H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10 (Advanced Video Coding) is an industry standard for video compression, this is the process of converting digital video into a format that can achieve very high data compression. So far Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 part 2 are the compression standards that are widely used in surveillance industry. With the use of H.264 video compression codec, surveillance industry could see a drastic change in the way CCTV systems are used. With the use of H.264 video compression codec surveillance equipment could see itself taking a major leap in terms of usage of storage space, better image quality and transmission of video.

Video compression codec H.264 involves encoding and decoding processes. The video encoder performs the process of encoding and transforming the video to H.264 bit stream and in turn the decoder decodes the bit stream and delivers the original content. If you are interested in complete process of how H.264 works please visit the resources listed below. The whole process is very accurate and reduces storage space by more than 50% without compromising on the image quality when compared to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 Part 2. It also delivers same quality if not better images per bit rate when compared to MotionJPEG/MPEG-4 Part 2.

By using the video encoders which support H.264, an analog system can be integrated into more efficient and powerful IP based video surveillance system. This enables the system to deliver better image quality with higher resolutions, frame rates and multiple streaming capabilities, decreased bandwidth and storage requirements. Video analytical applications can be used with the converted video increasing effective usage and management of large-scale video systems such as big shopping malls etc. The use of H.264 modeled systems will have a greater advantage in surveillance industry in the near future and will encourage the use of Megapixel cameras whose biggest challenges are requirement of large storage space and huge usage of network bandwidth.