Axis Communications Q1604 user manual Overlay, Shutter & Gain, Set Shutter to, IR cut filter

AXIS Q1604 Network Camera

Video and Audio

Shutter & Gain

The shutter and gain settings affect the amount of motion blur and noise in the image. To adapt to different lighting, available storage space and bandwidth, it is often necessary to prioritize either low motion blur or low noise. The Axis product allows using different prioritization in normal light and in low light.

Shutter speed is related to the amount of time the shutter is opened and is measured in seconds (s). A slow shutter speed allows more light to reach the sensor and can help produce a brighter image in low light situations. On the other hand, a slow shutter speed can cause moving objects to appear blurry.

Set Shutter to

•Auto to set the shutter speed automatically. If required, use Max shutter to limit the shutter speed to prevent the frame rate from being reduced. For example, to get 30 fps, set Max shutter to 1/30.

•Fixed to use a fixed shutter speed.

Gain, measured in decibel (dB), is the amount of amplification applied to the image. A high gain may provide a better image in low light situations but will increase the amount of image noise.

Set Gain to

•Auto to set the gain automatically. If required, use Max gain to limit the applied gain.

•Fixed to use a fixed gain.

When Shutter and Gain are both set to Auto, it is possible to set the Priority between low motion blur and low noise manually and to use a different Priority in Normal Light and in Low Light.

Example

Consider an area where people or vehicles move during the day, but where there should be no movements during night. To be able to, for example, recognize faces or license plates, move the normal light priority slider toward low motion blur. At nighttime, motion detection is more important than identification. Motion blur is acceptable and since low light can cause a lot of noise, move

the low light priority slider toward low noise.

Example

If storage space or bandwidth is limited, try using a lower gain. This will reduce image noise and produce smaller image files.

IR cut filter

The IR cut filter prevents infrared (IR) light from reaching the image sensor. In poor lighting conditions, for example at night, or when using an IR lamp, set the IR cut filter to Off. This increases light sensitivity and allows the product to “see” infrared light. The image is shown in black and white when the IR cut filter is off.

If using automatic Exposure control, set the IR cut filter to Auto to automatically switch between On and Off according to the lighting conditions.

Overlay

Overlays are used to provide extra information, for example for forensic video analysis or during product installation and configuration. Overlays are superimposed over the video stream.

An overlay text can display the current date and time, or a text string. When using a text string, modifiers can be used to display information such as the current bit rate or the current frame rate. For information about available modifiers, see File Naming &

Date/Time Formats in the online help .

It is also possible to display text when an action rule is triggered, see .

To enable overlays:

1. Go to Video & Audio > Video Stream and select the Image tab.

23