Camera Introduction

Up to 12 cameras can be configured in TimeZero. TimeZero is compatible with AXIS IP Cameras (fixed or PTZ), AXIS IP converters (single or quad converters), FLIR Cameras (M-Series and PT-Series), Pelco-D cameras, fixed H264 Cameras, and ONVIF Cameras.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please contact us for Pelco-D cameras and ONVIF cameras support. We cannot guarantee that any Pelco-D cameras and ONVIF cameras would work out of the box with TimeZero (especially PTZ cameras). The camera manufacturer may not have implemented all commands that TimeZero needs to control the camera. The only cameras that we can fully support are FLIR and AXIS cameras.

A Pan, Tilt and Zoom camera ("PTZ Camera") can be controlled directly from TimeZero using the AXIS protocol, Pelco-D protocol, FLIR CGI Nexus protocol, and ONVIF Protocol. PTZ cameras that are able to pan 360 degrees and send feedback to TimeZero can be displayed on the chart (field of view) and used for tracking. A camera that is selected to be "Use for Tracking" from the Camera settings page can:

  • Display a cone on the chart representing the field of view (FOV) of the camera

  • Be controlled directly from the chart using the right click menu to move or lock the camera to a position, object or target

  • Be controlled using a standard USB Joystick connected to the computer (USB joystick needs to be activated from the Camera Options and Calibrated)

Note: For TimeZero to recognize a camera as PTZ, it must be capable of physical panning and tilting, as well as providing feedback to the system. “Digital PTZ,” commonly used with fisheye cameras that rely solely on digital zoom, is not supported.

If a camera has PTZ functionality but is not configured for tracking, it will only be possible to control it from the NavData or from the Camera WorkSpace (the field of view displayed on the chart, joystick control, and right click control from the chart are not available).

Virtually any fixed IP camera that supports H264 can be configured in TimeZero and used for Augmented Reality. A PTZ camera is not required for Augmented Reality.

The following chapters will describe how to display and control a camera. Please refer to the Camera Installation Chapter for setup instructions.

Note: If you would like to bring an external display in TimeZero using an HDMI to Ethernet encoder or a USB Video Encoder (DirectShow compatible), do not configure it as a camera source. Rather, configure the external display as a Video Input.