Analysis Layouts

Analysis layouts are designed to optimize the effectiveness of analyzing footage from different points in time in the process of carrying out an investigation.

There is a selection of predefined analysis layouts in the Analysis Layouts group on the Video Layouts menu.

Click a layout button to select it; the Video tab playback screen switches to the selected layout.

The following are descriptions of the analysis layouts:

The Investigation Layout

The Investigation Layout presents footage snapshots from the selected camera over a selected time period as 16 still images, allowing for a rapid search for changing scenes.

You can select a still image in one of the screens containing content that you wish to investigate. This action prompts another 16 images to appear, each with a shorter time interval between images, allowing you to pinpoint the exact image that best depicts a key moment in the incident.

Click the Investigation button. The Select Start Time for Investigation appears.

Today's date is indicated in blue and the video retention period dates are highlighted.

Select the start time for the investigation (within the video retention period). Click OK. The Select End Time for Investigation dialog appears.

Select the end time and click OK.

On the Operate Investigation Query dialog in the Video tab playback window, click Search. 16 screens, each with a snapshot within the start and end times, appear.

To change the start and end times of the snapshots, use the From and To buttons. Click Search to find the video for the newly selected time.

The Time Backwards and Time Forwards buttons allow you to quickly go backward or forward from the selected time period.

Click a snapshot that you want to investigate. If the video clip associated with the selected snapshot is quite short, it will be played on its screen. If the clip is long, it will divide into 16 segments and a snapshot of each is displayed on each screen.

If you click a snapshot of interest, its corresponding video clip will play.

Click the Step Back button to go to the previous 16 snapshots.

Note: The Investigation Layout works best on fixed cameras or PTZ cameras in fixed positions.

The Quad Investigation Layout

The Quad Investigation Layout presents footage from one camera in four windows, each for a successive specified time period.

Select the start time and end time for the investigation, as described in the previous section.

Once you have selected a time period, video plays on the four screens, equally divided over the specified time period. For example, if you specified a time period of 16 minutes, each window shows footage for four minutes of the time period.

The Motion Search Layout

The Motion Search Layout detects motion in relationship to a previously saved reference image. If no reference image has been saved, Synergy will automatically create one. See Reference Images.htm

You will need the following client configuration settings:

<investigationViewWindowsFileShares>true</investigationViewWindowsFileShares>
<mdAlwaysUseSynavUtilities>false</mdAlwaysUseSynavUtilities>

Note: The Motion Search Layout works best on fixed cameras or PTZ cameras in fixed positions.

Click the Reference Image button in the Video Configuration group on the Video menu. Take a reference image when there is no motion and no view obstruction.

Next, define the area where you want to look for motion occurring.

The following is a screenshot of the controls on the Motion Search Layout.

You must define the criteria for the motion search, including the time period, the camera, the reference image, and the filter.

Define the time period for the search using the From and To buttons (each displays the Select Date dialog).

Select the camera from the Camera drop-down list.

Click the Define Filter button to display the reference image to which you can add search filters (areas of the image to search). The Define Motion Filter dialog appears, displaying the reference image for the camera.

Click Add Filter and draw the area in which you want to search for motion. The filter appears on the image as a red rectangle.

Alternatively, you can select a previously saved filter by clicking the Saved Filters button.

The Blackout Filters button toggles between normal and blackout filters. When an area is covered by a blackout filter, the system ignores it during the motion search.

To save the filter for the camera, click the Save Filter button. When there is a saved filter for the selected camera, it is automatically applied to video when you switch to the Motion Search Layout.

The Remove Filter button removes the last added filter and the Clear All button removes all filters.

Click Ok.

The Sensitivity slider and Scale and Linger fields allow you to specify how motion is measured and at what point of sensitivity you want to register motion detection.

Sensitivity - The level of sensitivity of detection. Default: 0.13

Scale - This determines the size of each detection cell. Bigger cells are faster. Valid values: 8, 16, 32. Default: 16

Linger - How many frames before a missing detection rectangle is removed. Default: 8.

When you have set all the criteria for the search, click the Search button. A thumbnail of each change found is displayed in the window. Click a thumbnail to play it on the layout screen.

This video provides further information on the motion search.

The Alarm Thumbnails Layout

The Alarm Thumbnails Layout allows for a fast review of alarms within a specified time period.

Click the Alarm Thumbnails button. The Video Window switches to the Alarm Thumbnails Layout, as shown in the following screenshot:

Select the From and To timestamps and Alarm for the search. Click the Search button. A thumbnail for each discovered event appears in the Video Window. Click a thumbnail to play it.

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