Have you ever wondered how the different profiles of ONVIF are named? While it may seem like a bit of alphabet soup, there is a method to the madness.

ONVIF profiles, which support a specific set of functionalities, are represented by a letter to designate the general area of functionality, for example, Profile S for basic video streaming. As ONVIF and the industry evolve, new or related profiles may be developed to update or enhance ONVIF capabilities in certain areas. In those instances, the next alphabetical letter is assigned. New profiles are added because existing profiles are never changed to ensure ongoing compatibility. 

For example, Profile T, for advanced video streaming, is a follow-up to Profile S. Profile T adds, among other features, support for H.264 and H.265 encoding formats, incorporating newer video streaming technologies. These followup profiles are complementary to one another, and there are nearly 18,000 devices that conform to both Profile S and Profile T. 

Here are the ONVIF profiles and their respective letter designations:  

• Profile A: For broader Access control configuration 
• Profile C: For door Control and event management 
• Profile D: For access control peripherals (a follow-up to Profile C) 
• Profile G: For edge storaGe and retrieval 
• Profile M: Metadata and events for analytics applications 
• Profile S: For basic video Streaming 
• Profile T: For advanced video streaming (a follow-up to Profile S) 

Stay tuned as we provide more information on upcoming profile initiatives, including those related to cloud connectivity, audio and more – and their corresponding letters!