DVRs the New Tool of Security, Convenience

By Ryan Gray | Senior Editor

When it comes to products inside the school bus, perhaps nothing is more important than the pupil transportation's new virtual eyes and ears. Several recent onboard incidents received national media attention because they were caught on tape - and were replayed over and over again on the nightly news. Digital video recording (DVR) on the school bus appears here to stay, according to vendors surveyed by School Transportation News.

But it is not without its share of hiccups. While most vendors said they are seeing wide scale acceptance of DVR systems, at least one says the industry is still struggling with the higher capital investment.

"The (return on investment) is higher but budgets are tight and thus we have a bit of a Catch-22," said Rob Scott, executive vice president of Bus Vision. "When exposed to digital, districts and contractors are realizing the advantages, savings in manpower, improved quality, greater dependability to name a few."

What is still necessary, he added, is for the industry to fully recognize DVRs as a solution to liability issues, security and behavior modification.

"We should see a significant increase in acceptance," he said.

And with the continued threat of terrorism against the yellow school bus - perceived or actual - the technology is there to bring more into the fold.

"We live in an uncertain world; we could well see the war come to the streets of this country," said David Stromberg, vice president of sales and marketing at Entertec America. "This will mean more security concerns and devices to better serve our schools and students. Two-way communications between bus and depot will be a must in order to report bus positions and situations occurring on the buses."

National Scientific says, first and foremost, school bus operators want DVR to work because they no longer desire to physically enter each and every bus to collect all the old VHS tapes or hard drives. Plus, they want added features that the digital age provides.

"(DVR) is the only technology that can truly offer them a roadmap to future upgradeability," said company President Graham Clark. "There are many systems in the market place that are a take off of the VCR. But the analog systems have a number of flaws that are replicated into this new technology, which is not really the way to go."

Instead, he said the next five years will see all new buses, and many older models, coming equipped with digital video that will perform many different functions. He points to his company's current Travado product that offers real-time streaming video, automatic download of GPS, bus telemetry and engine data, and smart radios.

Seon Design's Ian Radziejewski agrees.

"The need for security will continue, and the availability of a few features such as GPS will enhance the transportation provider's ability to monitor and react to problems onboard," the company's president said.

The last few years has seen a push towards Network Video Recorders (NVR).

"NVRs are essentially software solution, making the hardware like servers, storage encoders and decoders a commodity," said Michelle Randall Burrows, marketing director for Verint Video Solutions. "This is preferable to the end-user who gets to choose the hardware."

Then, she added, there's Internet Protocol-based networks (IP) that address criminal, terrorist and competitive threats worldwide and can deliver images and intelligence across many different geographical locations. These IP systems also promise to incorporate innovative analytic technologies to enhance security and operational performance.

REI isn't quite ready to shut the door on analog video just yet, as the cost benefit of VCR tape and its "adequate record time" makes it a viable format for many customers across the country.

"Because REI designed our digital video recorder 100 percent compatible with our original BUS-WATCH VCR as a direct replacement, out initial foray into the digital arena has been very strong," wrote Dan Gruber and Chris Wiig , both REI sales representatives. "As the price comes down on digital technology, the basic advantages (less maintenance, more efficient storage and longer record time" of the digital format will make it the obvious choice for everyone."

Convenience was the top reason the vendors said school bus operators are widely accepting DVRs.

"Even though digital video is usually more expensive than analog, the convenience of searching, archiving and emailing video clips justifies the cost for many users," said Terri Crotty, sales and marketing manager at Robotics Technologies, Inc.

Chris Portillo , marketing director at Safety Vision, said certain digital models allow simultaneous recordings of multiple cameras for better coverage of events - both inside and outside the school bus. And DVRs offer more versatility and flexibility in the capture, transfer, archival and management of video, voice and audio data.

"Districts are getting more recorded product with less hassle," she said.