Glossary Term: Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
A Charge Coupled Device (CCD) is a type of image sensor and is basically the eye of your IP security camera. Is it a small, light-sensitive integrated circuit which translates the light which hits it into a digital electrical signal.
On the CCD there are thousands or even millions of tiny receptive cells. These cells react to the red, green or blue light components and records each as a voltage. The voltage is then read by the camera, compressed and then sent along the network.
CCD sensors are usually measured in physical dimensions. In IP CCTV cameras these are usually 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 an inch. Larger sensors tend to give a better picture as they have a larger surface area to catch more light.
[...] A CMOS sensor, when applied to IP surveillance cameras, is a device which converts light energy into electrical voltages which can be read by an IP camera and translated into images. In a similar manor to CCD sensors, CMOS sensors are made up of thousands or millions of light-reactive cells. Each reacts to a component of light; red, green or blue. The amount of light on each cell is translated into a voltage which is read by the camera and translated into data. This is then compressed and sent across the network to the viewing computer which arranges the data back in its original colour and position providing a picture. [...]