Axis AXIS 243Q Blade User manual

AXIS 243Q Blade
Video Server
User’s Manual

About This Document
This manual is intended for administrators and users of the
AXIS 243Q Blade Video Server, with firmware release 4.40.
The manual includes instructions for using and managing
the AXIS 243Q Blade on your network. Previous experience
of networking will be of use when installing and using this
product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based systems
would also be beneficial, for developing shell scripts and
applications. Later versions of this document will be posted
to the Axis Website, as required. See also the product’s
online help, available via the Web-based interface.
Safety Notices Used In This Manual
Caution! - Indicates a potential hazard that can damage the
product.
Important! - Indicates a hazard that can seriously impair
operation.
Do not proceed beyond any of the above notices until you
have fully understood the implications.
Intellectual Property Rights
Axis AB has intellectual property rights relating to
technology embodied in the product described in this
document. In particular, and without limitation, these
intellectual property rights may include one or more of the
patents listed at http://www.axis.com/patent.htm and one
or more additional patents or pending patent applications
in the US and other countries.
This product contains licensed third-party software. See the
menu item “About” in the product’s user interface for more
information.
Legal Considerations
Camera and audio surveillance can be prohibited by laws
that vary from country to country. Check the laws in your
local region before using this product for surveillance
purposes. This product includes one (1) MPEG-4 decoder
license. To purchase further licenses, contact your reseller.
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures: Re-orient or relocate the
receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment to an
outlet on a different circuit to the receiver. Consult your
dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Shielded (STP) network cables must be used with this unit
to ensure compliance with EMC standards.
USA - This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B computing device
pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are
designed to provide reasonable protection against such
interference when operated in a commercial environment.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause interference, in which case the user at his/her own
expense will be required to take whatever measures may be
required to correct the interference.
Europe - This digital equipment fulfills the requirements
for radiated emission according to limit B of EN55022/1998,
and the requirements for immunity according to EN55024/1998
residential, commercial, and light industry.
Australia - This electronic device meets the requirements of
the Radio communications (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
Standard AS/NZS CISPR22:2006.
Canada - This Class B digital apparatus complies with
Canadian ICES-003.
Japan - This is a class B product based on the standard of the
Voluntary Control Council for Interference from Information
Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is used near a radio or
television receiver in a domestic environment, it may cause
radio interference. Install and use the equipment according to
the instruction manual.
Liability
Every care has been taken in the preparation of this manual;
Please inform your local Axis office of any inaccuracies or
omissions. Axis Communications AB cannot be held responsible
for any technical or typographical errors and reserves the right
to make changes to the product and manuals without prior
notice. Axis Communications AB makes no warranty of any
kind with regard to the material contained within this
document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Axis
Communications AB shall not be liable nor responsible for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance or use of this material.
Trademark Acknowledgments
Ethernet, Internet Explorer, Linux, Microsoft, Mozilla, OS/2,
UNIX, Windows, WWW are registered trademarks of the
respective holders. QuickTime™ is a trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Java
and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United
States and other countries. Axis Communications AB is
independent of Sun Microsystems Inc. UPnP™ is a certification
mark of the UPnP™ Implementers Corporation.
Support Services
Should you require any technical assistance, please contact
your Axis reseller. If your questions cannot be answered
immediately, your reseller will forward your queries through
the appropriate channels to ensure a rapid response. If you are
connected to the Internet, you can:
• download user documentation and firmware updates
• find answers to resolved problems in the FAQ database.
Search by product, category, or phrases
• report problems to Axis support staff by logging in to your
private support area
• visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup/

Safety Notice - Battery Replacement
The AXIS 243Q Blade uses a 3.0V CR2032 Lithium battery
as the power supply for its internal real-time clock (RTC).
This battery will, under normal conditions, last for a
minimum of 5 years. Low battery power affects the
operation of the RTC, causing it to reset at every power-up.
A log message will appear when battery replacement is
required.
The battery should not be replaced unless required!
If the battery does need replacing, observe the following
points:
Caution!
• Danger of Explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced
• Replace only with the same or equivalent battery, as
recommended by the manufacturer.
• Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
AXIS 243Q Blade Video Server User’s Manual
Revision 1.1
Dated: May 2007
Copyright© Axis Communications AB, 2006-2007

