Hikvision ColorVu vs AcuSense: UK CCTV Technology Explained

One common confusion in the UK CCTV market is the ColorVu and the AcuSense technologies manufactured by Hikvision. ColorVu is a true-color night vision imaging feature, and AcuSense is a smart detection of analytics.

Each takes a separate use:

ColorVu is an app designed to record bright color shots even in absolute darkness, and AcuSense relies on deep learning to tell users each shot of a person versus a vehicle.

This instructional paper describes the two technologies, how they operate, and their practical differences, enabling UK residents and companies to make an informed choice about upgrading or installing the correct CCTV.

What is Hikvision ColorVu?

Hikvision also has a low-light imaging technology known as ColorVu. It allows the capture of full-color video 24/7, even when it is night or under the haziest conditions. According to Hikvision, ColorVu is able to record high-quality, full-color video 24/7 with as high a level of sharp rendering as it achieves during the day.

Actually, a ColorVu camera has a super F1.0 aperture lens and a big image sensor to collect the maximum possible light, and there may be an additional light in warm white to illuminate the darkest scenes. The outcome is full-color images rather than traditional infrared vision produced in black and white.

• 24/7 true color: The ability of the cameras to capture and store images in bright color both in the daytime and at night ensures the photos appear in true color, thus enabling one to capture details such as clothing or vehicle color in the dark. Hikvision records that they are able to provide bright color up to 0.0005 lux (equivalent to the brightness of a moonless and starlit night). Stated differently, during a dark night in the UK with practically no light, it is possible to still capture color and view it using a ColorVu camera.

• Hardware design: This is attained by special hardware - very wide aperture (F1.0) in order to receive light, a 1/1.2-inch sensor in order to fully utilizethe usage of light, and high-end image processing. The ColorVu cameras also have a built-in white LED or warm light. When it is incredibly dark (e.g., there are no streetlights), the heavy light will switch on to ensure that the pictures are colored.
• Use cases: ColorVu is best when choice of color is important. As an illustration, businesses with low-distance light bulbs in the UK car parks or lanes can determine the color and the license plates of vehicles during the night. Homeowners could use ColorVu to the real color of clothes or garden specifications in a dark street.

A comparison with ColorVu reveals that a standard CCTV camera in an uninstalled state will only allow the use of the standard CCTV camera in monochrome IR mode at night, and no color information would be captured.

ColorVu is able to escape this with more low-light lighting. Hikvision states that their cameras using the ColorVu technology have the capacity to offer bright images in color over a 24/7 period during low light, and these images can enhance security and forensics.

What is Hikvision AcuSense?

AcuSense is an artificial intelligence video analytics device by Hikvision. AcuSense, rather than enhanced brightness, enables cameras and recorders to embark on deep-learning code to recognize humans and vehicles in the video stream with intelligent technology.

Simply put, AcuSense allows your camera to interpret the view. It is defined as deep learning to identify humans and vehicles using real-time video analytics (Hikvision).

• Human/Vehicle Classification: AcuSense employs object classification. It has been taught millions of images to enable it to distinguish between individuals, cars, and other moving objects that are of the same kind. Upon motion, the system determines whether the object in question is a person or a vehicle. If not, it ignores it. To illustrate, the motion of satellite branches, miniature creatures, or rain will not result in an alert. According to the CCTVTek (UK), AcuSense cameras are “programmed to know what humans and cars are like, and this ensures that false alarms are minimized tremendously.”
• Reduced false alarms: The key advantage of AcuSense. It is sensitive to real threat alarms since non-relevant motion is filtered out. According to Hikvision, to reduce cases of false alarm, AcuSense would be appropriate because it reduces false CAM shots caused by animals, fallen leaves, heavy rains, and moving objects, and therefore users would concentrate on the true alarms. In theory, any motion inside the yard can go undetected by an AcuSense camera; whether it is a cat walking or the wind blowing debris, you will not receive a notification on your phone each time a passing car or a tree moves.
• Smart alerts and search: It usually features smart alerts and search, such as in Motion Detection 2.0, Perimeter Protection and Live Guard. To give a specific example, whenever a human or a car is spotted, the camera can either give you a siren or a light (Live Guard). It also produces labels on clip marks on row recordings by either person or vehicle, so during playback you can impressively jump instantly to all happenings of people involved. Simply put, AcuSense reduces surveillance smartness and monitoring ease.

CCTVTek summarizes:

AcuSense also reduces the vastly underclassified alarm efficiency and effectiveness by means of bringing human or vehicle target classification alarms. To reducing spam and grabbing unnecessary security alert In the case of the purchaser and the commercial enterprise working in the UK, where the security feed is hectic (in other words, the yard is full of animals or a tree), AcuSense will dramatically reduce the number of spam-ascoms.

