I read many posts about AI Codec with ABR (sometimes CBR), here my replies / comment...
- AI Codec with ABR (or VBR) is available only on NEWEST firmwares for 5xxx-S3 and TIOC-PRO..
Older ones have only AI Codec with CBR. Also older Full Color cams have only AI Codec with CBR even on latest firmwares.
- All AI Codec are developed to allow to use LOWER BANDWIDTH that in normal static modes..
I use on cameras (5442) mostly AI Codec with ABR with bandwidth set to 4096 and max bandwidth 8192...
I don't think that those mode are developed for pixel pickers who use normally 10-12 mbit/s in CBR 15FPS mode and analyze each pixel on video footage
- All AI Codec increases QUALITY for important elements: humans / vehicles (animals) detected by AI..
This allows to decrease bandwidth - video compressor focuses on important elements (people, cars) using more bandwidth for them at the expense of other elements (roads, grass, trees, walls) that are not as important.
This allows to use LOWER BANDWIDTH that in static modes.. At the cost that grass or trees will have little less priority..
- AI Codec requires that You have working any AI detection (IVS, Video Meta Data etc).
This will not work very well at night at 1/2000s where is only car light/plate visible and IVS/VMD don't work.
- All AI Codec modes allows to bigger bitrate jumps that normal static ones (No Ai Codec) to have better QUALITY for movement.
This is especially visible when You enable any AI Codec in first hour.
Please give minimum one HOUR to camera in any AI Codec mode to stabilize the bandwidth used.
Camera slowly analyze how much bandwidth was used for different elements (I-frame, delta-frames) and slowly optimize those (the changes are done slowly at many minutes frequency).
- ABR - means Average Bit Rate - where camera guarantee that average bitrate generated for 24 hours will be as configured.
This mode allows to BIG jumps in bandwidth used for video / movement quality. If there is big movement / image changes cameras try to have them in better quality by using more bandwidth.
This is much better than classic CBR which uses the same bandwidth for static scenes and scenes where is a lot of movement / change.
As I told higher I use mostly AI Codec with ABR with average bandwidth set to 4096 and max bandwidth to 8192.
Sometimes there are higher/lower values depending of the location. This configuration works very well in normal comercial installations.
- in latest firmwares for 5xxx-S3/TIOC-PRO there are a new third option for AI Codec: VBR.
This is replacement for SmartCodec (which is deprecated). This mode allows to BIGEST possible SAVINGS in bandwidth.
This is done by dynamic I-Frame, which can be 2 seconds or 30 seconds depending what is happening on the video scene.
This mode has a new feature (not available in Smart Codec) called Virtual I-frame which as I understands solves (somehow) problem with long I-frames (known from SmartCodec) - the video feed can be played in apps without waiting up to 30 seconds for next full I-frame.
How it works, I don't know - I didn't tested.. question is what is required to Virtual I-frame to work (newer versions of DMSS, NVR with newest firmware??).