Someone to Watch Over You

The new security and surveillance system at the Department ofVeterans Affairs' John D. Dingell Medical Center in Detroit is a modernmarvel. Wall, N.J.-based Security 2000 designed and installed thecomprehensive system under the watchful eye of Patrick Frederick, themedical center's security systems administrator. Frederick's goal wasto integrate signals with varying specifications from existingsurveillance systems, which were installed throughout the facility,into one efficient and compact monitoring station. To achieve this,Security 2000 chose RGB Spectrum's QuadView display processor.

The QuadView display processor receives four simultaneous RGBinputs. The first input comes from a Vicon digital video recordingsystem comprised of surveillance images from 117 video cameraspositioned throughout the VA facility. The second input is a LockheedMartin intrusion-detection system with visuals depicting thebuilding-wide alarm system, door sensor status, 50-zone motiondetectors, and access control data. The third input is from thebuilding's parking garage access-control system that displays updated,textual access-control activity. The fourth input is computer-generatedgraphics depicting overall system status and alarm reports. The inputscan be NTSC or PAL composite, or S-Video and high-resolution analog RGBup to 1600×1200 pixel resolution.

The QuadView processor combines these signals and outputs them tothe surveillance monitoring station's Zenith 40in. DPDP-40V plasmascreen in Frederick's office. “Previously, my surveillancemonitoring system was comprised of five complete computer systems in myoffice,” says Frederick. Now he can choose from a variety ofdisplay options including the simultaneous viewing of four inputs inquadrants, side-by-side display, full screen display of any singleinput, and 16:9 aspect ratio support. Switching between inputs is cleanand instantaneous, with no loss of sync.

But safety, accessibility, and space savings aren't the onlybenefits. “The RGB Spectrum QuadView enabled us to dramaticallyreduce the monitoring station size into a compact, convenient, andefficient system. The temperature in my office is now a comfortable tendegrees lower.”