IndigoVision Deploys First IP Video Casino Surveillance System In France
One of France's newest casino and entertainment centers in Toulouse has deployed IndigoVision's IP video solution for its security surveillance requirements. The Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse is an exciting 14,000 square meter venue, which includes a 1,200 seat theatre, three restaurants, three bars, 14 gaming tables and 250 slot machines.
"We are pleased to have chosen IndigoVision for the first IP-based surveillance solution in a French casino in 2007," said Steve Dupoizat, the casino's director of security. "The operation of the system has been very impressive."
Dupoizat realized early on that a distributed IP video solution was fundamental to provide the casino complex with a reliable, fault-tolerant and scalable surveillance solution.
"We commissioned a trial of competing IP video vendors led by an independent consultant," he said. "IndigoVision was chosen because of its superior compression technology, excellent video quality and the ease of use of their video management software for both the operators and supervisors."
SPIE Sud-Ouest, IndigoVision's approved partner, installed the 350 camera system, which is controlled using 'Control Center', IndigoVision's Security Management Software (SMS). The software allows operators to view live and recorded video, manage alarms and to quickly search and analyze recorded video for an incident.
"Having quick access to recorded video allows operators to deal efficiently with incidents and disputes," Dupoizat said. "Responsiveness is fundamental to the Casino as we need to respond rapidly to ensure smooth operation of the games."
IndigoVision's advanced compression technology ensures video can be streamed across the network with a guarantee of no dropped frames, whatever the level of motion and activity in the camera scene. This was a fundamental requirement for Groupe Lucien Barrière when choosing the IP video technology. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve.
Redundancy and reliability were another key factor for choosing IndigoVision. Should a camera or recorder fail, the associated gaming tables or slot machines may see their operation compromised. The reliability of IndigoVision's IP video technology has been field-proven in 27 casinos around the world and it incorporates one of the most advanced fault-tolerant recording solutions available. Video from all of the cameras is recorded directly from the network onto 28 primary standalone NVRs. The same video is simultaneously recorded onto 14 secondary windows-based NVR servers as a mirror backup. Three additional standalone NVR units are configured for automatic fail-over, taking over recording from a primary NVR if needed. Video is recorded at full framerate continuously for 28 days on 80 key cameras and for seven days on the rest.
Being a distributed IP video solution has provided the casino with many benefits, not least the ability to locate cameras, NVRs and 'Control Center' workstations at any point on the network. This gives a high-degree of flexibility and eliminates any single point of failure that is often associated with analog/DVR systems. The casino has deployed 7 workstations in the main control room, one in the security room and one on the desk of the Director General. There is no additional cost for this as 'Control Center' software is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware.