Originally Published: February 12, 2020
Updated: February 20, 2025 — Current Version: Liberty Web Access 5.8

​High Criteria Inc., developer of the Liberty Recording software suite, announces the release of Liberty Web Access (LWA) Version 5.1, delivering enhanced security, real-time monitoring, and advanced digital asset management for courts, law enforcement, and government agencies.

As digital court recordings and case materials grow in volume, many organizations are rethinking how and where their data is stored. While cloud-based platforms dominate headlines, courts and justice agencies still require on-premise solutions for direct access, control, and security of sensitive recordings. Liberty Web Access 5.1 bridges the gap by offering a scalable hybrid approach, combining court-controlled storage with cloud-based archival and retrieval when needed.

Cloud-Based vs. On-Premise Digital Asset Management: Why Control Still Matters
Many modern court recording solutions push fully cloud-based storage models, requiring courts to upload, access, and manage all recordings through third-party servers. While this approach offers some advantages in long-term archiving, it comes with significant trade-offs:

• Loss of Immediate Access – Courts must rely on an internet connection and third-party servers to access their own recordings.
• Recurring Costs & Vendor Lock-In – Most cloud-based systems require ongoing subscription fees, increasing costs over time.
• Security & Compliance Concerns – Sensitive legal recordings are stored offsite, raising concerns over data sovereignty, security policies, and compliance requirements.
• Limited Performance & Reliability – Streaming live or high-resolution recordings over the internet can lead to latency issues, buffering, and dependency on network stability.

Liberty Web Access: The Best of Both Worlds
Liberty Web Access 5.1 offers a hybrid solution—giving courts and agencies full control over primary access and real-time playback while enabling cloud-based storage for long-term archival and retrieval when necessary.

With LWA, courts don’t have to choose between on-premise reliability and cloud flexibility—they can have both.

What’s New in Liberty Web Access 5.1?

• Microsoft Entra ID (Active Directory) Integration – LWA syncs directly with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Windows Active Directory) for secure user authentication and role-based access control.
  • Courts can enforce custom user roles and permissions for accessing recordings.
  • IT administrators can restrict access by department, courtroom, or specific users.
• Live Playback Controls – Users can now rewind live recordings without disrupting the active broadcast, enabling seamless review of key moments in real time.
• Enhanced Audit Logs – Every user access and playback session is logged, ensuring full transparency and chain-of-custody compliance.
• Advanced Access Controls – Search results now only display files that users are authorized to access, improving confidentiality and data security.
• Active Directory Integration – Restrict access to recording rooms and files based on predefined user roles, seamlessly integrating with existing IT infrastructure.
• Flexible Storage Management – Courts can store recordings locally while leveraging optional cloud-based archival for long-term retention, ensuring both accessibility and cost-efficiency.
• Liberty Control for Mobile Devices – LWA syncs with Liberty Control for mobile devices, allowing remote users to securely monitor recordings from courtrooms, law enforcement interview rooms, or government facilities.
• Optimized for Windows Server Environments – Now fully supported on Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022.

Why Courts & Law Enforcement Are Choosing Hybrid Storage Over Fully Cloud-Based Solutions
1. On-Premise Primary Access: Faster, More Reliable, and Always Available
Unlike cloud-dependent platforms that require an internet connection to access recordings, Liberty Web Access ensures that critical case materials are always available—regardless of network status. Courts and agencies can:

• Playback recordings instantly without waiting for cloud retrieval.
• Avoid internet disruptions affecting real-time access to court records.
• Maintain full local control over case materials without third-party dependencies.

2. Cloud Archival: Cost-Effective Storage Without Vendor Lock-In
When cloud storage is needed, LWA provides courts with the flexibility to archive recordings on their own terms—without being locked into a single vendor or costly subscription model.

• Courts can choose where and how long recordings are stored.
• Archived cases remain retrievable without relying on third-party platforms for daily operations.
• Reduces on-prem storage demands while maintaining primary access locally.

