HD Witness User Manual

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HD Witness®

User Manual

www.networkoptix.com

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Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 2

HD Witness® Installation and Configuration Guide ................................................................................................. 5

HD Witness Architecture ................................................................................................................................ 5

HD Witness Requirements ............................................................................................................................. 7

List of Supported Camera Vendors ............................................................................................................ 7

Network Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 8

Hardware Requirements .......................................................................................................................... 12

Software Requirements ............................................................................................................................ 14

HD Witness Install Guide (Windows) ........................................................................................................... 15

Obtaining HD Witness .............................................................................................................................. 15

Choosing the Best Installation Configuration ........................................................................................... 15

All-in-one installation ............................................................................................................................... 16

Installing Enterprise Controller and Media Server on one computer ...................................................... 22

Installing Media Server and Connecting it to Existing Enterprise Controller ........................................... 24

Installing Client Only ................................................................................................................................. 25

Upgrading HD Witness or changing installed components ...................................................................... 26

Configuring HD Witness Components after Installation .......................................................................... 28

Starting and Stopping HD Witness Server Components .......................................................................... 30

Uninstalling HD Witness ........................................................................................................................... 31

Working with HD Witness ..................................................................................................................................... 32

Launching and Closing HD Witness Client .................................................................................................... 32

Connecting to Enterprise Controller and Working Offline ........................................................................... 33

Introducing User Roles ................................................................................................................................. 34

HD Witness User Interface Overview ........................................................................................................... 35

Full Screen and Windowed Mode ............................................................................................................ 35

Context Menu ........................................................................................................................................... 36

Tabs .......................................................................................................................................................... 36

Showing and Hiding Side Panels ............................................................................................................... 36

Working with a Resource Tree ................................................................................................................. 37

Search ....................................................................................................................................................... 39

HD Witness Quick Start ................................................................................................................................ 40

Obtaining and Activating HD Witness Licenses ............................................................................................ 41

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Configuring Media Server’s Additional Settings (Admin Only) .................................................................... 43

Configuring Media Server Network Parameters (Admin Only) ................................................................ 44

Configuring Media Server Storages (Admin Only).................................................................................... 45

Deleting Media Server (Admin Only) ........................................................................................................ 46

Configuring Cameras .................................................................................................................................... 47

Opening Camera Settings Dialog .............................................................................................................. 47

Viewing Camera Stream Information ....................................................................................................... 47

Renaming a Camera ................................................................................................................................. 48

Obtaining Camera’s IP and MAC .............................................................................................................. 48

Configuring Camera Authentication (Admin Only) .................................................................................. 49

Configuring Proprietary Camera Parameters ........................................................................................... 49

Setting up Recording Schedule (Admin Only) .......................................................................................... 50

Setting up Motion Mask (Admin Only) ..................................................................................................... 53

Setting Same Parameters for multiple Cameras (Admin Only) ................................................................ 55

Swapping Cameras between Media Servers (Admin Only) ...................................................................... 57

Deleting a Camera (Admin Only) .............................................................................................................. 58

Users Management ...................................................................................................................................... 59

Creating a New User (Admin Only) .......................................................................................................... 59

Changing User Settings ............................................................................................................................. 59

Deleting a User (Admin Only) ................................................................................................................... 59

Configuring Network Connections ............................................................................................................... 60

Configuring Layouts ...................................................................................................................................... 61

Distinguishing Tabs and Layouts .............................................................................................................. 61

Creating a New Layout (Admin Only) ....................................................................................................... 62

Setting up a Layout ................................................................................................................................... 63

Copying Layouts between Users (Admin Only) ........................................................................................ 70

Deleting Layouts (Admin Only) ................................................................................................................. 70

Watching Cameras in HD Witness ................................................................................................................ 71

Opening and Closing Saved Layouts ......................................................................................................... 71

Navigating through Archive and Live ....................................................................................................... 72

Performing Smart Search ......................................................................................................................... 75

Forensic Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 77

Exporting a Recorded Region from a Camera .......................................................................................... 78

Taking a Screenshot .................................................................................................................................. 79

Playing Back Local Files in HD Witness ......................................................................................................... 80

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Local files structure in Resource Tree ...................................................................................................... 80

Configuring Media Folders ....................................................................................................................... 81

Opening Local Files that are Out of Media Folders .................................................................................. 82

Navigating Through Local Files ................................................................................................................. 82

Adjusting Volume while Viewing Local Files ............................................................................................ 82

Screen Recording .......................................................................................................................................... 83

Setting up Screen Recording .................................................................................................................... 84

Performing Screen Recording ................................................................................................................... 85

Troubleshooting and Contacting Support .................................................................................................... 86

Obtaining the Current Network Configuration ........................................................................................ 86

Obtaining System Logs ............................................................................................................................. 86

Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................ 87

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HD Witness® Installation and Configuration Guide

HD Witness Architecture HD Witness consists of the following components:

Enterprise Controller (EC) – the central node in HD Witness that stores data about servers, cameras,

users, layouts, etc.

Media Server - discovers cameras, acquires, records and provides data to clients upon request.

Client – an application that displays data from cameras. It can also be used to configure user accounts,

layouts, cameras and basic media server settings.

Tray Tool (Windows only) – used to configure Enterprise Controller and Media Server. Installed

automatically with server components.

The following diagram represents HD Witness architecture.

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Upon launch, Media Server connects to Enterprise Controller via HTTP (IP address and port – 7001 are used by

default). After Media Server is connected, it automatically registers itself in the EC database. Once registered,

it performs a camera discovery.

Note: Every detected camera is registered in the EC database automatically.

Once the client connects to Enterprise Controller (via HTTP), it will immediately see Media Server and all

cameras in Resource Tree. Now the client can configure server parameters, recording schedule, users, layouts,

etc. This configuration is also stored in the EC database and sent to Media Server automatically.

As Media Server starts recording, it will store information on all recorded video fragments.

If client acquires stream (live from a camera or recorded from archive), it will connect to Media Server directly.

The connection is performed twice:

HTTP. This connection is used by client to acquire recorded video fragments. Both Media Server IP

address and API Port are used (7201 by default, may be changed).

RTSP. This connection is used to acquire a media stream. Both Media Server IP and RTSP Port are used

(7101 by default, may be changed).

Enterprise Controller can host multiple Media Servers. See below for possible scenarios.

Performance: Media Servers are hosting cameras on different subnets. This option may be used to

optimize bandwidth in networks with a higher number of cameras.

Load-balance: Media Servers are hosting cameras on the same subnet. This option may be used to

implement system redundancy.

Combined: one Media Server is hosting cameras on one subnet while the other two Media Servers are

hosting cameras on a different subnet.

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HD Witness Requirements This section provides detailed information on HD Witness requirements as they apply to the following:

Network (ports, bandwidth, camera IP addressing, etc.)

Hardware

Software (Operating System and other programs)

The following section is required prior to installing HD Witness.

List of Supported Camera Vendors

The following camera vendors are supported:

Arecont Vision

Axis

Brickcom

Digital Watchdog

D-Link

IQInvision

ISD

Pulse

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Network Requirements

It is recommended to have two network adapters to run HD Witness:

Public/Intranet: Internet/Intranet access. This NIC can be used to access HD Witness from outside. The

connection should be protected. Not required if all components are installed on the same machine.

Private: Camera network. This NIC should be used for HD Witness Server to access cameras. This

network connection should be completely closed to any outside access.

The following network configurations are possible:

All-In-One. All HD Witness components are installed on the same machine. Public network can be used

for Internet surfing, Intranet access or configuring HD Witness components from the outside. For

standalone systems, public network is not required unless inbound or outbound access for computer is

required.

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Client – Server. The components and server are installed on separate computers. The server uses one

NIC (private) to acquire data from cameras while the second one communicates with clients.

Distributed Installation. Server components and client are installed on different computers. Additional

media servers may be attached to Enterprise Control (EC). Two NICs are also installed on Media Server

2: first-one is used to connect to EC (via Intranet) and the second-one – to connect to the camera

network (Private).

Some operations such as camera configurations require access to a camera web page. If HD Witness client is

installed on a different computer, it will not be able to connect to a private camera network.

In this particular case, it may be required to set up a VPN server on the machine that HD Witness Media Server

is running on. In order to open a camera web page, a user must first establish a VPN connection with HD

Witness Media Server, which will allow for the camera network to be accessible.

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Ports and Firewall Requirements

A firewall is recommended for public network, but must be disabled for private network. If client runs on a

separate machine, the ports used to connect server and clients should be allowed in firewall on both client and

server computers (7001, 7101, and 7201 by default).

Additionally, the HD Witness port should not be in use by any other software program.

HTTP Port for Client/Enterprise Controller communication (7001 by default)

RTSP Port for Client/Media Server communication (7101 by default)

HTTP Port for Client/ Media Server communication (7201 by default)

Requirements for Addressing IP

In order for Media Server to discover and operate cameras properly, the cameras must be located on the same

subnet. Use one of the following options:

Automatic (DHCP)

1. Set up a DHCP server in private (cameras) network.

2. Configure cameras to obtain IP automatically (via DHCP).

Note: even though IP changes are handled properly, the recording will not be performed when a

camera IP is changed (might take up to a minute).

