OnSSI Ocularis Review

OnSSI's Ocularis is one of the most anticipated product announcements in the video surveillance industry this year. This report examines OnSSI's general product and competitive positioning.

[Jan 2010 update: Read our test results on OnSSI/Ocularis Client Lite and contrast between OnSSI and Milestone.]

The three most significant differentiators of Ocularis are:

• Ease of use: Whereas most IP video surveillance applications are fairly cumbersome, the Ocularis client is very ease to use for the non-expert user typical in security.
• Openness to support 3rd party DVR/NVR/IP Video Surveillance software. Ocularis is designed to work not only with OnSSI's recorders but with other manufacturers. Given that many large organizations need to maintain multiple manufacturer's systems, this provides not only an easy to use client application but a singular application across all video systems.
• Ocularis Client Lite interface is provided at no additional cost for use with OnSSI recorders. Given no increase in cost, this will create a significant advantage.  Using the Ocularis client with other DVR/NVRs will require a modest fee that has not been finalized.

Given that OnSSI, is by sales volume, one of the industry leaders, especially in the mid tier of deployments with dozens to hundreds of cameras, an easier to use UI that can support existing DVRs will increase the level of attractiveness to their core market.

What is Ocularis?

Ocularis is the term OnSSI is using for its entire platform – NVRs, client software, plugins, etc. The most novel aspect of Ocularis is the Ocularis client and is the focus of this report.

If you have not seen Ocularis in person, you should watch the demo below to get an appreciation of the offering:

Ocularis Client
Ocularis Client is an application that your operators and investigators will use to monitor and respond to security events.  It is a thick client, not a web application, and must be installed on each user's PC (typical for video surveillance). Ocularis uses the latest version of Microsoft's graphical subsystem, the Direct 3D. This is important because it allows OnSSI to implement advanced functionalities that are not feasible in the framework that most other vendor's use - WinForms.

Ocularis Client is a separate application and communicates with recorders over an IP network (OnSSI's own recorders or others). It retrieves video from those recorders and then presents them in ways that are novel for video surveillance. Note: OnSSI has not announced what 3rd party recorders they will be supporting.

Having tested the beta (without the touch screen), it was significantly easier to use than other video surveillance client applications. (I have used many client applications and am comfortable with complex UIs.)

Specifically, there are a number of important features:

• Kinetic timeline
• Motion/Time Slicing
• Seamless Playback/Fast Forward: users do not need to switch contexts or stop, they can instantly fast forward or rewind from a single video pane
• Touch Screen

The touch screen (optional) and time slicing features are two of the 'sexiest' elements of the release.  However, specifiers and end users should ensure that

1. In their environment, touch screen is operationally viable. Touch screens require special monitors and users to be in front of screen with relatively clean hands. This will most likely fit for a few dedicated operators in control rooms but may not fit for investigators or part time users.
2. Motion or Time slicing can help quickly identify an incident or suspect. However, if the level of activity is high or the suspect/object of interest is small, viewers may have difficulty finding the target. As such, motion or time slicing are best for looking for large objects (people or cars) in light traffic. Analytic detection rules may also be used but those are limited to pre-defined specific conditions.

Why Choose OnSSI?

The Ocularis Client extends the product portfoilio of OnSSI which consists of a line of IP video surveillance software offerings. To determine if OnSSI is the right choice for your application, one needs to consider the Ocularis Client, OnSSI recorders and, optionally, what 3rd party recorders OnSSI will eventually support.

Compared to most IP video surveillance software providers, OnSSI recorders support a very broad range of IP cameras as well as features, functionalities and 3rd party integrations. OnSSI offers multiple tiers of software levels with various functions at different pricing.

The most relevant and common alternative to OnSSI is Milestone Systems. Milestone XProtect and OnSSI's NVRs look very similar. While neither OnSSI nor Milestone would comment on this matter, it is widely believed that these products are the same or very similar. An examination of Milestone and OnSSI user's manuals show significant portions of the manuals are exactly the same. Since they now sell in the same geographic markets, buyers should consider better understanding this aspect and its implications.

That being noted, Ocularis Client looks to be an important differentiator for OnSSI as Milestone has not announced a similar type of client application. As the number of suppliers in IP Video surveillance software continues to grow and as competitive pressure builds, the Ocularis Client will be a significant advantage in a more crowded market.

The introduction of Ocularis Client, due for general release this month, should provide an important improvement for users who desire (1) better ease of use and (2) a singular interface for existing DVRs.