VIDEO MONITOR - Med Associates Inc.
Contents
1. Head Bob 4lt Annotation Sleep Latest Greatest Grooming lt gt Time Posted Annotation 0 00 21 799 Head Bob 0 00 31 133 Spinning Counterclocky lt x The name of the currently loaded Annotation Set is in the title bar of the annotation window Default in Figure 2 10 To annotate a video means to post descriptive text at a particular time which will be seen as Closed Captioning during video playback annotation may be placed in a video during playback or recording Annotations may be applied using the mouse or keyboard With the mouse double click the text in the Annotation Bar with the left mouse button Using the keyboard press the indicated key combination that is hold down the Alt key then press the key specified next to the annotation To add an annotation to an Annotation Set type the text in the box to the left of the annotation set pull down list box then press Enter To delete an annotation from a Annotation Set highlight the behavior and press the DEL or Delete key on your keyboard To create or delete an entire Annotation Set refer to the Add Delete Annotation Set section earlier in this manual MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Playback Window To play a recorded video select Open from the File menu and choose the WMV file The video will be opened in a Playback Window Figure 2 11 Playback Window 92. A FireWire card has 314 Megabits per second maximum throughput Throughput is calculated as Throughput width height bit rate frame rate Where width is the Screen Resolution Width pixels Aeight is Screen Resolution Height pixels bit rate is Stream Bit Rate bits per pixel or bpp and frame rate is the video recording rate frames per second or fps For example a camera running in YUV 4 1 1 mode at 30 frames per second would use 640 pixels 480 pixels 12 bpp 30 fps 110 592 000 bits sec So only two cameras running at YUV 4 1 1 30 fps could be run per FireWire card achieve more simultaneous video streams use a less demanding video mode or a slower frame rate Remember that there are tradeoffs while setting up the Video Monitor system Due to the data bandwidth constraints of the FireWire card s the computer PCI bus and hard drive access restrictions cameras may not operate properly at the highest frame rates in the largest resolutions As a general rule begin with the cameras set at the lowest acceptable resolution slowest frame rate and the default or higher bit rate Then make adjustments one field at a time until the optimum image file quality and file size are achieved If the computer s processing and data transfer resources are exceeded image frames will be lost or dropped If the video appears jerky or the frame rate is uneven first stop all other non essential windows programs Be espe
3. Apply AII Cameras Once all of a camera s features and settings are customized these settings can be copied to other cameras This is a time saving feature when working with multiple cameras of the same make and model which are operating in similar lighting situations and observing similar subjects The other cameras in the camera tree will copy the following settings Camera On Off Save On Off e Save Directory but NOT file name e Bit Rate if Use Default Bit Rate is ON default is calculated Frame Rate fps if available Fit To Screen e Complexity e File Quality Key Frame Spacing e Record Time Use Remote Saving Format Mode if available on destination camera e Time Lapse Scheduler e 000000000000077no0 00 0 On Off Video Snapshot Action at Time 0 Delay 1 Action Every X Time Experiment Length Time eature Settings if available on destination camera Brightness Auto on off Value number Exposure Auto Value Sharpness Auto Value White Balance Auto Value 1 Value 2 Hue Auto Value Saturation Auto Value Gamma Auto Value Shutter Auto Value Gain Auto Value Iris Auto Value Focus Auto Value Temperature Auto Value 1 Value 2 Trigger On Polarity Mode Parameter Zoom Auto Value Pan Auto Value Tilt Auto Value Defaults Click this button to load the default values for this ca
4. INC VIDEO MONITOR The Fire Wire Camera Driver and Video Monitor installation is now complete Click Finish to close this screen Figure 4 6 Installation Complete Video Monitor Install Wizard mei associates ing Install Wizard Complete The Install Wizard has successfully installed Video Monitor Click Finish to exit the wizard Fire Wire Camera Driver Video Monitor Hardware Installation Installing the FireWire PCI Card Always turn off power to the computer prior to installing the FireWire card Neglecting this precaution may cause serious damage Install the FireWire card in any available slot following the directions provided with the computer for installing a PCI card Installing the FireWire PCMCIA Card Plug the FireWire card into any available PCMCIA slot on the laptop Installing the FireWire Cameras Using the included FireWire cable plug the first camera into any FireWire port on the FireWire PCI PCMCIA card Then plug the second camera into any FireWire port on the FireWire PCI PCMCIA card alternatively you may plug the second camera into the back of the first camera Note that only two cameras can be plugged into a FireWire card when using a resolution of 640x480 at 30FPS frames per second In order to use three or four cameras a second FireWire card must be installed Cameras three and four must then be plugged into the second FireWire card Once the cameras are plugged into the c
