Video and Audio Encoder features embedded SDK.

Press Release Summary:



Used in real-time video and audio capture applications, S26X Multi-Input Hardware MPEG4/H.264 Video Encoder PCI card series allows dozens of jitter-free video windows to be opened on one PC screen. Cards use H.264/AVC/MPEG4-Part10 encoding algorithm to compress incoming video and audio in real-time on board capture card, achieving high-quality video simultaneously from all 4, 8, or 16 video input ports. Customizable series offers DSP chipset and on-board firmware programming.



Original Press Release:



S26X: Multi-Input Hardware MPEG4-H.264 Video & Audio Encoder with Extensive SDK



Inventa Australia has released a highly-customizable professional-quality Multi-Input Hardware MPEG4/H.264 Video Encoder PCI card family named S26X, that can be used in various high-quality realtime video & audio capture applications.

Designed around high-performance/low-heat-generating Texas-Instrument DSP chipset and on-board firmware programming, S26X uses H.264/AVC/MPEG4-Part10 encoding algorithm to compress incoming video and audio in realtime on board the capture card, achieving high-quality video simultaneously from all of its 4, 8 or 16 video input ports, while consuming minimum host PC resources. Multiple cards can be used on the same PC, allowing maximum 64 main video channels, plus sub-channels - see below, to be displayed and captured simultaneously on one PC, all with synchronized audio. Advanced features of S26X include:

-- High-quality multi-channel video preview on PC screen: with moderate PC hardware, dozens of high-quality smooth-playing video windows can be opened on one PC's screen, not a single jittering or staggering in any of the windows at any time. Single window full-screen or different numbers of video windows can all be easily user-defined.

-- Realtime synchronized video display completely in sync with the incoming video and audio signal: S26X allows synchronized video preview all the time on all of its video channels simultaneously on PC's screen: no visually noticeable delays between the actual incoming video and the PC's video display. One channel's audio (user selectable) can also be heard in perfect synchronization with its video.

-- Audio/Video Synchronization is guaranteed: A/V out of sync is a chronically haunting problem for most video capturing systems, in particular real-time video streaming, conferencing and encoding. S26X delivers perfect A/V sync on both its on-screen video preview and recorded video files, regardless the video bit rate and quality. In client-server video distribution systems, S26X software delivers highly synchronized audio/video display on the remote client end, in real-time, even when hardware MPEG4 decoding is not available.

-- High-quality video in low bit rate: using advanced H.264 MPEG4-Profile-10(AVC) algorithm, which has emerged as the leading new codec for future multimedia encoding mechanism in wide range of video capture applications, S26X can achieve the same or better quality video using less than half or a-third of the bit rate of MPEG2 hardware encoding devices (more on this...), simultaneously on its multiple video channels.

-- Dynamic adjusting fundamental encoding parameters during capture: unlike MPEG 1 or MPEG2 hardware encoding chipset or ASIC-based surveillance video capture cards, S26X allows real-time dynamic change of crucial encoding parameters during the video capture process: video frame sizes, frame rates, bit rates, GOP structures, key-frame intervals, motion-detection sensitivity, etc, even video formats (PAL or NTSC), can all be changed in realtime without stopping video capture or opening new video files. This makes it possible, for example, to realtime increase (manually or automatically) the video capture quality (e.g. on a zoomed-in camera) without disturbing the continuous video recording, which is impossible on other video capture devices. S26X 's video playback software will automatically adapt to any of these changed parameters without stopping or pausing the playback process - Yes, with S26X, your application can capture single video file or stream that have mixed bigger or smaller frame sizes, higher or lower bit rates, PAL or NTSC interchanged results perfectly played back continuously by the H.264 decoding software or hardware, locally on the same PC, or remotely over Internet/WANs/LANs, on PC monitors and/or on Television screens.

