3 Oct 2006
Just imagine medieval knights battling in the courtyard, Kings and Queens overseeing their subjects, jugglers performing, fire-eaters, sword fights and incredible food and drink; all that a renaissance festival should be. The Louisiana Renaissance is not much different, offering an authentic medieval experience with Louisiana flair. Held annually between November and December, the festival entices patrons with fine food, exciting activities, action-packed events and great shopping.
However, as with most events open to the public the Louisiana Renaissance Festival is not without its surveillance problems. With over 400 on-site workers and countless patrons through the duration of the event, it is impossible to monitor suspicious activity by the human eye alone. As packages began disappearing from the mailroom, the Louisiana Renaissance Festival decided to implement a PC-based surveillance system. Unfortunately, initial products and attempts proved more frustrating than effective. Between constant error messages, unreliable tech support and inconsistencies in performance, it was decided that a new surveillance system was in order.
Enter the AVerMedia NV3000 PC-Based Surveillance DVR. The NV3000 is a Hybrid surveillance DVR solution, allowing for users to incorporate both analogue and IP cameras to their system. Each NV3000 card includes 4 channel video inputs, stackable up to four cards. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival currently has one PC containing four NV3000 cards enabling 16 active cameras. Each camera has been placed in key surveillance locations, including the mailroom and the entry gate where images of every car's license plate entering the facility can be recorded.
Remember the missing packages from the mailroom? The NV3000 Surveillance System was able to capture video of a driver from one of their primary delivery companies stealing a package sent by a jewellery vendor. The clarity of the video as well as the ability to quickly search and find the event were key to solving this crime. Furthermore, the remote monitoring capabilities allow users to access live surveillance and playback events from any Internet Explorer browser or web enabled PDA. "The NV3000 has allowed us to have a better surveillance system that actually works as advertised," Says Rick Hight, Technical Director, Louisiana Renaissance Festival. "The fact that AVerMedia also provides live technical support is a wonderful thing!"
The Louisiana Renaissance Festival plans to add another four NV3000 cards to a separate PC, providing the ability to monitor 32 cameras simultaneously. The addition of the NV3000 surveillance system has not only helped secure the Renaissance event itself, but with year-round employees on-site, the system enables users to monitor the grounds and facilities during the off-season as well.