Pan, Tilt and Zoom, abbreviated to PTZ, is commonly used terminology within the security and surveillance industry or marketplace. The PTZ acronym can be applied as follows: – a ptz camera, a ptz controller, ptz equipment or ptz software. A PTZ enabled surveillance camera can be controlled remotely in the following manner:-
– To PAN means to move the camera from side to side or control movement in the horizontal plane.
– To TILT means to move the camera up and down or control movement in the vertical plane.
– To ZOOM means, as you’d expect, to zoom in towards or zoom out and away from your subject.
As with almost all aspects of life the introduction of computers and development of technology has brought huge developments to the security and surveillance industry. The modern PTZ camera will be a digital camera such that the zoom is no longer a movement of a lens rather it is digital zoom and all the movements, the pan and tilt, can be controlled remotely.
A PTZ camera is obviously going to be more expensive than a static or fixed camera but the versatility of the camera enables you to monitor an area which may have required 5 or 10 fixed cameras. The PTZ camera can be controlled in number of different depending on your own requirements.
A number of companies manufacture dedicated PTZ controllers and these will typically allow you to control the functions of multiple cameras from a dedicated controller which probably includes a joystick to enable the pan and tilt to be controlled simultaneously.
Some of the most advanced ptz software available is from a company called Milestone which has a range of products based on IP technology enabling any IP camera to be directly accessed via a standard computer network (cabled or wireless). [IP is computer jargon but simply means you give a device, a PC, laptop, printer, camera etc an IP address then it can be accessed using industry standard commands]. PTZ surveillance then takes on a new meaning because the Milestone software integrates the movement controls of the camera, that is the PTZ, and images from the camera thereby providing you with an IP based network video recorder.
The modern IP based Mega Pixel camera will record enough pixels to provide a high level of zoom or magnification and still display an easily readable image. If you link a smart PTZ enabled IP Mega Pixel camera with a variety of detectors, such as motion detectors, panic alarm button or magnetic contacts for doors or windows, then you can see just how powerful a system you can create. Whilst you can easily imagine these systems behind the scenes in large casinos you can also begin to understand how maybe one or two versatile ptz cameras could provide a very sophisticated home based security and surveillance system.
If you do create an IP based CCTV surveillance system with PTZ equipment then you’ll almost certainly have the ability to monitor and interact with your system from any remote internet connection. Your software will also allow you quickly search any current or archived information.