4
AXIS 243Q Blade
Contents
Product description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Switches & connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Using the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Accessing the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Live View Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Video streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Video stream types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AXIS Media Control (AMC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
How to stream MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Other methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Configuring the video server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Accessing the Setup tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Video & image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Image settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Video source settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Advanced - MPEG-4 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Advanced - Overlay/Mask settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Live View Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Event configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Event servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Event types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Motion detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Port status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Pan Tilt Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installing PTZ devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
PTZ configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
PTZ controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using PTZ on video inputs 2-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
System options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
802.1x - Network Admission Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Date & time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Network - Basic TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Network - Advanced TCP/IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
QoS (Quality of service) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
SMTP (email) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

5
AXIS 243Q Blade
UPnP™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
RTP / MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bonjour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Ports & devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Resetting to the factory default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
I/O Terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Schematic diagram - I/O terminal connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
RS-485 COM port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Checking the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Upgrading the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

6
AXIS 243Q Blade - Product description
Product description
Overview
The AXIS 243Q Blade Video Server is a fully featured video server intended for security
surveillance and remote monitoring needs. It is designed for mounting in the AXIS 291
Video Server Rack, which provides power and network connectivity.
Control button
LED Indicators
Video inputs 1-4
DIP switches
The AXIS 243Q Blade video server is a 4-in-1 solution, which means that each physical
blade unit contains 4 separate video servers, one for each video input. The individual video
servers display as AXIS 243Q(1) Blade, AXIS 243Q(2) Blade, AXIS 243Q(3) Blade and AXIS
243Q(4) Blade. The descriptions that follow apply to all 4 video servers, except where
otherwise indicated.
The 4 BNC inputs on AXIS 243Q Blade are for connecting analog video devices. The video
server digitizes up to 4 analog video sources and makes them available on the network as
real-time, full frame rate MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG video streams.
Each video input provides 1 alarm input and 1 alarm output that can be used to connect
various third party devices, e.g. door sensors and alarm bells. The AXIS 243Q(1) Blade
provides an RS-485 port for connecting e.g. third-party PTZ systems. PTZ devices can also
be used on AXIS 243Q(2) Blade, AXIS 243Q(3) Blade and AXIS 243Q(4) Blade, by creating
an internal connection to these from AXIS 243Q(1) Blade.

7
AXIS 243Q Blade - Product description
Up to 20 viewers can access each video input on the AXIS 243Q Blade simultaneously
when using Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 unicast. The number of simultaneous viewers can
be increased by using multicast MPEG-4. When using AXIS Media Control (AMC) to view
MPEG-4 video streams, each MPEG-4 viewer requires a separate MPEG-4 decoder license.
One licence is included, and further licenses can be purchased separately from your Axis
dealer. If using other clients to view the MPEG-4 video stream, no further MPEG-4 decoder
licenses are required.
Video can be viewed in 5 resolutions (up to 4CIF), and image compression is configurable.
The AXIS 243Q Blade contains support for video motion detection, which allows the unit
to trigger on activity in the video image, and advanced scheduling tools which can also be
used to trigger an event. As the AXIS 243Q Blade is designed for use in security systems, it
is equipped with several security features, such as IP address filtering, user levels with
passwords, and HTTPS.
Each video input on the AXIS 243Q Blade has a built-in web server, providing full access
to all features through the use of a standard web browser. The built-in scripting tool allows
the creation basic applications to be created, providing basic surveillance solutions. For
advanced functionality, the video server can be integrated via the use of the AXIS VAPIX
API (see www.axis.com/developer for further information).
LED indicators
After completion of the startup and self-test routines, the multi-colored LED indicators
signal the following conditions:
Green Steady green - no network activity
Flashes green - network activity
Green Steady green - normal operation
Red One flash - one or more units starting up
Two flashes - a unit is resetting to factory default settings
Steady red - hardware error on one or more units
Green/red Flashes for no connection to AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service
Green Normal operation
Green/Amber Flashes for unit upgrade
Network
Status
Power

8
AXIS 243Q Blade - Product description
Switches & connectors
DIP switches - A corresponding line termination switch is supplied for each video input.
Units are shipped with line termination enabled for each video input; that is, with the DIP
switch set in the down position.
Control Button - Press this button to restore the factory default settings, as described in
Resetting to the factory default settings, on page 47, or to install using AXIS Internet
Dynamic DNS Service (see the Installation Guide).
Video Input - Each video input is connected using a coax/BNC connector. Physical
connections made using 75 ohm coaxial video cable have a recommended maximum
length of 250 meters (800 feet).

