BBC Monitoring is an open source news and information publisher that continuously compiles political news, comment and reaction from the world’s press, radio, TV and the internet. The organisation is based in Caversham Park, a historic country house and grounds that have been part of the local landscape for 800 years, and at the nearby Crowsley Park receiving station.

The installation of the IP video system was part of a major security upgrade to Crowsley Park receiving station. The surveillance system at Caversham Park was also updated to provide a complete site-wide IP video solution. In addition to the original security cameras a number of new analogue and Indigovision IP security cameras were added to the system. This included Indigovision’s latest high definition (HD) PTZ and fixed models, which were installed outside in the car parking areas.

“The new digital surveillance system replaced an ageing analogue/DVR system that was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and expand,” explains Mike Lamb, Supervisor - Premises Operations at BBC Monitoring. “We now have a system that delivers excellent video quality with distributed remote monitoring on a flexible platform that can easily be expanded in the future.”

The system is fully distributed allowing video workstations to be located throughout both sites with access to any security camera. This gives the end user a complete remote monitoring capability, all implemented over the existing BBC corporate network. Operators in the control rooms at both sites can now see live feeds from any security camera at either site.

The project is an excellent example of how analogue equipment can be migrated to a full IP video solution, while still maintaining some of the original investment.