Content-aware computer networking devices with video analytics for reducing video storage and video communication bandwidth requirements of a video surveillance network camera system
Disclosed are systems and methods for reducing video communication bandwidth requirements of a video surveillance network camera system that includes network communication paths between network video cameras producing video streams of scenes observed by the network video cameras and content-aware computer networking devices analyzing by video analytics video visual content of the video streams to provide managed video representing, at specified quality levels, samples of the scenes observed. Distribution of the managed video consumes substantially less network bandwidth than would be consumed by delivery through network communication paths a video stream at the specified quality level in the absence of analysis by the video analytics.
1. A method of reducing video communication bandwidth requirements within a video surveillance camera network, the method comprising:
capturing video content observed by a video surveillance camera;
analyzing the video content using video analytics;
detecting an event of interest in the video content in a portion of each frame in a plurality of frames of the video content;
preparing first and second managed video streams from the video content in response to the video analytics detecting the event of interest, wherein the first managed video stream contains the event of interest and is prepared directly from the captured video content at a first quality level and the second managed video stream is prepared independently from the first managed video stream, directly from the captured video content at a second quality level; and
distributing the first managed video stream to a remote mass storage device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein based on object characteristics and actions recognized from the video content distributing includes determining whether portions of the second managed video stream is to be discarded, contemporaneously forwarded and discarded, contemporaneously forwarded and stored in the local mass storage device, or stored in a local mass storage device and made available for subsequent distribution.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video surveillance camera network includes one or more of a console workstation, the remote mass storage device, a server, a video recorder, and a mobile communications user equipment device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first managed video stream prepared at the first quality level is regularly sampled and archived during a predetermined period.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event of interest comprises an object of interest or an object action of interest.
6. The method of claim 1 , the second managed video stream is prepared by transcoding the first managed video stream from a first bit rate to a second bit rate different from the first bit rate.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event of interest is characterized by a sequence of objects or actions of interest, and wherein the video content comprises pre-analyzed video content previously analyzed by the one or more network devices of the video surveillance camera network to identify at least one object or action of interest in the sequence of objects or actions of interest.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the managed video represents fields of view, and the event of interest includes motion detected within one or more of the fields of view.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the managed video represents fields of view, and the event of interest includes a predefined object appearing within one or more of the fields of view.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the video analytics uses geometric calibration to recognize the predefined object as the predefined object moves within the one or more of the fields of view.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second managed video stream is stored in a local mass storage device of the video surveillance camera network and includes video content that represents and does not represent the event of interest.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more storage devices on the video surveillance camera network include a set of video storage rules including different video retention policies for the first managed video stream and the second managed video stream.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first quality level and the second quality level are different.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first managed video stream is at a higher resolution than the second managed video stream.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distributing includes distributing the second managed video stream to a recipient device, in which the recipient device is a sensor, a router, a switch, a server, or a user equipment device including a user interface configured to display the managed video.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video analytics is performed by a processor within the video surveillance camera.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video analytics is performed by one or more processors within the video surveillance camera network.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second managed video stream is stored in a local storage device and distributed through the at least one or more network communication paths.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first managed video stream is encoded by a first encoder and the second managed video stream is encoded by a second encoder.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first encoder and second encoder encode the first managed video stream and the second managed video stream simultaneously.