Motion Search and Motion Recap

Overview

The following article will help you search for and view motion events on the Dashboard. This tool is ideal for incident reporting and expediting the retrieval of video for said events.

Understanding Motion Detector V1 vs. V2

Motion Search makes finding events easier on all MV cameras. However, due to the presence of a more advanced processor on second generation cameras, there are some differences to note between the way Motion Search works on first generation cameras (MV*1) and second generation cameras (MV*2). First generation cameras employ Motion Search 1.0, whereas second generation cameras has the ability to use the more powerful Motion Search 2.0 algorithm along with Motion Recap as well as Motion Search 1.0. Motion Search results will be shown in list view for first generation cameras, while you also have the option of a grid view with Motion Recap images for second generation cameras.

 

A major difference between Motion Search 1.0 and Motion Search 2.0 is that the newer algorithm has increased fidelity for small changes and better sensitivity in low light. Motion Search 2.0 uses background subtraction to isolate motion instead of frame-to-frame differencing which the previous generation used. Motion Search 2.0 allows for more motion events to be captured which were not possible with Motion Search 1.0. This background subtraction also allows for the creation of Motion Recap images, which makes finding events even faster. Read more below on some factors to consider when using Motion Recap and Motion Search 2.0.

 

On the other hand, Motion Search 1.0 is based on chroma and luminosity changes as well as spatial and temporal filtering. A tiny amount of spatial motion can trigger an event if it's intense enough and long enough. If it is too short, it will be dropped. Additionally, motion that covers the entire frame can be saved as a motion event, even if it's really short. For example, a change in lighting or shadows from passing objects in an environment that cover a large part of the frame can trigger a motion event. On the other hand, someone standing in the frame but not moving very much may not be registered as a motion event. Additionally, events in poor lighting conditions may not have intense enough chroma or luminosity changes to be registered as a motion event.

 

For Motion Search 1.0, to optimize the performance in poor lighting conditions, it is highly recommended that customers use an external, high power IR source. This provides greater illumination of the scene and allows for a more precise identification of motion events. Additionally, having a light source that is further away from the camera itself reduces the likelihood of capturing motion caused by dust, insects, etc on the camera. Cisco Meraki can recommend RayTec, who have a wide range of PoE IR lighting for almost all deployments.

 

Motion Search V1 Pros	Motion Search V2 Pros
Lower sensitivity reduces the chance of false positives	Increased sensitivity to motion events
Less impact on edge storage retention	Improved detection of motion in low lighting environments
	Adds Motion Recap image support

Motion Search V1 Cons	Motion Search V2 Cons
Unable to detect all sources of motion compared to motion detector v2	Increased potential for false positives due to sensitivity
No support for Motion Recap images	Increased motion event frequency will result in reduced video retention duration

The image below highlights the difference in detection capabilities between Motion Search V1 and V2.

Optional: Disabling Motion Recap Images

On second generation cameras, Motion Recap makes finding events faster and more efficient, but requires additional bandwidth.

You have the option of disabling Motion Recap images and save bandwidth by enabling restricted bandwidth mode through the Quality and Retention settings tab. More on this toggle in this article here. 

 

Example Motion Recap image:

 

How to Use Motion Search

1. Go to Cameras > Monitor > Cameras. Select a camera from the network list.

2. On the Video tab, select Motion Search.

3. Draw your region of interest on the video feed.

4. At this time, motion events from your search parameters will be populated on the dashboard in either grid view or list view.

• GRID VIEW:

  • If you have chosen not to enable restricted bandwidth mode, it will be in the form of Motion Recap images. (More on Motion Recap images in the section below.)

• LIST VIEW:
  • With Motion Recap images enabled, you can still toggle between a grid and a list view using the buttons on the right-hand side. In this list view, you can click on the headers to sort by timestamp, duration of the event, how much of the frame it covers, and how much of the region of interest in covers.
  • This same list view will be the only view when restricted bandwidth mode is enabled.

 

Continue reading the steps below if you see Motion Recap images and do not have restricted bandwidth mode enabled.

 

5. Take note that you will not see all your results at the same time. Use the navigation buttons to see more results.

6. If desired, do the following to specify more accurately the time period you are interested in.

   • Changing the time via the calendar box (recommended due to ease of use) 

• Clicking the zoom in and zoom out on the timeline bar to grab a greater range of events (as in normal usage)
• Clicking and dragging on the timeline bar (as in normal usage)
• Using the day selector (as in normal usage)

    

 

7. You can narrow down your results even further by performing any of the following actions. The text below the options help give a summary of how many results were omitted due to the added filter/s. You may also reset all filters using the option below this text.

• Change motion sensitivity (0 to 100%)

  • Motion sensitivity slider is represented as a percentage. This percentage is a weighted average of the frame percentage and region of interest percentage.

• Change minimum event length (0 to 35 seconds)

  • Minimum event length slider represents the minimum duration allowed for an event.

• Show results with detected people only

  • Helps eliminate results and focus on motion caused by detected people

• Show motion blocks (see below)

  • Helps correlate the Motion Recap images with the blocks in the selected region

 

8. From here, you can select the Motion Recap image that you want to view in more detail. Here, you can see the date, time, duration of this event. You can also download the image.

9. Events which contain sporadic motion or are longer than 30 seconds may have multiple images associated with them. You can toggle between the different Motion Recap images of this event.

 

10. If you want to see a different result, you can toggle between different Motion search results.

11. Close by clicking on the “X” on the upper right, or “Close” on the bottom right.

12. You can exit search or jump to search results at any time using these buttons here.

Understanding Motion Recap Images

The images displayed in this view are not simply screenshots from the camera; instead, they are composite images which summarize an entire motion event. Objects in the foreground are tracked independently, then layered into a single image. Events which contain sporadic motion or are longer than 30 seconds may have multiple images associated with them.

 

Note that some factors may negatively affect the resulting Motion Recap image. They are enumerated below. When the conditions are less than ideal, it is expected to sometimes have images like these ones below.