Streaming Networks offers iRecord Covert; an OEM ready, stand-alone, network enabled hybrid digital video recorder for security and surveillance applications, supporting both analog and IP cameras. The iRecord Covert hardware includes analog audio/video (A/V) interfaces, two port Ethernet switch (configurable as a router as well), two USB ports, RS232/RS422/RS485 port, I2C and optocoupler isolated I/O lines. The two USB host ports allow external storage devices of up to 2 TB capacity each to be attached. The RS232 port can be used to connect GPS receiver for data logging such as latitude, longitude and speed to review recording route. The PTZ control can be via the RS232, RS422 or RS485 port. One of the ethernet ports can be used for a network connection (via cellular modems like Sierra Wireless AirLink™ Raven, CradlePoint CTR-500 or any DSL modem) while the other port can be used to connect an IP camera or any other IP enabled device.

iRecord Covert converts any analog camera to an intelligent, high resolution surveillance system. The analog A/V signal from the camera is captured, compressed and stored to an external USB storage media using H.264 video and MP3 audio formats.

When an IP camera is connected to an iRecord Covert, all of its features are retained, and the IP camera can be fully controlled through its own PC/Mac application in a transparent manner. iRecord Covert further adds to the functionality of the IP camera by offering the store and forward A/V stream feature. It records the Motion JPEG video stream of an IP camera along with its audio footage to an external USB storage device connected to iRecord Covert. The stored contents can be streamed in H.264 format, for remote viewing.

iRecord Covert can be operated locally using the front panel switches or remotely, using an internet browser. Authorized users can login to configure and control an iRecord Covert system. Users can watch a live feed or a pre-recorded A/V file, start and stop recording, delete/rename files, download a file or segment of a file. The Pre-view feature of the iRecord Covert application allows a user to identify a segment of  interest, extract it and subsequently download it to a PC /Mac.

iRecord Covert is also a stand-alone player, with standard play back features that allow access to the recorded contents quickly and efficiently for local viewing. iRecord Covert operates just like an analog VCR; the entire recording on the storage media is treated as a virtual tape where multiple digitally recorded files can be seamlessly played and traversed backwards and forwards. The recorded files can also by played by event types, such as motion detection, camera tampering, and audio monitoring. During playback, a video segment of interest can easily be extracted from a recording.

iRecord Covert multiplexes video and audio data using transport stream (TS) protocols. The resultant data can be directly streamed on the internet over TCP or UDP using the streaming feature of the iRecord Covert application. iRecord Covert uses RTMP protocol to stream live or recorded video and audio contents. The A/V data can therefore be viewed by any device supporting Flash player. A proprietary bandwidth adaptation mechanism ensures smooth playback over the internet.

iRecord Covert player offers a powerful search and retrieval function to quickly locate a selected event or a group of events within a specified time period. A ‘jump to time’ feature jumps to the desired point in the file to start playback immediately. The power fail-safe feature of the recorder ensures data loss to be no more than one second.

Several stand-alone iRecord Covert units can form a symmetric, decentralized monitoring system (patent pending) on a network. Each iRecord Covert can access another iRecord Covert for system configuration, monitoring, recording, & playback purposes. In case of remote viewing via PC/Mac, iRecord Covert supports most of the standard web browsers for the purpose. No additional software required. All communication and features used over the network are secured via authentication. Administrator or user accounts can be set-up where limited access and control can be provided in user mode configuration.

iRecord Covert will offer an optional add-on License Plate Recognition (LPR) module. The LPR captures a video frame, localizes the car' number plate, segments and then using OCR technology reads it. Next enhancement of the LPR module will also have the ability to localize and recognize the car occupant’s faces. Since LPR and face recognition has to be performed in real-time, it is impossible to search a large database. One technique being used by Streaming Networks to narrow down the search space for efficient matching, is the use of race, gender, age and other differing facial characteristics.