Hikvision has launched Guanlan Encoding, an AI-powered video compression technology.
According to the company, the new release delivers 30%–50% average storage savings without compromising critical footage quality.
As resolutions climb, channel counts expand and retention periods extend, storage has become one of the dominant cost drivers in video security.
Guanlan Encoding
According to the company, Guanlan Encoding is built on the H.265 international standard and is powered by Hikvision’s Guanlan Large-Scale AI Model.
It extends Guanlan from video analytics into the encoding pipeline.
In security deployments, especially those of substantial scale, Guanlan Encoding can halve HDD requirements and rack space while significantly reducing long-term power consumption – lowering total cost of ownership across the project lifecycle.
Keep the focus, cut the storage
Conventional codecs treat every pixel equally, forcing operators to choose between higher-definition imagery and more efficient storage.
Guanlan Encoding eliminates that dilemma.
It identifies key objects in a scene – such as people and vehicles – and preserves them at full clarity through precision Region of Interest (ROI) segmentation, while ultra-compressing redundant background data.
“What’s worth keeping in full clarity”
Jason Yang, Vice President of Hikvision International Business Center commented: “Storage efficiency has almost always come at the cost of quality – until now.
“Guanlan Encoding looks at the picture first – then decides what’s worth keeping in full clarity.”
Combining modes
The technology combines two complementary modes.
Dynamic Sensing adapts bitrate allocation in real time to preserve detail in complex, fast-moving scenes.
Static Optimization applies ultra-high compression to still or low-motion footage, reducing some frames to just a few dozen bytes.
The company explained that together, they shift video encoding from a one-size-fits-all solution toward an intelligent, encode-on-demand approach.
Tested across various scenes
Hikvision said that internal comparative tests between conventional H.265 and Guanlan Encoding confirm consistent bitrate savings:
- Canteen (24 hours): 49% savings across full-day traffic fluctuations
- Office park entrance (30 minutes): 42% savings during peak traffic
- Corporate lobby (2 hours): 38% savings in a standard indoor environment
- Busy commercial street (1 hour): 18% savings in a high-complexity, high-activity scene
Integration
Hikvision explained that due to Guanlan Encoding being built on H.265, it works seamlessly with existing H.265 decoders, Hikvision and third-party devices, whilst also supporting advanced AI analytics.
Encoding format, frame rate and resolution remain unchanged – making adoption straightforward for both new and existing projects.