3. Media Server’s IP should be permanent. It is necessary to configure DHCP for manual IP bound to

server’s MAC address.

4. Client IP addresses can also be assigned by DHCP. DHCP server should be installed in public network

as well.

Manual. Cameras’ IP addresses are configured manually.

To configure camera IP settings, use one of the following:

Use a camera manufacture’s proprietary software to discover cameras and change their IP addresses or

switch them to DHCP.

Configure a camera directly from its web page:

1. Use ONVIF discovery tool (http://sourceforge.net/projects/onvifdm/) to obtain a camera IP.

2. Change your network settings to the same subnet (i.e. if a camera’s IP is 169.175.169.100, a user

must setup static address: IP 169.175.169.100 and mask 255.255.255.0).

3. Open the camera web page (http://169.175.169.100).

Please contact the camera manufacturer if you are still experiencing difficulties.

Note: Arecont Vision camera IP addresses are automatically discovered by HD Witness Media Server. IP

conflicts can also be resolved automatically.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/onvifdm/

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Time Synchronization between System Components

HD Witness provides internal time synchronization. It is desirable that clocks on all computers HD Witness is

installed on are synchronized. If not, Media Servers and clients will be synchronized with Enterprise Controller

time automatically.

IMPORTANT: Time Zone is not synchronized in this case. If the computers HD Witness is installed on have

different time zone, HD Witness may work incorrectly.

Bandwidth Requirements

The bandwidth between cameras and server should be doubled to maximize total data rate from all cameras.

The network capacity between client and server should equal to maximum data rate from all viewed cameras.

However, due to a powerful Network Optix RADASS technology (in case of insufficient bandwidth between

client and server), image quality and resolution can be reduced significantly (1/4 or 1/16 resolution with

minimum quality). Note: This does not apply if viewing a single camera in full screen.

RADASS can save up to 90% of bandwidth (this only applies to the cameras that support dual-streaming). The

minimum required bandwidth is 1.5 times the maximum total data rate from a single camera. A gigabit

network connection to the server is still highly recommended.

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Hardware Requirements

Server Hardware Requirements

Memory: At least 2 Gb of Ram is recommended.

Storage:

At least 10 Gb is required for the partition HD Witness is going to be installed on. Recommended

amount of space is based on:

The number of cameras recorded.

Recording Settings (Record Always or Motion Only). Setup per camera.

Recording FPS. Setup per camera.

Remaining time. The application will automatically delete old recordings to create more space on

disk (when memory levels are showing low).

It is highly recommended to install OS along with HD Witness server components on a dedicated

physical hard drive. Video storage should be hosted on a separate drive.

It is recommended to match physical drives to reduce failures. Recommended for system drive RAID 1

and storage drives RAID 5 or 6.

Storage read/write capacity should be at least twice the maximum data rate from all cameras (using

multiple read/write streams).

Servers are recommended to be UPS powered.

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Client Hardware Requirements

Due to a high number of simultaneously viewed video streams, the client computer should be able to decode

several high definition video streams automatically.

Minimum requirements:

Memory: at least 1 Gb

CPU: Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz

Video Card: any except Intel HD3000 (due to its inefficiency to work with client libraries properly). In

case of minimal configuration, the frame rate can be decreased dramatically when viewing two plus

streams. Any animation performed in user interface may experience minor interruptions as well.

Recommended configuration:

Memory: 2+ Gb

CPU: Intel Core i5/i7

Discrete Video Card:

ATI 47xx, 48xx, 57xx,58xx, 67xx, 68xx and higher)

NVidia GeForce: from 88xx generation (2nd digit should be greater than 6 or higher: i.e. 8600, 9700,

270, 460 etc.).

Video driver is required to be updated from the NVidia or ATI site. Microsoft drivers installed by

default are often outdated and do not support all features.

This configuration allows viewing up to 16 streams.

Network Optix RADASS technology allows significant image quality and resolution reduction (1/4 or 1/16

resolution with minimum quality) in case of insufficient computing power on the client side. This does not

apply if viewing a single camera in full screen.

As a result, even minimum requirements may be sufficient. However, any animation may still be running slow.

RADASS is only enabled on cameras that support dual streaming.

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Software Requirements

Operating System Requirements

The following OS are currently supported:

Microsoft Windows family:

Windows XP (SP3 is tested)

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2008 R1

Linux family (server components only): Ubuntu 10.4 and 11.10

Mac OS family (client only): Snow Leopard, Lion

Additional Software Requirements

A user must have administrative rights to install HD Witness.

Automatic updates may cause for the system to restart. It is recommended to turn off all automatic updates

on the server.

Anti-virus software may decrease the speed of data acquiring and processing on the server. It is recommended

to turn off all anti-virus software on the server. If it is not permitted, configure anti-virus software as follows:

Private network should NOT be monitored by anti-virus software.

Storage drives should NOT be scanned by anti-virus software.

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HD Witness Install Guide (Windows)

Obtaining HD Witness

HD Witness can be downloaded from the following URL: http://networkoptix.com/downloads/

In order to install and configure the application, a user must have administrative rights.

Choosing the Best Installation Configuration

According to the “HD Witness Architecture” and “Network Requirements” sections, there are three installation

types:

All-in-one. All HD Witness components are installed on the same computer. This is the most common

and flexible scenario. After the initial installation, the system may be expanded by installing additional

components on other computers and connecting it to the existing Enterprise Controller (similar to

Distributed Installation).

Client – Server. In this configuration, server components and the client are installed on two separate

computers. In this instance, a user should:

Install server components on one computer.

Install the client on another computer and connect it to the server.

Distributed installation. Server components and the client are installed on two separate computers.

Additional media servers can be attached to EC. The following installation steps are required:

Install server components on one computer.

Install server components on every computer used as Media Server and connect it to Enterprise

Controller.

Install client on every computer used as Media Server and connect it to Enterprise Controller.

http://networkoptix.com/downloads/

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All-in-one installation

The All-in-One option installs all HD Witness components. There are two types of an All-in-One installation:

Quick. All components are installed with associated defaults.

Advanced. All component parameters can be adjusted during the installation.

Quick Installation (all-in-one)

Choose this installation type if you want to install all HD Witness components on the same computer without

specifying any parameters.

To do a quick All-in-One installation:

1. Run the installer.

2. Choose Quick Full as installation type.

3. Set up a password for Enterprise Controller. This password will be used every time to connect HD

Witness components to Enterprise Controller:

The installation has been completed.

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All HD Witness components are now installed and the following default parameters will be applied:

Installation Folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Network Optix\HD Witness\ (may be different in x86

systems)

Enterprise Controller parameters:

Port: 7001

Login: admin

Password: specified by the user earlier

Media Server parameters:

IP Address to access EC: 127.0.0.1 or local host

Port to access EC: 7001

Login to access EC: admin

Password to access EC: specified by the user earlier

API Port (HTTP Port for Client): 7201

RTSP Port (Port for Media Traffic): 7101

Recording Folder: C:\HDWitness\

Client Parameters:

IP Address to access EC: 127.0.0.1 (or local host)

Port to access EC: 7001

Login to access EC: admin

Password to access EC: specified by the user earlier

Note. If any of the default ports are busy, the installer will automatically choose the next available port (7002,

7003 etc. for EC, 7202, 7203 for Media Server API Port etc.).

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Custom Installation (all-in-one)

Choose this installation type if all HD Witness components must be installed on the same computer and

specify configuration parameters.

To do a custom All-in-One installation:


2. Choose Advanced as the Installation Type.

3. Choose Install New System:

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4. Choose all components in Product Features.

5. Choose a Destination Folder. To switch from default, click Change and specify the desired folder:

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6. Setup Enterprise Controller parameters:

Port – the port number used to access EC. If the desired port is busy, a warning message will appear.

It is possible to change the portal later if needed. See “Configuring HD Witness Components after

Installation”.

Login/Password – authentication credentials to access EC (login is always admin).

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7. Setup Media Server parameters:

Enterprise Controller – Host, Port, Login and Password used by Media Server to connect to EC. The

previously specified settings are applied (step 6).

RTSP Port – the port number used to access Media Server to obtain media streams.

API Port – the port number used to access Media Server via HTTP to obtain video fragments and any

additional data.

If any of the specified ports are busy, a warning message will appear. It is possible to change these

ports later if needed. See “Configuring HD Witness Components after Installation”.

Recording Folder – the default location for Media Server to store recorded data.

It is possible to set up several recording storages (this can be done directly from the client).

See the “Setting up Storages” section.

The Custom Installation has been completed.

After the installation is finished, all HD Witness components will be installed and the specified configuration

will be applied.

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Installing Enterprise Controller and Media Server on one computer

This installation type is recommended if a user wants to perform any of the following:

Host one or several clients connected from other computers.

