Axis CAMERA RECORDER 1.1 User manual

AXIS Camera Recorder
User’s Manual

AXIS Camera Recorder User’s Manual
2
About This Document
This manual is intended for administrators and operators of AXIS Camera Recorder and is applicable
for software version 1.1. Later versions of the document will be posted to the Axis Web site, as
required.
Previous experience of networking will be of use to the reader when installing and using this product.
Legal Considerations
Camera surveillance may be prohibited by laws that vary from country to country. Check the laws in
your local region before using AXIS Camera Recorder for surveillance purposes.
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
Acrobat, Adobe, Boa, Ethernet, IBM, Internet Explorer, LAN Manager, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft,
Milestone, Netscape Navigator, OS/2, UNIX, Windows, WWW are registered trademarks of the
respective holders. 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.
Axis 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/
AXIS Camera Recorder User’s Manual.
Revision 1.02
Part number: 21348
Dated: December 2003
Copyright © Axis Communications AB, 2003
Powered by Milestone.

AXIS Camera Recorder User’s Manual 3
Table Of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Help & Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Devices - Quick Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Using the Monitor application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Administrator Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Devices - Detailed Setup Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Changing Device Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Configuring Monitors and the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Setting Image Quality and Recording Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Calibrating Motion Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Defining Motion Detection Exclude Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Setting Up and Using PTZ Preset Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
E-mail Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Scheduling Camera Activity and Alert Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Setting up Schedules - an Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Monitor Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Tools and options available in the Monitor window . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Pan/Tilt/Zoom Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Using the Recordings Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Features in Advanced Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Appendix A - Inputs and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Advanced Control with Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
I/O Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Introduction
4
Introduction
AXIS Camera Recorder is a powerful and flexible surveillance solution
that turns your TCP/IP-based Axis network cameras and video servers into
a sophisticated digital video surveillance system - all fully controlled from
your PC.
AXIS Camera Recorder provides these main features:
• Record from and view cameras at up to 30 frames per second (25 for
PAL)
• Control up to 16 cameras per installation/license
• Secure image database with recovery options
• Automatic database resizing for continuous recording at low disk space
• Scheduled recording on time and/or event
• Advanced motion detection with exclude filter for image areas of no
interest
• Limit recordings to images with motion, all images or no images
• Receive motion alerts via e-mail
• All system messages on-screen, in log files and optionally via e-mail
• Find specific recordings by date/time or event
• Playback of recordings in real-time, or at controllable speed and play
direction
• Control of PTZ cameras
• Up to 25 PTZ preset positions per camera for fast PTZ
• Advanced input/output control
• Export single images and video sequences and print reports

Installation Guide 5
Installation Guide
This installation guide will help you install AXIS Camera Recorder and
configure it for your Axis Network Cameras and Video Servers. The guide
also provides a brief introduction to the functionality and usage of the
surveillance software.
Overview
AXIS Camera Recorder consists of two distinct software applications:
Administrator and Monitor. These are described briefly below.
The Administrator application - The administrator of the surveillance
installation uses this tool when setting up the system for the first time,
when new cameras are added to the system and whenever the system
configuration needs to be changed. This tool is also used to configure the
screen layout to use while operating the system, the recording conditions
to use, etc.
The Monitor application - This application forms the main user interface and
is the core of the surveillance system. The Monitor records and displays
live images from the connected video cameras and the operator uses this
application for surveillance. Operators can start and stop cameras, control
PTZ cameras (if installed), review recordings, create AVI files, export and
print images, etc.
Notes: •The Administrator application and the Monitor application can-
not be run simultaneously - the one must be closed before the
other is opened.
•In order to achieve the best performance and most reliable oper-
ation, it is recommended that the surveillance PC is not used for
other demanding software applications or unnecessary purposes.
•The Monitor application and cameras must be running to record
images. There will be no video surveillance if the Monitor appli-
cation is closed!

