THE use of CCTV systems – standard tools for crime deterrence throughout the world’s commercial and public sectors – has surged in the Middle East, where the financial crisis has not dampened interest in this convenient, unobtrusive and highly-reliable means of surveillance, says Sanyo, a leader in the field of security cameras.
“We can expect even higher global demand for security-purpose CCTV systems as the world continues to experience major economic and geopolitical upheavals,” says Farzan Farooque, product manager – CCTV, Sanyo Gulf.
Sanyo Electric Company intends to leverage its more than 40 years of award-winning CCTV expertise to offer one of the most comprehensive range of CCTV products in the Arab markets.
Sanyo is the maker of the VCC-HD4000P, the world’s first four-megapixel high-definition network CCTV camera. The cutting-edge device was recently named CCTV Product of the Year at the 2009 International Fire and Security Conference (IFSEC) Awards and has been nominated in the Product Innovation category of the 2009 PSI Premier Awards.
The camera, designed for use in critical security situations, offers many advantages, says Farooque.
Elaborating on the main features of the product, he says: “Compared to conventional VGA cameras, the four-megapixel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) achieves a resolution approximately nine times that of a conventional camera, making it possible to cover nine times the monitoring area and hence requiring fewer cameras to cover the area.”
The product also incorporates a high-performance, high-resolution optical 10XAF lens that is full HD compatible. Coupled with a separate digital 16x zoom-in function, the lens can zoom up to 160x maximum.
The VCC-HD4000 has advanced human face detection. The AF function automatically detects and isolates faces to assist the camera’s exposure and auto-focus. In bright sunlight, the appropriate backlight function will operate so that faces will be bright and clear. The camera is capable of detecting up to 32 human faces at a time. Day/Night function is activated automatically so that in sunlight vivid colour images can be captured while at night the camera becomes a high-sensitivity B/W camera. A clipping function is available for up to four VGA-sized sections that can then be displayed in user-selected sequence.
“VCC-HD 4000P incorporates True Dual Codec video compression engines and comes with a built-in SD memory card slot and a USB terminal for local archiving,” he says.
Sanyo’s impressive stable of advanced CCTV cameras includes the award-winning VDC-DP9585P and VDC-DPN9585P Pan-focus cameras, which are dust- and vandal-resistant, come with day and night functions, and have built-in network capability. The company’s speed dome camera currently leads industry in both speed and accuracy. The new VCC-WD8875P wide dynamic camera offers a superior picture quality of 550 TV lines resolution, an advanced wide dynamic range of 65 decibels, high sensitivity, and digital noise reduction capability.
Sanyo also offers a weatherproof zoom camera line, which features day and night functions, dust resistance, and dual power capability.
Sanyo enjoys a five per cent share of the global CCTV market. In the Arab region, the Japanese manufacturer maintains a five to eight per cent share of the UAE and Saudi markets, and a 15 per cent stake in Egypt. Turkey represents the company’s major regional market, with the Istanbul city surveillance system that employs more than 3,000 CCTV cameras constituting its key project.
Extra-low voltage system contractors responsible for the integration and implementation of surveillance systems comprise Sanyo’s major CCTV purchasers.
Demand is particularly high from civil defence, government and financial institutions, high-rise buildings, shopping malls and other environments where extra security and 24-hour monitoring using state-of-the-art technology are considered vital operational components.
An IMS research report predicts that the global surveillance market will surge by more than 10 per cent this year and adds that vendor expansions into growth regions such as the Middle East would lead to even higher gains. Sanyo’s decision to be more actively involved in this segment is in line with its new corporate growth strategy, which focuses on the three key areas of market penetration, market development, and emphasis on core products. Among the major goals of this development framework is to generate up to 30 per cent of the total sales of Sanyo Gulf from the Africa/CIS region within the next three years.
“We plan to firmly establish ourselves in the Middle East’s rapidly growing CCTV market and in the process promote our unique ‘Think Gaia’ (term that encompasses the Blue Planet, Earth, and the infinite variety of life that live and breathe on it) philosophy of creating solutions for a sustainable earth through the synergy of our core technologies. We live in difficult times where tools such as CCTV-based security systems have become essential to both our productivity and peace of mind. We thus intend to further excel and innovate in this thriving field,” concludes Farzan.
Some of the projects where Sanyo cameras are installed include the Dubai Festival City (more than 200 cameras), Ramada Hotel (over 200 cameras), Sheraton Hotel (over 200 cameras), Al Bawadi Mall (more than 200 cameras), all in the UAE. In Saudi Arabia, the Sanyo cameras are installed in Al Rajhi Bank (more than 5,000 cameras) and Inmaa Bank (more than  500 cameras). Istanbul City Surveillance in Turkey (more than  3,000 cameras) and Audi Bank in Egypt (more than  1,500 cameras) are some of the company’s other major projects.