Under the agreement, Honeywell paid to the company the final $1.8 million installment it owed, together with interest. As part of the agreement, the company negotiated a favorable settlement of all matters related to three patents that it sold to Honeywell in December 2002 as part of the sale of the CCTV business.

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“I am pleased to report that we entered into a very favorable agreement with Honeywell and David Blackshear, the former owner of three patents covering video security dome units.

Including attorney fees and royalties related to the three patents, the company paid $305,000 as its part of the agreement with Honeywell and Mr. Blackshear.

In return, Mr. Blackshear agreed that he has no future claims against either Honeywell or the company based on the three patents sold by the company to Honeywell or based on our past or future sale of video security dome units,” said J. Collier Sparks.

Mr. Sparks went on to say that since December 2002, the company had received all of the $5.4 million, together with interest, that Honeywell was entitled to hold back under the terms of the December 2002 Asset Purchase Agreement.

“In fact, said Mr. Sparks, “Honeywell actually paid the Company an additional $888,000 which reflected the higher value of the CCTV business we sold to them.”

The Ness PRO series is headlined by the PRO 16/15, a powerful digital video solution with integrated RAID storage, including 15 hot-swappable bays and three fully redundant power supplies.

The 14 onboard hard drives offer 4.2 Terabytes of RAID Configurable storage (RAID 0,1,0+1,5), allowing the 16 cameras to be recorded at their highest resolution settings, largest picture size (704 x 576) and stored at up to 25 frames per second per camera, to a maximum of 192fps global for approximately 10 full days before overwrite of the oldest data.

Ness’ John Nowacki was cagey about price for the new range but claimed the PRO series would cost about 50 per cent less than its major competitors equivalent systems which are typically hybrid, and according to Nowacki, have lower specifications.

The range includes the PRO 16/15, the PRO 16/8, the PRO 16/2 and the PRO 8/2 and 4/1. The first 2 units incorporate onboard RAID storage, while the smaller units still provide exactly the same features and performance excluding the raid and storage capacity.The PRO 16/15 is a gob-smacking professional system with hardware specs sure to make the competition drool (14, 300GB hard drives, Real Time 400 images per second to screen for viewing and a recording rate of 192fps globally. It also has 3 fully redundant power supplies, and the software’s technical specs that are most impressive are standard across the entire range.

Using a cutting edge proprietary MPEG-4 compression protocol, the PRO series gives virtual real time remote viewing of groups of cameras. While many DVR’s make similar claims, the Ness PRO range delivers both on a local monitor, across a network, or remotely across a WAN or ISDN line. I saw this myself and it looked the goods.

There’s full local and remote control of the system. Remote capabilities allow 5 administrators that have full access and programmability remotely on-line simultaneously or 20 Normal password access levels that have programmable access rights logged on simultaneously. The Pro Series uses a very simple and intuitive front end G.U.I. that needs virtually no explanation. Almost all controls, including file sizes, resolution, frame rates, saturation levels and much more are all available from one screen.

You can find out more about the launch of the new PRO DVR range in Adelaide by calling Glen Watkins at Ness on 02 88259222.

Sales of $US6.4 billion were up 11 per cent compared to 2003, resulting from organic sales growth in all four operating segments. Cash flow from operations was $645 million and free cash flow (cash flow from operations less capital expenditures) was $US525 million.

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“These results reflect another quarter of strong sales and earnings, due to solid operational execution and continued business improvement,” said Honeywell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Cote.

“Each of our operating segments experienced increased orders and organic sales growth. Segment profit increased 20 per cent due to good volume conversion, offset by higher raw material costs in the non-core businesses of Specialty Materials.

“We continue to strengthen our balance sheet and drive free cash flow while at the same time investing in productivity and growth initiatives across the company.”

Net income increased to $US372 million for the quarter, including the impact of $US105 million of pre-tax pension expense. Free cash flow of $US525 million equals 141 per cent of net income. Also, subsequent to quarter end, Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its “A/A-1” corporate credit rating on Honeywell and revised its outlook to stable from negative.

“Growth initiatives in each operating segment are gaining momentum and driving new business,” Mr. Cote said. “During the quarter, Aerospace’s Primus Epic(R) integrated cockpit system was certified on the Gulfstream G450.

Automation and Control Solutions introduced FocusPRO 5000, a digital thermostat, and experienced double-digit orders growth in both its Building and Process Solutions businesses. 

The Federal Government says local and overseas experience has demonstrated the high deterrence value of the visible security measure of CCTV. While the Department of Transport is not being specific, it’s clear that a series of networked solutions will be required to fulfill a remote monitoring brief.

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In specific regional airports, the CCTV surveillance trial will be undertaken to enhance security by providing both the deterrence of constant surveillance and early warning of aviation security incidents.

Regional airports do not generally have the resources or capability to incorporate CCTV into the preventive security measures around their airports.

Airports under the trial will be subject to 24-hour a day surveillance, with the cameras capable of monitoring all key aspects of the airports’ operations.