Host other Media Server (if Distributed Installation is anticipated).

To install server components only:


2. Choose Advanced as the installation type.

3. Choose Install New System.

4. Disable HD Witness Client component in Product Features:

Note: Enterprise Controller is installed with Media Server automatically.

5. Choose a Destination Folder. To switch from default, click Change and specify the desired folder.

6. Set up Enterprise Controller parameters:

Port – the port number used to access EC. If the specified port is busy, the following warning will

appear:

Note: It is possible to change the port later. See “Configuring HD Witness Components after

Installation”.

Login/Password –authentication credentials to access EC (login is always admin).

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7. Setup Media Server parameters:

Enterprise Controller – Host, Port, Login and Password used by Media Server to connect to EC. The

previously specified settings are applied (step 6).


API Port – the port number used to access Media Server via HTTP to obtain video fragments and/or

any additional data.

If any of the specified ports are busy, the following warning will appear.

Note: It is possible to change the ports later. See “Configuring HD Witness Components after

Installation”.

Recording Folder – the default folder located in Media Server for storing recorded data.

It is possible to set up several recording storages (can be done directly from the client).

See the “Setting up Storages” section.

The installation has been completed.

Once finished, HD Witness server components will be installed and any specified parameters will be applied.

To continue, proceed with the following:

Install the client on every computer HD Witness is running on and connect it to EC.

Install Media Server on every computer to be included in enterprise HD Witness and connect it to EC.

See next sections for step-by-step guidelines.

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Installing Media Server and Connecting it to Existing Enterprise Controller

Choose this installation type if:

Enterprise Controller is already installed.

Or wish to extend the existing HD Witness environment to add a new Media Server for better

redundancy or performance.

To install server components only:



3. Choose Extend Existing System.

4. Disable the HD Witness Client component in Product Features.

5. Choose a Destination Folder. To switch from default, click Change and specify a desired folder.

6. Set up Media Server parameters:

Enterprise Controller – Host, Port, Login and Password used by Media Server to connect to EC. Host

may be specified as IP or Hostname.


API Port – the port number used to access Media Server via HTTP to obtain video fragments and/or

any additional data.

If any of the specified ports are busy, a warning will appear.

Recording Folder – a default folder for Media Server to store recorded data.

It is possible to set up several recording storages (can be done directly from the client).

See “Setting up Storages” section.

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Installing Client Only

This installation type is recommended if:

Enterprise Controller is installed.

A user wish to work offline with local content only (see “Playing Back Local Files”).

To install client only:



3. Choose Install New System.

4. Disable HD Witness Media Server component in Product Features.

5. Choose a Destination Folder. To switch from default, click Change and specify a desired folder.

Upon completion of the installation, a user will be asked for the Enterprise Controller connection credentials.

See the “Connecting to Enterprise Controller” and “Working Offline” sections.

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Upgrading HD Witness or changing installed components

To upgrade HD Witness:

1. Download the current version of HD Witness from the following URL:


2. Launch the installer. It will automatically upgrade the installed components.

To install missing components:

1. Perform one of the following:

Re-launch the installer.

Go to Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs. Right-click on HD Witness and choose Change.

2. Select Change:


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3. Select the desired components:

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Configuring HD Witness Components after Installation

Almost any server component parameters can be reconfigured after installation by using HD Witness Tray

Assistant. It is automatically installed with HD Witness and launched when Windows starts.

Configuring Enterprise Controller

Enterprise Controller should only be reconfigured when changing a port. This only applies when a user needs

to release the current EC port for use by a different program.

To configure Enterprise Controller:

1. Open HD Witness Tray Assistant and select Settings:

2. Choose Enterprise Controller tab, set a desired port number and click OK:

IMPORTANT: At this point, the availability of ports is NOT checked. If the specified port is busy, HD

Witness will not work properly.

3. Click OK to restart EC or Cancel to restart later. The new parameters will activate once EC restarts.

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Configuring Media Server

Media Server should be reconfigured in the following situations:

Enterprise Controller was reconfigured or moved.

It is necessary to connect Media Server to a different Enterprise Controller.

In rare instances when a port needs to be changed. This only applies when a user needs to release the

current RTSP or API port to be used by a different program.

To configure Media Server:

1. Open HD Witness Tray Assistant and select Settings:

2. Choose Media Server settings tab, set desired parameters and click OK:

URL – host and port for EC access. Format: http://$host:$port. Host may be specified as IP or

Hostname. URLs are stored locally. Any previously used URL may be retrieved by clicking next to

the text box.

Login and Password – EC login credentials.

Note: Use Test to check if the current connection parameters are valid. If failed, Media Server will

not work.


API Port – the port number used to access Media Server via HTTP to obtain video fragments and any

additional data.

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IMPORTANT: At this point, the availability of ports is NOT checked. If any of the specified ports are

busy, HD Witness will not work properly.

3. Click OK to restart Media Server. New parameters will activate upon restart.

IMPORTANT: Additional Media Server parameters (name, storages, etc.) can be configured later within the HD

Witness client. Port numbers (RTSP and API) can be configured as well. See “Configuring Media Server’s

Additional Settings (Admin Only)”.

Starting and Stopping HD Witness Server Components

The following options are available to start and stop server components:

HD Witness Tray Assistant

Services

Command Prompt

Task Manager (emergency stop only)

To start/stop server components using Tray Assistant, open Tray Assistant and select Start or Stop.

To start/stop server components as services:

1. Go to Windows Services to locate Network Optix Enterprise Controller and Network Optix Media Server

services.

2. Open the context menu and choose Start/Stop.

To start/stop server components from the command prompt use the following commands:

sc stop vmsappserver – to start Enterprise Controller

sc stop vmsmediaserver – to start Media Server

sc start vmsappserver – to start Enterprise Controller

sc start vmsmediaserver – to start Media Server

To stop server components in case of emergency:

1. Open Windows Task Manager

2. Press Display Processes from All Users

3. Select mediaserver.exe (Media Server) or ecs.exe (Enterprise Controller) and click End Task.

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Uninstalling HD Witness

In order to uninstall HD Witness, proceed with one of the following:

Go to Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs. Right-click on HD Witness and choose Remove.

Launch the installer again and select Remove:

Note: All user settings and the Enterprise Controller database remain after uninstalling the program. In order

to completely remove HD Witness, a user must manually delete the entire HD Witness folder (C:\Program

Files (x86)\Network Optix\HD Witness\).

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Working with HD Witness

Launching and Closing HD Witness Client Different ways to launch the application:

From desktop: HD Witness shortcut icon.

From Start Menu: Start -> Programs -> Network Optix -> HD Witness.

Directly from the installed folder: default is C:\Program Files (x86)\Network Optix\HD

Witness\client.exe

To close the HD Witness client:

Click on the “X” button located in the top right corner.

Go to Main Menu –> Exit (or press Alt+F4).

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Connecting to Enterprise Controller and Working Offline In order to get access to Media Server and cameras, the user needs to be connected to Enterprise Controller.

The connection to Enterprise Controller can be established by pressing the Connect button ( ) or via Main

Menu -> Connect to Server.

Host - IP Address or Hostname of the computer EC is installed on (local host in case of the All-in-One

installation).

Port – IP Port for access to EC (7001 by default).

Login and Password to connect to EC. If connecting for the first time, admin should be used as a login.

Use the same password as specified during the initial installation.

It is possible to use the predefined configurations (Stored Connections) combo box. To configure stored

connections, see “Configuring Network Connections”.

The following icons represent a connection status:

– connected

– disconnected

If client is not connected to Enterprise Controller, a user can only deal with local filenames (see “Playing Back

Local Files in HD Witness”).

If needed to connect to a different EC under a different user, bring up the login window and enter the new EC

coordinates or login credentials. If cancelled, the current user will still be connected to Enterprise Controller.

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Introducing User Roles There are three different roles in HD Witness:

Super Administrator (user with admin login). Unlimited control. This user cannot be deleted.

Administrator. Full control, except:

Change Super Administrator user (admin) settings.

Delete or change own role.

Viewer. Limited control. A viewer can do the following:

Manage users (except for changing own password).

See servers and all cameras. Only the cameras assigned by the administrator are visible.

Configure cameras (setup schedule, motion mask, etc.).

Change predefined layouts (layouts can be changed, but cannot be saved); however, it is possible to

configure and save own layouts based on available resources (assigned cameras and local files).

IMPORTANT. If any action or graphical element described in this document is not available to a specific

user level, the following applies (Admin only).

The following represents a standard flow:

1. Super Administrator creates and configures all necessary layouts for own use.

2. Super Administrator creates several users with a Viewer role.

3. Super Administrator creates and configures all necessary layouts for each Viewer.

4. Each Viewer enters HD Witness and works with pre-assigned layouts and assigned cameras.

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HD Witness User Interface Overview HD Witness User Interface (UI).

Scene (main view). Displays video items from cameras or local files.