9
AXIS 243Q Blade - Using the video server
Using the video server
The AXIS 243Q Blade can be used with most standard operating systems and web
browsers. The recommended browser is Internet Explorer with Windows, and Mozilla with
other operating systems. See also the Technical specifications, on page 55.
Note: For information on installing the video server, please refer to the Installation Guide.
Accessing the video server
1. Start your web browser.
2. Enter the IP address or host name of the
video input on the AXIS 243Q Blade you
wish to configure in the Location/Address field of your browser.
3. Enter the user name and password.
4. The Live View page is displayed in your browser.
Notes: •To view streaming video in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you must set your web browser to allow
the AXIS Media Control (AMC) to be installed on your computer. AMC provides an MPEG-4
decoder for viewing MPEG-4 video streams. This decoder is installed the first time an MPEG-4
video stream is accessed. Please note that the product administrator may have disabled the
installation of the decoder, as a license is required for each instance. See page 22 for more
information.

10
AXIS 243Q Blade - Using the video server
•If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the AXIS 243Q Blade
can be configured to use a Java applet for updating JPEG images. Please see the online help for
more information.
•When using a browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer with AMC, instead of a stop, a
snapshot and a full screen button, there is a stop and a play button in the bottom left corner of
the Live view page. For a description of these buttons see The Live View Page, below.
The Live View Page
If your AXIS 243Q Blade has been customized to meet specific requirements, the buttons
and other items described below may or may not be displayed on the Live View page. The
following provides an overview of each available button:
The Video Format drop-down list allows the video format on the Live
View page to be temporarily changed.
Pulse - click this button to activate the port
for a defined period of time, e.g. to switch on
a light for 20 seconds.
Active/Inactive - click these buttons to
manually start and stop a connected device,
e.g. switch a light on/off.
The Output buttons control
an output directly from the
Live View page. These
buttons are configured
under Setup > Live View
Config > Layout.
The trigger buttons trigger an event directly from the Live View page. These
buttons are configured under Setup > Live View Config > Layout. Click these
buttons to manually start and stop events.
Use the Snapshot button to capture a snapshot of the image currently being
displayed in the window. Right-click on the image to save it in on your
computer.
The AMC viewer toolbar (AXIS Media Control) is available in Microsoft Internet
Explorer only and displays the following buttons:
The Play/Stop buttons start and stop the media stream.
The Snapshot button saves a snapshot of the video image currently being
displayed. The Snapshot function and the target directory for saving snapshots
can be configured from the AMC Control Applet, which can be opened from the
Windows Control Panel or by right-clicking the image in Internet Explorer.

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AXIS 243Q Blade - Using the video server
Note that these AMC toolbar functions can also be accessed by right-clicking in the image.
For information on using Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls, please see Pan Tilt Zoom, on page 28.
Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen
area. No other windows will be visible. Press Esc (Escape) on your keyboard to
cancel full screen view.
Click the Record button to start an MPEG-4 recording (only available when
viewing MPEG-4).

12
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video streams
Video streams
The AXIS 243Q Blade provides several different video stream formats. The type to use
depends on your requirements and on the properties of your network.
The Live View page in the AXIS 243Q Blade provides access to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4
video streams, as well as to single JPEG images. Other applications and clients can also
access these video streams/images directly, without going via the Live View page.
Video stream types
Motion JPEG
This format uses standard JPEG still images in the video stream. These images are then
displayed and updated at a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows constantly updated
motion.
The Motion JPEG stream provides excellent image quality and access to each and every
individual image contained in the stream.
Note also that multiple clients accessing Motion JPEG streams can use different image
settings.
MPEG-4
This is a video compression standard that makes good use of bandwidth, and which can
provide high-quality video streams at less than 1 Mbit/s.
The MPEG-4 standard provides scope for a large range of different coding tools for use by
various applications in different situations, and the AXIS 243Q Blade provides certain
subsets of these tools. These are represented as Video object types, which are selected for
use with different viewing clients. The supported video object types are:
•Simple - sets the coding type to H.263
•Advanced Simple - in Axis products, this sets the coding type to MPEG-4 Part 2
AMC (AXIS Media Control) supports both object types, while e.g. QuickTime™ requires the
Simple object type.
When using MPEG-4 it is also possible to control the bit rate, which in turn allows the
amount of bandwidth usage to be controlled. CBR (constant bit rate) is used to achieve a
specific bit rate by varying the quality of the MPEG-4 stream. When using VBR (variable
bit rate), the quality of the video stream is kept as constant as possible, at the cost of a
varying bit rate.
Notes: •MPEG-4 is licensed technology. The AXIS 243Q Blade includes one license for the decoder
required for viewing in AMC. Installing additional unlicensed copies of this decoder is prohib-
ited. To purchase more decoder licenses, contact your Axis reseller.
•All clients viewing the MPEG-4 stream must use the same image settings.

