Ocularis Software Overview

Ocularis Video Management Software Overview

Ocularis Video Screens
Ocularis Video Screens


OnSSi Video Management Software (VMS) is an excellent solution for recording and controlling video from IP cameras.

Ocularis Software is the latest IP-video and security software platform from OnSSI. This flagship Video Management Software (VMS) can manage an unlimited number of IP cameras at multiple sites. It is used in IP camera systems and provides complete control of real time viewing and recorded video. This is a video-centric physical security information management platform that has transformed the way video recording software is used. This new family includes a number of great solutions:

Select the Version: Professional |  Enterprise | Ultimate.

The following legacy products have been replaced by the latest Ocularis:

Ocularis PS |Ocularis IS | Ocularis CS | Ocularis LS | Ocularis ES | Upgrade Path

Other legacy versions of software that supported IP cameras include:  Ocularis DS, NetDVMS, NetDVR and ProSightSMB products.


Ocularis Software Screens
Ocularis Software Screens

Ocularis’ straightforward workflow provides a collaborative environment in which video and alerts from across the organization are converted into meaningful events, for efficient shared handling and building a video-evidence case file.

Ocularis delivers a completely unique level of user experience and functionality. This enterprise level software makes it very easy to control hundreds of IP cameras. It provides recording and video management functionality as well as the management and coordination of physical security and multiple IP Camera systems that are located at different locations on multiple servers.

Designed for multi-site, multi-server security environments, Ocularis adds an integration and management framework around all IP-video and physical security components, which provides functionality above and beyond that of current NVR and VMS systems.

Features and Functions of Video Recording Software

  • AUTOMATIC PUSH VIDEO ALERTING (Blank Screen Monitoring):
    Upon event, a push-video alert of the IP camera that triggered the alert, or any other camera, can be sent to users running the Ocularis Client application. In addition, the alert can be configured to trigger alarms or send notifications to users.
  • FULL-FLEDGED VMS WITH PHYSICAL SECURITY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (PSIM) FUNCTIONALITY
    Ocularis manages video and event data received from cameras connected to multiple recording servers, as well as from physical security, content analytic, environmental detection, transaction and other enterprise systems.
  • DESIGNED FOR INTEGRATION
    Ocularis allows the integration of a host of add-on components via integration tools including Data Link integration events, API commands, contact closure and more. A free Software Development Kit (SDK) is also available for 3rdparty manufacturers to integrate their systems into Ocularis.
  • OPEN-ARCHITECTURE NON-PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY
    Ocularis runs on off-the-shelf PC hardware and supports leading manufacturers’ cameras and devices, and all industry-standard compression formats (MPEG-4, MJPEG, H.264 and MxPEG) and the ONVIF and ONVIF Profile S standards. Ocularis Base and Ocularis Recorders are also fully supported in virtual environments such as VMWare and Microsoft Hyper-V.
  • CAMERA NVR SUPPORT
    Axis and Samsung cameras can be used directly – utilizing the native recording capability of the camera – eliminating the need for a PC-based NVR.
  • OCULARIS MIX & MATCH
    Ocularis allows the use of multiple different recorders under the same Base. This allows users to tailor the system to meet their needs. Ocularis Mix & Match allows an Ultimate user to install Professional and camera NVRs – as well as legacy Ocularis 4.x recorders – in the same system with centralized user and event management.
  • DYNAMIC DATA MANAGEMENT
    Ocularis Ultimate features efficient and dynamic data management with automatic load balancing and no archiving requirements. Multiple storage zones can be configured with storage quotas.
  • PRIORITY CAMERA RECORDING
    Cameras can be prioritized to ensure that critical areas are recorded in the event that disk space is limited.
  • ALARM RECORDING
    Alarm recording, based on motion detection and other inputs, can be configured with different retention policies from standard recording to ensure that critical events are saved.
  • CRITICAL CAMERA FAILOVER
    Ocularis Client features automatic switching of interrupted or disconnected video streams in any live view – including maps and blank screen events – to designated alternate camera streams.
  • CENTRAL MANAGEMENT FOR ALERTING, SHARED EVENT HANDLING, CLIENT ASSET AND USER AUTHORIZATION DATA
    All hardware and system operators are managed by the Ocularis Base, which coordinates all event and alert handling, manages users’ rights to specific cameras and functions system wide (Active Directory supported), and distributes all shared assets.
  • USER AUDIT LOGGING
    All user activity may be logged by enabling auditing in Ocularis Base. An easy-to-use query tool provides easy-to-read, color-coded results and export capability for further investigation and statistical reporting.
  • END-TO-END DATA ENCRYPTION
    Ocularis features encryption of all communication between servers and clients, and also supports HTTPS encryption between devices and recorders.
  • COMPOSITE EVENTS (‘EVENT FUSION’)
    Composite Events are created by linking two camera events or alerts, configured by sequence order, time interval and logical conditioning (e.g. ‘If Door “A” opens, but no motion detection on Camera “N”, within 15 seconds’). Composite Events can be fused with other events to create complex detection scenarios, and assigned priority for push video and handling by Ocularis Client operators.
  • EVENT PRIORITIZATION
    Events can be prioritized from 0-10 with a corresponding color code and can also be assigned customizable audio alerts. Events handling options are configurable as well.
  • SMART CAMERA DRIVERS
    Smart camera drivers for Arecont, Axis, Canon, Hikvision, Interlogix, Northern, Samsung, Sony, and W Box allow the use of new camera models immediately without waiting for a model-specific driver. Ocularis also supports thousands of cameras from dozens of technology partners, and also includes full support for ONVIF and ONVIF Profile S.
  • SERVER-BASED MOTION DETECTION
    Ocularis includes efficient server-based motion detection with multiple regions of interest, each with their own sensitivity and threshold adjustments.
  • AUTOMATIC RECORDER PATCH UPDATES
    Recorder patch updates can be automatically downloaded and applied in Ocularis, keeping the system up-to-date. Administrators may also choose to download and install patches manually.
  • SHARED EVENT HANDLING
    All events generated within the Ocularis system, or detected by external/add-on devices, are entered in a dynamically-updated list, shared among all authorized users. Users are able to access, investigate and handle events directly from a dedicated event handling interface, with an on-map indicator of the camera that triggered the event and dual video panes displaying the recorded event and a live stream. Handled events may be accessed by the administrator for continued handling.
  • INTUITIVE UNIFIED VIDEO CLIENT
    Ocularis Client offers a user-friendly operator interface for both desktop and control room video-wall environments, with only minimal training required for full proficiency. Ocularis Client is also available in a 64-bit version for high video demand environments, supporting a higher number of video streams, as well as 4K and other high resolution cameras.
  • LIVE MONITORING WITH INSTANTANEOUS INVESTIGATION
    While monitoring live video feeds, users can perform basic investigation on individual cameras – playback, digital PTZ and optical PTZ (for PTZ cameras) – without the need to switch to a dedicated investigation mode.
  • EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION TOOLS
    Ocularis Client’s dynamic TimeSlicer™ senses motion in an area and brings the operator right to that video thumbnail in seconds instead of hours or even days. The Kinetic Timeline™ provides fast access to continuous historical data with a backwards and forwards swipe navigation and color codes to help identify recorded video.
  • 360-DEGREE CAMERA DE-WARPING
    Ocularis Client features native de-warping of 360-degree cameras from Bosch, OnCam Grandeye, Samsung, Sentry 360, and Vivotek as well as for cameras equipped with the ImmerVision Panamorph lens. MIXED CONTENT VIEWS Users can select among unlimited views of different sizes (up to 8 x 8 panes), consisting of camera streams, carousels, hotspots, web pages and Blank Screen panes for receiving automatic (on-event) and manual (peer-to-peer) pushvideo alerts.
  • MULTI-LANGUAGE SUPPORT
    Ocularis Client includes support for Arabic-Modern Standard, Chinese (simplified), Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Portuguese,

