Modifying camera settings in Stratocast™ - Stratocast™

After your device has been added, you can modify the settings of each enrolled device individually.

1. Click Clients and then, from the Number of devices column, click the client account that the device is added to.
2. On the client's Devices page, click the camera and then set the following, as required:

   Name

   The name of your device, as identified on the customer’s Devices page. If there are many devices, enter a name that is easy to recognize and find.

   Time zone

   The time zone that the video unit is installed in.

   Encoder input number

   A read-only field that indicates the video encoder's channel input that an analog camera is connected to. Video encoders are available with either single or multi-channel inputs. This setting only appears for cameras that are connected to video encoders.

   Plan

   The camera plan for your video recordings. For information about camera plans, see www.genetec.com/solutions/all-products/stratocast/overview#Plans. Camera plans apply to cameras, not video encoders. Each camera that is connected to a video encoder can have its own individual plan. As a result, video encoders are billed according to the number of channel inputs that it has. For example, if you add a video encoder that has four channel inputs, you are charged for all four, regardless of whether you are using all four.

   Retention period

   The retention period is the number of days that video recordings are stored in the cloud. When the retention period expires, recordings are deleted. The default period is 7 days. This does not apply to Edge plans, which store video on a NAS or SD card.

   Recording type

   The storage medium (cloud, video unit, or NAS volume) and recording mode (continuous or on motion) for your video recordings. If you choose a recording type for video unit storage (for example, Camera continuous), make sure that your video unit has an SD memory card.

   NOTE: If the Cloud on motion recording type is used and Dual recording is enabled, the following occurs:

   • Video recordings that are triggered when movement occurs are stored in the cloud.
   • Continuous recording is stored on the SD card.

   For sites with limited bandwidth, users can select the Edge Recording plan, so that they can record video from any camera to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, or directly onto the camera’s SD card storage. As video is stored to devices on the local network, no bandwidth is used to record video in the cloud. This plan requires cameras that support NAS devices or Edge Recording.

   On average, a 64GB SD card can typically store more than a month of video. Stratocast™ cannot see the SD card's storage usage, and no defined retention period can be chosen. The camera will record until the card is full and then overwrite the oldest footage.

   Configuration

   A fixed arrangement of video recording settings that might include any combination of the following: resolution, retention period, recording mode, frame rate, and video file size. The recording presets vary depending on the chosen subscription.

   IMPORTANT: The actual frame rate used for your video recordings might not reach the maximum specified in your chosen configuration. Your recordings can attain a frame rate up to the chosen maximum, as required, to preserve image quality.

   Resolution

   The image resolution of your video recordings. The available choices depend on your camera model and your plan.

   Average bit rate

   The average amount of data that is transferred per unit of time (Kilobits per second). Higher configuration presets (resolution, frame rate, and so on) require a higher bitrate to stream video, so it requires more bandwidth. You can refer to this field when planning the Internet connection speed and bandwidth requirements of your recordings.

   Frame rate

   The number of frames per second (fps) that you can obtain when recording video. A high frame rate (10 fps or more) produces fluid video and is essential for accurate motion detection.

   Audio

   The audio mode (Disabled, Enabled for live stream, Enabled for live stream and recordings) for your video recordings.

   • The Enabled for livestream audio option is only available for Axis cameras that support audio when used with the Cloud continuous, Camera continuous, or NAS Continuous recording type.
   • The Enabled for livestream audio and recording option is only available for Axis cameras that support audio when used with the Cloud continuous recording type.

   The sound quality and bandwidth usage vary depending on the camera specification and settings. The audio format is AAC by default.

   IMPORTANT: You must federate the Stratocast™ client account to a Security Center system to ensure that you can listen to live or playback audio through the Security Desk Monitoring page or from Archive search results.

   For information about monitoring cameras with live or playback audio using the Security Desk Monitoring page, see Camera widget.

   Dual recording

   The dual recording mode (Enabled or Disabled) for your video recordings.

   • The Enabled option specifies that recordings are stored in the cloud and on the camera's SD card.
   • The Disabled option specifies that recordings are only stored in the cloud.

   IMPORTANT: Dual recording is enabled by default (and cannot be turned off) for all end user accounts when new Axis cameras are enrolled that have SD cards in the ready state.

   The dual recording option is not available on the Edge plan. Recorded video on the SD card can only be accessed from the camera manufacturer's configuration web page or physically from the SD card.

   NOTE: If you do not want dual recording, contact Stratocast™ support to disable this function for your account.

3. If you are storing video to NAS, you can change the following:

   Network attached storage volume (NAS volume)

   The NAS volume that video unit's recordings are stored onto. Only NAS volumes that are currently not assigned to a camera appear in this list.

   Retention period

   The number of days that the video recordings are stored on the NAS volume. Once the retention period expires or the NAS volume runs out of storage space (whichever comes first), the oldest recordings are overwritten so that you can continue to record on the NAS volume. It is recommended to set a retention period that can be supported by the storage available on the NAS volume.

   Estimated storage usage

   A read-only field that indicates the estimated storage space that is allocated for recordings captured by each camera that is recording onto the NAS volume.The estimated usage is based on the values that you enter for the camera's configuration and resolution, as well as the retention period of the video recordings.

4. To change the advanced image quality settings of the camera, click Show advanced settings, and then change any of the following:

   Recording priority

   The video quality priority for your video recordings. Frame rate maintains the frame rate at the expense of the image quality, whereas Image quality maintains the image quality at the expense of the frame rate. Choose Frame rate when you want fluid video and need to capture accurate motion detection, and choose Image quality when you want to capture sharp video with no loss of detail.

   Image rotation

   The camera’s orientation when installed. If the camera is mounted upside down, select 180⁰ or if it is mounted sideways, you can select 90⁰ or 270⁰.

   Image quality

   A high image quality produces video with sharp details and is essential for accurately recognizing detailed shapes and objects. Higher image quality creates larger video files. Ensure that your network has sufficient bandwidth to support the increased load.

   Key frame interval

   A key frame is a frame that contains a complete image as opposed to a usual frame that only holds information that changed compared to the previous frame. If your network is less reliable, you require a higher key frame rate to recover more quickly from cumulative errors in the video. Frequent key frames require a higher bandwidth. Specify the key frame interval in seconds.

5. Click Save, or navigate back to exit the page and cancel your changes.