Watch recording files from multiple cameras simultaneously using the Timeline application

Overview

When events occur, Surveillance Station not only allows you to quickly search for a camera recording from a specific point in time through the Recording application, but also makes it easier for you to view all the current video feeds of an event. When you need to quickly find all recorded video images taken within a period of time from a camera, instead of a single video file, you can use the Timeline application. You can also use the calendar and timeline to find all video clips from a specific point in time.

1. Timeline Playback

  1. Before using Timeline, please set up a layout. You can choose to select a layout previously created in Live View, or create a new layout to view the videos.
  2. After specifying a date on the Timeline application, Surveillance Station will combine a series of recordings or continuous recording clips to be displayed on the timeline bar. Time segments on the timeline will be marked in blue if events have occurred and grey if no events have occurred, this applies to all recording modes.
  3. Under non-continuous recording modes, it is possible that no recordings will be generated when no events have occurred within the day. In this case, the timeline bar will not be marked, and the system will automatically play recordings from the most recent date. In addition, when the recording criteria has been triggered, events that occur during the recording process will still be marked in blue. For example, when an action rule is triggered for action rule recording, Timeline will mark events in blue in the case that an action has been detected on the recording screen.
  4. When Sync Mode is enabled, you can simultaneously display all video feeds from a specific point in time by moving the timeline cursor.
  5. When Sync Mode has been disabled, you can display video feeds from different points in time, and each individual camera will have its own timeline.
  6. You can use the Search feature to go to a specific time directly and play the recording. After you search a specific time, you can click the Smart Search button below to open the Smart Search application. Please refer to Analyze your video files with Smart Search for more information. When playing the recording, you can also utilize the fast-forward button to quickly view the recorded content.
  7. When playing the recordings, you can select a camera on a channel and operate specific functions using the on-screen display buttons. For example, for video feeds that are currently displayed, you can download video clips or take snapshots. If you are interested in an area on the screen, you can use the zoom in button for a clearer view. You can also use the Image Enhancement feature to adjust the video feed, making the object of interest more visible on the screen.
  8. If you want to view recordings from a single camera on Timeline without recreating a new layout, please refer to the following steps:
    1. Create a single channel layout.
    2. Open this layout on Timeline, then launch the IP Camera application.
    3. Drag and drop an IP camera to this layout to view recordings from this camera on Timeline.

Note:

This operation can only be done on Surveillance Station web client.

2. Timeline Filter

  1. The article Add an IP camera to Surveillance Station explains how to customize different recording modes from different time periods within the week (e.g. motion detection or action rule recording). You can filter timeline based on specific recording modes. For example, under Filter on the left panel, you can choose to only select Action Rule from the first drop-down menu. As a result, only action rule recordings will be displayed on the timeline.
  2. After filtering, click on any location on the video feed, and a corresponding video will be played on the right side of the window. You can also select other recording modes (e.g. continuous recording, manual recording, etc) to filter recordings on Timeline.
  3. Event clips will be marked in other colors regardless of which recording mode was selected, segments marked in blue represent all events, and segments marked in grey represent no events. If you are only interested in viewing recording segments that contain events, you can select Show Events Only from the second drop-down menu under Filter on the left panel.