What Is Milestone BriefCam? AI Video Analytics Explained

Most CCTV systems record far more footage than anyone will ever watch. When an incident happens, someone has to go through hours of video one camera at a time, hoping to spot the moment that matters. Milestone BriefCam changes that. It is AI-powered video analytics software that makes recorded and live footage searchable, filterable and measurable, so investigations take minutes rather than days.

What is Milestone BriefCam?

BriefCam is video analytics software from Milestone Systems, the company behind the XProtect video management software (VMS). It uses artificial intelligence and deep learning to analyse video from your existing cameras. You can then search that footage by what appears in it: people, vehicles and objects, along with their appearance, direction and speed.

It is not a camera and it does not replace your VMS. It works alongside your VMS and adds analytics on top. BriefCam is camera-agnostic, integrates natively with Milestone XProtect, and works with more than 20 other video management systems.

You can find out more on our Milestone BriefCam page.

How does VIDEO SYNOPSIS work?

BriefCam's best-known feature is its patented VIDEO SYNOPSIS® technology. It condenses hours of footage into a short clip by overlaying events that happened at different times onto a single scene. Each object keeps its timestamp, so you still know when it happened.

Now, you may be thinking that sounds chaotic. In practice, you can filter it. Ask to see only people, or only vehicles moving in one direction, and the synopsis shows just those. Milestone puts it simply: it turns hours of video into minutes.

The three BriefCam modules: Review, Respond and Research

BriefCam is built around three modules, each with a distinct job.

REVIEW: faster investigations

• Search across multiple cameras at once

• Filter by object class, such as people, vehicles and bags

• Narrow results by appearance, direction and speed

• Generate heatmaps and manage cases

RESPOND: real-time alerts

• Rule-based alerts for the events that matter on your site

• Line crossing, people counting and object-class triggers

• Optional face recognition and licence plate recognition, with watchlists

RESEARCH: business intelligence

• Measure occupancy, queues and dwell times 

• Understand site and customer behaviour 

• Support planning, Reporting and optimisation 

Milestone positions BriefCam for organisations that hold a lot of video and need answers from it quickly. It is used by:

• Police and public safety teams

• Retail chains and shopping centres

• Transport hubs, including airports

• Hospitals and healthcare estates

• Schools, colleges and universities

• Manufacturing and critical infrastructure

• Hospitality, casinos and financial institutions

For a retailer, that might mean measuring footfall and dwell time. For a hospital, it might mean finding a missing patient on camera in minutes.

Using AI video analytics responsibly in the UK

Footage of identifiable people is personal data under UK GDPR. Face recognition processes biometric data, which carries extra obligations. Before you switch it on, carry out a data protection impact assessment, be clear on your lawful basis, and keep your signage and retention policies up to date.

The good news is that you do not have to use it. Versions of BriefCam without facial recognition are available, and many sites get plenty of value from object search alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is BriefCam only for Milestone XProtect?
No. It integrates natively with XProtect and supports more than 20 other VMS platforms.

How is BriefCam different from VMS motion search?
Motion search tells you something moved. BriefCam tells you what it was, and lets you filter by appearance, direction and speed.

Does BriefCam include face and licence plate recognition?
Both are available as options, with watchlist matching. Versions without facial recognition can also be purchased.

Can BriefCam run across multiple sites?
Yes. It supports single-site and multi-site setups, and the Insights edition is built for multi-site analytics.

Get started with Milestone BriefCam

Explore the range on our Milestone BriefCam page, or get in touch with your account manager to talk through editions, licensing and the right fit for your project.