Closed-circuit television
Surveillance cameras.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use
of video cameras to transmit a signal to a
specific place, on a limited set of monitors.
It differs from broadcast television in that
the signal is not openly transmitted, though it
may employ point to point wireless links.
CCTV is often used for surveillance in areas
that may need monitoring such as banks,
casinos, airports, military installations, and
convenience stores.
In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may
be used to observe parts of a process from a
central control room; when, for example, the
environment is not suitable for humans.
CCTV systems may operate continuously or
only as required to monitor a particular
event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utiliz-
ing Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), provides
recording for possibly many years, with a
variety of quality and performance options
and extra features (such as motion-detection
and email alerts).
Surveillance of the public using CCTV is
particularly common in the UK, where there
are reportedly more cameras per person than
in any other country in the world.[1] There
and elsewhere,
its
increasing use has
triggered a debate about security versus
privacy.
History
Sign warning that premises are watched by
CCTV cameras.
The first CCTV system was installed by
Siemens
AG
at
Test
Stand VII
in
Peenemünde, Germany in 1942,
for ob-
serving the launch of V2-rockets.[2] The
noted German engineer Walter Bruch was re-
sponsible for the design and installation of
the system.
CCTV recording systems are still often
used at modern launch sites to record the
flight of the rockets, in order to find the pos-
sible causes of malfunctions,[3][4] while lar-
ger rockets are often fitted with CCTV allow-
ing pictures of stage separation to be trans-
mitted back to earth by radio link.[5]
In September 1968, Olean, New York was
the first city in the United States to install
video cameras along its main business street
in an effort to fight crime. The use of closed-
circuit TV cameras piping im