Vidient to Demonstrate Intelligent Video Analytics Network at ISC West, Will Highlight Interoperability, Breadth of Behaviors, New Partners

Company CTO Skip Cusack to Address Security Conference on "The Role of Analytics in Digital Video Surveillance"

Vidient Systems, Inc., a developer of behavior recognition and video analytics products used around the world in security and safety applications, has a full slate of activities scheduled for this year's ISC West in Las Vegas, March 28-30, all designed to support the company's goal of redefining intelligent video.

The company will demonstrate (Booth #13121) a selection of its full library of field-proven, pre-defined behaviors running on the cornerstone of its new family of intelligent video analytics products, the Vidient SmartCatch® Intelligent Video Router IVR2400. This new high-performance, multi-port network appliance pushes unequalled video analytics processing power to the edge of security networks and beyond, utilizing technology with compute performance ten times that of any other edge-based product available today.

Highlighting the breadth of its hardware and software solutions, Vidient will also demonstrate its server-based Vidient SmartCatch Analytics 3.0, the newest version of its flagship video analytics software now used around the world. With SmartCatch, Vidient will demonstrate:

• A robust library of policy-based, pre-defined behaviors for internal and external use
• Active PTZ, single-camera, autonomous tracking of people and hand-offto other cameras
• Integration with a centrally controlled security management system

"We are confident Vidient is making the right moves to accelerate broader adoption of video analytics technology, and to redefine how intelligent video surveillance is used," said Skip Cusack, Chief Technology Officer of Vidient. "The IVR2400, with its new high-performance processing capability, demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative new solutions that meet customer needs for increased accuracy, scalability and performance."

To amplify the company's views on broader adoption of video analytics and surveillance, Mr. Cusack is participating on Thursday, March 29, 1 to 2 p.m., on ISC West Panel #6H09 entitled, "The Role of Analytics in Digital Video Surveillance." Recognized in 2002 for a patent deemed "one of the ten most important inventions for Homeland Security" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Cusack will address how the fusion of behavior recognition and video analytics at the edge and, more importantly, throughout the digital surveillance network, will deliver unprecedented security and safety capabilities.

Vidient will also host a growing number of technology partners with whom the company has been collaborating on the development of new products, technologies and integrated solutions, including Stream Processing, Inc. (SPI), AMAG Technology and 3VR Security, Inc.

Vidient partnered with Stream Processing, Inc. (SPI), a new fabless semiconductor company, on the development of the Vidient IVR2400, which is based on a single Storm-1™ processor from SPI. Providing compute performance of more than ten times that of traditional solutions, this new class of fully software programmable processors from SPI is ideally suited for demanding video compression, video analytics and image processing applications.

Additionally, Vidient is partnering with AMAG Technology, a subsidiary of G4Tec Company, on the integration of Vidient's video analytics with AMAG's Symmetry Security Management Solutions to provide consolidated, single-view management of highly scalable, enterprise-wide video analytics network solutions.

Similarly, Vidient is partnering with 3VR Security, Inc. on the integration of Vidient's video analytics network technology and 3VR's intelligent video management systems (IVMS) to provide comprehensive video security solutions tailored for specific industries, including banking, hospitality, corporate and government.

Vidient SmartCatch is now in use around the world in corporate facilities, public institutions, and major transportation hubs such as international and regional airports in San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Tallahassee, Florida, and Helsinki. It is available worldwide through Vidient, NEC Solutions America, Inc. (NECSAM) through a marketing and distribution partnership with Vidient, and through a select network of security specialty value-added resellers, systems integrators, and manufacturers' representative firms throughout North America.

About Vidient Systems, Inc.
Vidient Systems, Inc., based in Sunnyvale, Calif., was founded in 2003 and is funded by leading global venture investors Blueprint Ventures, Canaan Partners, Trident Capital and Hotung Venture Capital. For more information, please visit www.vidient.com.

LUMENERA UNVEILS ITS FIRST INTELLIGENT CAMERA MODEL WITH ONBOARD VIDEO ANALYTICS

Analysis at the camera head relieves loading real-time video to backroom servers

ISC West 2007, Las Vegas, NV – March 28, 2007 – Lumenera Corporation, a leading manufacturer and developer of high performance digital cameras and custom imaging solutions for security, industrial and scientific markets, today unveiled the Li045 - Lumenera’s first intelligent family of cameras featuring onboard video analytics.