Tab Navigator (at the top). It contains main menu, tabs, connect and window buttons.

Playback Control (at the bottom). Used to play back local videos and live streams. See ”Watching

Cameras in HD Witness” and “Playing Back Local Files in HD Witness” sections.

Resource Tree (sliding menu on left). Contains all servers, cameras, local files, users and layouts

available to the current user.

Hints (sliding menu on right). Provides useful tips and hints as they relate to the current view.

Full Screen and Windowed Mode

HD Witness is recommended to be operated in full screen. To toggle full screen or bring the application to a

window mode:

and buttons

Main Menu items (Go to Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreen) or Alt + Enter

Esc

F11 (all side panels will be hidden)

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Context Menu

Context menu shows all available actions as they relate to the selected element. Context menu opens when

right-clicking on the desired element.

Tabs

Tabs are used to make layout navigation easier. Each tab hosts a separate layout. Tabs function very similar to

any Internet browser.

The following actions can be performed with tabs:

Open a new tab:

Tab Navigator’s Context Menu -> New Tab (Ctrl+T)

Main Menu -> New -> Tab

Close a specific tab: tab’s Context Menu -> Close (Ctrl+W)

Close all but a specific tab – tab’s Context Menu -> Close All but This

Change tab order – drag and drop a tab in the desired position

IMPORTANT: A warning will appear every time any changes to a tab are made, suggesting to save the modified

layout(s). See “Saving Layouts”.

If too many tabs are opened, the scrolling arrows will appear:

These arrows can be used to scroll tabs left and right.

Showing and Hiding Side Panels

Side panels are extremely useful; however, in certain cases, a user may want to hide them. The “<”/”>”

buttons show/hide the panels.

Additionally, the left and right sliding menu panels can be pinned:

Pinned: side panels are always visible. If a panel is hidden manually, it will not appear again automatically.

Unpinned: the panel is visible only when the cursor is on. As soon as a user clicks off the panel, the

panel will disappear in less than three seconds. Panel can be reappear if a user points or clicks on the

“>” button.

F11 hides all panels. To undo, press F11 again or use Esc (toggle Fullscreen will also apply if hit Esc).

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Working with a Resource Tree

Resource Tree is a convenient way to display, search and manage resources in the application.

Resource Tree is displayed on the left panel and contains the following elements (see next page):

Servers (admin only) – a list of servers registered in the system. As soon as the server is connected to EC, it will automatically display in the Resource Tree. If the server stops working, it will immediately switch to Offline.

Cameras. As soon as the server is started and connected to EC, it will discover cameras in the network automatically. If a camera does not send any media data for several seconds, it is marked as offline. If the server is offline, all cameras the server is hosting are switched to the offline status automatically. Cameras are displayed under Servers (admin only) and Layouts. If a camera appears in more than one layout, the reference in the main tree becomes duplicated.

Users (admin only).

Layouts (admin only). Contains resources (cameras and local files). Owned by users and displayed under each user.

Local files. Contains:

Video files

Images

Exported video files (see “Exporting a Recorded Region from a Camera”)

Screen Recordings (see “Screen Recording”)

Screenshots (see “Taking a Screenshot”)

If a camera or a local file is placed on the current layout, it will appear bold in the tree.

If a camera or a local file is selected on the current layout, it will have the“>” mark in both server and layout.

If client is not connected to Enterprise Controller, only local filenames are visible.

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The following actions can be performed in Resource Tree:

Expanding/collapsing a tree node

Scrolling (if the tree contains multiple elements)

Multi-Selection. Shift to select multiple items and hold Ctrl to select/deselect items individually.

Drag and drop. An efficient way of organizing and configuring resources in the tree. The next chapters

will explain the drag and drop capabilities.

Search (see next section).

Almost any resource can be renamed in Resource Tree. To rename a resource:

Select the desired resource and click on it again (like Windows Explorer).

Or select the desired resource, right-click for Context Menu and choose Rename (or press F2):

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Search

HD Witness provides fast, powerful and flexible search engine that enables users to locate the desired items

on demand. To perform search, click on the Search tab in Resource Tree next to Resources.

Type any three consecutive characters from a resource name into the box to activate search. Search results

are displayed as follows:

IMPORTANT: Search results will appear on Scene immediately. If the search comes back with more than 24

results, only the first 24 will be displayed. Search results are automatically added to the current scene.

To refine search, use the following tips:

Specify the resource type: Any Type, Video Files, Image Files or Live Cameras.

Use special symbols to combine several search criteria:

“+” – to add a new criteria to the search. Example, “out” + “100” will pull in all files containing “out”

and “100” in file description.

“\” – to avoid files containing certain characters. Example, “out/100” will pull in all files containing

“out”, but no “hdtv”.

All results will disappear from the scene if all previously-typed characters are removed from the search box.

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HD Witness Quick Start This section provides recommendations on system settings for HD Witness to be configured properly.

First, a sufficient number of licenses should be obtained and activated (see “Obtaining and Activating HD

Witness Licenses”).

Then, storages on each Media Server should be configured (see “Configuring Media Server Storages (Admin

Only)”).

All cameras should be properly set up (see “Configuring Cameras”). Also, camera recording should be

configured properly (see “Setting up Recording Schedule (Admin Only)”).

Once completed, it becomes possible to create multiple users, configure layouts and more.

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Obtaining and Activating HD Witness Licenses HD Witness’s license policy is quite simple. A single license allows for recording of one camera only. The

application has no camera count restrictions. An unlimited number of cameras can be connected and viewed

live.

HD Witness comes with four free licenses automatically.

An internet connection is required to obtain licenses (the client computer should be connected to the

Internet).

To activate free licenses:

1. Open Main Menu -> System Settings (or press Ctrl + P).

2. Go to Licenses tab.

3. Click Activate Free License.

To get additional licenses, contact the local HD Witness reseller (or Network Optix customer service at

[email protected]).

To activate a license key over the Internet:

1. Select the Licenses tab in System Settings.

2. Automatic activation via Internet must be selected.

3. Enter the license key in the Serial Key field and press Activate License.

If HD Witness is not connected to Internet, licenses can be activated offline.

mailto:[email protected]

42

To activate a license (free or commercial) offline:

1. Go to Licenses tab in System Settings.

2. Click Manual Activation.

3. Copy Hardware ID and email to [email protected]

Serial Key: paste License key received from reseller (or paste 0000-0000-0000-0001 for free license).

Hardware ID: paste Hardware ID here.

An activation key will be provided upon request.

4. As soon as the activation key is received, proceed with one of the following:

Paste it into the Activation Key field and click Activate License.

Save it as a text file (i.e. key.txt), move to the target computer, browse the file and click OK.

mailto:[email protected]

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Configuring Media Server’s Additional Settings (Admin Only) In addition to the basic Media Server configuration described in the “Configuring Media Server” section, a user

also perform the following:

Change port numbers

Configure storages

To configure Media Server parameters:

1. Open the desired Media Server in Resource Tree.

2. Open server’s Context Menu and choose Server Settings.

The Media Server name can be changed here or as described in “Working with a Resource Tree”.

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Configuring Media Server Network Parameters (Admin Only)

The Media Server ports are specified during the initial installation, which can be later changed in Tray Assistant

if needed. (See “Configuring Media Server”).

Additionally, it is possible to change port numbers directly within the client application:

1. Open server settings.

2. Go to Network.

IP Address indicates the IP of the network interface currently used by Media Server.

3. Set the desired RTSP and API ports and click OK. Media Server should be restarted if ports are

reconfigured.

IMPORTANT: At this point, the availability of ports is NOT checked. If any of the specified ports are

busy, HD Witness will not work properly.

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Configuring Media Server Storages (Admin Only)

HD Witness provides an easy and flexible storage management policy. Each Media Server can use unlimited

number of local and network storages. If more than one storage is used, Media Server will automatically

balance the space consumption. The more free space the storage has, the higher the usage intensity will be.

Important: If using network storage, it is necessary to mount it as local disk (via Samba).

To configure Media Server storages:

1. Open the server settings.

2. Go to Storages:

3. To add a storage, click Add and enter the following parameters:

Path – path to A storage folder on the local or network drive. IMPORTANT: Windows (“\”) symbol

should be changed to UNIX (“/”).

Space Limit – indicates the remaining space left on the target drive. To create more free space,

oldest records should be deleted.

IMPORTANT: Storage should have at least 10 Gb of free space in order to perform recording.

4. To add storage, click Add and enter the following parameters:

The storage structure on the file system is as follows: ./$QUALITY/$MAC/$YYYY/$MM/$DD/$HH, where:

$QUALITY:

hi_quality – full resolution streams

lo_quality – low resolution streams

$MAC – MAC address of the recorded device

$YYYY – Recorded Year

$MM – Recorded Month

$DD – Day

$HH – Hour

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Deleting Media Server (Admin Only)

In certain cases, it may be useful to delete Media Server from the system. Note: a Media Server can only be

deleted if it is offline.

