The ECL-644 is a full size surveillance camera with a Sony© CCD and an Effio© video processor. It has a varifocal lens and a powerful internal infrared array. Many additional features make this the perfect surveillance camera for many settings, commercial or residential.
Effio© Video Processing Technology
Modern video sensors depend on support chips to function. A wide variety of chipsets are available to surveillance product manufacturers. Some of the highest quality products come from Sony©, and this includes video sensor technology as well as the supporting chipset.
Video capture starts with the lens, then the video sensor, and then the data goes to the chipset where it is formatted into a stream that can be displayed and recorded. The Effio video processor intercepts signals prior to digital signal processing, and cleans up the signal so there is less noise. These functions depend on a chain of support circuitry. When support circuits aren't matched, noise results.
Some manufacturers substitute generic components in the chipset. While it saves money, the result it not optimal to the consumer. The video sensor and the support circuits are matched, making video quality unsurpassed for this level of product.
High Resolution & Mechanical Filter
This tough camera provides crystal clear 1000 TV line images and includes a built-in infrared array for picture-perfect nighttime vision. An OSD menu lets users adjust it for best operation in any environment. An automatic mechanical IR filter prevents focus shift when switching from day mode to night mode, a common issue with cameras that contain an IR array.
The infrared subsystem has 40 LEDs that radiate infrared light up to 85 feet;, depending on conditions. The Easy Access hatch gives users the ability to fine-tune the IR system for best performance. The SMART IR system, available in the on-screen display menu, can be turned on for automatic control.
Backlight Compensation (BLC)
When a video sensor images a scene it converts values of light into digital data. When an object is surrounded by light that originates behind the object, then details and color can be lost. Backlight compensation is a method that is built into the chipset and adjustable through the OSD menu that corrects data originating from this type of scene.
A camera without backlight compensation will often create a foreground image that appears too dark compared to the area surrounding it. The image appears like this because the sensor is compensating for the surrounding light. Backlight compensation attempts to protect the foreground subject and damps the surrounding light that might overpower the sensor. It helps to make sure that contrast, hue, and colors appear correctly.
Highlight Compensation (HLC)
The bad guys learn about CCTV cameras just like everyone else. Sometimes they can shine a bright light into the lens, effectively the camera and making it unfit for imaging details like faces and other identifying factors. HLC is a method based in the chipset, and adjustable through the OSD menu, that is was designed to combat this technique.
In operation, HLC identifies the highest luminance points and masks them. It reduces the haze or halo of blurry white light that can form and eliminates disabling glare. Depending on the product OSD menu, you can often select the mask color, sensitivity and transparency.
Adaptive Tone Reproduction (ATR)
Similar to HLC and BLC, adaptive tone reproduction works on images that have areas of high contrast, such as a window that allows a lot of sunlight to shine into a lobby next to an entry door, for example. People entering the building, when seen on video, appear washed out when the camera can not compensate for the drastic changes in hue and brightness. ATR is perfect for this situation. It helps to reproduce subtle colors and tones in areas that other cameras see nothing but a hazy blog.
PrePro Default
Sometimes all of the features available with modern CCTV products force installers to spend a lot of time setting each parameter individually until the camera operates in an acceptable manner. Each surveilance environment differs in lighting, movement, color, so this process can be frustrating and time consuming. Eclipse figured out a way to make this initial setup process faster.
PrePro stands for Pre-programmed settings. Pre-programmed settings activate when you reset the product to its default (factory) settings. When reset to default, all levels for options are set to optimal for the widest variety of surveillance settings. This pre-set default is perfect for many installations, but it can't handle every situation. It will handle most jobs and reduce the initial setup to a fraction of the time normally spent.