5. as long as the MED PC computer can see the Video Monitor computer on the network It is recommended however that MED PC and Video Monitor run on the same computer There are four steps in the MED PC procedure to save video with Video Monitor 1 Open communication channel with Video Monitor 2 Send command to begin recording 3 Send command to end recording 4 Close communication channel In detail 1 To open the communication channel with Video Monitor the MED PC procedure issues a ConnectToVM or ConnectToVMEx command ConnectToVM takes two parameters the Video Monitor computer name and the camera name Example ConnectToVM testxp SAC1 opens communication with Video Monitor running on a computer called testxp and a camera named SACI ConnectToVMEXx provides error reporting back to MED PC ConnectToVMEx takes four parameters n addition to the computer and camera name ConnectToVMEx takes the MPCGlobal pointer and BOX identifier The MPCGlobal pointer is a pointer to MED PC s internal data structures BOX identifies which box is running the procedure The MPCGlobal and BOX parameters provide Video Monitor a method to report errors back to MED PC Example ConnectToVMEx MG BOX CamA opens communication with Video Monitor running on the same computer as MED PC and a camera named CamA The MPCGlobal pointer is always referenced as MG and the Box identifier should always be referenced a
6. from Med Associates a computer will be shipped with the software already installed To re install the software insert the Video Monitor CD and the screen shown in Figure 4 1 will appear Click on Install Video Monitor software and the screen shown in Figure 4 2 will appear Figure 4 1 Video Monitor Installation Screen Video Monitor med associates Inc Video Monitor Install the Video Monitor software Extras Browse the CD MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Click Install to begin installation of the Fire Wire Camera Driver and the Video Monitor software successful installation will be indicated by a green check mark and a red X will indicate unsuccessful installation Please contact MED Associates Customer Support if any portion of the installation is unsuccessful Figure 4 2 Customer Information Screen Video Monitor Install Wizard Med associates inc Welcome to the install wizard for Video Monitor The wizard will install Video Monitor on your computer To continue click Install Fire Wire Camera Driver Video Monitor Once the Fire Wire Camera Driver has been successfully installed the screen shown in Figure 4 3 will appear Enter the desired User Name and Company Name MED Associates issues the password when the Software Registration form is submitted Click Next to continue and the screen shown in Figure 4 4 will appear Figure 4 3 Customer Information Video Monitor InstallShie
7. neutral gray of the same brightness An attribute of perceived color or the percentage of hue in a color Saturated colors are called vivid strong or deep Gamma allows application of a non linear response curve One thing that a user may notice when adjusting the gamma is a grayish film in the resulting image i e image appears washed out This is generally a result of the Gamma being set too high Shutter somewhat camera dependent but generally sets the time between images captured Some camera types implement this differently and hardware differences at the digital image sensor level mean that some cameras can create clearer images at faster refresh rates than others NOTE for cameras operating under format 7 partial image format high speed frame rates of greater than 60 fps the Shutter setting will affect the frame rate For this reason the Shutter control setting is automatically controlled by the Video Monitor software when operating in format 7 and using an external hardware trigger TTL pulse Otherwise adjusting the shutter rate while saving video would result in a variable frame rate with unpredictable playback Gain a multiplier for the camera sensor signal output Trigger some cameras allow the frame capture timing to be externally controlled In normal operating mode Features Trigger off the camera is set to operate at a particular frame rate for example 30 fps frames per second The camera then is
8. responsible for capturing images at that rate With the Features Trigger on the camera waits for an externally generated TTL pulse on its input line 0 to signal the capture of each frame NOTE The Features section Trigger is much different than the options in the Save Video Trigger section Those settings refer to the source of the save video start command where the Features Trigger refers to the source of the frame exposure command Polarity is camera dependent but refers to whether the camera exposure is triggered on the rising or falling edge of the TTL trigger signal MOST cameras use a low active configuration meaning that when the Polarity checkbox is cleared default the camera will trigger on the falling edge of the TTL pulse Conversely if the checkbox is filled the exposure will start on the rising TLL pulse edge When using the Trigger feature Video Monitor will automatically control the shutter rate and the Shutter option will not be shown on the Features dialog when launched from the camera window s toolbar The reason is if the shutter rate was slowed beyond the exposure cycle time the desired frame rate could not be achieved Currently only 640 x 480 resolution with a maximum of 104 frames per second external trigger rate is supported Minimum external trigger rate is 1 frame per 15 minutes TTL High voltage is 3 5 5 VDC TTL Low voltage is 0 0 4 VDC The frame trigger channel is input port 0
