BBC Invests in HD IP Video for Major Surveillance Upgrade

IndigoVision's integrated IP Video solution is at the heart of a major security upgrade at BBC Monitoring's sites in the UK. BBC Monitoring is an open source news and information publisher that continuously compiles political news, comment and reaction from the world's press, radio, TV and the internet. The rapid transcription, collation and distribution of this information makes BBC Monitoring a valuable resource that is available on subscription and used by governments, NGOs, analysts, academics, multi-nationals, journalists and individuals worldwide. The organisation is based in Caversham Park, an historic country house and grounds that have been part of the local landscape for 800 years, and at the nearby Crowsley Park receiving station.

"The new digital surveillance system replaced an ageing analogue/DVR system that was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and expand," explains Mike Lamb, Supervisor - Premises Operations at BBC Monitoring. "We now have a system that delivers excellent video quality with distributed remote monitoring on a flexible platform that can easily be expanded in the future."

The installation of the IP Video system was part of a major security upgrade to Crowsley Park receiving station. The project was designed and implemented by IndigoVision's Authorised Partner, OCS Group UK Ltd and also included a refurbished control room, electrical systems, perimeter fencing and gates. The surveillance system at Caversham Park was also updated to provide a complete site-wide IP Video solution. In addition to the original cameras a number of new analogue and IndigoVision IP cameras were added to the system. This included IndigoVision's latest High-Definition (HD) PTZ and fixed models, which were installed outside in the car parking areas.

"Our original system gave us very limited viewing of the Crowsley Park site from the main control room at Caversham Park," added Lamb. "The IndigoVision system is fully distributed allowing video workstations to be located throughout both sites with access to any camera. This gives us a complete remote monitoring capability, all implemented over the existing BBC corporate network. Operators in the control rooms at both sites can now see live feeds from any camera at either site."

The project is an excellent example of how analogue equipment can be migrated to a full IP Video solution, while still maintaining some of the original investment. Many of the existing cameras were reused as well as some of the original coax wiring. Remote cameras connected by 300m of coax cables were converted to IP using Ethernet-over-Coax technology, reducing costs further. The analogue switching matrices and DVRs were replaced with IndigoVision's transmitter/receiver modules and standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs). Operators use ‘Control Center', IndigoVision's Security Management Software, to view and analyse live and recorded video from both sites.

The flexibility of the IP Video system was further demonstrated when OCS used IndigoVision's audio capability to replace an old intercom at the entrance to the Crowsley Park site. High-quality, fully synchronised two-way audio can be transmitted alongside the video on the IP network, using audio inputs and outputs provided on IndigoVision's transmitter/receiver modules and IP cameras. This was used to implement a new Video Intercom that was connected to both control rooms, all without the need for further cabling.