Axis cameras unable to adjust FPS since 5.1.4.38659
Answered
In version 5.1.4.38659 NX witness implemented a fix for Axis cameras which fixed "If the "Allow System to optimize camera settings" option was disabled, stream profiles were still created on Axis cameras. Fixed."
After this update, when I add Axis cameras to the server, the cameras stream at 30FPS regardless of what the FPS settings are within the camera (attempting to set 15FPS). The sever does not have an option to adjust the FPS settings under "advanced" for the primary stream but it will allow me to adjust the secondary stream FPS settings. Regardless of what settings I adjust in the camera, the server remains at 30FPS.
If Axis cameras were already on a NX Witness system prior to this update, and the update is performed, it breaks the Analytics.
I'm also requesting support be added for the Axis Q1808-LE bullet camera and Axis OS 12.
As a note, I'm currently running version 6.0.0.39503 of the DW IPVMS branded version of NX Witness.
Edit: I'm experiencing this issue on systems that have the feature "Allow System to Optimize Camera Settings" disabled.
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Hi Jonathan,
I hope you’re doing well! I noticed that this topic hasn’t received any engagement from the community yet, and I wanted to check in with you. Is the issue you mentioned still relevant or something you’re looking to resolve?
Best regards.
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Good morning Norman - Nx Support
Yes, this bug is still relevant and I was hopeful that Network Optix would fix the issue in the next release. As of now, any Axis camera that's added to DW IPVMS (Nx Witness) is stuck at 30FPS which causes issue for me.
I'm not sure why they made this change as everything worked well when NX Witness created it own stream profile in the camera.
Let me know if it's necessary for me to open a support ticket with DW. I figured posting it here would be easier since Network Optix are the developers.
Thanks!
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Hi Jonathan,
I believe I understand the situation, and it seems to be a matter of differing expectations rather than a bug. Let me explain:
When the VMS detects a camera, it automatically optimizes the streams as follows:
- Primary Stream: Configured for maximum resolution and frame rate.
- Secondary Stream: Typically set to approximately 640 x 480 resolution and 7 FPS.
These configurations are determined by the profiles set within the camera.
Changing the frame rate directly in the camera settings won’t alter these predefined profiles and, therefore, won’t impact what the VMS uses. However, if you adjust the frame rate through the recording settings in the VMS, the profile will update accordingly.
For the secondary stream, it’s possible to modify settings in the advanced options if necessary. However, please note that we don’t generally recommend making such changes.
Below is an example showing devices delivering a primary stream of 15 FPS as configured in the recording settings:
I hope this helps clarify things! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Best regards.
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Thank you for the reply Norman - Nx Support
I'm unable to adjust the FPS through the recording settings because I disabled "Allow System to Optimize Camera Settings" in system administration. I have other cameras on this system and I do not want DW to adjust the settings as it changes settings I don't want it to. As of right now I don't have a way to adjust the FPS settings on Axis cameras on this system.
See attached screenshot:
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Hi Jonathan,
In that case, you can change the profile settings in the camera interface:
- Navigate to System
- Select Stream Profiles
- Select the desired profile
- Change the Video codec settings to the preferred values
Now restart the mediaserver application, and the new settings will be applied.
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Norman - Nx Support Thank you for the time you're spending assisting me with this issue, but I don't think you're understanding what I'm trying to explain.
If you look at the release notes from 5.1.4.38659 you'll see they implemented a "fix"- "If the "Allow System to optimize camera settings" option was disabled, stream profiles were still created on Axis cameras. Fixed."
So pretty much what they're saying is if that option is disabled, NX Witness does not create stream profiles.
From this release and on of NX witness any Axis camera that is added to NX witness where the "Allow System to optimize camera settings" is disabled, NX witness does NOT add a stream profile. See my attached image and refer to my previous post for the primary and secondary streams.
In the current state of NX Witness with the option to "Allow System to optimize camera settings" disabled, you cannot change the FPS settings on Axis cameras as highlighted in my previous posts and screenshots.
If an Axis camera was added to NX Witness before this update and has stream profiles already created in it, when you update to this version or newer, NX Witness will continue to use the stream profiles but the Analytics will stop working. (As long as you have "Allow System to optimize camera settings" disabled)
In order to recreate this issue, you need to remove the Axis camera from NX Witness server, disable "Allow System to optimize camera settings" and factory default the Axis camera. After that is completed, add the Axis camera to NX Witness and you will experience the issues I'm reporting.
