Does IBM Intelligent Video Analytics support multiple video stream formats for a single VMS server?

Answer

Yes. While only one video stream format can be configured in the VMS server definition in IBM Intelligent Video Analytics within the administration client, additional streaming parameters, such as frame rate or resolution, can be configured on a per camera basis in the camera definition. If you want one resolution and frame rate for all cameras that are from the same VMS server, specify the parameters in the VMS server definition.

If you want different resolutions and/or frame rates for different cameras, you can configure the Format field in the VMS server definition without specifying the trailing resolution and frame rate parameters. Then you can configure the resolution and frame rate parameters in the Engine Params field for each camera on the Cameras tab. The value of Engine Params is automatically appended to the URL that is configured in the VMS server definition before the full URL is configured on the Smart Surveillance Engine (SSE).

The following example demonstrates how you can create different URLs for engines that are created for each camera:

VMS Server Format = $protocol://$username:$password@$server/?cam=$camId

Camera 1 Engine Params = &cx=352&cy=240&fps=20

Camera 2 Engine Params = &cx=640&cy=480&fps=15

You can also create multiple camera definitions with the same VMS Camera ID for the same server with different resolutions, which can be applied to different profiles. The general rule is that whatever you configure in the VMS server definition on the Servers tab is server-specific and applies to all cameras on the server. Parameters that are configured in the camera definitions apply only to the specific camera.

For more information, see the following topics in IBM Knowledge Center:

Video stream request URL

Video streaming from the VMS to IBM Intelligent Video Analytics fails

Note: In IBM Intelligent Video Analytics version 1.5 and earlier, the Format parameter on the Servers tab is referred to as the iStream Format parameter in the user interface and related documentation.