Installation Guide
6
System Requirements
Before installing, you should be aware of the various requirements that
will apply for your application, and in particular for the desired frame
rate. The values shown below are obtained from real-life tests.
Minimum Processor Requirements for Frame Rates
Approximate Total Frame Rates for Various Configurations
RAM
In general, the better the PC’s processor, the better the frame rate. The
amount of RAM available is of less importance for the frame rate, but is
important for AXIS Camera Recorder’s overall performance. The amount
of RAM required is dependent on the number of cameras in use. For up to
8 cameras - use 512 MB, and for 9-16 cameras - use 1024 MB.
UPS
Whilst not absolutely essential for operation, using an Uninterruptible
Power Supply (UPS) for the computer running AXIS Camera Recorder is
highly recommended.
NTSC/PAL Cameras 10 fps, medium compression 10 fps, high compression
1 camera P4, 1,0 GHz P4, 1,0 GHz
4 cameras P4, 1,0 GHz P4, 1,0 GHz
8 cameras P4, 1,8 GHz P4 1,0 GHz - P4, 1,8 GHz
16 cameras P4, 3,06 GHz P4, 1,8 GHz
NTSC/PAL Cameras 25 fps, medium compression 25 fps, high compression
1 camera P4, 1,0 GHz P4, 1,0 GHz
4 cameras P4, 1,8 GHz P4, 1,8 GHz
8 cameras P4, 3,06 GHz P4, 3,06 GHz
16 cameras N/A N/A
NTSC/PAL Cameras P4 1,0 GHz,
Medium compression
P4 1,8 GHz,
Medium compression
P4 3,06 GHz, Medium
compression
1 camera 25 25 25
2 cameras 50 50 50
4 cameras 80 90 100
8 cameras 65 140 170
16 cameras 50 160 200

Installation Guide 7
Hard Disk Space
The amount of disk space required can be roughly calculated from the
table below. Always add a further 5-10% disk space as a safety margin.
Axis Network Camera and Video Server Requirements
The Axis cameras and video servers used with AXIS Camera Recorder
must be installed with the firmware release 2.34 or later. The following
network cameras are supported: AXIS 205, AXIS 2100, AXIS 2110, AXIS
2120, AXIS 2130, and the AXIS 2420. Supported video servers; AXIS
2400, AXIS 2400+, AXIS 2401, AXIS 2401+, AXIS 2411.
Software Requirements
Important!
Average File Size Stored Images Disk space (GB)
15 KB 60 000 1
15 KB 150 000 2.1
15 KB 600 000 9
25 KB 60 000 1.8
25 KB 150 000 3.9
25 KB 600 000 15
35 KB 60 000 2.1
35 KB 150 000 5.2
35 KB 600 000 21
Item Notes
Operating System Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, or XP Professional, or NT 4.0 (SP3 or
later). Using the operating system’s latest Service Pack is highly recommended.
Protocols, API’s,
Software
TCP/IP support.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.
Incompatible software FTP-Server: already included in AXIS Camera Recorder. Do not run other FTP
servers on the same port number or change the default port number used by
the AXIS Camera Recorder FTP-Server.
The Windows computer used for AXIS Camera Recorder must be NTFS-formatted.

Installation Guide
8
Installation
Step 1 - Locate your License Code
To install the full retail version of AXIS Camera Recorder a valid license
code must be entered. This code can be found on the product label in the
software retail box. The license code starts with “ACR” and is followed by
a combination of letters and numbers. A license code is not required to
install the Demo version of the program.
Step 2 - Connect Devices
Connect your Axis cameras/video servers to your Local Area Network.
Consult the product documentation for more information.
To verify that the camera/video server is properly installed on your
network, connect to it from a standard browser. If you cannot connect
using a browser, you will not be able connect from AXIS Camera
Recorder.
Step 3 - Install the Software
Insert the AXIS Camera Recorder CD into your computer’s CD drive. The
installation program starts automatically if Auto-Run has been enabled.
Otherwise, run the program acr.exe from the CD’s root directory.
If a previous version (or the demo version) exists on the system, the
installation program will recommend that the earlier version is removed.
After doing so, the installation program must be started once more for the
actual installation.
You will next be asked to accept the product license agreement. This
agreement is also supplied in printed form with the product. If you do not
accept the license agreement, select No and the installation will terminate.
Otherwise, select Yes and the installation will proceed.
Enter your name, company name and the product’s license code. Enter the
whole license code, including the hyphens. Do not include any blanks.
Complete the installation process by following the on-screen instructions.
Important!
The license code for AXIS Camera Recorder will be needed again if you ever need to
re-install the software. The code should therefore be treated as a valuable item and
stored in a safe place.

