Why Should Your Video Intercom Have A Full HD Camera?

Did you know 50% of commercial projects now require a Full HD camera in their video intercoms? It’s why we added one to the new 2N® IP Verso 2.0 – we’re trendsetters and view it as a must-have feature.

First things first: what qualifies as Full HD in video intercom cameras?

Video intercoms such as the 2N® IP Style and the new 2N® IP Verso 2.0 have a standout feature in common: a Full HD (or even better) camera powered by an ARTPEC-7 processor by Axis (our parent company).

Axis dominate the global IP camera market and this ARTPEC-7 processor gives our video intercoms excellent image quality and efficient compression: but what else does it power?

Apart from a powerful processor like the ARTPEC-7, you also need cutting-edge camera components and a superior-quality lens to achieve the best possible image. The 2N® IP Style, for example, is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with a maximum resolution of 2560 × 1920px in 4:3 ratio, or 2560 x 1440 in 16:9 ratio (so-called QHD). The new 2N® IP Verso 2.0 is equipped with a Full HD camera (1920 x 1080px).

Angles are everything

The extremely wide viewing angle of the video intercom’s camera (maximum of 144° horizontal/126° vertical for 2N® IP Style and 138° horizontal/105° vertical for 2N® IP Verso 2.0) means that the user can see basically everything happening outside the entrance! This is great for security as often suspicious people could try to lurk out of shot – and with this wide-angle lens, this is nearly impossible.

Fun fact: when the team at 2N were filming a video about MS Teams integration, the camera of the 2N® IP Style was so wide-angle the film crew basically had to go around the corner of the building to ensure they weren’t in shot!

Is there such a thing as too wide? Well, no – it’s a great feature – but if you really want the best video intercom camera on the market you should also use the Adaptive Face Zooming feature that was part of the 2N OS 2.39 update. This feature, never seen before in intercoms, involves the camera of the 2N® IP Style automatically and adaptively zooming in on the faces of visitors to improve security.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news. Subscribe to our newsletter.

OMG, WDR!

A common problem in image processing in video intercoms is a bright light shining from behind a visitor leading to nothing but a black silhouette being shown. The solution in Full HD video intercom cameras like the 2N® IP Verso 2.0 or 2N® IP Style?

Wide Dynamic Range: a function which lightens dark areas and darkens the overexposed parts of the image. It automatically compensates for the different levels of light in different areas of the image to ensure it’s crystal clear no matter what!

Colour images: even at dusk

Another advantage of the ARTPEC-7 processor is that it perfectly maintains image colour even in very low light conditions: the 2N® IP Verso 2.0 and the 2N® IP Style will only switch to night mode in complete darkness (other video intercom cameras switch much earlier). Upon nightfall, the camera uses conventional IR illumination.

What’s more, the camera can be configured in any way you want in the video intercom’s web interface, where you can adjust the white balance, local contrast, tone mapping and maximum exposure time.

QR code reading

One great advantage of a Full HD camera is the ability to read QR codes for access. Both the 2N® IP Style and 2N® IP Verso 2.0 support QR code reading, and it’s a great option for providing one-time/temporary access credentials for authorised visitors such as cleaning staff.