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Hi Jonathan,
I can confirm, that if Allow System to optimize camera settings is disabled, no profiles are created.However, when the camera is manually added to the VMS, the camera always provides the max. resolution and framerate, regardless of the settings in the camera itself, which is a bit unexpected.
It looks like this is a camera side limitation, but I am discussing the topic with our developers to confirm my analysis. -
Thank you Norman - Nx Support
It worked well when NX Witness still created the stream profiles within the camera when the allow system to optimize camera setting was disabled. I'm not sure why they changed it.
Also, I noticed another bug. If you change a stream related setting in the Axis camera like changing the compression from 25 to 30 and reboot the Axis camera after making the change, the camera will be in a constant connection/disconnection loop with NX Witness. The only way I was able to fix this was to delete the Axis camera from NX Witness, reboot the NX Witness media server and re-add the camera. I've replicated this on multiple different Axis cameras.
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Hi Jonathan,
I spend some time investigating the issue, and the issue is partly to blame to the camera, and partly to blame the VMS.
The camera consistently offers the max. resolution and max. framerate, regardless how to configure it in the device. This could be considered a camera issue.
However, we lack an option to change the frame rate for the primary stream, so we are going to check if we can resolve this. It might look simple, but in reality requires effort from multiple team, and therefore we aim to include it in VMS version 6.1, which is still in development, and release is not expected in the next few months.
JIRA-VMS-56579
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Thank you Norman - Nx Support
I'm happy as long as it's getting fixed in the near future.
Can I ask why the developers stopped allowing NX Witness to create a stream profile in the camera if the option to allow system to optimize camera settings was disabled? Everything seemed to work perfectly before they "fixed" it.
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Hi Jonathan,
When optimization is disabled, creating profiles, might interfere with other applications to which the device might be connected. -
Hi Jonathan,
We’ve conducted an initial investigation into the issue you reported and, after careful consideration, we’ve realized we won’t be able to resolve this request.
The resources required to implement this adjustment are significantly higher than we anticipated. Additionally, the potential risks of introducing bugs outweigh the benefits of addressing this particular issue.
On a related note, I tested this in version 5.1.0.37133 and observed the following:
- Regardless of the settings configured, the camera continues to deliver maximum resolution and framerate by default, just as it does when using the latest release, v 6.0.1.39873.
- Without Device Optimization enabled, there is currently no way to manually adjust resolution or framerate.
- The camera operates at full capacity in terms of resolution and framerate unless adjustments are made in the profile and the VMS is restarted, at which point the changes take effect.
Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns, and thank you for your understanding.
Best regards.
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Good morning Norman - Nx Support
Prior to version 5.1.4.38659 with the allow system to optimize camera settings disabled, FPS and stream settings were always adjusted in System- Stream Profiles and adjusting the respective stream profile. It was never adjusted under Video- Stream.
When version 5.1.4.38659 was introduced, it eliminated adding stream profiles to Axis cameras when they were added to NX Witness. This update also broke the analytics on all of my installs and I had to manually delete the Axis cameras from NX Witness and re-add them to fix it.
As you know, the update also prevents me from adjusting the FPS settings on the primary stream. NX Witness is calling for 30 FPS in the primary stream. See my attached screenshot where it says "fps=30".
When I adjust the fps settings on the secondary stream under advanced, the adjusted fps settings reflects in the stream. For example, if I set the secondary stream to 7 fps, the stream will say "fps=7". Why can't I do this with the primary stream??
I also don't understand why the installer can't choose whether to use a stream profile or not. That should be up to the installer, not the VMS.
Network Optix broke all of my installs with this update. Now they're saying they don't have the resources to fix something they broke in the first place?? That is an unacceptable answer. They need to either fix the issue or allow the installer to continue using the stream profiles. If this issue needs to be addressed with Axis, I'll happily open a support ticket with them. However, if Network Optix is unwilling to fix this issue they created, I'm going to have to reconsider selling this software in the future.
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Hi Jonathan,
It seems you were benefiting from what was, unfortunately, a bug—one that impacts many customers. Reverting the fix for this issue would negatively affect a significant number of users. That said, you are, of course, welcome to continue using a version where this bug persists. We don’t enforce updates, so you’re free to decide whether or not to use the latest version.
