Difference Between Analog Camera and IP Camera
This article aims to explain the difference between analog and IP-based cameras in practice.
Analog resolution
In the digital conversion of an analog camera, the maximum resolution you can get is to be limited by video standard:
- The resolution of an analog camera is limited by the video standard (PAL, in Europe) to 4CIF/D1 (704×576 pixels)
- The maximum resolution is equivalent to 0.4 megapixels (0.4 million points / pixels)
IP Camera (megapixels)
An IP camera is not limited by a video standard and can therefore give a megapixel resolution:
- Megapixel cameras have a resolution that exceeds one million dots / pixels
- A standard-megapixel camera has 1.3 megapixels (1280×1024), representing more than 3 times the resolution of an analog camera
- There are IP cameras with higher resolution such as 2.0, 3.1, 5.0, 8.0, 10.0 and 20.0 megapixels.
A common use of a surveillance camera can be to get an overview of a space or parking area. You want to see what goes on in this space, and also have an opportunity to recognize people and vehicles moving here. By making use of analog cameras you can see the status of what is happening in the picture, but when it comes to details, there is little or no chance of recognition:
Using a megapixel IP camera will achieve the same degree of visibility, and also pick up important details: