- What is AHD?
- What is TVI?
- What is CVI?
HD-CCTV (High Definition-Closed Circuit Television) is CCTV’s response to the IP camera’s like Dahua IP camera high-definition image quality. This technology can transfer uncompressed high-definition video over point-to-point coaxial cables. The biggest advantage we saw at the advent of HD-CCTV was the fact that newer HD-CCTV cameras did not require cabling upgrades. The original coaxial cables from the CCTV era had enough unused data spectrums that they could be used for the new HD-CCTV cameras (like Dahua HDCVI Camera). This made it easy to install brand new cameras while not requiring overhauling of your entire cabling system.
There is a common question among many users in technological and smart security systems. They want to know which HD security camera type is the best and most secure to protect their properties.
In this part, we compare TVI vs. AHD by checking their specifications and features as infrared video surveillance cameras. Imagine 2 types of cameras that are virtually identical. Both can capture 1080p HD video over a coax cable.
They are both enclosed in the same IP weatherproof housing. They also have the same number of infrared LEDs and vertical lenses. The only distinction is that one utilizes a TVI processor and firmware, and the other operates AHD.
To check the first differences, you can see video surveillance footage each TVI and AHD camera captured. If you initially have all the lights in your warehouse, you can see the color daytime mode via the TVI camera.
Whenever you turn all the lights off in your warehouse, you can see the infrared video the TVI camera captures. You can notice how the infrared of this camera evenly illuminates the entire space.
When you switch the lights back on, the infrared method is turned off, and the camera arrests color video, too. In the contract, you must check a surveillance video captured by the AHD camera. Imagine the AHD camera is installed in the exact spot of the TVI one.
It also starts with the lights on in the warehouse, the same as for the TVI camera test. Although the colors are a little distant, the transparency of the video from the AHD camera is equal to the grade of the TVI camera.
Note that the infrared performance is similar, too. The IR LEDs on the AHD camera brighten this whole area sufficiently, and the video looks just as precise. Note that both cameras must connect to an IVR PRO HD hybrid to capture the video surveillance footage. This device works with both AHD and TVI cameras.
As you can understand, these 2 cameras are similar in many parts and performance. Their most vital and recognizable difference is the color of the videos. Based on the gathered information, these 2 cameras are equal in daytime and nighttime infrared performance.
The TVI camera may be a little clearer. Moreover, the TVI camera angle is slightly narrow and zoomed in. Notice that the AHD view extends beyond the edge of everything in the demanded place, but the TVI camera cuts it off.
Generally, the TVI and AHD cameras perform equally when comparing cameras with the same specs.
What is AHD meaning?
In this part of our article, we explain an AHD CCTV camera. As it is clean, AHD is one type of CCTV camera. AHD full is analog high definition, so it is one of the most demanding CCTV cameras.
AHD cameras have better video quality compared with analog cameras. Analog cameras give you 480p resolution output, but AHD CCTV cameras provide you 720p resolution output on the same transmission line.
AHD cameras give better video quality even in harmful light effects compared to analog cameras. In addition, these cameras provide images with natural color effects. According to the domestic cameras, the AHD camera is handy.
Also, these cameras are more costly than analog cameras, but they are available at great prices in the UK market. Most popular AHD camera manufacturers produce these cameras with high quality and remarkable specifications.
AHD meaning: AHD Camera is an analogue high-definition closed-circuit television video surveillance standard that benefits from existing coax cable to transmit 720p and 1080p video resolutions HD video from security cameras to DVRs. AHD is able to transmit up to 1080p video resolution (1920 x 1080) in an uncompressed format over the same standard coaxial cable that is used for standard CCTV cameras (such as Hikvision CCTV Camera or Uniview CCTV camera)
This uncompressed video format is able to transmit over longer distances than either HD-SDI or Network IP cameras and without the latency and bandwidth issues that are so regular with IP Cameras.