Lumenera’s new intelligent cameras greatly enhance the ability to detect potential threats and events in real-time, providing the opportunity for security personnel to interrupt a crime or attack while in progress. ObjectVideo video analytics heighten the effectiveness of digital video surveillance by offering automated, real-time detection, tracking and analysis of objects of interest and identification of potential threats. Equipped with TI’s DaVinci™ technology-based processors, the Li045 makes use of Pixim Incorporated’s Orca Chipset – an ultra-wide dynamic range (120+dB) sensor which overcomes the issue of washed out images in challenging lighting environments, and offers excellent color rendition and image quality in any lighting conditions. Additionally, the Li045 is the first intelligent camera to market with selectable MJPEG and H.264 compression to address user requirements for higher quality images or lower bandwidth to stream video data.

Streaming full 720x480 resolution at up to 30 frames per second, these cameras deliver outstanding picture quality and performance across a standard 10/100BaseT network interface. A 1/3” sensor CCD sensor is capable of scanning 540+ lines of resolution using progressive scan technology –an ideal solution for capturing moving object across broad scenes. This camera is available in both colour or monochrome and is offered with optional environmental enclosures.

“Lumenera is excited to now be sampling the first of its intelligent camera series,” stated Greg Bell, Vice President Business Development, Lumenera Corporation. “Pushing intelligence to the camera dramatically reduces overall system complexity and maintenance, improves system performance, and lowers implementation and lifecycle costs as no back servers are required.”

Designed for higher-end security applications, this camera model is now sampling. For more information, visit Lumenera at ISC West 2007 booth #8133, or their website at www.lumenera.com.

About Lumenera
Lumenera Corporation, headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance digital cameras and custom imaging solutions. Lumenera cameras are used worldwide in a diverse range of industrial, scientific and security applications.

Lumenera solutions provide unique combinations of speed, resolution and sensitivity in order to satisfy the most demanding digital imaging requirements. Lumenera customers achieve the benefit of superior price to performance ratios and faster time to market with the company’s commitment to high quality, cost effective product solutions. For further information about Lumenera, please visit www.lumenera.com or call 613-736-4077. To receive Lumenera press releases as they are issued, contact us at marketing@lumenera.com.

Agent Video Intelligence - '10 Things to Know About Video Analytics'

The video analytics marketplace is expanding rapidly and with growth comes confusion as to the right solution for surveillance and overall security. Agent Vi™ presents a checklist of 10 key factors for security professionals to consider before buying.

This checklist provides a quick rundown of 10 critical factors to consider as you evaluate video analytics for your security system.

1. Standards-based
Video Analytics is not standalone technology. Compatibility with network and video equipment is essential for optimum performance. Open, standards- based systems are mandatory.

2. Real-time operation
This seems like a no-brainer, but real-time monitoring and real-time alerts are crucial capabilities. Facing a potential security threat is no time to go to the videotape. You want your video analytics to detect the threat as it is unfolding, issuing an immediate alert so that proper action can be taken to avert the event.

3. Site-specific rules
Due to cost constraints, most video analytics systems offer a limited number of detections – usually just one, maybe two -- per camera, and the same one or two detections for all cameras in the system. While you can select which one or two detections are installed, this doesn’t allow for a flexible system. And just one or two types of detection just don’t cut it in today’s world. Most enterprise-grade organizations, both public and private, need to detect several different types of security threats in some locations and an entirely different set of threats at others.

4. Environmental conditions
Environmental conditions are another critical factor in successfully deploying video analytics. The system should be fully operable in both indoor and outdoor locations, in full daylight and in deepening shadows, under artificial lighting or glaring sunlight, under adverse and varying weather conditions. The software should compensate for background interference such as moving trees, and it should also include filters for shadows cast by moving or stationary objects, variable light levels, and random weather factors like clouds, rain, snow, ice, and wind.

