# Security Camera Recordings : Why the Crappy Quality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178 "2010-01-08T17:36:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GregH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GregH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregH)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/1 "2010-01-08T17:36:24Z")
The security camera footage of the recent airport security breach in New Jersey was released recently, and the footage is typical of most security cameras: grainy, jumpy, and too dark. My question is: why is this type of footage always of such crappy quality? Are there not security cameras that can film in fabulous quality? If storage is an issue, why can’t the airport have a room full of hard drives capable of storing a gazillion petabytes? The sames goes for banks, malls, parking lots, etc, etc. I find this hard to understand when audio/video technology has come such a long way. Thanks, Greg ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/2 "2010-01-08T17:41:54Z")
Everything in business is done as a cost-benefit decision. Sure, higher quality security cameras are available, but the budget may only allow for a certain degree of quality. Why invest another penny when the odds of needing the better system are so low? It’s a waste of money if you’re in the majority who won’t need it and and you will never have spent enough if you’re in the minority that will, but since no one can actually percieve the future - we make statistically backed gambles. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/3 "2010-01-08T17:46:13Z")
Until very recently a room with petabytes of storage was very very expensive. You might start seeing newer camera installations with better pictures but i doubt you will see people ripping out old systems to put in new better resolution systems. ---
**Author:** ![GregH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GregH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregH)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/4 "2010-01-08T18:20:58Z")
Interesting. In my naivete, I presumed that this type of high-quality technology would’ve come down a lot in price. But as for airports, the government [including Canada’s gov’t, where I’m from] is spending millions now on these full-body scanners. If security is such a priority, as it should be, why aren’t the security cameras of equally pristine quality, especially with security budgets bursting at the seams? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/5 "2010-01-08T18:23:30Z")
There was a long thread on this topic maybe a month or two ago - you’d do well to search for it. The consensus was that you had a lot of quality compromises in order to make the systems cost-effective, which includes keeping some really old equipment in place and skimping in other ways like allowing VHS tapes to be re-recorded on so much that the emulsion breaks down. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-camera-recordings-why-the-crappy-quality/524178/6 "2010-01-08T18:25:56Z")
> **[Why do security camera images suck?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540862)** > > I am always amazed at how poor the quality is on these so called “security cameras.” I have seen some pictures recently taken from a bank surveillance camera of a person they are trying to catch, and the picture is so awful you wouldn’t be able to... The thread that dracoi speaks of.