LPR / Security Cam duty

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,549
Location
USA
I suggest you uncheck auto update. If the camera is working fine for your situation, no sense having the camera do an update and then screw everything up potentially. A lot of times an update introduces a new bug. I only update if the firmware is known to fix an issue I was having.
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
If I zoom in more I would of course lose the incoming lane which is the one, if I had to pick, would focus on. I.e., I would need to shift the camera lens left a bit and zoom and just concentrate on that. Just seems odd to me it won't pick up that plate in B/W.
 

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,549
Location
USA
For some reason I am not seeing the videos.

But what I suspect is at the zoom you are at trying to get three lanes, B/W during the day is hard because of contrast issues.

You could probably bump up the shutter even faster - try 1/10,000 and see if that adds some clarity for the daytime B/W.

But if you can read the plates in color at 3 wide, then I would go with color during the day and B/W at night.

Performance in B/W during day is way different than performance at night with B/W. Contrast, brightness, etc. is way different for day settings B/W than at night B/W.

If you plan to run color during the day, then the only reason to do B/W during the day right now is to get the focus number. Everything else is irrelevant in the settings. You save adjusting the settings for at nighttime.

I could read my plates during the day in B/W but they really pop when I went to color during the day. The daytime versus nightime B/W of plate reading are literally night and day. During the day in B/W - you see a lot of stuff in the image at various shades of grey. At night, the plate pops off the screen as all you pretty much see is the plate and the IR really illuminates the plate.
 

biggen

Known around here
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
2,539
Reaction score
2,765
It may pick them up in B/W during the day if the zoom was tighter but, you're right, that isn’t working.

Run it in color at day and switch to b/w at night. You color images from yesterday looked good.
 

biggen

Known around here
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
2,539
Reaction score
2,765
Color looks good. I assume oncoming traffic can also go right at that Stop. Can you get enough of the plate before they take a right?
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
Color looks good. I assume oncoming traffic can also go right at that Stop. Can you get enough of the plate before they take a right?
No, would have to capture the plate about 20 to 30 meters before they make the right, which is why I'm thinking about "giving up" on 3 lanes! Actually in Color I think it's okay as you an see in the video below?

Strangely, I set up the Plate Recognizer for ALPR (free service) in BI, but it has only captured 1 plate since yesterday?
 
Last edited:

biggen

Known around here
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
2,539
Reaction score
2,765
You do kinda catch them before they hang a right. The answer here is two cameras :)

I think you just need to continue to experiment for a while and see if you are getting good enough coverage. If you find it lacking I'd just choose one lane and move on.
 

looney2ns

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
15,521
Reaction score
22,657
Location
Evansville, In. USA
Strangely I get a "Save Failed" when I try to set that parameter at anything other than blank and save it.
Where did you get that firmware.
Be sure that you completed a factory reset to defaults after the updates.
As others have said, if it's not broke, don't fix it.
Your two night videos you posted above appear to have very low frame rates. Like 2-3fps. That won't work for plates.
 
Last edited:

looney2ns

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
15,521
Reaction score
22,657
Location
Evansville, In. USA
I suggest you uncheck auto update. If the camera is working fine for your situation, no sense having the camera do an update and then screw everything up potentially. A lot of times an update introduces a new bug. I only update if the firmware is known to fix an issue I was having.
I've never seen the autoupdate actually work.
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
Where did you get that firmware.
Be sure that you completed a factory reset to defaults after the updates.
As others have said, if it's not broke, don't fix it.
Your two night videos you posted above appear to have very low frame rates. Like 2-3fps. That won't work for plates.
FPS was set at 5, think that's what someone was recommending in another thread so tried it out.

Andy sent it to me.


 

biggen

Known around here
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
2,539
Reaction score
2,765
That's why I asked earlier for you to post your video settings. ;)
 

coney27

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Messages
450
Reaction score
361
Location
USA
FPS should be set at atleast 30fps. Ideally 60fps.
Thats more than likely why your not getting at plates read.
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
Thanks, will adjust, I think in that larger z12E thread it started with the individual saying 5FPS was "enough" for plate captures! Will adjust to 60.

Edit: Actually, 30 FPS seems to be the max?

Also, what are folks doing with this section?

1593396887532.png
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
Current video settings, anything look off?

1593397004310.png
 

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,549
Location
USA
Lot's of different answers on FPS - comes down to each situation and what works. I run 6 FPS on what I think is way less than ideal angles and get them just fine. I use VBR as well but I know others haven't had success with that and run CBR. These two settings save on storage space.

I run IR on manual 100% to get as much IR to the plate as possible. I figure the more the better at the shutter speed we run.

Unless you need the watermark, I would take it off.
 

pbc

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
156
Thanks 100 on Far Light, or both Far and Near?
 
Top