ONVIF recently released the RC version of Profile V, revealing some details. Today, we'll discuss Profile V and its relationship with Profile S/Profile T/Profile G/Profile M, as well as Profile A/Profile C/Profile D.
ONVIF Profile V was designed to support the increasingly popular VSaaS architecture. China's GB28181 standard inherently supports the VSaaS architecture, including the later-defined GB35114. However, ONVIF's client/server architecture cannot meet this requirement. In the past few years, ONVIF also defined Uplink, but it hasn't gained much traction. One company, VXG (https://www.videoexpertsgroup.com/), did a lot of work, implementing VSaaS based on the Uplink approach and providing device-side code (https://github.com/VideoExpertsGroup/VXG.Uplink.SDK). However, supporting each device individually proved difficult, and ultimately, this company was acquired by Octave. According to information released by VXG, Profile V's approach is very similar to VXG's, employing the S3 cloud storage model and supporting frame-by-frame playback of data from cloud storage. This is implemented in the browser based on HTML5, a remarkable feature. The author believes this is also a trend, as some Chinese companies have gradually returned to plugin technology during the Chrome era, completely abandoning HTML5.
Many companies specialize in VSaaS, such as Verkada, EEN, 3deye, and Videoloft, as well as Genetec MileStone. The author previously worked with FocusAI (https://www.qualcomm.com/internet-of-things/device-finder/focus-ai-focus-ai-vantage), which was later acquired by Qualcomm. These companies all use proprietary protocols. As mentioned in the ONVIF Profile V announcement, if a user switches service providers, their camera becomes unusable. With Profile V, however, they can continue using the camera even after switching providers – sounds wonderful, right? Profile S/Profile T fulfilled a similar mission.
After ONVIF defeated PSIA, it released many profiles, but few were implemented for A, C, and D access control. A search in the ONVIF compatibility library will reveal this. Profile Q was also released, but it's basically obsolete. Currently, the most influential are STGM. ONVIF officially hopes that Profile V can achieve the same level of influence as Profile S and Profile T.
Profile V is primarily designed for cameras, storing all video in the cloud via the S3 protocol. It lacks a standard for uplink playback, meaning NVRs are not within the scope of Profile V. Furthermore, Profile V implements authentication based on OAuth2/mTLS, requiring an IAM service.
It seems that half of Profile V's functionality consists of modern network security features, making its development significantly more complex than STG.