• General Information
• • Manufacturer
  • Veracity USA, Inc
  • Manufacturer Website Address
  • http://www.veracityusa.com
  • Brand Name
  • Veracity
  • Product Type
  • Encoder Replacement Kit

A true plug-and-play solution for connecting and powering IP cameras over legacy coaxial cabling

The HIGHWIRE Powerstar product family offers reliable power delivery and long-range extension even over low-grade coaxial cable and now enables direct replacement of existing analogue video encoders to allow cost-effective upgrade to IP cameras.

Existing Video Encoders

Many CCTV installations made the first step to IP video by using analogue video encoders to digitise their existing analogue cameras and stream IP video onto their network. This allowed the analogue cameras running over existing coaxial cables to be used with modern network video recorders (NVRs) and to be streamed anywhere on the network (to a video wall, operator screen or display monitor for example). Video encoders were frequently used to get the video onto a network at the most convenient point thus avoiding having to run coax cable very long distances all the way to the equipment room end. Digitising and networking the video also added some flexibility to the system in terms of how the video data was routed and used, and indeed this is part of the power of IP Video systems.

Legacy Video Encoders

Existing video encoders come in many forms, but by far the most common is the stand-alone four-channel encoder, as manufactured by hundreds of different companies around the world. All have very similar characteristics: Four BNC connections for the coax cables, a network connection and a power connection.

PTZ Control/Audio

Some video encoders also had RS232 or RS485 ports for controlling analogue PTZ cameras. Of course, such serial connections are not required for IP PTZ cameras, as all control signals go through the Ethernet network connection along with the digital video. Likewise, some analogue encoders had audio I/O, but again, separate audio connections are not required for IP cameras, as the signals are incorporated into the network data and recorded by the NVR.