9. set to automatic and level is too low e Shutter level not set to automatic and level is too low Resolution If all possible equipment issues have been eliminated try setting all the camera features to Automatic if offered Be sure the camera feature setting for Trigger is Off If the image is still black use the Defaults button on the System Settings dialog to set everything to a base state Troubleshooting Video Capture Video Monitor software is a computationally intensive system and as such the physical limitations of the computer resources are stretched Depending on the type of camera and settings being used it is possible that the limits of the system could be exceeded If this is the case the following error messages may appear Failed to register the camera GetLastError returned This message indicates the system is unable to handle the current system settings for the number of cameras being used Also this error message may be seen if an unexpected error such as a system crash occurred while a camera was operating and the camera was not properly shut down Disconnect and reconnect the FireWire cable to the camera and restart Video Monitor to resolve Error Out of memory The computer is not fast enough or does not have enough memory to save this video This message usually results from attempting to save video usually uncompressed data to disk faster than the computer can manage If either message is en
10. the Video Monitor communication error at or near the end of the file ConnectToVM does not provide error reporting ConnectToVMEx does provide error reporting The second step in the MED PC code is to issue a StartSavingEvent command using the WriteEventVM function WriteEventVM takes four parameters the computer and camera names as well as the event type and any text to appear in the closed captioned portion of the recorded video The possible event types are StartSavingEvent PauseSavingEvent StopSavingEvent or GeneralEvent Start Pause and Stop are self explanatory use the GeneralEvent when you want the text specified in the fourth parameter to appear as a video annotation with no other actions Example WriteEventVM Sac4 StartSavingEvent Video Start tells Video Monitor to start saving on camera named Sac4 The means Video Monitor is running on the same computer as MED PC The text Video Start will appear in the annotation portion of the recorded video Now that the camera has been started begin your experiment commands When done with the experiment and you are ready to stop recording video the third and fourth commands should be issued 3 Stop the video by writing a StopSavingEvent command using WriteEventVM Example WriteEventVM Sac4 StopSavingEvent Video Stop tells Video Monitor to stop saving video on camera Sac4 The text Video Stop will appear in the annotation area of th
11. 0 is the recommended data acquisition to storage ratio For example a 640 480 pixel 16 bpp format image at 30 frames per second should use a bit rate of 1200 kbps 640 480 16 30 1024 120 1200 kbps If the bit rate is too low the processor will not be able to keep up with the video stream and video frames will be dropped For this reason it is recommended that the default bit rate or higher be used Disk Space Remaining The amount of hard drive space available in the Saved File Folder drive will be displayed in hours minutes seconds format Fit to Screen Fill this checkbox if it is desired to have the video image fill the camera window client area If this checkbox is clear the image will be shown in the recorded format For example a 640 480 image would be shown as 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high regardless of the size of the camera window When viewing multiple tiled cameras at once Fit to Screen is useful sacrificing proper image spatial relation in favor of seeing the entire video image Record For To record video for a specific amount of time fill the Record For check box and enter the video length in seconds minutes or hours The Save Video check box should also be filled Time Lapse Scheduler To activate the Time Lapse Scheduler section fill the Time Lapse Scheduler check box The Time Lapse Scheduler provides the ability to have videos or still shots recorded at specific interva
12. 22 wmv Press the Use Default button to have a filename automatically created in the format CameraName Date Time In the example above the camera name is RatCagel Supported Video Modes Video Monitor supports the following video formats and associated frame rates ESO ON DESCRI PTI ON FRAME RATES fps 160 x 120 YUV 4 4 4 Mode 24 bit pixel 7 5 15 30 320 x 240 YUV 4 4 2 Mode 16 bit pixel 8575 145 15 30 640 x 480 YUV 4 1 1 Mode 12 bit pixel 3 75 7 5 15 30 640 x 480 YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16 bit pixel 7 5 15730 640 X 480 RGB Mode 24bit pixel 3 75 7 5 15 30 640 X 480 Y Mono Mode 8bit pixel 3 75 7 5 15 30 60 640 X 480 Y Mono16 Mode 16bit pixel 3 75 7 5 15 30 800 X 600 YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16bit pixel 375775 15 30 800 X 600 RGB Mode 24bit pixel 7 5 15 800 X 600 Y Mono Mode 8bit pixel 7 5 15 30 60 1024 X 768 YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 15 1024 X 768 RGB Mode 24bit pixel 11675 975 7 5 1024 X 768 Y Mono Mode 8bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 15 30 800 X 600 Y Mono16 Mode 16bit pixel SD 15130 1024 X 768 Y Mono16 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 15 1280 X 960 YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 375 7 5 1280 X 960 RGB Mode 24bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 15 1280 X 960 Y Mono Mode 8bit pixel 1 7 5 37 3 74 5 105 1600 X 1200 YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 1600 X 1200 RGB Mode 24bit pixel 1 875 3 75 1600 X 1200 Y Mo
