Help me understand Motion JPEG

**IPAlarms** · 10-09-09, 03:45 PM

More of our customers are requesting video recording facilities and we recently setup a customer so that our server archives up to 90 days of motion triggered images from two Axis IP cameras. The recording is set on Motion JPEG and what we end up with is lots of single file .jpg images in a folder on the server.

Great, we have recorded the images, but we have to provide the customer with a way to playback the images - as a "video". In other words, they don't want to have to click on every single file to view each still image.

I have been researching the subject and I think that even though the files share the same .jpg extension as a regular snapshot image, there is some additional information in the header of a "Motion JPEG" file that tells a player something about how it should be grouped with other single file .jpg images for playback as a "video clip".

Does anyone have experience in this area and can you shed a little light on the best way for me to approach this ?

**intelliGEORGE** · 10-09-09, 04:01 PM

As far as I know you need to download a M-Jpeg player, Axis have their own software for their cameras, check with Axis or look at the freeware players available online.

Google "Mjpeg Player".

**IPAlarms** · 10-09-09, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by intelliGEORGE

As far as I know you need to download a M-Jpeg player, Axis have their own software for their cameras, check with Axis or look at the freeware players available online.

I have downloaded everything that is publicly available from Axis but there is nothing for playback. I have just applied to join their developer program, so we'll see what happens.

Originally Posted by intelliGEORGE

Google "Mjpeg Player".

This is the confusing bit. All the M-JPeg players want a .avi file ?????

What I will want to do eventually, is write some software that scans a folder, uses the information in the file header to group the .jpg files together and then "packages them up" into a single file for easy searching and playback by the customer. LOL - that should be fun.

**intelliGEORGE** · 10-09-09, 04:37 PM

Why are you using motion Jpg on Axis cameras? They should have an Mpg4 setting in them.

**IPAlarms** · 10-09-09, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by intelliGEORGE

Why are you using motion Jpg on Axis cameras? They should have an Mpg4 setting in them.

That's what I thought, until I found at that only the 207W has the ability to upload Mpg4 video via FTP

I spent hours going through all the camera settings, but no way would it upload anything other than motion jpeg.

It's something I have to find out about for future reference anyway as we strive to support any make and model of IP camera.

**CCTVguru** · 11-09-09, 11:11 PM

M-Jpeg is a very old method of compressing video is by todays standard is inefficient.
Its main benefit is web based viewing as you don't need any plug-ins or ActiveX controls. It literally is 1 JPEG after another.

There is also a format called JPG2000 getting around, which is very memory and bandwidth hungry. Id does give excellent resolution but at a very big price. I was recently quoted by a manufacturer that a 16MP camera needed 60Mbps to record full resolution but not at 25ips. I think this was at 3ips. And this is all the time. Not conditionally based on motion.
In comparison a H.264 compression that takes advantage of the motion estimation fully will give a great image at 25ips 4CIF with only 1-2Mbps.

A poor implementation of H.264 will for the same image need around 6-10Mbps. This is because the do not process the motion estimation correctly (don't use the full tool set)

I have posted a detailed document on this subject at

**IPAlarms** · 12-09-09, 01:36 AM

Originally Posted by CCTVguru

M-Jpeg is a very old method of compressing video is by todays standard is inefficient.

That may be the case on higher spec cameras, but I think it will be the norm for quite some time on mid and lower spec cameras.

As Axis are by far the most popular cameras worldwide, we have no option but to support whatever methods they use.

**CCTVguru** · 14-09-09, 01:06 AM

Originally Posted by IPAlarms

That may be the case on higher spec cameras, but I think it will be the norm for quite some time on mid and lower spec cameras.

As Axis are by far the most popular cameras worldwide, we have no option but to support whatever methods they use.

If you are selling on price yes I agree.
There is also a market out there that if educated will want the better equipment. Axis is really a base model product.

**intelliGEORGE** · 14-09-09, 01:19 AM

That's just it, they need to be educated on the new technology. I have written a post on how an IP megapixel solution can be more cost effective over a traditional analoge setup. People tend to assume what's new must cost more.