Installation Guide 9
If a demo version of AXIS Camera Recorder was already installed, it will
be necessary to remove the image databases. This can be done either by
uninstalling the demo version or by clearing each camera database from
within the new version of the AXIS Camera Recorder software. See also
Setting Image Quality and Recording Conditions, on page 18.
Step 4 - Configure for First Use
After installing the software, it must be configured for your cameras
and/or video servers. You will also need to configure the screen layout for
the Monitor application. This is done by using the Administrator
application. Please see Devices - Quick Setup, on page 10, for more
information. See also The Administrator Application, on page 13, for a
more detailed explanation of the Administrator functionality.
Help & Support
The Administrator and Monitor applications are both supplied with
context-sensitive help for all the available functionality.
Help is obtained by clicking the question mark icon in the program's
active window (or in some windows the Help button). The cursor changes
to a “What's this?" cursor and you can then click on the item you need
help with.
If you have questions or problems that are not addressed in this manual,
contact your Axis dealer or visit the Axis support web at:
www.axis.com/techsup/
Please remember to register your software at www.axis.com

Devices - Quick Setup
10
Devices - Quick Setup
This short description will help you set up your first device, without going
into too much detail. It is assumed that the software has already been
successfully installed.
1. Start the Administrator application and click the Add Device… button.
The Device Setup Wizard starts.
Figure 1 - The main Administrator window.
2. Enter the IP address of the Axis camera/video server.
3. Click Next and enter the administrator password for the device.
4. Click Next to auto-detect the device. If successful, the device type and
MAC address (S/N) will be shown.
5. Click Next and give the device a descriptive name.
6. Click Finish to return to the Administrator. The new device will now
be shown in the Device Manager window.
Add Device
Monitor Manager

Devices - Quick Setup 11
Now that a device has been added we will add the camera to the Monitor
application and configure its layout.
1. Click the Monitor Manager button in the Administrator.
Figure 2 - The Monitor Manager window.
2. Select a Layout Size (e.g. 2x2 = 4 cameras) and click on one of the
monitor windows. The selected monitor window turns light grey.
3. Select a camera for the active monitor window. An image from that
camera will be shown in the monitor window.
4. Click the OK button to exit the Monitor Manager.
Important!
Click the Exit button to close the Administrator. It is not possible to run
both applications at once, so the one must always be closed before
opening the other.
The steps described above determine how cameras are displayed in the Monitor
application. If a camera is not configured for display here, it will not appear in the
Monitor application.

Devices - Quick Setup
12
Using the Monitor application
1. Now open the Monitor application. You should now see the image
from your camera. If not, the camera was not properly added to the
Monitor manager. Go back to the previous page and add the camera
again.
2. Click the Manual button. This enables the Start, Start All and Stop All
buttons.
3. Click on the monitor window for the camera - this makes it the active
monitor window.
4. Now press the Start button to start fetching images from the camera.
The Start button turns into a Stop button.
5. Click the Exit button when finished.
If you have problems setting up your first device, please see The
Administrator Application, on page 13, which describes in more detail
how to:
• Change image quality and compression for a camera
• Change the recording conditions for a camera
• Calibrate motion detection
• Set up PTZ preset positions
• Enable e-mail alerts
• Start and stop cameras automatically, at preset times (Scheduling)

The Administrator Application 13
The Administrator Application
The Administrator application is used when setting up the system for the
first time, when new cameras or video servers are added to the system, and
whenever the system configuration needs to be changed. It is also used to
configure the layout of the Monitor application, which recording
conditions to use, etc. The Administrator is started from the Program
Menu.
Figure 3- The Administrator window, showing several configured cameras
and video servers.
The main window provides the following buttons:
•Monitor Manager -Set up the screen layout and positions for cameras,
etc. See Configuring Monitors and the Layout, on page 17.
•Scheduler - Control when cameras start and stop and when alerts are
sent. See Scheduling Camera Activity and Alert Periods, on page 29.
•General Settings - Set up log files, screen updating and e-mail. See
General Settings, on page 27.