Pictures from the surveillance cameras will be monitored by the Office of Transport Security Operations Centre and made available to the local police, airport and aircraft owners.

The Government has already announced $A4.4 million to enable the operations centre to work around the clock to provide for a 24/7 capability. This new centre has been dealing with the new maritime security regime and operations will now extend to dealing with aviation security matters.

The surveillance feed from the airports in the trial will support responses to any activity of interest or concern. Web-based vision will also be shared with other enforcement agencies at any point in time.

The decision broadens a growing move from coax infrastructures like RG-59, to cable plants that offer superior performance while being lighter and less expensive. But most importantly, CCTP offers a way to support analogue cameras using Cat-5 cable plants with no additional control or power cabling.

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The Closed-Circuit Twisted Pair product is an end-to-end video surveillance system that bridges the gap between IT and security. CCTP offers a way to run traditional Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and devices over a single Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.

With CCTP’s design, the system can deliver power, video and control over UTP cable to reduce the amount of cabling required to wire video surveillance systems.

“Diebold is recognized as an industry leader in security installation services and has an excellent track record of responding to its customers’ changing needs,” said Marc Abbagnaro, vice president of marketing, physical security, for Anixter.

“The addition of CCTP as an approved technology fits well within Diebold’s portfolio of providing quality, innovative products to its customer base.”

The RailCorp tender will now close on Wednesday, November 10. One of the largest tenders of its type in the world, the networked surveillance system covers 304 railway stations spread across thousands of square miles.There are 6170 cameras and 441 digital video recorders in need of upgrade, along with 110 servers, 305 matrix switchers, 733 help points and 307 video streamers. The system has 372 Ethernet switches, 239 tape juke boxes, 616 alarm data units and 305 UPS solutions. Also to be upgraded are 608 monitors and 43 equipment huts. The initial pre-tender briefing was attended by the likes of ADT, Advanced Security, Alcatel, Bosch, Chubb, CR Kennedy, Fujitsu, GE, Honeywell, IBM, LSE Leighton, NEC, NDC (Telstra), RTA, Sony and many more.  

Former Tyco chief executive Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, the company’s one-time chief financial officer, asked a court to direct Twin City Fire Insurance to pay legal bills that they say have surpassed $US25 million.

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The first trial of Kozlowski, 57, and Swartz, 44, on charges of stealing $US170 million in unauthorized pay and $US430 million in profits from manipulated stock

ended in a mistrial in April. Their second trial is scheduled Jan. 18.

Court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court say <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />TwinCity, a unit of Hartford Financial Services Group, is obligated help cover their legal bills.

The pair has already exhausted the first $25 million of coverage provided by Federal Insurance Co. The TwinCity policy provides an additional $25 million in coverage.

The lawsuit says neither Federal, a unit of Chubb Corp., nor TwinCity has acknowledged its obligation to pay the executives’ defense costs. The suit asks the court to direct the insurance companies to pay. Sue Honeyman, a spokeswoman for TwinCity, said she could not comment on pending litigation.

A similar suit was filed last week against TwinCity by Mark A. Belnick, Tyco’s former general counsel, acquitted in July of charges he abused company loan programs and accepted an improper bonus of $17 million from Kozlowski.

And last month, TwinCity sued Belnick, Kozlowski and Swartz, asking a court to declare it is not responsible for their legal bills. Separately, Federal is appealing the March 5 court ruling earlier this year that ordered it to pay Kozlowski’s defense costs. The company contends the coverage is outside the terms of its policy.

The aim is to provide local capability for regional airports to conduct basic passenger screening at short notice. The Australian Federal Police and the Office of Transport Security will work with airports on this measure due to the specialties of each agency.

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This new measure will include hand wand screening equipment for metal detection and training for staff at 146 regional airports on how to use it. Although the threat level to regional airports has been assessed as low, the Government has decided that all regular public transport airports across <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Australia should be in a position to establish and operate passenger screening quickly in the event of a change in alert levels.

The Government’s opinion is that regional airports may not have the resources and capability to deploy additional security measures, such as passenger screening, rapidly and in response to alert level increases or specific threats to a particular airport.

In keeping with the current assessed level of risk, airports will not be obliged to implement screening on a regular basis, although trained and qualified local screeners will be available to regional airports to set up mobile screening stations at their airport.

Screening will form part of the new regional airport security programmes currently under development. The Office of Transport Security will work with industry to ensure there is access to trained screeners.

Regional airport staff will be trained in basic security guard techniques, according to state-based criteria, followed by additional aviation security training. Staff will learn hand-wand screening techniques, security awareness training and enforcement and detainment procedures. Airport screeners will also need to undergo a background check.

Australian Federal Police Protective Services (AFPPS) staff will be on hand to conduct bomb appraisal and explosive detection canine services. If passenger screening and heightened security measures were required at short notice, the AFPPS and airport management would coordinate on-the-ground management of the screening process.

The Office of Transport Security will implement and manage the training of regional airport staff. The OTS is also responsible for ensuring that any elements added to an airport’s transport security programme meet appropriate criteria and are enforced through its audit and compliance programme.