13. 56013901533000_15Sep2006_14 22 18 wmv Spinning Counterclockwise Spinning Clockwise Head Bob Freeze Sleep Rearing Grooming Stimulus Response 0 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 4 Sleep Grooming 02 10 233 Freeze The Playback Window plays saved videos shows annotations and adds new annotations The video may be run at regular speed or stepped through frame by frame During playback annotations will be displayed below the video Annotations added during playback will be displayed in the lower pane of the Annotation toolbar s 2 Playback Controls e Play Pause button starts or pauses the video from or at the current file position as indicated in the file position scrollbar e Stop button stops the playback file location moves to first frame in video e Arrow keys the keyboard left and right arrow keys can be used to move backward and forward while the video is paused and the file position scrollbar control has the focus The keyboard focus is indicated by a dotted line around the control The arrow keys will move the video position one frame at a time e Repeat checkbox to play the video in a continuous loop fill this checkbox If empty the video will stop after the last frame Go To Time button and time fields to jump to specific time in the video enter the hours H minutes M and seconds S then press the Go To Time button e Annotation Set button to change the Annotation Set displaye
14. Current Card 0 Cameras On Computer SAC 0 Save video 3 Cameras Max Current Card 5 Cameras Max Computer Cancel SAC 2 Saved File Folder PCI bus 6 device 2 function 0 SAC 3 SAC 4 Supported Video Modes inasti Browse C Documents and Settings TestxP Apply to All File Name Cameras SAC 1 Date Time wmv Use Default Defaults Frame Rate fps Features Complexity Brightness M a 1 30 Uncompressed Video Bit Rate Kbps YLIV 4 2 2 Mode Mod Key Frame 3 File Qualit Fit to Screen 50 Record For Time Lapse Scheduler Use Default 640 480 640 X 480 100FPS Mono Mode 8bitjpi 480 256 250FPS Y Mono Mode amp bit pixel 227 55 38 Disk space remaining hh mm ss Save Video Trigger Manual OK button Remote MED PC TTL Input Line 1 c Re Annotation Set Camera Tree At the upper left of the System Settings dialog is a tree control similar to Windows Explorer s folder view pane The tree displays two levels of hardware configured and attached to the system The upper level shows FireWire cards and the lower level displays cameras attached to that card expand a FireWire card to display its connected cameras double click with the mouse or press the keyboard key To collapse a card and hide its cameras double click with the mouse or press the keyboard key C
15. ITOR 1 Introduction The MED Associates Video Monitor System is a video display recording and computer system designed to allow researchers to monitor animal behavior during experimentation Cameras can be mounted inside animal cubicles giving the researcher a clear view of the animal s activities without disturbing the animal A variety of cameras and lenses are available to satisfy most viewing requirements Video Monitoring System integrates with MED PC allowing MED PC to control the starting and stopping of the video and allowing MED PC to insert comments into the saved video files For example when an animal receives a reward MED PC can insert the text Reward pellet given into the video file allowing for accurate timing of when events happen inside a video file Video Monitoring System supports a variety of camera modes resolution and frame rates General Computer Environment 3 4GHz Processor 1GBRAM e Windows 2000 SP4 XP or Vista 32 bit only e Fire Wire Card e Fire Wire Camera s 2 Interface Reference This chapter describes the important dialogs and screens of the Video Monitor Software For a discussion of how to use Video Monitor refer to the Using Video Monitor section of this manual System Settings Dialog Figure 2 1 System Settings Dialog showing optional and advanced features System Settings PCI bus 6 device 3 Function 0 Onjoff Cameras On
16. VI DEO MONITOR USER S MANUAL SOF 842 User s Manual DOC 124 Rev 1 6 Copyright O 2008 All Rights Reserved MED Associates Inc P O Box 319 St Albans Vermont 05478 www med associates com MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 litro GUC COM Gs an LEUR ie 1 General Computer Environment 1 Chapter 2 ak ka a ae EN RI n CEA Cen nS a 2 interface c m 2 System Settings Dialog merde 2 Add Delete Annotation Set oie ea tee te cre e ee XE Reo ina 13 Time Lapse Sched ler erit i b e va eaa Desa Tei Pea Ee e UR HET c 13 Camera Window 17 Playback Window iie EDGE RH HERE OPERE PER 20 Chapter 3 22 Using Video MONIT fiss sia si ai UTIMS 22 Configuring Cameras sise 23 IF FOUD IS NO OLIN A 24 Trigger from iex ia A 26 Chapter UTE EI EI 31 Hardware Driver and Software Installation 31 Installing Video Monitor Software 31 Hardware b 34 Installing the FireWire Camera Driver 35 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MON
