Multistream and video preference properties

This topic documents the display properties that are common among video network drivers.
Figure 9.   Examples of multistream and video preferences
Image

How to access the multistream preferences depends on the driver.

  • For Milestone nmilestone video drivers, these properties are part of the Dvr component.
  • For the Milestone xProtect video driver, these properties are part of the X Protect Management Server component.
  • The Axis drivers each have a separate camera component.

You access these properties by right-clicking the component and clicking Views > Property Sheet.

Video/Multistream preferences

Property Value Description
Preferred Background Color read-only Indicates what the chosen background color is.
Background and Foreground Color Chooser
Specifies the background fill color.

Solid opens the Color Chooser window.

Gradient opens the Gradient Editor window.

Image opens the Image Brush Editor window. Click the Browse icon (Image) to open the File Chooser, Ord Chooser, or other method of selecting an image file.

Null indicates no color (white).

Preferred Aspect Ratio (camera video preference) drop-down list (defaults to Standard Definition (1.33:1))
Defines the ratio of the width to the height of the video frame. Options include Inherit from camera (default), Standard Definition, Inherit from Stream, Fit to Screen, etc.

Resolution at the device or network may linked to the video stream options and inherited. In some cases, this may adversely affect the aspect ratio of your streaming video. If video images display distorted, try setting the camera’s Preferred Aspect Ratio to the Standard Definition option.

Preferred Resolution drop-down list (defaults to High)
Specifies the pixel resolution of each transmitted frame. Options are: High, Medium, or Low. The actual pixel values for these three relative settings are defined in the video device.
Preferred Frame Rate drop-down list (defaults to Low)
Defines the speed of the video stream. Options are: Low, Medium, and High. You can configure each rate.
Preferred Compression drop-down list (defaults to Medium)
Specifies a level of compression for use during live video streaming. The video device defines the actual compression values for these relative settings.

Compression reduces bandwidth improving video transmission. Compression relates to resolution. The higher the compression, the lower the bandwidth requirements. However, over-compression may degrade video images.

The video device defines the actual compression values for these relative levels. Higher compression uses less bandwidth but negatively affects image quality.

The underlying video driver interprets these options: None, Low, Medium, or High

Fox Video Stream Preferred (network, DVR and NVR), Preferred Video Stream Fox (camera) or Video Stream Fox (VideoMultistreamPane) drop-down list (for a network component defaults to False and for a child component defaults to Inherit) Refer to a separate topic.
Timestamp Preferred true (default) or false
Configures the camera to record and display (true) a timestamp on the video.
Interframe Timeout hours, minutes, seconds
Defines the maximum amount of time permitted to elapse between frames. A video stream that takes longer than this amount of time to retrieve a video frame needs to be re-established.
Lo Frame Rate (Milestone X Protect driver only) fps (Frames Per Second) Configures the lowest for Preferred Frame Rate.
Med Frame Rate (Milestone X Protect driver only) fps (Frames Per Second) Configures a medium for Preferred Frame Rate.
Hi Frame Rate (Milestone X Protect driver only) fps (Frames Per Second) Configures the highest for Preferred Frame Rate.
Multistream Preferences (Fast, Medium, Slow Speed) Fast, Medium, and Slow These three properties define the resolution settings that are selected under the Video Preferences property. Type in a numeric text string between 0 (slowest) and 15 (fastest) to specify each of the three speeds. These speeds affect the rate of movement for pan, tilt, and zoom functions.