How ColorVu and AcuSense Differ

And the most important difference is focus: ColorVu is imaging, and AcuSense is detection. These are the solutions to various problems:

• Purpose: ColorVu is a company that allows cameras to see in color during the dark. AcuSense makes cameras intelligent in motion analyses. One gives the camera an additional light/capability; the other, an intelligent software processor.
• Technology: ColorVu describes a scenario in which its hardware (large aperture lens, sensor, LED light) is utilized to produce colorful low-light video. The AcuSense operates an AI algorithm (built into its camera firmware/NVR) to group images and prune events.
• Advantage: When using ColorVu, you will get very sharp color pictures even in the dark. AcuSense results in fewer false alarms and more useful alerts (human only/car only).
• Use cases: Cases A color is paramount in case you want to recognize the color of the clothing of a person or a car in the dark. When you want to stop spamming (as in, a cat stripping your gutter every night, which is my AcuSense issue), the answer is AcuSense. In combination with AcuSense, which many users in the UK seem to prefer: even on the site of one of its providers, Hikvision, we could read:Combining ColorVu and AcuSense, these cameras detect humans and vehicles in sharp color. However, Hikvision is distributing models (i.e., the G2 series) that have both functions combined collectively.

Quick Difference Recap:

• ColorVu - full-color night vision (lighting and special lenses).
• AcuSense - intelligent motion sensor (disregard a non-human/vehicle incident).
• Both conditions have no substitutes. They cover various CCTV requirements.

According to one summary, both ColorVu and AcuSense have certain advantages.

Choosing the Right Technology in the UK

When planning CCTV in the UK (for homes or businesses), consider your environment and needs:

• Lighting conditions: Many UK streets and parks are lit at night, but rural or private grounds can still be very dark. If you have poor lighting or very dark areas, a ColorVu camera (or adding ColorVu floodlights) will provide crucial color detail. It can also reduce the need for separate illumination, since the camera’s own light is well-controlled.
• False alarm environment: When you have a lot of movement on your webpage without suspicions (ex: wildlife, traffic on the road, trees, high rain levels, etc.), AcuSense will save you time. This will work well in UK houses close to gardens or farms particularly: the camera will detect even the animals and will concentrate on individuals/cars.
• Budget and equipment: Certain Hikvision CCTV and models of NVRs are compatible with upgrading to AcuSense with a firmware key (excluding region). ColorVu is often an optional product (i.e., where they are suffixed to the model name, as in LU). Most of the installers in the UK would recommend which models have which features. Assuming that you already have the Hikvision cameras but without AcuSense, you can either upgrade to another recorder or even change to a model that supports the AcuSense.
• Combined models: In a number of cases, a Hikvision ColorVu and AcuSense camera will suit most of the customers in the UK. Such dual-feature cameras have 24-hour color video and intelligent detection. The Hikvision DS-2CD2347G2-LU (turret), also with ColorVu (color night vision) and AcuSense (human/vehicle) functions, is a widely popular camera:In this manner, you will be able to receive better night shots and fewer false notifications on a single device.

Practical Tips

• Look at model specs: Hikvision model designations tend to reveal how something works (e.g., not only is the prevention of looking like a color line (in color models) G2-L or -LU, but AcuSense is also the brand name AcuSense in certain models). Going through the datasheet is always worth checking or inquiring with the retailer.
• Consider placement: When you have ColorVu, a complementary light would not be seen by drivers or neighbors (the white color of the light used by Hikvision is not necessarily meant to stand out). The AcuSense settings can be used to add detection regions to a mobile app, and this is useful when that has a UK layout (e.g., on the driveway but not on the pavement).
• Data protection: UK CCTV has to act in harmony with privacy regulations. Both technologies are merely camera functions; as such, the classic guidelines regarding fame and lawful conduct are to be enforced. The AcuSense itself does not accumulate more data about the individual; it just classifies motion. In case you use cloud storage or NVR storage, make sure it is safe.
• Vendor support: Hikvision has empowered partners in the UK. Hikvision UK & Ireland is an example: they have product information and UK brochures. These cameras with UK warranties and support are available at many of the UK security installers and vendors (such as CCTVTek, Securicam Wholesale, HiTek, etc.).

Summing up, the difference is when it comes to Hikvision:According to one of the Hikvision partner blogs, the ColorVu difference is programmed to record the rich color images in high resolution to be available even under the harshest conditions, and the AcuSense provides the brains to pay attention to the most important aspects.

As a UK homeowner or business customer, one would want to know the difference between ColorVu and AcuSense. Image detail and color matter, which means you should use ColorVu when you need this; you do not need smart alarms, which means you should use AcuSense.

And keep in mind that there are numerous current CCTV systems available that can provide you with a technological blessing: future-proof colorful night vision and the intelligent detection of objects on the spot, all within a single think tank.