Camera resolution - comparison between 1.3MP, 2MP, 3MP, 5MP
Video surveillance is moving toward megapixel resolution for HD video monitoring. Today, you can find wide selection of megapixel resolution cameras which adopting analog technology or digital IP technology. Currently, the megapixel resolution format including 1.3 megapixel, 2 megapixel, and 3 megapixel, as well as 5 megapixel, 6 megapixel. Herein we are pleased to provide some basic information about the different resolution format.
What's the resolution?
In conventional analog technology, Television line (TVL) is the the main specification for analog cameras. It indicates how many effective pixels the camera can deliver.
NTSC: 700 TVL = 976(Horizontal) x 494(Vertical) = Approx. 480K pixels
PAL: 700 TVL = 976(Horizontal) x 582(Vertical) = Approx. 570K pixels
Analog technology has been dominated the video broadcasting and surveillance fields for many years. Since the rapid development, analog technology is evolving into digital technology which can offer high definition resolution. The most majority IP cameras can deliver megapixel resolution.
Comparison between 1.3MP, 2MP, 3MP and 5MP
| Name | Width (Vertical Pixels) | Height (Horizontal Pixels) | Total（Pixels） |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1MP/720P | 1280 | 720 | 921,600 |
| QVGA/960P | 1280 | 960 | 1228,800 |
| 1.3MP | 1280 | 1024 | 1310,720 |
| 2MP/1080P | 1920 | 1080 | 2073,600 |
| 2.3MP | 1920 | 1200 | 2304,000 |
| 3MP | 2048 | 1536 | 3145,728 |
| 5MP | 2560 | 1920 | 4915,200 |
| 6MP | 3032 | 2008 | 6088,256 |
| 8MP | 3264 | 2448 | 7990,272 |
Note: 6 megapixel and 8 megapixel IP cameras are still under development
Resolution is one of important specifications for your IP cameras. Higher resolution means more image detail, but this doesn't mean it can provide you excellent surveillance solution. Different from traditional digital camera, the IP cameras rely on network for video streaming, which means it will consume the some network bandwidth. Typically, a 2 megapixel IP camera delivers 1080P resolution video at 30fps, and the network bandwidth required is around 4Mbps.