-- Graceful Quality Adaptation against Delivery Bandwidth Fluctuation. As a highly adaptable video encoding algorithm, S26X dynamically gracefully adjusts the encoded video's quality against possible fluctuation of the delivering media - Internet, Intranet, Wireless, or whatever media's inevitable bandwidth changes are met with S26X's orderly quality adjustment without the abrupt precipitation of quality drops that other encoding schemes such as MPEG2 or WMV etc. produce. Typical example can be examined as encoding bit rate reduces, video delivered by S26X only gradually blurs the objects edges slowly - they will become clearer again when the bandwidth increases. Similar effect goes to the audio sync with the video - network fluctuation-induced a/v out-of-sync will be quickly replaced by perfect a/v re-sync after the fluctuation ceases. All these are crucial in building remote video streaming and delivering applications that other inflexible video encoding devices simply cannot cope with.

-- Sub-channel encoding allows video from each camera to be encoded in multiple formats: because of its powerful and flexible DSP processing, each incoming video channel can be encoded in several different methods, into different video files, simultaneously in realtime: extremely useful for multi-format playback applications.

-- Flexible text and graphics overlay allows any text or graphics to be put on any position of the captured or previewed video in real-time: no disturbance of the video recording at all.

-- Advanced Water-mark Integrity Checking mechanism built-in: videos recorded can be checked against hidden water-marks (embedded throughout the recorded video) to prove their originality: any section changed or cut out will be notified - highly useful in anti-tempering applications.

-- Multi-channel in dynamic multiple configuration: every video channel on S26X can be configurated differently in realtime, to create a super flexible video surveillance system.

-- Play Recorded Video Simultaneously with Viewing & Recording Live Incoming Video: S26X allows such an un-matched powerful and flexible video playback and preview concurrently for all channels: this is more than "time-shifting" because S26X's video playback is displayed side-by-side with the live incoming video, so the user can simultaneously watch what is now being recorded, as well as what has been recorded previously at the same channel in the same file: all previously recorded video contents can be jumped to and played back without affecting viewing and recording the current live video inputs, see live screenshot of this unique feature. In a network video streaming application, both the streaming server PC where the S26X card is fitted, and the streaming client PCs where no S26X cards are fitted, are capable of doing this concurrent playback and recording.

-- Arbitrary manipulation of the recorded video files. Unlike MPEG1 or MPEG2 encoding, the S26X -recorded MPEG4 video streams can be easily manipulated on the fly, allowing realtime video cut/paste/join etc editing operation to be accomplished without affecting the recorded video quality and audio/video synchronization. Special requirement such as pausing then re-starting the capture into the same video file, masking out video noise around frame edges, etc, can all be achieved through software programming, while on MPEG1/MPEG2 capture devices, without the encoding chipset's hardware support these operations cannot be achieved properly.

-- Powerful & Extensive SDK (Software Development Toolkit) is bundled, inc. detailed Sample C++ and Sample VisualBasic Source Codes and Project Files, that allow wide-range customised software to be created for many different application fields, inc. client-server networking video distribution, video streaming, video-on-demand, realtime high-quality surveillance, etc. Excerpts of the SDK documents can be viewed live on-line as Encoder SDK Function List, Player SDK Function List, and Network SDK Function List.

S26X also has an optional companion hardware MPEG4 DECODER card that can simultaneously output multiple-channel MPEG4/H.264 video/audio directly to multiple TVs, or to one TV with multiple video windows, including displaying live video streamed over from remote sites immediately to TV screens in realtime - very useful in building video matrix environment for video surveillance centres, satellite TV monitoring stations, etc - making it possible for customers to build a complete hardware MPEG4/H.264 video end-to-end encoder+decoder system. Separate software and SDK are available for the decoder card.

Compared with traditional multi-port video capture cards, S26X offers significant advantages in its high-quality, flexibility, power and extensibility, making it ideal in many mission-critical application fields where most other products find difficult or impossible to satisfy the requirement.

S26X can be used on MS Windows 2000/XP and Linux operating systems.

Recommended retail prices for S26X are from A$1799 to A$3999.

Inventa Australia has S26X in daily live demonstration at Unit 102, 288 Wattle St., Ultimo, NSW 2007. Interested customers can telephone 02-95186100, or e-mail info@inventa.com.au for more details.

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