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Digital zoom (ePTZ) in Xeoma video surveillance software

Digital zoom (ePTZ) is a method of panning in on an image electronically without using a lens. This method imitates the PTZ zoom, designed to work with cameras that do not support PTZ functions. It can be indispensable for cases when only a certain area of your camera’s preview needs to be assessed. Since most cameras without PTZ cannot zoom in on an image mechanically, the quality of the end result depends on your video stream’s resolution.

Working with ePTZ

The option to enable digital zoom in Xeoma video surveillance program can be found via one of the following:

• The Quick Settings window → “Zoom”;
• The Archive Viewer window → “Turn zoom mode on”.

Enabling digital zoom manually only has to be done for Android and PC-based operating systems. For iOS, the zoom mode is enabled by default: all you need to do is switch to the needed camera’s single preview and zoom in or out with two fingers (or by swiping the screen).

There are three ways to zoom in and out of camera image in Xeoma:

By clicking your mouse
After enabling digital zoom in the menu, hover your cursor over the needed area within your camera’s preview, then click it. The preview will pan in and center on said area. For a bigger zoom effect, click the place of interest once more. Once it’s reached the maximum allowed zoom, the image will pan out to match its default scaling.

By scrolling your mouse wheel
After enabling digital zoom in the menu, hover your cursor over the needed area within your camera’s preview, then scroll your mouse wheel (up to zoom in, down to zoom out). The zoom feature can scale your your camera image up or down twofold per scroll, maximum allowed zoom is up to 16 times.

By selecting an area with your mouse
After enabling digital zoom in the menu, hover your cursor over a corner of the needed area within your camera’s preview, then hold your mouse button down and drag it over the entire image fragment. Release the button to confirm your selection. The fragment will be enlarged to fill in the camera slot. The larger your selected area is, the less it will be zoomed in, and vice versa.

Xeoma’s digital zoom also supports automatic object tracking, a feature usually exclusive to PTZ cameras.

The pros of ePTZ:

Digital zoom presents a variety of advantages which make it an essential video surveillance tool for many occasions. Its key pros include:

1. Availability. The ePTZ function only needs a camera and a video stream to work, no specialized equipment required. For this reason, this feature is both comprehensible and cost-effective;
2. Ease of use. As we demonstrated above, navigating your camera image with ePTZ can be done with a few motions of your mouse;
3. No risks. Since ePTZ only adjusts your camera image and doesn’t involve any mechanical movement, there are zero operation-related risks: it cannot break or wear out;
4. Expansion of basic video surveillance. Digital zoom will be of great assistance in monitoring specific areas of supervised territory – you won’t need to reinstall your cameras or create additional module chains in Xeoma. If your camera’s resolution is high enough, you can receive a very detailed image of the location where surveillance needs to be focused most;
5. Convenience of use in constricted spaces. Since ePTZ specializes in digital image altering and does not deploy any physical movement of your camera, it can be used to replace PTZ for cameras placed in small, constricted spaces.

As you can see, digital zoom has a number of advantages and is incredibly easy to use. With Xeoma video surveillance software, creating a flexible video surveillance system is no rocket science, even with less expensive cameras that do not support PTZ.

March 10, 2025

Read also:
How to configure PTZ cameras in Xeoma
The “Image Crop” module