In addition, AHD Camera is able to transmit video, audio and control (OSD or PTZ) over a single coaxial cable instead of requiring separate cables for each transmission. Also, it is cost-effective.
What is TVI meaning?
TVI meaning: TVI lets customers who already have run BNC cable, have the capacity to upgrade to an HD solution without changing any wiring. One of the best things about TVI is that you can upgrade cameras consistently. TVI recorders (TVI DVRs) are Backward Compatible with Analog Cameras (Dahua CCTV Camera) – if you plug an analogue camera into a TVI recorder it will identify that it is receiving analogue rather than TVI’s digital signal and record in analogue; if you plug a TVI Camera in it will recognize the digital signal and record in HD. As the video is compressed, TVI is perfect for upgrading to HD if you have already run BNC cable, but will not replace IP cameras as the dominant cameras of the future.
TVI recorders can gain signals from TVI camera or Analog cameras. TVI is a transitional technology to help people with already existing cable get higher resolutions. All new installations should use IP cameras and NVRs as IP can already do 5x the resolution as TVI and IP cameras are considerably easier to install.
Contrasted with IP cameras, TVI cameras require Power Adapters (Wall Plugs) or Power Supplies (Power Distribution Boxes). Power distribution boxes are highly suggested, as power adapters don’t have any surge protection. TVI cameras use Siamese Cable and BNC Connectors.
TVI cameras are hard-wired to surveillance DVR using the same cable type as traditional CCTV cameras, making it easy to upgrade legacy analog systems to high-definition analogs.
The infrared night vision of this TVI camera is practical, up to 80 feet. Additionally, customers are satisfied with adaptable lenses and let experienced DIY installers effortlessly modify the angle of sight to be very broad or limited and zoomed in.
Additionally, the weatherproof rated feature is another outstanding feature of TVI cameras so that TVI can stand up to harsh outdoor climates. The dome enclosure is also vandal-resistant, which makes it an excellent choice for indoor installation in vandal-prone areas.
An optional wall mount bracket is functional to bypass instantly climbing this dome to a wall or ceiling. Generally, CCTV cameras supply the highest security level for your home, office, business, government surveillance system installations, and other unique places.
Sample TVI products:
What is CVI meaning?
CVI meaning: CVI (Composite Video Interface) was advanced by Dahua in 2012 and began to see wide release in 2014. This technology was progress for CCTV cameras as it brought HD images and allowed for high-definition analogue images to travel well over four hundred and even five hundred meters of cable.
Sample CVI products:
What is CVB?
Before comparing TVI, AHD, and CVI, it is good to know the other available features of these smart security cameras. According to many recorded reports, each camera is better than the other.
To begin with, you have to know some information about an old invention, the CVB video camera. This camera is a generic term that encompasses the known videos. C stands for color, V stands for video, and B stands for blanking to sync.
This combines those essential parameters to transmit a complete video signal, color, luminance, black and white amplitudes, and synchronisation information to know what is active video and what is not.
This is one of the available formats of smart security cameras. Never ignore these remarkable cameras’ first and initial format because CVB improved in recent years, and now we are witnessing the most exciting security cameras.
Which is better? (TVI, AHD, or CVI)
First of all, we will explain CVI. These security cameras are a complete form of composite video interface. Composite means MIXER. Also, MIXER means a mixture of many technologies. CVI provides you with good video quality at a low cost.
Moreover, it is a patent technology, and only Dahua can provide it. CVI is a good camera for domestic purposes. As many reports show, both CVI and TVI are Chinese technologies.
TVI full is a transportation video interface and a patent technology of Hikvision. TVI is the best technology in CCTV. This technology has a great way of transferring signals over long distances. This camera can also share HD signals through 3+1 wire at long distances, but this feature is impossible in a CVI camera.
In CVI, you can only transfer 1080p signals 90 metres through a 3+1 wire. In CVI, you can also share the 720p signals on 190 metres. TVI is better than CVI because TVI cameras perform better at long distances.
