How far can images be enhanced?

[Iamzod]

I have done some googling earlier following my CCTV picking up some extremely dodgy guys being recorded yesterday afternoon whilst I was at work having a look around the outside of my house & trying all the doors to the house & garage.

It filmed their vehicle however it was quite far away from the camera & the resolution doesn't give away the reg plate. Is it possible to do something with the frames on the video to get the reg out of it or is this sort of thing all in the movies?

My googling gives mixed results.

 

[D.P.]

Fr the most that is on,y from CSI.

If you view the image at 100% (i.e try to zoom in all the way),, if you can't see the numbers then there is nothing you can do if the exposure is correct. If the image is too dark or too bright you can sometimes gain some visible information if it hasn't been clipped. You can also push contrast a lot which could enhance subtle differences between letters and the plate. With some noise filtering and sharing you can enhance the visual representation of the underlying signal, but if there is no signal there then then you can't make it appear form no where.

The problem with most CCTV footage is the resolution is too low and the small sensors lead to high noise so you are starting from nothing.

 

[Iamzod]

I thought so, I have just finished adding more locks to the garage doors. Going to set up the CCTV for e-mail alerts tomorrow on the motion detection part of it.

They were looking in the windows at one point but suddenly backed off as I think the dog spotted them and he tends to go mental if someone comes to the window, the neighbours said he was barking but they thought nothing of it.

8 stone of slobbering teeth & muscle probably isn't too appealing to someone wanting to make a quick couple of hundred from nicking my electrical goods.

 

[Rroff]

You can also sometimes get information like that from reflections, etc. but as D.P. said most of that enhancing in movies and TV isn't possible in the realworld.

 

[davido_labido]

 

[An Exception]

I thought so, I have just finished adding more locks to the garage doors. Going to set up the CCTV for e-mail alerts tomorrow on the motion detection part of it.

They were looking in the windows at one point but suddenly backed off as I think the dog spotted them and he tends to go mental if someone comes to the window, the neighbours said he was barking but they thought nothing of it.

8 stone of slobbering teeth & muscle probably isn't too appealing to someone wanting to make a quick couple of hundred from nicking my electrical goods.

Put a sticker on the front door warning that the house is protected via CCTV and that their pictures have already been taken and uploaded online.

 

[SDK^]

It's amazing what you can do these days

 

[Sig226]

^^ Love it !