BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITORThe Wilsonville-based company is targeting GoPro enthusiasts with its latest release. Is spy gear poised to go mainstream?
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Wilsonville-based FLIR Systems is targeting GoPro enthusiasts with its latest release: a product that merges spy and sport camera capabilities.
We asked senior vice president and chief marketing officer Travis Merrill to explain the innovations behind the FLIR FX.
1. What advantages does FLIR FX have for people who want to use it for security purposes?
Like most home security cameras, FLIR FX provides visual verification of what’s going on when you’re not home, but unlike others, FLIR FX includes a few features that can drastically reduce the amount of footage one needs to sift through. One of the chief complaints we found is that most people don’t have the time to physically review all the captured footage to find the one or two moments each day they care to see.
FLIR RapidRecap is a video forensics technology adopted from law enforcement that enables you to create a video with a simultaneous presentation of objects, events, and actions that occurred at different times. All the activity the camera captures is compiled into abbreviated clips superimposed onto one screen, so that an entire day of footage can be reviewed simultaneously in as little as a few seconds. The recorded objects — such as pedestrians or a pet jumping on a couch — each have identifying time stamps, making it easy to quickly see everything that happened over a defined period of time—all at once.
In addition, the FLIR FX SmartZone feature, which allows you to designate certain areas within the camera’s field of view to trigger motion-activated recording, allows you to focus on particular areas of interest, such as a certain window or door where an intruder is most likely to enter the home. This allows the user to really get more relevant alerts.
2. How does it differ from a GoPro or a security camera ?
Lots of people have purchased home security cameras only to find out they don’t need them all the time. To have the flexibility to do something else with your camera when it’s not needed as a security camera adds value to the FX. FX easily adapts to your needs with its flexible design. It is compatible with a collection of interchangeable camera and mounting stand accessories for a wide variety of applications beyond indoor use, including a waterproof sport housing, the weatherproof outdoor housing and the dash mount.
3. What is the battery shelf life?
In the sport mode, which is just the camera head only, the internal battery will provide up to two-hours of operation, possibly more depending on the lighting conditions and the Wi-Fi radio status. If you use it with the indoor stand, which also include a two-hour battery, you can increase operation of the camera up to four hours. If more power is needed you can operate the camera continuously with the use of its AC adaptor.
4. What is the advantage of giving everyone access to technology that used to be limited to law enforcement?
The major benefit of RapidRecap is saving time. In fact, we see it as an enabling feature. Most people never use their home security cameras the way they as supposed to because no one wants to sit through hours of video looking an event that only last a few seconds. RapidRecap solves this problem by let users review hours of recorded video events simultaneously in a matter of seconds. And when they see something of interest, they can use it as a video search engine to pinpoint the moment of interest within the app. They just watch that particular moment and if they so chose, they can store it, email it or even share it on social media.
5. Is spy gear poised to go mainstream?
There are probably several technologies that were once used by the military and elite law enforcement that will follow the likes of GPS and thermal imaging into the consumer market.
