Troubleshooting and Fixing Pixelated Video on Axis Cameras
Axis cameras are renowned for their superior image quality, delivering crisp and clear video for professional surveillance. When your video feed appears pixelated, blocky, or blurry, it's not just a visual annoyance—it can mean losing the critical details needed for identification or evidence. This issue is almost always related to the configuration of the camera's video stream settings in relation to the available network bandwidth.
This technical guide will help you diagnose the root cause of pixelation on your Axis camera and show you how to adjust the key settings within the camera's interface to restore the high-quality video you expect.
Step 1: Understanding the Cause of Pixelation
Pixelation (or 'blockiness') occurs when the camera has to discard video information to fit the video stream into the available bandwidth. This is a direct result of the compression settings. The camera compresses the video to make the file size smaller for transmission over the network. When the compression is too high, you lose detail, and the image looks blocky.
The three key factors you need to balance are:
- Resolution: The size of the image (e.g., 1080p, 4K). Higher resolution requires more bandwidth.
- Frame Rate (fps): How many images are captured per second. Higher fps creates smoother video but requires more bandwidth.
- Compression/Bitrate: How much the video is compressed. Lower compression (higher bitrate) means better quality but requires more bandwidth.
Pixelation happens when the bitrate is too low for the chosen resolution and frame rate.
Step 2: Analysing Your Network Bandwidth
Before changing camera settings, you must know your network's limitations.
- Local Network: Are you viewing the camera on the same local network (LAN)? Your main limitation here is the quality of your network cables and switches. Ensure you are using at least Cat5e cabling and that your network switches are not overloaded.
- Remote Viewing: Are you viewing the camera over the internet? Your limitation is your internet connection's upload speed at the camera's location. Run a speed test to determine this. A 4MP camera might require a constant 4-6 Mbps upload speed for a high-quality stream.
Step 3: Adjusting Camera Stream Profile Settings
You will need to log into your Axis camera's web interface using its IP address in a web browser to perform these adjustments.
Tweak the Compression Level
- Navigate to Settings > Stream. You will likely be in the 'Stream Profiles' section.
- Select the profile you are using for viewing.
- Find the Compression setting. It's often a slider. A lower number (e.g., 30) means less compression and higher quality. A higher number (e.g., 70) means more compression and lower quality.
- Action: If your video is pixelated, decrease the compression value (move the slider towards 'Low' or 'Quality'). Observe the live view to see the effect.
Manage the Bitrate
Bitrate is the amount of data allocated to the video stream. Axis cameras can use a Variable Bitrate (VBR) or a Constant Bitrate (CBR).
- Variable Bitrate (VBR): This is often the default. It allows the bitrate to fluctuate based on the complexity of the scene (e.g., more motion requires a higher bitrate). It usually has a 'target' bitrate.
- Constant Bitrate (CBR): This forces the stream to stay at a fixed bitrate, which can cause pixelation during high-motion scenes if the limit is too low.
Action:
- If using VBR, try increasing the target bitrate.
- If using CBR, you must increase the target bitrate to a level that can support your resolution and frame rate without quality loss. For example, for a 1080p stream at 25 fps, a target of at least 4096 kbit/s (4 Mbps) would be a good starting point.
Consider the Resolution and Frame Rate
If you have limited bandwidth and cannot increase the bitrate, your only other option is to reduce the amount of data the camera needs to send.
- Lower the Resolution: Do you really need to stream at 4K? Lowering the resolution to 1080p (1920x1080) or even 720p will massively reduce bandwidth requirements and may eliminate pixelation.
- Lower the Frame Rate: For many general surveillance purposes, a frame rate of 12-15 fps is perfectly adequate and uses half the bandwidth of 25-30 fps.
Step 4: Utilise Axis Zipstream Technology
Most modern Axis cameras feature Zipstream, an advanced video compression technology that is much more efficient than standard H.264/H.265. It identifies and preserves important forensic detail (faces, license plates) while more aggressively compressing less important areas of the scene (walls, lawns).
- Action: In the stream settings, ensure Zipstream is enabled. You can often choose a 'strength' level. A higher strength will save more bandwidth. Experiment with different levels to find the best balance of quality and bandwidth savings for your specific scene.
By methodically adjusting these settings, you can strike the perfect balance between video quality and network performance, eliminating pixelation and restoring the professional image clarity your Axis camera is capable of.