The Administrator Application
14
•Add Device - Add new cameras or video servers. See the previous
section Devices - Quick Setup, on page 10 and the more detailed section
Changing Device Settings, on page 15.
•Edit Device - Edit/update the configuration of an existing device.
•Remove Device - Removes an existing device from the system.
•Settings - Set up image quality and recording conditions, etc. for the
camera. See Setting Image Quality and Recording Conditions, on page
18.
•I/O Setup - Define inputs and outputs to use in the system. Inputs can
be used to create an alert or start/stop a camera. Outputs can activate
the output ports on selected devices and thus activate e.g. a siren or a
light. See also Inputs and Outputs, on page 39.
•I/O Control - Set up defined inputs to activate selected outputs. Several
inputs can activate the same output. Both external inputs and timer
events can be used to activate an output.
Devices - Detailed Setup Information
This section goes into more detail about the process covered in Devices -
Quick Setup, on page 10, and describes the various options available while
using the Device Setup Wizard.
IP address - The camera/video server uses this IP address on the network.
This will be the address you used to initially install the device.
Port Setup - The HTTP and FTP protocols usually communicate on the
standard ports 80 and 21, respectively. If these values have been changed
in the camera/video server, then enter these values here. This is used if
several devices share the same IP address (e.g. when behind a router). In
most cases it will not be necessary to change the default ports.
Password - An administrator account is used to configure the connected
camera or video server. Enter the password for the device's default
administrator account root.
Autodetect Device - For the fastest detection, select the video device type
manually. Alternatively, select Autodetect Type and let the system find
the device type.

The Administrator Application 15
MAC address (S/N) - This is the hardware address of the camera/video
server, e.g. 00408c291ba2 and it corresponds to the serial number found
on the product’s serial number label. This is the MAC address used to
initially install the device.
Name - The name for the camera/video server should reflect its usage or
location. Note that two devices cannot use the same name.
Camera Setup - Used to set up/modify camera names and PTZ devices for
the device. For example, the AXIS 2400 video server uses the default
camera names Camera 1, Camera 2, etc., which can be changed here. PTZ
devices (PTZ cameras or fixed cameras on PTZ heads) can be enabled, and
the COM port and PTZ driver can be selected. For more detailed
information see Configuring Video Servers below.
After a device has been successfully added, a new device icon will appear
in the Device Manager window.
Changing Device Settings
The settings described above for adding a new device can all be modified
simply by selecting the device and clicking Edit Device...

The Administrator Application
16
Configuring Video Servers
For video Servers, you must specify if the connected cameras are
Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras or not. You can also give names to individual
cameras. To do this, select the video server in the device list and then click
the Edit Device button. Then click the Camera Settings button to access
the cameras connected to the server.
• Check the box provided to indicate if any of the cameras connected to the
video server are Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras.
•P/T/Z type controlled through COM port - If you are controlling the PTZ
functionality of one or more cameras via the server’s COM port(s) - select
the correct PTZ driver type in the list box.
• The camera list box shows one line for each camera connected to the Video
Server. The first camera will correspond to the first video input on the server,
and so on. Click on a camera name to select it and then modify any of the
following:
•Camera Name - Enter a name for the camera, preferably one that says
something about its location. e.g. Main Entrance.
•Camera Type - If the camera is a PTZ camera select Movable, otherwise
select Fixed.
•Device Port - Enabled if Camera Type is set to Movable. Select the port
on the Video Server that controls the PTZ functionality.
•Port Address - Enabled if Camera Type is set to Movable. Specify the
camera’s port address, normally 1 or 0. If using daisy-chained PTZ
cameras, the port address identifies each camera. Please refer to the
device’s manual for more information.
• Now click the Apply button, which updates the information shown in
the camera list box. Press the OK button when finished.

The Administrator Application 17
Configuring Monitors and the Layout
Once the software has been configured for your cameras and video
servers, you should then set up the screen layout for the Monitor
application, and specify where each camera should be displayed on the
screen.
Important!
In the Administrator, click the Monitor Manager button.
Figure 4 - The Monitor Manager window.
The Monitor Manager provides the following options:
Layout Size - Select how many monitors (i.e. camera windows) to display
on the screen. A maximum of 16 windows can be displayed. Select from
1x1, 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4.
Adding a camera in the Monitor Manager is a required step to enable the display of
the camera in the Monitor application. If a camera is not configured for display here,
it will not appear in the Monitor application.

