Incorporating a back-illuminated electron-multiplying CCD or EMCCD, a technology previously found only in scientific cameras, the IK-1000 is certain to have a profound influence on the future of video surveillance, extending night-time colour video capabilities to military, aviation, public utility, coastal ports and other high-value asset security applications.

"The IK-1000's low light colour imaging performance is the latest example of Toshiba's rich history of innovation," says Sergio Collazo, National Sales & Marketing Manager of Toshiba Surveillance & IP Video Products Group, a business unit of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Irvine, California. "Colour plays a critical role for law enforcement in identification of a subject, whether it is knowing the colour of a shirt, a car or a skin tone. The IK-1000 helps them achieve this identification like no other camera ever introduced."

The IK-1000's EMCCD sensor amplifies very low light signals above the read noise floor of a CCD, eliminating read noise and rendering the camera "single photon" sensitive for use in overcast starlight conditions. The 1/2-inch CCD (658 x 496) delivers 420 TV line resolution with a maximum sensitivity of 1m lux @ F1.2 or approximately 30 times that of a standard low-light camera. The EMCCD sensor, coupled with the camera's 12 dB gain control function, provides even sharper images in illumination levels at or above moonlight. In fact, the camera operates across the entire light range, from bright sunlight to overcast starlight, making it ideal for 24/7/365 surveillance.

Other key features contributing to the success of the new IK-1000 include: RS-232C camera control, 60 field per second frame rate, 16-area selectable backlight compensation, and compact dimensions (2.3 x 2.3 x 5.2 inches) that makes the camera easy to incorporate virtually anywhere.