[Editor's Note: SecurityInfoWatch.com asked four industry notables to blow away the hype, roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and not pull any punches when it comes to where they see the video surveillance industry today. The result was honest, open takes on our business. Their columns will be appearing consecutively on SecurityInfoWatch.com. Part 1 featured Bosch's Dr. Bob Banerjee. Part 2 featured the ideas of Ari Erenthal, who handles video surveillance systems sales for products distributor B&H Photo Video in New York. Part 3, which begins below, showcase Guy Apple (from NVT) and his take on cable infrastructure realities for video surveillance. In subsequent parts, each written by a different guest columnist, we'll continue to link all these stories together and promote the heck out of them on the site (all will appear on the "columns and features" segment of our Video Surveillance section; click the "products" navigation drop down and choose "video surveillance"). We hope we stir up some feelings. The comments area is open, so share your perspectives, too!]

Outside a few realists, for the last five or six years, industry pundits and magazine editors have seized upon the imminent shift to IP-based video surveillance. To hear them tell the story, everybody is going to stop buying analog cameras, DVRs, distribution amps and coax cable, right?

Well, it hasn't happened yet, and that date of the switch-over to IP just keeps moving out. Why? If you consider the sheer number of analog cameras currently installed, and when you realize that many end users actually are happy with the performance of their analog systems, IP would have to go a long way to totally dominate the market. This reminds me of the not-so-long-ago predictions about VoIP taking over every POTS line. It still is not likely in our career timeframe.

Today, end users need to know that in order to get the most out of price and performance and previous investments, you have to plan for using both analog cameras as well as the state-of-the-art IP megapixel camera technology, and you have to have them optimally combined. That combination is called a hybrid video system, and such systems leverage the advantages of analog, digital and IP. Despite the hype of the shift to IP, hybrid is the story that needs to be told.