To delete Media Server, locate it in Resource Tree, right-click for Context Menu and select Delete.

IMPORTANT: All cameras that are hosted on this specific server will be deleted as well. Recorded data will be

kept in server’s storages.

If bring Media Server back online it will be registered in EC, finds all cameras and start working. Recorded

archive of the deleted camera will be available in this case. It will be required to perform all storage settings

and configure all discovered cameras again.

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Configuring Cameras It is extremely easy to configure cameras in HD Witness.

The following camera settings are extremely important for the application to work properly:

Recording schedule

Authentication (for cameras the default password has been changed on)

IMPORTANT: Most camera parameters can only be configured by administrator. A viewer can access a

camera configuration, but cannot make any changes.

Opening Camera Settings Dialog

A user can locate Camera Settings from Context Menu.

From Resource Tree:

From Scene:

Viewing Camera Stream Information

This feature may be useful during camera setup to help adjust the desired FPS and bitrate.

To view camera information, drop any camera on Scene and press the “i” icon in the top right corner of the

item:

The following data will appear on the bottom:

Current FPS from camera

Current bitrate from camera

Current stream codec (H264 or MJPEG)

Current time of video playback

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Renaming a Camera

It is recommended to rename same model cameras for easier identification. Cameras can be renamed directly

in the tree menu (See “Working with a Resource Tree”).

Or in camera settings:

Obtaining Camera’s IP and MAC

To obtain camera IP and MAC, open camera settings and select Network:

Note: the fields are non-editable.

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Configuring Camera Authentication (Admin Only)

All cameras come with a predefined login and password combination. HD Witness uses manufacturer’s default

credentials to access a camera.

However, default login and passwords may vary between models/lines or can be changed deliberately, which

prevents HD Witness from accessing cameras and acquiring media stream. As a result, the camera is showing

as Unauthorized ( ) in Resource Tree. The following message will appear if a user tries to view a live stream:

UNAUTHORIZED

Please check authentication information in camera settings.

To setup authorization parameters:

1. Open camera settings and go to Network.

2. Enter Login and Password in the Authentication section and click Apply or OK. To discard changes, click

Cancel.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to configure same authentication credentials for several cameras simultaneously.

See “Setting Same Parameters for multiple Cameras”.

Configuring Proprietary Camera Parameters

All proprietary camera parameters such as PTZ, Day/Night and Bitrate can be configured directly from

camera’s web page.

1. Open camera settings and select Network.

2. Enter authentication parameters if the camera requires authentication (Admin only).

3. Click on Web Page. The browser will open camera’s web page.

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Setting up Recording Schedule (Admin Only)

To record a camera, it is necessary to set up a recording schedule first. Remember, one license records one

camera only. See “Obtaining and Activating HD Witness Licenses”.

Recording schedule specifies the following recording parameters:

Recording Type:

Record Always

Motion Only – records only when motion occurs. Motion Mask may need to be configured (See

“Setting up Motion Mask (Admin Only)”).

Recording FPS

Recording Quality

Note that FPS and Quality recording settings will affect live stream viewing. For example, if 1 FPS and low

quality is set in the recording schedule, HD Witness will stream live as per selected settings even if the camera

is capable of more. If recording is not set, HD Witness will stream live at maximum FPS and quality.

Specific date and time can be set in the recording schedule as well.

Examples:

Workdays 8AM-8PM – record Always, 24 FPS, high quality

Weekends and Workdays 8PM-8AM – record motion only, 10 fps, low quality.

The cameras recorded by Media Servers are marked with a small red circle in Resource Tree:

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To set up recording schedule:

1. Open camera settings and go to Recording:

Viewers are not permitted to make any changes to the recording schedule.

2. Click Enable Recording. Check the number of licenses used. If the number is insufficient, click Get More

Licenses and activate.

Click on Display FPS on Grid and Display Quality on Grid to show/or hide FPS and quality in grid cells.

3. Select a Recording Mode (green, red or black).

To select same values, hold Alt and click on a cell to choose a recording mode, FPS and quality values.

4. If Motion Only mode is selected, adjust the before and after motion time to be recorded (Record Before

and After Motion).

5. Select a recording quality.

6. Select FPS.

IMPORTANT: HD Witness RADASS technology provides a feature that acquires two separate streams

from a camera: high and low resolution. To activate this feature, it is necessary to reduce the recording

FPS. For example, if a camera is able to stream at 30 FPS, it is necessary to set recording FPS to 25. This

means that high resolution stream will be recorded at 25 FPS while the low resolution stream will be

recorded at 5 FPS. The less recording FPS is set, the more low-quality recording FPS will be.

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7. As soon as all the parameters are selected, click on Schedule Grid and time range.

Click and drag to select multiple cells

Click on hour to select an entire column

Click on weekday to select an entire row

Click on the top left corner of Schedule Grid to select all cells

8. Repeat to set another recording for different cells.

9. Click Apply or OK when finished. To discard, changes click Cancel.

In case of insufficient licenses, the following warning will appear:

Enable Recording flag will be disabled; however, all schedule settings will be saved.

Example: Recording Settings view

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Setting up Motion Mask (Admin Only)

Motion Mask represents a region that will not activate motion detection even if motion is occurred. For

example, if a camera is pointed at a parking lot, motion mask should be set on all the surrounding areas that

are not targeted for recording. In this case, any motion appearing in the unrelated to the main target areas,

will not trigger motion detection and recording.

IMPORTANT: Motion Mask feature in HD Witness makes sense if the selected camera supports the Motion

Detection feature.

To set up Motion Mask:

1. Open camera settings and go to Motion:

If red zones appear on the grid, Motion Detection is supported. Red cells indicate a level of motion (the

higher the motion lever, the brighter the cells are).

http://lingvopro.abbyyonline.com/ru/Search/GlossaryItemExtraInfo?text=%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%81%d1%82%d0%be%d1%80%d0%be%d0%bd%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%b9&translation=extraneous&srcLang=ru&destLang=en

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2. Select the desired region for masking:

Click and Drag to select a single region

Ctrl + Click and Drag to add another region

Click to clear all regions

Above: only the area marked in red will capture motion.

3. Click Apply or OK when finished. To discard any changes, click Cancel.

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Setting Same Parameters for multiple Cameras (Admin Only)

In order to simplify the configuration process, HD Witness enables users to apply same parameters to more

than one camera at a time.

The following can be performed as a batch:

Authentication setup

Schedule configuration

To set the same parameters for multiple cameras:

1. Use multi-selection to select desired cameras:

In Resource Tree, hold Ctrl or Shift and click

On Scene – use Ctrl and click

2. Open Context Menu and go to Camera Settings.

If the selected cameras share the same authentication credentials, they will be displayed.

If the selected cameras share the same recording settings, they will be displayed.

If the selected cameras have different Enable recording field values, the field will be displayed as

follows:

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3. Set the desired parameters and click Apply.

If needed, a user can add a camera to the selection by holding the Ctrl button and clicking on the

desired camera in Resource Tree.

To set up another camera(s), select the desired camera in Resource Tree. It is not necessary to close

the settings dialog.

If the changes are not applied, the following warning message will appear:

4. When finished, press OK or Cancel.

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Swapping Cameras between Media Servers (Admin Only)

If too many cameras are used on the network, it may be helpful to set up an additional server for load

balancing and redundancy purposes. If several servers are set up on the same network, it is possible to

perform manual load-balancing.

This is how camera swapping works:

1. First server is connected to EC and starts discovering cameras. As soon as cameras are discovered, they

will appear in the client.

2. Second server is connected to EC and starts discovering cameras. As soon cameras are discovered,

camera MAC addresses are checked. If a camera is registered on another media server, it will not

appear in the client and a “Disabled” flag is set in the database.

3. Once a camera is moved to another server, it will become enabled in the second server and

automatically disables itself in the first one.

IMPORTANT: When moving a camera from one server to another, any archived footage will remain on the

initial server. Camera recording will need to be reset on the new server.

To move camera(s) from one server to another:

1. Hold Ctrl or Shift to select the desired cameras in Resource Tree.

2. Drag and drop the selected cameras to desired server.

IMPORTANT: In order to move a camera from one media server to another, the cameras will need to be

discovered on both servers. If not, the following warning will appear:

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Deleting a Camera (Admin Only)

The camera must be offline (unplugged from the network) to be deleted.

To delete a camera(s):

1. Expand the Media Server hosting the desired server in Resource Tree.

2. Find and select a camera(s).

3. Right-click on Context Menu and choose Delete (or the Delete button on a keyboard).

4. Click Yes to delete.

If a camera is back online, it will start working immediately. Recorded archive will be available as well;

however, a user will need to reconfigure the camera as its settings have been erased.

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Users Management HD Witness provides a simple way to manage users: there are only three roles in the System: Super

Administrator, Administrator and Viewer. See “Introducing User Roles”.

Creating a New User (Admin Only)

To create a user:

Open Main Menu and go to New -> User

Right-click on Users in Resources Tree and choose New.