CVI cameras are the best choice for domestic purposes. But for the long distance, TVI is the best option for you.
CVBS vs. AHD: What are the differences HD-CVI vs HD-TVI vs HD-AHD?
So what are the main differences between these technologies (cvi, tvi, ahd) ?
For customers, the most important thing is the split in how these technologies encode videos or, to be more specific, in their DVRs. While IP cameras can encode from the camera itself, as IP cameras are primarily tiny computers, HD-CCTV’s send their data to DVRs for encoding. The problem is that each technology must use its own DVR. You cannot cross an CVI camera with a TVI DVR, for instance. This is important as it means the consumer will be sticking with the technology they purchase first.
(Note: Initially, even old CCTV cameras did not work with newer DVR’s, but some new DVRs have amended this. For instance, HD-CVI’s Tribrid DVR, which supports analogue, HD analogue like uniview analoge camera, and IP channels. Having such a DVR lets one slowly upgrade their camera system instead of being forced to do a whole system replacement just because of a bottleneck at the DVR. Nevertheless, no new DVR has yet to let these three HD-CCTV technologies communicate with one another. If you buy an HD-DVR for HD-CVI technology, then you best stick with HD-CVI cameras or otherwise you will need to buy a new HD-DVR!)
Another large difference is just who is manufacturing these technologies. HD-CVI products are both advanced and manufactured by Dahua CCTV Camera. Based out of China, Dahua surprisingly does very little marketing, although their HD-CVI technology can at times be found masked behind other names like HD-AVS or HD-MPX.
Read Top CCTV Camera Brands in the UK now!
Contrastingly, HD-TVI was developed by Techpoint, but Techpoint is a chipset manufacturer. HD-TVI products are instead sold through other manufacturers, most primarily Hikvision which, as mentioned, is the largest camera manufacturer in the world, and LTS Security, which stands as the largest reseller. HD-TVI was also made to be open-source, so there are a lot of smaller manufacturers moving HD-TVI products around the market. HD-AHD is the most notorious for being distributed by no-name brands, which means its price point is also considerably lower than its two competitors. Nevertheless, as mentioned before, HD-AHD was also recently picked up by Hanwha Samsung which makes it much more formidable on the market today and especially going forward.
While these cameras have few technical differences, you are possibly to see quality issues depending on who you are buying them from. A no-name cheapo brand is definitely going to be more interested in cutting costs to ship out a low-cost product. You don’t just magically cut manufacturing costs, quality is going to be taking a hit somewhere. If you are a customer, you just need to keep in mind that you get what you pay for. If you’re seeing giant gaps in pricing between similar products then you also need to be looking at who is manufacturing the product.
CVI/CVBS/AHD/TVI switchable video outcome sample products:
Here provide some products that supports tvi ahd cvi cvbs technologies :
Finally, these technologies (tvi/ahd/cvi/cvbs) are not that different from one another. You can actually drive it down to the overly detailed technical levels if you want, and debate about the differences between PO3100K+DH9801 and OV9712+NVP2431H sensors, but it’s just not that important to the average camera consumer. What most needs to be understood are these two factors:
– DVR’s cannot communicate across technologies.
– Manufacturer reputation is crucial to buying a reliable product.
Video modes in AHD, CVI and TVI
These security cameras have high-definition and zoom cameras with optical zoom and built-in infrared night vision. You can install these security cameras on the front of the building since CCTV cameras can be good choices for places like offices and homes.
You can capture a video with their surveillance DVR to better understand these cameras’ video modes. We recommend utilising a USB mouse attached to the DVR to access the DVR menu and control your chosen camera.
You also can access the PTZ controls by clicking on its icon. On the PTZ control screen, you have quite a few present locations already configured. You can click these preset locations to move the camera to those spots.
No matter whether you are using these cameras on the side of your parking lot or outside of your working office. These cameras can show the distance some feet away from them.
The camera will zoom in on the demanded spot when you click on the intersection preset location. Since these cameras include optical zoom, you can read the letters of the signs from a long distance.
PTZ control screen is suitable for navigating a few additional preset locations. Some customers use these video cameras on their main entrance to the parking lot.
Generally, these cameras are the same in video mode and can satisfy your choice. You only need to zoom in on your desired location and see whatever you want clearly.
In addition to the preset area management, users can move these cameras to any location using unique rules.
Finally, it is easy to switch back to one of your available cameras to view any time you want. PTZ screen is helpful, but you can enjoy your installed camera the most.
TVI infrared video surveillance
One of the most critical differences between AHD, CVI, and TVI cameras is infrared video surveillance. TVI is a weatherproof and vandal-resistant high-definition dome surveillance camera.
It would help if you mounted your camera on the ceiling and corner of your room. The size of your space is vital in choosing a useful and practical camera. TVI cameras can record in average and zero light conditions using its built-in infrared night vision mode.
It is a good idea to turn off the lamp to find your way back out of the testing spot after turning off the leading lights in the room. After turning off the lamp, the space has zero light, and the camera engages its infrared night vision mode.
The infrared LEDs assembled into this camera accomplish an excellent appointment of lighting the entire area. You can use the light on your smartphone to see the room again.
When you turn the light back on, the TVI camera turns off its infrared and captures 1080p video in color again. TVI cameras are 1080p high-definition CCTV cameras. Remember, 1080p is equivalent to 2-megapixel resolution.
Starlight technology in TVI cameras
It is also good to know about the starlight feature available in TVI cameras. This technology offers excellent light sensitivity and high-resolution forensic evidence in color under dark nighttime conditions.
That is equal to a moonless darkness. There is a better distinction, making it easier to recognize faces and see someone’s hair color and clothing and identify them in case problems arise or crime has occurred.
The huge difference that sets the starlight technology apart is it maintains true colors better than traditional IR cameras. With the combined technology, TVI offers a competitive solution for superior night images.
Starlight technology is the most desirable in low-light public environments as the safety of patrons and guests comes first, such as bars, restaurants, Movie theatres, concerts, and low-light parking garages. Therefore, TVI is a possible and best choice for many public places.
Common Features Between HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD Technologies
1. HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD are High-Resolution Analog Cameras
Some time ago, to have a high-resolution CCTV camera system, people used to buy IP cameras. This scenario changed with the arrival of HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD technologies that began to compete with IP cameras.
When you search for security cameras in the market, you always find some advertising about hybrid DVRs that support different types of cameras, some of these DVRs support cameras with traditional analogue technology, and also HD-TVI, HD-CVI, AHD, and sometimes IP cameras.
Any of the 3 technologies can provide enough resolution for most projects. There is a race among manufacturers to be ahead and deliver cameras that excel primarily in high resolution, but in practice, most installed cameras have HD or Full HD resolution.
Different manufacturers have HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD Camera technologies with Full HD resolutions also known as 108op or 2Mega Pixel.
2. All Three of These Technologies are Analog
HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD are analogue, it is important to highlight this fact because security camera distributors always advertise that their equipment supports those 3 technologies and also supports analogue cameras.
What they should say is that their equipment is compatible with traditional low-resolution analogue cameras and is also compatible with new high-resolution analogue cameras like HD-TVI. HD-CVI and AHD.
The way the advertisement is displayed may lead you to believe that HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD are not analogue technologies, for example, you can see the advertisement below:
“The DVR supports HD-TVI, HD-CVI, AHD, IP, and analogue cameras”
What the vendor is trying to say is that the DVR can accept all 3 high-resolution analogue camera technologies (HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD), as well as accept IP technology and traditional low-resolution analogue technology.
3. HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD Cameras Work with Traditional Coaxial Cable
Imagine a situation where you need to replace old security cameras as you intend to get rid of traditional models and migrate to high-resolution ones.
You already have several traditional analogue cameras installed on site and therefore there is also a complete infrastructure already installed with traditional coaxial cables such as RG59, RG6, or RG11.
