AXIS Communicaitons: From DORI to Visual Performance in IEC 62676-4:2025

The importance of IEC 62676-4 in video surveillance systems

The IEC 62676 series, developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), serves as a comprehensive framework for video surveillance systems. Among these standards, IEC 62676-4 stands out for several reasons:

Guidance for stakeholders:

First and foremost, the standard provides essential guidance for all parties involved in video surveillance systems. It recognizes that effective video surveillance is more than the technical specifications of a device, but also the visual information that enables users to make decisions based on the forensic details captured in an image.

Installers and integrators benefit from implementation guidelines and best practices, while end-users and operators gain assurance that systems will meet operational requirements and performance expectations. Maintenance personnel also find value in established protocols for ongoing system upkeep and performance verification.

This comprehensive guidance helps ensure that video surveillance systems are implemented effectively and in line with industry best practices, regardless of the specific application or environment.

Technological alignment:

The standard also plays a crucial role in aligning surveillance systems with current technological capabilities. It establishes minimum requirements for image quality and detail, defines bandwidth and latency parameters for modern IP-based systems.

This provides guidelines for video retention and data management and facilitates interoperability with other security and building systems.

By setting these technological benchmarks, the standard bridges the gap between innovation and practical application, ensuring that cutting-edge technologies can be effectively deployed in real-world scenarios.

Quality assurance:

Moreover, IEC 62676-4 establishes rigorous quality benchmarks that define measurable criteria for system effectiveness, such as:

• setting requirements for system uptime and fault tolerance
• establishing environmental and operational resilience criteria
• providing guidelines for ongoing system care and performance verification

These quality benchmarks ensure consistent performance across different implementations and manufacturers, giving end-users confidence in their surveillance investments

The transition from 2014 to 2025

As technology advances, so must the standards that govern it. The recent transition from IEC 62676-4:2014 to IEC 62676-4:2025 marks a milestone in video surveillance standards, reflecting the industry’s response to several key developments.

The areas driving this evolution are:

Technological advancements:

The standard has evolved to address numerous technological changes, including advancements in camera technology such as:

• sensor technology
• image processing
• low-light performance capabilities
• dynamic range improvements

It also incorporates guidelines for video analytics, including AI-powered video analysis, machine learning applications, behavioral recognition, and object classification.

Security enhancements:

The updated standard responds to evolving security requirements by addressing new security challenges such as cyber-physical threats, coordinated attacks, insider threats, and social engineering risks.

It reflects changes in security operations center requirements, incident response protocols, evidence handling procedures, and compliance documentation.

Additionally, the standard incorporates new data protection regulations, privacy requirements, access control standards, and audit and reporting mandates.

Implementation and scalability:

The revised standard provides enhanced guidance for complex implementation scenarios, addressing requirements for urban vs. rural installations, indoor vs. outdoor environments, and varying lighting conditions.

It offers solutions for challenging deployment scenarios, provides recommendations for system scalability, and includes guidelines for future-proofing installations.

The standard also addresses maintenance and upgrade considerations, ensuring that systems remain effective throughout their operational lifecycle.

Key updates in IEC 62676-4:2025

The revised standard introduces several notable adjustments that align with modern demands for video surveillance.

Enhanced pixel density guidelines

The 2025 edition refines pixel density requirements, accounting for higher-resolution digital IP cameras while considering factors like compression and noise. This ensures that video quality remains forensic grade, even as camera technology evolves.

According to IEC 62676-4:2025, the operational requirements in video surveillance are overview, outline, discern, perceive, characterize, validate, and scrutinize.

Operational requirement Pixel density needed

Overview — 3 px/face — 20 px/m

Outline — 6 px/face — 40 px/m

Discern — 12 px/face — 80 px/m

Perceive — 20 px/face — 125 px/m

Characterize — 40 px/face — 250 px/m

Validate — 80 px/face — 500 px/m

Scrutinize — 240 px/face — 1500 px/m

Strengthened cybersecurity measures

With the increasing prevalence of networked surveillance systems, the standard emphasizes robust cybersecurity protocols. It addresses vulnerabilities across the system’s lifecycle, reinforcing protection against digital threats.

Clarified performance metrics

The revision provides updated recommendations for camera placement, lighting conditions, and environmental factors. This helps planners optimize system performance in real-world scenarios.

Looking ahead

The evolution of IEC 62676-4 reflects our industry’s response to technological advancements and changing security landscapes.

As the standard continues to develop, it will remain a vital reference for high-performance video surveillance systems, addressing modern challenges such as digital threats and operational resilience.

Supporting the transition with you

We understand the importance of adhering to evolving industry standards.

We’re supporting the IEC 62676-4:2025 standard by designing products that prioritize long-term image quality, integrating advanced cybersecurity measures, and adopting a philosophy of excellence that goes beyond certification requirements.

Our ambition is to support our system integrators, architect & engineer community, and customers with the resources and solutions needed to comply with the standards that best fit their requirements, whether following the revised standard or the previous version.