13
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video streams
MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods
To deliver live streaming video over IP networks, various combinations of transport
protocols and broadcast methods are employed.
• RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) is a protocol that allows programs to manage
the real-time transmission of multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.
• RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) serves as a control protocol, to negotiate
which transport protocol to use for the stream. RTSP is thus used by a viewing
client to start a unicast session, see below.
• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a communications protocol that offers limited
service for exchanging data in a network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). UDP
is an alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The advantage of
UDP is that it is not required to deliver all data and may drop network packets
when there is e.g. network congestion. This is suitable for live video, as there is
no point in re-transmitting old information that will not be displayed anyway.
• Unicasting is communication between a single sender and a single receiver over a
network. This means that the video stream goes independently to each user, and
each user gets their own stream. A benefit of unicasting is that if one stream fails,
it only affects one user.
• Multicast is bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces bandwidth usage by
simultaneously delivering a single stream of information to multiple network
recipients. This technology is used primarily on delimited networks (intranets), as
each user needs an uninterrupted data flow and should not rely on network
routers.
AXIS Media Control (AMC)
The recommended method of accessing live video (MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG) from the
AXIS 243Q Blade is to use the AXIS Media Control (AMC) in Microsoft Internet Explorer in
Windows. This ActiveX component is automatically installed on first use, after which it
can be configured by opening the AMC Control Panel applet from the Windows Control
Panel. Alternatively, right-click the video image in Internet Explorer.
How to stream MPEG-4
Deciding on the combination of protocols and methods to use depends on your viewing
requirements, and on the properties of your network. Setting the preferred method(s) is
done in the control applet for AMC, which is found in the Windows Control Panel. When
this has been set, AMC will test all the selected methods in the specified order, until the
first functioning one is found.
RTP+RTSP
This method (actually RTP over UDP and RTSP over TCP) should be your first consideration
for live video, especially when it is important to always have an up-to-date video stream,
even if some images do get dropped. This can be configured as multicast or unicast.

14
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video streams
Multicasting provides the most efficient usage of bandwidth, especially when there are
large numbers of clients viewing simultaneously. Note however, that a multicast broadcast
cannot pass a network router unless the router is configured to allow this. It is thus not
possible to multicast over e.g. the Internet.
Unicasting should be used for video-on-demand broadcasting, so that there is no video
traffic on the network until a client connects and requests the stream. However, if more
and more unicast clients connect, the server will at some point become overloaded. There is
also a maximum of 20 simultaneous viewers to be considered.
RTP/RTSP
This unicast method is RTP tunneled over RTSP. This can be used to exploit the fact that it
is relatively simple to configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.
RTP/RTSP/HTTP or RTP/RTSP/HTTPS
These two methods can also be used to traverse firewalls. Firewalls are commonly
configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.
Other methods of accessing the video stream
Video/images from the AXIS 243Q Blade can also be accessed in the following ways:
• If supported by the client, the AXIS 243Q Blade can use Motion JPEG server push to
display video. This option maintains an open HTTP connection to the web browser and
sends data as and when required, for as long as required.
• As single JPEG images in a browser. Enter e.g. the path:
http://<ip>/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi?resolution=CIF
• Windows Media Player. This requires AMC and the MPEG-4 decoder to be installed. The
paths that can be used are listed below, in the order of preference.
•Unicast via RTP: axrtpu://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
•Unicast via RTSP: axrtsp://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
•Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTP: axrtsphttp://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
•Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTPS: axrtsphttps://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
•Multicast: axrtpm://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
Other MPEG-4 clients
Although it may be possible to use other clients to view the MPEG-4 stream, this is not
guaranteed in all cases. For some clients, e.g. QuickTime™ the Video Object Type must be
set to Simple. It may also be necessary to adjust the advanced MPEG-4 settings.
To access the video stream from e.g. QuickTime™ the following path can be used:
rtsp://<ip address>/mpeg4/media.amp
This path is for all supported methods, and the client will negotiate with the AXIS 243Q
Blade to determine exactly which transport protocol to use.