The Administrator Application
18
Hot Spot Window - This special window can be used for various purposes
and will, when enabled, occupy up to 9 (3x3) of the available windows,
depending on the layout in use. The Hot Spot window can show an
enlarged view from one camera, it can be used for interactive PTZ control,
or it can be used to browse through previously recorded images (Quick
Browse). To use the function, select Hot Spot and the desired window
layout.
Select Camera - To assign a camera to a particular monitor window, select
that window by clicking it and then select the camera to display there.
Note that each camera can only be displayed in one monitor window.
Settings… - This button takes you directly to the Camera Settings dialog for
the selected camera. These settings can also be accessed from the main
Administrator window. See below for more information.
Setting Image Quality and Recording Conditions
Image quality, recording speeds, and other recording conditions can all be
set for each connected camera.
From the tree view of the connected cameras in the main Administrator
window, select the camera to configure and click the Settings… button.
The Camera Settings dialog appears. This can also be opened by selecting
the Settings… button from the Monitor Manager, as described above. The
following settings are then available:
Record Settings
Desired Recording Speed - The desired recording speed is the number of
frames to retrieve from the camera each second, minute or hour. This
allows for a frame rate ranging from 24 images per day up to 30 images
per second (25 images per second for PAL). The expected time between
each image is also calculated and displayed.
Images saved in the database - Select which images will be saved. When
selecting Images with motion, only images where the level of detected
motion exceeds the given limit will be saved.

The Administrator Application 19
Save images within … - If Images with motion has been selected as the
recording condition, it is then also possible save images from immediately
before and after the alarm, i.e. when the detected motion exceeds the
given limit. These images are constantly buffered for the selected period
(e.g. 5 seconds before and after) and are thus always ready to be stored
when the alarm occurs.
Camera Monitor Setup
Show Motion - Select this if you want the detected motion to appear
highlighted in the image. If selected, the areas of the image with motion
will be shown in the selected color. The color is selected by clicking the
Motion Color button.
Show Regions - Select this to highlight the areas where motion detection
has been excluded (disabled). If selected, these areas will be shown in the
selected color, which in turn is selected by clicking the Region Color
button in the Exclude Regions Settings.
Update on motion only - Select this option if you only want the camera to
update on your screen when motion is detected. Enabling this option
greatly reduces the workload of the PC.
Note: Screen updating can be disabled completely in the General Settings.
Database Settings
This is where you specify the number of images to store in the image
database, as well as its location on the local hard disk. A separate database
is used for each camera.
Max. images in database - Select this opption to limit the image database for
the camera to a maximum number of images. When the maximum number
of images has been recorded, the oldest image is automatically deleted
each time a new image is saved. The maximum number of images that can
be saved for each camera is 600.000. A few examples of the number of
images that can be saved for each camera database are shown below:
• Frame rate = 6 fps, images saved = “All images” --> almost 28 hours
• Frame rate = 30 fps, images saved = “Images with motion” and motion
occurs less than 23% of the time --> 24 hours
• Frame rate = 1 fps, images saved = ”All images” --> almost one week

The Administrator Application
20
For all cameras combined, a maximum total of 160 GByte can be saved.
Delete images older than - (in minutes, hours or days). Select this to limit the
recordings in the database by age. When selected, images will
automatically be deleted when older than the specified age. Note that it is
not possible to store more than 600.000 images per camera, even if the
maximum age is set as very high.
Database Path - Specify the directory for the image database. The specified
directory must already exist, as it will not be created automatically. For
the best performance, it is recommended that you specify a location on a
local hard disk, and not on a network drive. Click the Browse path (…)
button to browse to the database path directory.
Clear Database… - Click this button to delete all images recorded for this
camera. Caution: All recordings for this camera will be permanently lost.
In Case Of Database failure… - In case of an image database failure, two
options are available. The image database can be repaired, or it can be
deleted on Monitor startup. Note that database repair is very
time-consuming.
If recordings are larger than expected, or if the available disk space is
suddenly reduced in some other way (e.g. by a disk error), an automatic
database resizing procedure will automatically take effect. The size of the
existing databases will be reduced, so that a percentage of the oldest
recordings will be deleted and each database will temporarily be limited to
its new size. You will be informed of this on-screen, in the log files and
optionally via e-mail, if this has been activated. When the Monitor
application is next restarted, the old database sizes will then be used. It is
therefore up to the user to adopt the new sizes or otherwise solve the disk
size problem.
Motion Detection Settings
This provides access to setting up motion detection for the camera:
Motion Detection… - Click this button to calibrate the motion detection. See
Calibrating Motion Detection, on page 22.
Motion Color… - Allows you to select a new color for indicating detected
motion.