1. Enter user settings:

Login and Password – user login credentials. IMPORTANT: login and password are case sensitive.

Access Rights – Administrator or Viewer. See “Introducing User Roles” for details.

2. Click OK to create a user.

Once a user is established, any layouts may be created. See “Creating a New Layout”.

Changing User Settings

The following user setting can be changed:

Login (Admin only) – can be changed for all users except Super Administrator (admin). Also a user

cannot change its own login.

Password – can be changed for all users, except Super Administrator (admin). A Viewer can only

change own password.

Role (Admin only) – can be changed for all users, except Super Administrator (admin). Also a user

cannot change its own role.

To change user details:

1. Select any user in Resource Tree, right-click on Context Menu and choose User Settings.

1. Change the desired fields and click OK (or Cancel to close the form).

Deleting a User (Admin Only)

It is possible to delete any user, except Super Administrator. User cannot delete own profile. To delete, locate

the desired user in Resource Tree, right-click for Context Menu and choose Delete.

Note: all associated layouts will be deleted with the user automatically.

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Configuring Network Connections In order to make the login process easier, it is possible to configure predefined connections. Predefined

connections contain all data needed to connect to Enterprise Controller: host, port and login.

To set up predefined connections:

Open Main Menu and go to System Settings -> Connections.

Open Login Dialog and press ” … “ next to Stored Connections:

To add a new stored connection:

1. Click on New Connection and enter the required parameters:

Connection Name – a name that identifies a specific stored connection

Hostname and Port – coordinate access to Enterprise Controller

Admin and Password – user credentials to access Enterprise Controller. Password will not be saved.

It will only be used to test connection.

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2. Click Test Connection. If test is passed, press OK (Cancel will discard all changes).

Then the stored connection can be used on the login dialog:

To change an existing stored connection:

1. Click on the desired record on left. The selected connection parameters will appear.

2. Change desired parameters and click Test Connection.

3. If test is passed, click OK (Cancel will discard all changes).

It is possible to duplicate an existing connection and modify its name and/or other settings (Duplicate

Connection button). This may be useful in creating a separate connection for a new user to access the same

EC: the only settings that will be changed are the connection name and login credentials.

To delete an existing stored connection:

1. Click on the desired record on left. The selected connection parameters will appear.

2. Click Delete Connection.

3. Click OK (Cancel will discard changes).

Configuring Layouts Layouts are a powerful and flexible way to represent data in HD Witness. A layout can contain an unlimited

number of videos: cameras, local videos or images, which are not restricted in terms of location, size or

orientation.

Initially, a layout is created and configured by Administrator. It can then be assigned to Viewers.

IMPORTANT: use Hints (a sliding window on right) to get helpful tips on how to use layouts.

Distinguishing Tabs and Layouts

Each layout can be opened in a separate tab (see “Tabs”). Additionally, a single layout can be opened multiple

times (in several tabs) if needed.

Initially, no layouts are configured. An empty default tab is shown (“New Layout”). If a user tries to configure a

layout in this tab, asterisk will automatically be added to the caption (indicating a layout change). The layout

will stay local.

The layout information is passed to Enterprise Controller once saved (See “Saving Layout”). If a layout is saved

successful, it will be displayed in Resource Tree under the current user.

When closing all layouts, the default empty tab will appear. If the current layout is saved as “New Layout”, the

empty tab next to it will automatically be renamed “New Layout 1”.

All layouts appear automatically once a user logs in.

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Creating a New Layout (Admin Only)

The simplest way to create a new layout is to open a new tab (see “Tabs”). However in this case a layout will

be created locally and no layout will be created on Enterprise Controller: it will be created right after saving.

Viewer cannot create a layout on Enterprise Controller. However he can open a new tab and drag any video

onto a scene. Such layouts cannot be saved and will stay local only.

To create a new layout:

1. Find the user in Resource Tree, right-click on Context Menu and choose New Layout.

2. Enter layout’s name and click OK (Cancel will discard all changes):

3. New layout will be created and displayed in Resource Tree. A new tab will automatically appear:

There are several ways to set up layouts:

Setting up own layouts:

1. Open a new tab, configure a layout and save.

2. Locate own user icon in Resource Tree, create a new layout by right-clicking on Context Menu and

save.

Setting up layouts for other users:

1. Find the desired user in Resource Tree, create a new layout using Context Menu and save.

2. Open a new tab, configure and save the layout, then associate with the desired user (See “Copying

Layouts between Users”).

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Setting up a Layout

This section provides detailed instructions on how to configure layouts.

Adding Items to Layouts

More than one item can be added to a layout simultaneously regardless of their source (live cameras, local

video, images, etc.).

IMPORTANT: Viewers cannot add items to predefined layouts. They can only open and add items to new tabs.

To add an item(s) to a layout:

Double-click on the item in Resource Tree.

Right-click on Context Menu in Resource Tree and select Open. Multiple items can be added by using

Ctrl or Shift buttons.

Drag and drop from Resource Tree.

Ctrl + drag and drop on items Scene – duplicates item(s).To avoid duplication, release Ctrl and hit Esc

while holding a left button on the mouse.

IMPORTANT: hold Ctrl or use a mouse to draw a selection of multiple items on Scene. To select all

items on Scene, use Ctrl + A. Refer to “Selecting items” for more information.

Open local file(s) or folder – they will be added to the current layout (see “Opening Local Files”).

Drag and drop items from Resource Tree.

Ctrl + drag and drop from Scene to Resource Tree – dropped items will automatically be added to a

layout (use multi-selection buttons when selection more than one item). To prevent duplication,

release Ctrl and hit Esc while holding the left mouse button.

The new items will automatically occupy any available space.

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To open items directly in a new tab:

Select desired item(s) from Resource Tree and choose Open in New Tab.

Drag selected item(s) from Resource Tree and drop them onto Tab Navigator.

Ctrl + drag and drop from Scene to Tab Navigator (multi-selection can be applied). To prevent

duplication, release Ctrl and hit Esc while holding the left mouse button.

IMPORTANT: It may be difficult to search and add each item manually. Search may be very useful in

configuring a new layout.

How to configure a layout using search:

1. Create a new layout

2. Enter keywords into the search box. The search results will appear on Scene automatically.

3. By adding or deleting keywords from the search box, the items on Scene will vary.

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Removing Item(s) from Layouts

IMPORTANT: Viewers cannot remove items from predefined layouts. They can only open new tabs and

add/remove items, but cannot save.

To remove item(s) from a layout on Scene:

1. Select desired item(s) on Scene.

2. Proceed with one of the following:

Press .

Right-click on Context Menu and select Remove from Layout (or hit Del).

3. The following message will appear to confirm deletion.

To remove an item(s) from a layout in Resource Tree:

1. Expand users and locate the desired layout in Resource Tree.

2. Select a desired item(s) under the specified layout. Multi-selection can be applied (see “Working with a

Resource Tree”).

3. Open Context Menu and select Remove from Layout (or hit Del).

4. Confirm deletion by clicking OK.

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Adjusting the Layout Look and Feel

Any video manipulation can be performed in the application to customize a layout. It’s recommended to first

make an item selection and configure the look on Scene.

IMPORTANT: Viewer is allowed to perform any operations, except for saving layouts.

Selecting items

Click on an item(s) to select. The selected items will expand on the screen. One more click will bring it back to

normal. Arrow keys may be used to scroll through the items.

To select more than one item:

Click and drag over items with a mouse to draw a selection.

Or hold Ctrl and click on several items. Click again to remove selection. Click without Ctrl to discard the

current selection.

Use Ctrl + A to select all items on Scene.

Click and drag mouse holding Shift to bring the selected items to Scene.

The selected items are outlined with a light blue border.

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Moving and swapping items within a Scene

Scene consists of cells. Each cell contains one item. The aspect ratio of a cell is 4:3.

In order to move an item, click on the item and drag it to a new position (grid cell borders are visible while in

motion). Multiple items can also be moved.

If the desired position is already occupied, the items (if possible) will be swapped.

If swapping is not possible, the target cell will be marked red:

If a bigger item is being replaced by a smaller one, they will swap sizes as well as positions.

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Resizing items within Scene

Resizing items is an easy operation in HD Witness. To resize, select the edge on an item, click and drag the

mouse to resize.

Item is resized according to its proportions, so it can occupy 1, 4, 9 cells etc.

If resizing is possible, the new cells are highlighted in green. If resizing is not possible, the cells will appear red.

In this case the best practice is:

1. Move the entire scene using a right-click drag.

2. Resize an item to occupy the available space.

OR

1. Move the desired item away from the rest of the items

2. Resize the item to occupy the available space.

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Fit In View

This feature allows users to revert the view to maximum in order to view all items conveniently. This can also

be used when zooming or moving the entire Scene.

Fit In View can be performed by double-clicking on any empty space on Scene (or by right-clicking on Context

Menu and selecting Fit in View).

