About video streams

Most video encoders and IP cameras supported by Security Center can generate multiple video streams from the same video source.

When a camera has multiple video streams, you can define different video quality settings for the live monitoring stream and the recording stream. Additional streams can also be configured for other needs, such as low bandwidth for remote access or low resolution versus high resolution streams.

Each video stream is defined by the following settings:

Video quality:
The quality of the video stream, made up of parameters such as image resolution, bit rate, frame rate, and so on, that varies by manufacturer.

The video quality can have multiple configurations for different schedules. Video quality directly affects your bandwidth and archiving disk space.
Stream usage:
The purpose of the video stream, and when it is used: for live video, recordings, and so on.
Network settings:
The specific connection type and multicast address that is configured for the stream, based on the stream's usage and your network configuration.

Automatic stream selection

Displaying high-resolution video requires a lot of CPU power. To display the maximum number of live video streams simultaneously in Security Desk, you should optimize CPU use.

You can configure Security Desk to use Automatic video stream mode. When this mode is selected, Security Desk displays the Low resolution or High resolution stream, depending on the size of the selected canvas tile. The video stream that has an image resolution equal to, or lower than, the display area of the tile is selected.

The video stream also changes dynamically when the user resizes the Security Desk window, or changes the tile pattern.

NOTE: When Automatic mode is selected as the default viewing stream in Security Desk, the High resolution stream is always used when a tile is maximized, or when the digital zoom is in use.

For more information about changing the default live stream in Security Desk, see the Security Center User Guide.