Why Are Security Cameras So Low Quality

Last updated: January 5, 2024

In today’s day and age, you can see cameras everywhere you go — even our smartphones have more than one! Aside from being in the information age, people can say we’re also at an observation age. If you think about it, security cameras and surveillance equipment are an ever-present yet often unnoticed part of our lives.

However, there’s something that comes to mind about video security footage. Why is it, despite the technological advancements, that videos from security cameras are always low quality?

A typical CCTV camera footage can be described as grainy, blurry, and always monochromatic.If the primary purpose of security cameras is giving protection against possible criminals, why does it capture things so poorly that people can be unidentifiable unless they come close? This limitation is partly due to the historical development of security cameras. Security camera invention took place in the early 1940s, and the technology has come a long way since then. The older models were designed for basic surveillance purposes, and their image quality was limited by the technology available at the time.

Here are some factors on the performance of security cameras, so you can understand the reason why security footage can’t offer excellent quality.

1. Cost

You get about four cameras and a receiver for a few hundred bucks in your average camera system. With this cost, you can’t expect top-of-the-line cameras. Because they are cheaper, the specifications are not usually the best in class.

2. File Compression

When you think about how long security cameras record, you should remember that it means hours upon endless hours. In many cases, recordings last for weeks before they are transferred, stored, deleted, or overwritten. Because of this, cameras are usually equipped with compressing abilities so that less data space is taken up.

3. Video Resolution

For the same reasons as file compression, video resolution is drastically affected by saving up on storage. If you think about it, a 24-hour recording can amount to 1 TB of video for a basic camera — this won’t be doable for security footage where you need constant recording, saving, transferring, viewing, and reviewing access.

Footage from security cameras might not always be of the best quality, but you cannot deny that they are still critical in keeping your home or property safe. There are factors to consider in ensuring that you get better video quality, or you can always invest in a more expensive yet more technologically advanced security camera system for your needs.

Show More
Back to top button
Close