Also Fit In View is performed automatically if:

Change in view mode: window or Fullscreen

Change in HD Witness window size

Change the distance between items

This feature is used when multiple items need to be stitched together or positioned close to each other. A

good example is a panoramic view derived from four individual single-sensor cameras to compose a 180

degree view.

To adjust the distance between items, use Ctrl + mouse wheel.

IMPORTANT: if aspect ratio of an item is not 4:3, the extra space will remain.

Working with Several HD Witness Windows

It is possible to set up layouts on several HD Witness windows in a multi-monitor environment.

To open a new window, click on Main Menu -> New -> Window (or press Ctrl + N).

Also the selected items may be opened in a new window:

1. Select the desired items in Resource Tree or on Scene (multi-selection can be applied).

2. Right-click on Context Menu and select Open in New Window.

Finally, it is possible to drag items from one window to another (only Admin can drag items to predefined

layouts):

1. Select the desired items in Resource Tree or on Scene (multi-selection can be applied).

2. Hold Ctrl and Drag selected items to a new window.

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Saving Layouts (Admin Only)

To retain any changes made to a layout, a user must save a layout. A layout should always be saved in case of

any changes. In this case asterisk is displayed in corresponding Tab and in Resource Tree:

To save a layout:

Open Context Menu by right-clicking on any available space on a Scene and select Save Layout (or

press Ctrl + S). The layout will be saved with the name previously assigned (the Tab’s caption).

Open Context Menu on Scene (on empty space) and select Save Layout As (or press Ctrl + Alt + S). The

layout will be saved as specified by the user:

Find the desired layout in Resource Tree, right-click for Context Menu and select Save Layout.

IMPORTANT: a saved layout is activated immediately (if running on multi-machines, all saved changes to a

layout will reflect on all machines identically).

Refer to “Opening and Closing Saved Layouts” for more information.

Copying Layouts between Users (Admin Only)

To duplicate a layout for another user(s), drag and drop layouts in Resources Tree. The administrator can then

modify the layouts as needed.

Deleting Layouts (Admin Only)

To delete a layout from Resource Tree:

1. Find and select desired layout(s) in Resource Tree.

2. Right-click on Context Menu and choose Delete Layout (or press Del).

3. Accept deletion by clicking on Yes or press Cancel to discard all changes.

If the layout is opened on another computer is deleted, all items will disappear.

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Watching Cameras in HD Witness HD Witness provides a powerful and easy camera playback engine that enables users to find any fragment

quickly, perform forensic analysis, capture screenshots and export video in just a few clicks.

This section provides a detailed description on camera playback. The following operations can be performed

by Viewer.

Opening and Closing Saved Layouts

As a user logs into HD Witness, all existing layouts open in separate tabs automatically. To open a new layout,

find the desired layout in Resource Tree and do one of the following:

Drag it to Scene.

Right-click for Context Menu and select Open Layout (or press Enter).

To open multiple layouts, select the desired layouts in Resource Tree (using multi-selection) and use one of

the following:

Drag selection to Scene.

Right-click Context Menu and choose Open Layouts.

If a tab already contains the specified layout(s) it won’t be opened.

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Navigating through Archive and Live

Pan-Temporal Timeline

Pan-Temporal Timeline is a convenient way to navigate through live and archive footage (below).

The current time is indicated by Position Slider. The very right position indicates that live video is currently

played back. If slider is moved to the left, the playback automatically is switched to archive.

Time Scale is displayed on the bottom of the timeline. It contains marks indicating the time. Time Scale can be

zoomed in and out by a mouse wheel. This is extremely useful when trying to find a particular event navigating

through a long period of time.

Timeline’s color indicators:

Black – empty space (no recording took place in this period of time).

Green – represent recorded fragments.

Red – motion regions. Display if Smart Search is active. See “Performing Smart Search”.

It is possible to only navigate through recorded fragments. If trying to move Position Slider to the black area

(no recording), it will jump to the next available recorded fragment.

If several live cameras are currently displayed those recorded fragments are combined on Time Line.

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Navigating through several cameras synchronously

HD Witness provides a powerful engine that enables users to navigate through multiple cameras: if several

cameras are on displaying on the current layout, they will be played synchronously.

If a user performs seek, fast forward, rewind or frame seek, each camera will be synchronized.

However, recording may be set up differently. If no recording took place over certain periods of time, NO

DATA will appear on the camera view.

It is possible to disable Synchronization (press button). Playback Control will disappear in this case until

any item is selected on the scene. Now the playback will affect the selected item only.

Thus, if Synchronization is disabled, it is possible to seek each camera in different position.

If a user selects a camera item on Scene and presses again, all other cameras will be synchronized with

the selected camera (position and speed will be synchronized).

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Live/Archive Navigation

It is extremely easy to navigate through Live and Archive in HD Witness. Here are some tips and shortcuts.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to only navigate through recorded fragments. Position Slider to the black area will

jump to next available recorded fragment.

Seek to Archive:

Click on any desired position on TimeLine or Time Scale.

Drag Time Slider to the desired position. The picture will be refreshed while dragging

IMPORTANT: Zoom Time Scale using Mouse Wheel for a finer seek.

Go to Live

Press

Move Position Slider to the very right position

Play/Pause: Press or Space

Fast Forward or Rewind:

Press or Ctrl + Right Arrow to increase speed

Press or Ctrl + Left Arrow to increase speed

Available speeds: -16x, -8x, -4x, -2x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x

Available speeds: -2x, -1x, -0.5x, -0.25x, 0x, 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x)

Use Speed Slider: very left position is -16x (-2x), very right one – 16x(2x):

Click on Speed Slider to change speed temporarily and then revert to 1x (0x on pause).

Drag Speed Slider to change speed permanently (or use Mouse Wheel on Speed Slider)

If rewind when on Live, position will be switched to archive.

If fast forward while viewing archive, camera(s) will be switched to live in the very right position.

Previous/Next Frame (Pause Only):

Press or Ctrl + Right Arrow to next frame

Press or Ctrl + Left Arrow to previous frame

Use Mouse Wheel on Speed Slider.

Previous/Next Recorded Fragment:

Press or Ctrl + Right Arrow to next frame

Press or Ctrl + Left Arrow to previous frame

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Performing Smart Search

Smart Search enables a user to perform fast and intuitive motion search.

To perform Smart Search, it is necessary to select the region on the picture where motion should be searched

– HD Witness will show all motion in this region throughout all available archive (scanning through year takes

only a few seconds).

IMPORTANT: Smart Search in HD Witness assumes the selected camera supports the Motion Detection

feature.

To check if Motion Detection is supported, right-click on the camera for Context Menu and select Motion Grid

(or select it and press Alt + G):

If red grid appears, Motion Detection is supported.

IMPORTANT: Motion will not be visible and detected on a region marked as Motion Mask. See “Setting up

Motion Mask (Admin Only)” for details.

To perform a Smart Search: hold Shift, Left Click and Drag to select the region:

Ctrl + Click and Drag to add another region

Click to clear all regions

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As soon as the region is selected, TimeLine is red. Each red fragment indicates recording containing motion in

specified area:

IMPORTANT: Navigation in Timeline is possible by red fragments only.

To hide Motion Grid, right-click on the desired item for Context Menu and select Hide Motion Grid (or select it

and press Alt + G).

To disable Smart Search just clear all regions in motion grid.

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Forensic Analysis

HD Witness provides wide number of features for forensic analysis of recorded streams. This section explains

how to perform forensic analysis in the application.

Fullscreen

In order to perform forensic analysis, it is recommended to switch to Fullscreen.

To toggle Fullscreen, proceed with one of the following:

Double Click on the desired item on Scene.

Right-click for Context Menu and select Maximize Item/Restore Item (or press Enter).

If several live cameras are currently displayed, those recorded fragments are combined on Timeline. If a user

switches the item to Fullscreen, only recorded fragments related to selected item will be visible.

Zoom

Zoom is extremely useful when working with high-resolution cameras. It is possible to zoom in on a single item

in Fullscreen or whole layout if needed.

To zoom in/out, use a mouse wheel or “+”/”-” keys. Zoom will be performed to a current cursor position.

To restore the initial size of an item, Double Click.

Rotate

To rotate an item: hold Alt, Left Click and Drag mouse. Release when finished.

To perform coarse rotation: hold Alt + Ctrl, Left Click and Drag mouse. Release when finished.

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Exporting a Recorded Region from a Camera

HD Witness supports exporting of a wide range of media formats – Matroska (mkv). This format is supported

by every player (additional codecs may be needed for playback). Export can be done even for local video files.

To export:

1. Select the desired camera.

2. Open Context Menu on Time Scale and select Select Range.

3. Seek to a start position, hold Shift and Click on the desired position.

4. Seek to an end position, hold Shift and Click on the desired position. The exported region will be

displayed in grey color on Time Scale.

To make zooming easier, navigate through Timeline using a mouse wheel.

5. Right-click for Context Menu and choose Export Selected Range:

6. Choose the desired file name and location and click Save (Cancel will close the dialog and any exported

data will not be saved):

It is possible to perform standard files and folders operations in this form (like in Windows Explorer).