To clarify, the creation of these profiles overrode existing ones, disabled autodiscovery, and disrupted ONVIF compatibility, among other issues.
Regarding your comment about Nx, it’s important to note that Nx isn’t specifically calling for 30 fps; the device itself provides 30 fps as the maximum, and Nx simply uses that. While you could add Axis devices via the RTSP stream, you would lose the advantages of the native Axis integration.
You also mentioned:
"I have other cameras on this system and I do not want DW to adjust the settings as it changes settings I don't want it to."
I’m curious to understand why Device Optimization wouldn’t work for you. If there’s a specific challenge you’re facing, we’d be happy to explore ways to address it.
Best regards.
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Unfortunately, using an older version of NX Witness is not an option due to Cybersecurity concerns and updates that were made with the cloud.
Last time I attempted to allow NX Witness to optimize camera settings I was using version 4 (just prior to version 5) or the very beginning of version 5. The setting was enabled while several Dahua cameras (I haven't tried it with Axis cameras) were on the system. NX witness changed the resolution on all of the cameras (did not matter if they were 8mp or 4mp) to 1080p and changed the FPS settings to 30 and I believe it also modified the bitrate. When I install cameras, I program specific settings for the scene, and the last thing I want is NX Witness attempting to modify those settings. The Device "optimization" actually degraded performance and image quality. I highly doubt NX Witness will "optimize" the camera settings better than how I tune them and therefore I never want NX witness to have the ability to modify any settings within the camera.
So if there's a way to enable "Allow System to optimize camera settings" without actually allowing NX Witness the ability to change any of the camera settings, I'd be willing to give it a try.
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Hi Jonathan,
That sounds familiar, and as far as I know, that was resolved. If I recall it correctly, it was an issue in 4.1.
Would you mind sharing some common model numbers you use? Once I get the list, I'll create a DW system, add the devices (if we have them) and add you as a cloud user for review. -
It was a combination of Dahua HDW5442-TM's and Dahua Color 4K-T's. There was also probably a 5442-Z4E bullet in there. Some of them were running "General" firmware and not the Dahua branded firmware at the time of this issue.
I have a server I'm willing to experiment on so you don't have to worry about creating a DW system for me. If you're saying that was an issue and it was fixed, what exactly does "Allow System to optimize camera settings" do now?
Edit: Sorry, I misread your previous post. We mostly use Axis cameras now (P1468-LE, Q3538-LVE, P3265-LVE etc.), but if we use Dahua cameras it's most likely going to be the 5442 S3 series or Color 4K-T.
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I think I might've found a workaround.
I enabled "Allow system to optimize camera settings" on my system. One by one I went to each Dahua camera under expert and checked "Keep camera stream and profile settings". I went to each of those cameras and readjusted the stream settings to how I had them before DW modified them (I have two Dahua Color 4K-X's which DW changed from 4K to 3mp when I allowed DW to optimize camera settings). DW also created the stream profiles in the Axis cameras. In DW, I changed the frame rate to 15 FPS on the Axis cameras then checked "Keep camera stream and profile settings". I was also able to modify the settings in the stream profile in the Axis camera webpage without causing any issues with DW.
I rebooted the DW media server and everything appears to be working normally including the analytics on the Axis cameras. I'll keep you posted.
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Hi Jonathan,
I'm reaching out to see if you still want/need access to the shared system?
Without further action from my side, the system will void in approx. 48 hours from now. -
I no longer need access to the shared system. Thank you for creating it for me.
Based on my testing with the shared system and my local system, I've determined the best course of action going forward is to enable "Allow system to optimize camera settings" and check "Keep camera stream and profile settings" under Expert in the camera settings. Using these settings allows the flexibility I need in regards to adjusting the cameras bitrate and FPS settings while also eliminating the issue I had where I was unable to adjust the FPS settings on the Axis cameras.
Based on my testing, allowing DW to adjust the cameras settings restricts the configurability of the bitrate and drastically reduced the resolution on some of my Dahua cameras. It did seemed to work much better with Axis cameras though. I'm sure I could've fixed the resolution under advanced on the camera settings but the bitrate options are still limited and I don't want to have to worry about DW automatically changing settings in the future.
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