​3. Security & Compliance: Meeting Courtroom Standards Without Compromise
Cloud-only platforms introduce security risks by storing sensitive legal recordings in offsite data centers controlled by private companies. Liberty Web Access ensures compliance with court regulations by:

• Keeping live and recent recordings stored locally for immediate access.
• Allowing controlled, encrypted access for authorized users.
• Providing full audit logs of all user activity for transparency and chain-of-custody requirements.

A Smarter Approach to Court Recording Management
Courts need a long-term, sustainable approach to digital recording management—one that doesn’t sacrifice security for convenience. With Liberty Web Access 5.1, courts can:

✅ Store and access recordings on-premise for reliability and security.
✅ Use cloud storage selectively for archival and retrieval, not daily operations.
✅ Avoid subscription lock-in and maintain full control over case records.
✅ Ensure compliance with court security policies and data sovereignty laws.

Liberty Web Access 5.1 delivers a modern, flexible approach to court recording management, balancing cost-efficiency, accessibility, and security without compromise.

For more information about Liberty Web Access contact [email protected].

Last Spring (April 2024), Liberty Court Recorder introduced support for Network Device Interface (NDI) video sources, expanding the options for high-quality video capture in courtrooms. This spring, we’re taking it a step further with NDI broadcasting capabilities, allowing real-time video distribution across networks.

What is NDI and Why Does It Matter?
NDI is a high-performance video-over-IP protocol developed by Vizrt NDI AB. Originally designed for the broadcast industry, NDI has become a widely adopted standard in professional AV environments due to its ability to deliver low-latency, high-quality video over standard Ethernet networks. Its efficiency and flexibility make it an ideal solution for government, legal, and courtroom applications where reliable, real-time video transmission is essential.

NDI vs. RTSP: Understanding the Differences
Both NDI and RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) are used to transmit video over networks, but they serve different purposes:

• RTSP Streams
  Commonly used for security cameras and surveillance, RTSP requires point-to-point connections between devices, often introducing higher latency. While effective for monitoring, RTSP is not optimized for low-latency, multi-source recording in real-time environments like courtrooms.
• NDI Streams
  Designed for professional AV applications, NDI enables multiple video sources to be shared seamlessly across a network with near-zero latency. It eliminates the need for dedicated video cabling, reducing infrastructure costs while improving video quality, flexibility, and ease of setup.

Why NDI is Becoming the AV Standard
NDI adoption is increasing across professional AV environments due to its:

• Broadcast-Quality Video
  Ensures clear, high-definition recordings without excessive compression.
• Efficient Network Usage
  Unlike RTSP, which often requires dedicated network configurations, NDI operates over existing IP networks without overloading bandwidth.
• Proven Reliability
  Originally developed for live television broadcasts, NDI offers stable, high-performance video transmission—critical for court recording.
• Scalability
  NDI allows for easy expansion of multi-camera setups without the need for additional hardware or complex cabling.

NDI Support in Liberty Court Recorder
Liberty Court Recorder now offers two levels of NDI integration:

• Standard NDI
  Included in the base recorder program, ideal for smaller-scale video setups.
• Advanced NDI
  Designed for high-resolution, multi-source video environments, ensuring smooth performance and enhanced processing capabilities.

Getting Started with NDI in Liberty Court Recorder

1. Download the NDI engine from the Liberty Recording website.
2. Extract the files and place them in the same folder as your Recorder program.
3. Define your NDI video sources in the ‘Video’ tab under Liberty options.
4. Start recording with fully integrated NDI-enabled devices.

Future-Proofing Government AV Infrastructure
As courts and government agencies transition to modern AV solutions, NDI offers a scalable, cost-effective, and high-quality alternative to legacy streaming protocols. Its ability to handle multiple video sources efficiently makes it a compelling choice for courtroom recordings, virtual hearings, and council meetings.

By integrating NDI with Liberty Court Recorder, IT professionals can deliver seamless video capture, reduced infrastructure complexity, and greater efficiency in government AV workflows.

For more information, visit www.LibertyRecording.com or contact us at [email protected].