CCTV Recorder Resolution

CIF, QCIF, 2CIF, 4CIF. Sounds like a bad nursery rhyme, right? If your eyes glaze over when you hear terms like these you are not alone. In this FAQ, we will attempt to demystify the terminology and put it into a framework that's easy to understand and use.

The table below lists some of the more commonly used resolution terms in CCTV applications. Any resolution over 1 million pixels is considered 'megapixel'. In the case of megapixel cameras, the labels are approximate. For example, a 2 megapixel camera actually captures 1,920,000 pixels per frame. A 3 megapixel camera captures 3,145,728 pixels per frame.

one more standard [Update 13Apr 2016] :1080N (960x1080)
one more standard [Update 13Apr 2016] : WD1 (960x480)