How to Select the Right Video Recording Software

For more help in selecting the right recording system take a look at Ocularis features and functions. This comparison chart will help you select the right model, but don’t hesitate to contact us for help deciding what’s best for your specific application.

What version is best for you? It depends on your application and objectives as well as the total number of IP cameras you need to support. Some people just want to record the video for later review while others need to be notified of an alarm situation. There is also a version of software for people who require two-way audio and / or need to integrate with IP door access control systems. For help setting your objectives take a look at our white paper Defining the Objectives for Your IP Camera System.

We know that selecting your IP cameras and recording system can be complicated, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance. We have a lot of experience with security and surveillance systems so I’m confident we can be helpful.


Learn more about: More Video Management Software | Buyers Guide for Video Recording Systems


Hardware Required for Video Recording Software

What type of computer do you need to support the video management software? It depends on the number of cameras, resolution of the cameras, frame rate, type of compression, and the length of time you want to store the video.

As you can see it can get complicated so it’s best to contact us for assistance. Just to provide some idea of the computer resources needed, here is an example:

In most cases you can use a Windows computer with

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 or better (if running on a workstation) or Intel® Xeon®, (Dual Core E5 or better) and 16 GB of RAM.

Hard Drives: The size of the hard drives will depend on many factors including the length of time you want to hold the recorded video.

You may require more computer power when running Enterprise and Ultimate software versions.

To determine your computer requirements please contact us, so we can review all the variables that determine the capacity.

Resources for Video Recording Systems

The following resources can be used to help you understand the technology. Contact us for help with your system. Our engineers will make sure you get the exact system you need.

Technical Articles and Application Notes

Buyers guide and comparison chart of Video Management Software compared to NVRs and Cloud video recording services.

Review: What to look for when selecting the software for your IP Cameras.
This white paper starts with your application and then tells you what to look for in the software.

How to select the right IP Software
Why do I need software with my IP camera? All I need is a web browser to view IP network cameras on my PC. I can even control a pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) camera. Well yes, but surveillance usually requires more than just real-time viewing, you also need to store the video, view multiple cameras, be notified about alarms, etc. This article helps you understand the various NVR software products available.

Kintronics Technology Notes Newsletter:

If you would like to receive our technical newsletter, just fill out the contact form.

Technical White-paper:
How to Create the Complete Safety and Security System. This white-paper describes how to make your world safer by integrating IP camera systems, access control and emergency paging systems.

Blogs
There are two blogs. Our technical blog provides up to date technical insights about the technology. Or, for a different slant on the technology, take a look at Virginia’s blog. Virginia makes it easy to understand the technology.

Technical Videos

These videos provide an overview of the IP connected technology. Take a look at our latest video describing the IP camera system components and setting objectives. More…

Technical Support

IP camera recording systems can be complex because they include many different components that have to work together. Kintronics is a resource for engineering and integration of all your security projects. We can design your complete system so don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance.

After purchasing your system we make sure that it works exactly the way you expect. You can contact us for help with your installation and any technical support you may need.

We provide technical support and warranty support. contact us at 1-800-431-1658 or 914-944-3425 whenever you need assistance.