Patent ID: 7577199

Claim:
A digital video recorder, comprising: a first memory configured to store a plurality of video frames captured by an image acquisition device; a second memory coupled to said first memory; and a surveillance unit coupled to said first memory and said second memory, said surveillance unit including an event detector configured to define a target region included as a portion in each of said plurality of video frames, said target region representing a specific area to be monitored for movement, said event detector being configured to detect movement of an object represented in said target region based on a motion vector associated with said object; an event tracker coupled to said event detector, said event tracker being configured to shift, in response to said detected movement, said target region as included in said plurality of video frames, said target region being shifted such that said target region is substantially centered with respect to said object, said target region being shifted without repositioning said image acquisition device and without activating another image acquisition device; an event recorder coupled to said event detector, said event recorder being configured to coordinate selective storage of said portions of said plurality of video frames corresponding to said target region, said event recorder being configured to transfer said portions of said plurality video frames from said first memory to said second memory in response to said detected movement; and an event notifier coupled to said event detector, said event notifier being configured to generate an event notification in response to said detected movement.