The cost of replacing low-resolution analogue cameras with high-resolution ones could be very high if the infrastructure and all the coaxial cables also needed to be replaced.
This is where HD-TVI, HD-CVI, and AHD camera become very useful because they can use the same types of coaxial cables as traditional analogue cameras, which means they can help you save money.
That’s just a quick comparison, there are other things to consider, but you can get a general idea that IP is a bit more expensive.
Characteristics of Each Technology
Now is the time to learn more about the individual characteristics of each of the technologies. The comparison is as neutral as possible without supporting either technology.
HD-TVI Technology (High-Definition Transport Video Interface)
Developed by a Japanese company called TechPoint, HD-TVI technology started on the market initially with 720p (HD) and 1080p (Full HD) cameras and recorders.
The Chinese company Hikvision is the largest camera manufacturer that uses this HD-TVI technology with TechPoint chips. Hikvision distributes its products all over the world in different ways, one of them uses the brand and the other is through white label products, where the logo does not appear on the product and third-party companies can put their brand.
The technology was created in 2014 to transmit analogue signals using coaxial cables over distances of up to 500m.
In 2016 Hikvision announced that with the technology improvements in the Turbo HDTVI 3.0 version it would be possible to transmit 720p resolution images at distances up to 1200m and 1080p resolution images up to 800m.
With the new versions of the technology, 4MP and 5MP cameras were made, and then came the cameras with 4K (8MP) resolutions.
Another important feature to mention is that with HD-TVI version 3.0 it is possible to send video and power through the same coaxial cable, a technology known as POC (Power over Coax).
HD-CVI Technology (High-Definition Composite Video Interface)
Launched in 2012 by the Chinese company Dahua, HD-CVI technology hit the market to revolutionize the use of high-resolution analogue cameras.
The first models had 720p and 1080p resolutions. By 2014, the company was already launching the HD-CVI 2.0 version of the technology that continued to advance each year with the release of new products with higher resolutions and the ability to run cables over longer distances.
Dahua manufactures the cameras and also enables the use of the technology by other companies around the world.
In HD-CVI version 3.0, the company announced resolutions up to 4K (8MP) and POC (Power Over Coax) technology, allowing power, data, and video to be sent over conventional coaxial cable.
AHD Technology (Analog High Definition)
Developed by the Korean company Nextchip, AHD technology has brought high-resolution 720p and 1080p analog cameras to the market.
The company supplies its AHD technology chip to major manufacturers such as Hanwha Techwin and other companies around the world.
In the beginning, AHD 1.0 technology allowed the use of 720p resolution cameras. The new AHD 2.0 version introduced 1080p resolution using traditional coaxial cable (RG59) at distances up to 500m.
The developer of this technology claims that AHD has the advantage of better compatibility with systems, but in practice, it doesn’t seem to have any real advantages.
An AHD camera must be connected directly to a traditional monitor with BNC input and display images. However, the displayed image is black and white, and depending on the AHD version, some compatibility issues may occur.
Support for traditional 960H resolution DVRs is also limited as it only works on older version cameras.
It is important to be careful when buying an AHD camera because in the market it is possible to find different nomenclatures such as AHD-L, AHD-M, and AHD-H that represent low, medium, and high resolutions, respectively. An AHD-L camera has a resolution lower than HD; the AHD-M has a resolution of 720p and finally, the AHD-H has a resolution of 1080p.
Conclusion
Many years ago, people were using industrial leading light procedures to capture and record videos. Still, in recent years, people can get the best quality of images and videos with very little available light.
We have compared and informed you about different features of AHD, CVI, and TVI video quality and image-capturing process. Moreover, you could check these cameras’ quality at night and day. Since it is hard for you to make out surveillance details straight, we have mentioned some examples and explained them step by step to make you aware of these remarkable new and innovative security cameras in the UK market. Which one do you prefer the most?