15
AXIS 243Q Blade - Configuring the video server
Configuring the video server
This section describes how to configure the AXIS 243Q Blade and is intended for
administrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools
The AXIS 243Q Blade is configured from the Setup link, in a standard web browser. For
more information on supported browsers, see the Technical specifications, on page 55.
Note that each video input must be configured separately.
Accessing the Setup tools
Follow the instructions below to access the Setup Tools from a web browser.
1. Start the browser and enter the IP address or host name of video input on the
AXIS 243Q Blade you wish to confogure in the location/address field.
2. The Live View page is now displayed. Click Setup to display the Setup tools.
Setup tools

16
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video & image settings
Video & image settings
The following descriptions show examples of the available features in the AXIS 243Q
Blade. For details of each setting, please refer to the online help available from each page.
Click to access the online help.
Image settings
Image appearance
Modify the Image Appearance to optimize the video images according to your
requirements.
All configuration of images and overlays will affect the performance of the video server,
depending on usage and the available bandwidth.
• High resolution generates larger files
• Lower compression improves image quality, but generates larger files
• Black & White uses less bandwidth than Color
• Rotating the image 90 or 270 degrees will lower the maximum frame rate

17
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video & image settings
Text overlay settings
Include date, time and/or text of your choice to be viewed on the image. The color of the
text may be set to white or black, while background color may be set to white, black,
transparent or semitransparent. The position of the text is set either to the top or the bot-
tom of the image.
Video stream
The Maximum video stream time can be set as Unlimited, or set a maximum stream time
per session in seconds, minutes or hours. When the set time has expired, a new stream on
the Live View page can be started by refreshing the page in the web browser. Note that the
maximum video stream time does not apply to clients connecting via multicast.
To avoid bandwidth problems on the network, the frame rate allowed to each viewer can
also be limited. Select either Unlimited or define a maximum frame rate per viewer.
Test
For a preview of the image and overlay settings before saving, click Test. When you are
satisfied with the settings, click Save.
Video source settings
These settings allow you to eliminate any black borders surrounding the image, by making
Offset adjustments. See the online help for more information.

18
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video & image settings
Advanced - MPEG-4 settings
Tools for adjusting the MPEG-4 settings and for controlling the video bit rate.
The MPEG-4 standard provides many different coding tools for various applications in
different situations. As most MPEG-4 clients do not support all of these tools, it is usual to
instead define and use subsets for different clients or groups of clients. These settings allow
you to define the type of viewing client to use.
Adjusting the maximum bit rate and setting it to variable or constant is a good way of
controlling the bandwidth used by the MPEG-4 video stream.
For more information on these advanced settings, please see the online help.
Advanced - Overlay/Mask settings
Overlay/Mask type
Overlay/Mask type allows you to
place an overlay, or up to three pri-
vacy masks over the video image:
• Upload and place an
image as an overlay -
usually used to provide
extra information in the
video image.
• Place up to 3 configurable
privacy masks to conceal
different areas of the
video image.
Selecting the overlay/mask type
from the menu will display further
settings available for the selected type. See the online help for further information.
Note: A privacy mask cannot be bypassed, but an overlay image can be bypassed with the help of the AXIS VAPIX
API.
Upload and use an overlay image
1. Select Uploaded image as overlay in the drop-down list for Overlay/Mask Type.
New options appear.
2. In the field Upload own image, click the Browse button and locate the image file
on your computer or server.
3. Click the Upload button and follow the on-screen instructions.
To use an already uploaded image:
1. Select an uploaded image from the Use image drop-down list.
Text
overlay
Image
Overlay

19
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video & image settings
2. Place the image at the required location by entering the x and y coordinates.
3. Click Save.
Overlay image requirements:
Overlay image limitations:
• The maximum overlay image size supported by the AXIS 243Q Blade is the same
as the maximum image resolution. See the Technical Specifications, on page 55.
• When a text overlay is also used, this reduces the amount of space available to
the overlay image. To keep the text readable at lower resolutions, the text overlay
occupies proportionally more of the image at lower resolutions.
• If the overlay is initially positioned so that part of it is outside the video image, it
will be relocated so that it appears over the video image, i.e. it is always the entire
image that is displayed.
Please see the online help for more information.
Image Formats Image Size
• Windows 24-bit BMP (full color)
• Windows 4-bit BMP (16 colors)
The height and width of the overlay image in
pixels must be exactly divisible by 4.

20
AXIS 243Q Blade - Video & image settings
Use a Privacy Mask
To use privacy masks to hide different areas of the video image:
1. Select Configurable areas as privacy mask in the drop-down list for
Overlay/Mask Type. New options appear.
2. Enter the (x,y) coordinates of the top left hand corner of the mask, and the height
and width to define the masks’ placement and size.
3. Select the privacy masks’ color: black, grey, white, or red.
4. Click in the box beside Enable to enable one or more of the masks you have
defined and click on Save.