As soon as export is finished, the video will be available in local files:

IMPORTANT: this resource will be available until restart of the client. To make it available permanently, save

the exported video to HD Witness Media Folder (see “Configuring Media Folders”).

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Taking a Screenshot

Screenshot can be taken both from cameras and local files. Png and Jpg are supported as output formats.

To take screenshot from a video:

1. Select the desired item.

2. Seek to the desired position (frame seek will help).

3. Invoke Context Menu and choose Take Screenshot (or use Alt + S).

4. Choose the desired file name and location and click Save (Cancel will close the dialog and data will not

be saved):


After saving the screenshot will be available in local files:



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Playing Back Local Files in HD Witness In addition to powerful camera playback engine HD Witness can act as media center: it can play back almost

any file. Any codec and any container are supported.

Additionally it is possible to export fragments from video files and to take screenshots.

Local files structure in Resource Tree

All local files are displayed in Resource Tree under the Local node. Those are:

Files containing in HD Witness Media Folders (see “Configuring Media Folders”).

Local files that were recently opened (see “Opening Local Files that are Out of Media Folders”)

Exported files (see “Exporting a Recorded Region from a Camera”)

Screenshots (see “Taking a Screenshot”)

Screen Recordings (see “Performing Screen Recording”).

IMPORTANT: All files except ones in media folders are displayed in Resource Tree until HD Witness is

restarted.

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Configuring Media Folders

When HD Witness starts it automatically performs indexing of local media folders in order to find and display

local files in Resource Tree. By default current user’s video folder (C:\Users\$User\Videos) is configured as

media folder.

It is possible to configure unlimited number of media folders. To do so:

1. Open Main Menu and choose System Settings.

2. If needed to change main media folder, click Browse and choose the desired path for it.

3. Configure Extra Media Folders:

To add extra media folder click Add… and choose the desired path.


To delete extra media folder select it in the list and click Remove.

4. Click OK when finished (or Cancel to discard changes).

As soon as media folders are configured HD Witness should be restarted. Then files from the specified media

folders will be visible in Resources Tree (under the Local node). It is possible to place it in a layout as cameras.

Search is also available for local files.

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Opening Local Files that are Out of Media Folders

It is possible to open local files that are Out of Media Folders and thus are not visible in Resource Tree.

To do so do one of the following:

Drag-n-drop one or several video files from Windows Explorer to HD Witness window.

Drag-n-drop a folder containing video files from Windows Explorer to HD Witness window.

Open Main Menu and choose Open -> File(s)… (or use Ctrl + O) then choose the file(s) to be opened

Open Main Menu and choose Open -> Folder… then choose a folder to be opened

Invoke Context Menu on the Scene (on empty space) and choose Open -> File(s)… (or use Ctrl + O) then

choose the file(s) to be opened

Invoke Context Menu on the Scene (on empty space) and choose Open -> Folder… then choose a folder

to be opened

Opened files will be shown in Resource Tree until HD Witness is restarted.

IMPORTANT: some video files may contain 5.1 sound stream. In order to play back those files on stereo

speakers: open Main Menu and choose System Settings then check Downmix Audio from 5.1 to 2.1 channels.

After restart the sound will be played correctly.

Navigating Through Local Files

Navigation through local files is almost identical to navigation through camera archive except:

All items are not synchronized (Sync is always disabled).

No Live for local files.

Time Line is not colored (no recorded or motion regions). and buttons move position to the

beginning or to the end of the file.

All other operations (seek, play, pause, ff/rew, etc.) are described in details in “Live/Archive Navigation”.

IMPORTANT: If Scene contains both live cameras and local files, live cameras are played back synchronously

and local files – independently.

Adjusting Volume while Viewing Local Files

If several local files are opened simultaneously no sound is played. In order to hear a sound from a video it is

necessary to select it.

Additionally it is possible to adjust volume by the following ways:

Using Volume Slider (at the right). It is also possible to use Mouse Wheel above the slider or use (Ctrl +

Up/Down)

Use button or use “P” key to mute/unmute.

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Screen Recording This feature is extremely useful to performing live presentations in HD Witness. It is possible to record from

several displays, record sound along with video, choose different quality etc.

Screen is recorded in the following format:

Video: x264

Audio: Stereo (Lame)

Container: MPEG 2 Transport Stream (TS)

IMPORTANT: it is necessary to have powerful processor and discrete video adapter to do screen recording.

See recommended configuration in “Client Hardware Requirements”.

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Setting up Screen Recording

To set up Screen Recording:

1. Open Main Menu and choose System Settings.

2. Go to Screen Recording tab.

3. Configure Screen Recording parameters:

Select Screen to capture: if having several displays it is possible to choose which-one will be

captured.

Capture mode: Fullscreen or HD Witness Window.

Disable Aero – choose this option to enhance performance. If chosen, once Screen Recording is in

progress, Windows Aero will be turned off.

Capture Cursor – tick this checkbox if mouse cursor needs to be shown during recording.

Resolution – select the resolution of screen capture. The less the resolution is the more performance

is enhanced.

Encoder Quality – select Performance for best performance select Best for best quality.

Primary device and Secondary device – select sound devices to grab audio from. Audio will be mixed

down from both devices. Best practice is select master out of the sound card as primary and

microphone as secondary. In this case both sound from HD Witness (i.e. video clips) and from

microphone will be recorded together:

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Performing Screen Recording

To do Screen Recording:

1. Do one of the following:

Open Main Menu and choose Start Screen Recording (or press Alt + R).

Invoke Context Menu on the Scene (on empty space) and choose Start Screen Recording

2. Screen recording will start in 3 seconds.

3. When finished do one of the following:

Open Main Menu and choose Stop Screen Recording (or press Alt + R).

Invoke Context Menu on the Scene (on empty space) and choose Stop Screen Recording

4. Choose the desired file name and location and click Save (Cancel will close the dialog and data will not

be saved):


As soon as file is saved it will be available in local files:



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Troubleshooting and Contacting Support To contact support use the following link:

https://networkoptix.zendesk.com/home

If posting an issue it is necessary to describe the problem as detailed as possible. It may be useful to provide

additional information such as: log files, network configuration etc.

Obtaining the Current Network Configuration

The information about network configuration can be useful if experiencing problems. In such case this

information may be needed by HD Witness Support.

This information can be acquired by standard Windows tools (i.e.) ipconfig, but HD Witness provides much

more simple and intuitive way.

To obtain network configuration open Main Menu and choose System Settings. Network configuration is

displayed in Network Interfaces section:

Obtaining System Logs

It is useful to always keep logs for all HD Witness components. Additionally you can make a simple script for

logs archiving and rotation.

HD Witness logs are stored in the following paths:

Client: ($USER\AppData\Local\Network Optix\Network Optix HD Witness Client\log)

Enterprise Controller and Media Server: to obtain log file locations do the following:

1. Open Tray Tool (see “Configuring HD Witness Components after Installation”) and select Show Network

Optix Media Server Log or Show Enterprise Controller Log (The selected log file will be opened in

Windows Notepad):

2. Choose File -> Save as… in Windows Notepad. Current location if the log file will be displayed there:

It is possible to manually copy text from Notepad and paste id to file.

https://networkoptix.zendesk.com/home

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Glossary Administrator – user that can configure HD Witness.

Aspect Ratio (AR) – Ratio of Height and Width of a video. Most commonly used are: 4:3 and 16:9

API Port (Media Server HTTP Port) – the port is used by Media Server to process requests for recorded

fragments and other internal data from HD Witness Client.

Bitrate – amount of bytes per second. It is used to measure video stream.

Codec – video or audio compression that is used.

FPS – Frames per Second. It is used to measure video stream.

HD Witness Server Components – HD Witness Media Server and Enterprise Controller.

Item – video or image on Scene.

Layout – the saved video items and their position size and orientation. It is used to present surveillance

information to HD Witness user.

Motion Detection – feature that indicates if the motion occurred in a camera’s viewing zone.

Motion Mask – the area in viewing zone that will not trigger Motion Detection.

OS – Operating System.

Private (cameras) Network – the network used to transmit data from cameras to Media Server. It is not

accessible from outside.

Public (Intranet) Network – the network used to connect to Media Server from outside. It can be used either

for connecting Media Server to Enterprise Controller or to configure Server Components. It may or may not be

connected to the Internet.

Resources – cameras, Media Servers, local video files, users and layouts.

RTSP Port – the port is used by Media Server to process requests for media streams from HD Witness Client.

Server – the computer HD Witness Media server is installed on.

Super Administrator – initial user that is allowed to do everything in HD Witness (his login is admin). It cannot

be deleted.

URL - uniform resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet/Intranet

resource. It is used to establish connection to Enterprise Controller.

Viewer – user that can do a limited number of actions in HD Witness (usually he is not allowed to change

configuration).

HD Witness User Manual

Documents

Transcript of HD Witness User Manual