to digital surveillance in the security market.

A forum set up by the three companies will be open for all companies
and interest groups who would like to participate in the
standardization work. The forum will be established in the fourth
quarter of 2008 and will work on further development of the standard
and on reaching agreement on how the new technology should be
implemented.

“We are very pleased to announce this cooperation between our
companies,” says Ray Mauritsson, president of Axis Communications. “An
open standard will make it even easier for integrators and end users to
benefit from the many possibilities offered by IP-based video
surveillance technology.”

“This cooperation represents a great leap forward in establishing an
international open forum focusing on network video surveillance,” says
Gert van Iperen, executive vice- president at Bosch. “For manufacturers
of network video hardware and software, the forum and its standard will
be an efficient way to ensure product interoperability.”

“We entered this discussion based on our common belief that an open
standard will provide great benefits for users and everyone involved in
the security industry,” says Yoshinori Onoue, SVP, Corporate Executive,
Sony Corp. “Representatives from Axis, Bosch and Sony are now working
intensively to develop a framework for the standard and to establish
the guidelines for the standardization forum.”