5. Reliability
Beware. While current video analytics systems are far more accurate that their predecessors, accuracy claims bear close scrutiny. Virtually every video analytics provider claims that their system “has the highest accuracy in the industry, with a 95+% accuracy rate in probability of detection (POD) and extremely low false alarm and nuisance alarm rates (FAR/NAR).” Sound familiar? The question to ask is under what conditions the measurements were taken? An ideal indoor set-up, with controlled lighting and no weather to mention? Or outdoors at twilight on a windy, rainy day…

6. Scalability
Similarly, every provider claims that their system is scalable, allowing you to add new cameras – one at a time — expanding your system from ten to ten thousand cameras. It’s true. But at what cost? In this claim, the video analytics software is far more accommodating than the supporting hardware. In the typical system configuration, each surveillance camera transmits video to a central video server where the analytics software analyzes the incoming video for security breaches and suspicious activity. What they don’t tell you is that the typical server can only support a maximum of 16 cameras. So when you add the 17th camera, you need to add a whole new server – for just that one camera. It can be a budget-breaker when added to the other costs for a new camera, new video encoder, and supporting network equipment. So most organizations have a cost-effective threshold: they add the 17th camera along with 4-5 others that will cost justify a new server. Financially, it makes good business sense. Security-wise, it’s risky – operating with compromised security until you reach that threshold.

7. Affordability
Given that all video analytics systems are scalable, the issue is really whether the scalability if affordable. If adding just one camera is cost- prohibitive at varying stages of your expansion needs, then the system can hardly be described as scalable. The ratio of cameras per server is a major budget and expansion consideration.

8. Cameras
Selecting the right cameras is as critical as selecting the right video analytics. Certainly you want a system that supports the full range of camera technologies – analog, digital, IP, IFR/thermal – so that it can be integrated with an existing surveillance system. But even as you introduce new high-end capabilities, you don’t need the highest-end cameras in all locations. Match camera type to the specific circumstances of each location and the corresponding environmental conditions. By optimizing camera costs you can afford more coverage. Besides, video analytics will carry the heavy load.

9. User-friendliness
This is not a trivial point. Training time and costs can be a backbreaker in the security sector, where the annual personnel turnover rate easily runs 200% or higher. Look for a system that is intuitive to operate so that it is easily and quickly learned.

10. Security needs
Understanding your specific security needs is fundamental in determining what is the right video analytics package for your organization. Look for the system that best matches your needs. Video analytics covers a lot of territory, i.e., perimeter security, intrusion detection, graffiti and vandalism, people security, building security, moved or stolen object detection, unattended package or baggage detection, stopped vehicles, tailgating, crowd dynamics, etc. And the list is growing. Review current security policy and identify existing surveillance equipment. Physically inspect the facilities where you’ll be using video analytics: walk the property, and map out the weak spots.

Additional Tips
Check Out Customer References
Customer references can be invaluable in selecting video analytics systems. But don’t take anything at face value. Check out each reference – particularly those that are high-profile and well-known. Ask the customer about any problems they encountered and if they’re still using the system. You might also ask if the customer actually purchased the system, or if theirs is a free “showcase” installation. And don’t think that quantity is a better benchmark than quality.

The Systems Integrator is King
Video analytics is a relatively new technology and far from a turnkey application. Systems Integrators play a pivotal role in designing and installing these system, so it’s critical that they are familiar with all the demands of this new technology and the specific capabilities of the various solutions. Video Analytics systems cannot work if the hardware falls short – i.e., cameras are mounted incorrectly or poorly positioned, there are not enough of them, or the camera lenses are inadequate for detection purposes. The more knowledgeable and experienced the integrator, the better your security.

A Final Word
If you’re serious about security, you’ll want to take a look at the Agent Vi™ Video Analytics System. We fit all the criteria above. Agent Vi is standards- based, real-time, and user-friendly. Agent Vi video analytics work reliability under the harshest, most extreme and unforgiving conditions. And Agent Vi is truly scalable, as system servers can typically support 100 cameras or more.

What makes us different? Agent Vi uses a patented IPoIP™ distributed image processing architecture that processes video in both the camera and the server. This technology enables us to load a full library of detections on each camera, so you can customize each camera site for maximum security. And this technology minimizes both hardware and network bandwidth requirements, thus dramatically reducing deployment and operational costs for enterprise-class systems.

To learn more about the Agent Vo Video Analytics System, visit their website here http://www.aspectusvi.com/.