17. apse Scheduler C c Ja 1 E 14 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Example C a 5 minute video segment is recorded every 30 minutes for 2 1 hours The result is a single video file wmv with 5 minute video segments separated by a blue screen and each segment start is annotated There will be five video segments in the video file if Action at Time O is selected as shown in Figure 2 6 or four video segments if Delay 1 action is selected Figure 2 6 Example C M Onjoff Snapshot B Video M RecordFor 15 Minutes M Time Lapse Scheduler e Video e Action at time 0 C Snapshot C Delay ist action Every 30 Minutes Experiment 11 Hours Length Hours 4 In Example D a snapshot is taken every 30 minutes for 2 hours The snapshots will be saved as bitmap bmp files and named as CameraName bmp where CameraName is the name of the camera in the tree control and is the lowest available number Figure 2 7 Example D Onjoff m Snapshot B Video Record For M Time Lapse Scheduler Video Action at time 0 Snapshot Delay 1st action Every 30 Minutes Experiment Hours v Length Fa Hours v MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR In Example E video is recorded for 75 minutes and snapshots are taken every 30 minutes for 2 hours And as in Examples C and D the number of snapshots taken in Example E will be fi
18. cially aware of any scheduled events such as a virus scan or disk defrag that may occur during the experiment and affect the videos Then use a lower frame rate or a smaller camera resolution or a higher bit rate to achieve a smooth video stream Troubleshooting Black Screen If the Camera Window displays a completely black image there are several possible causes The problem could be an equipment issue with the camera or connection or the problem lies within the camera s settings Refer to the following lists and ensure that none of these problems are the cause Figure 3 2 Black Screen Video Monitor File View Window Help M CAMERA Rat Catalepsy Front Not recording Rat Catalepsy Front Framerate 30 000 Frame 3655 Duration 0 02 01 Equipment Issues e Camera lens cap is on Camera lens not properly attached to camera body e Camera lens aperture rotated to closed position e Loose FireWire cable connection at camera or computer e Light in Sound Attenuated Cubicle or other closed environment is out Computer requires reboot Camera Settings Brightness level not set to automatic and level is too low e Trigger set On This is the Camera Features Trigger which is waiting for a pulse on the TTL switch signal line to begin frame exposure not the remote trigger to begin recording from MED PC Auto Exposure level not set to automatic and level is too low e Gain level not
19. countered stop saving video and lower the frame rate At a resolution of 640 x 480 most current systems can handle no more than fifteen frames per second with four cameras saving simultaneously or two cameras at thirty frames per second The options will depend upon which camera style is included with the system Also try avoiding uncompressed video increasing the bit rate which will lower processor requirements for video compression or decreasing camera resolution below 640 x 480 the event that the system hangs the most likely cause is a large backlog of hard disk operations Either utilize Windows Task Manager to stop the program or left click on the Save Video button to stop saving It may take a moment for the system to stop saving the video If Task Manager is used to stop the program it is suggested that the system be restarted before continuing If the limits of the system are approached it is possible that frames will be dropped if the computer falls too far behind symptom of this is inconsistency between the displayed Duration of camera time and the timestamp on Annotations The system has been designed so that if this occurs the saved video file will be of the correct duration and the Annotations file will also be correct Trigger from MED PC A MED PC program can start and stop recording video by issuing commands to Video Monitor The MED PC code may be run on a different computer than the Video Monitor software
20. d Associates Fire Wire Camera and press the Next button Figure 4 13 MED Associates Fire Wire Camera Hardware Update Wizard Select the device driver you want to install for this hardware Select the manufacturer and model of your hardware device and then click Next If vou have a disk that contains the driver you want to install click Have Disk Show compatible hardware Model M Generic 1394 Desktop Camera CMU 1334 Digital Camera Device Med Associates Fire Wire Camera This driver is not digitally signed Tell me why driver signing is important Click on the Finish button The MED Associates FireWire Camera driver has now been installed Figure 4 14 Installation Complete Hardware Update Wizard Completing the Hardware Update Wizard The wizard has finished installing the software for Med Associates Fire Wire Camera Click Finish to close the wizard NOTE This procedure must be repeated for each camera that is plugged in When repeating the procedure please refer to Figure 4 13 38
21. d in the Annotation toolbar press the Annotation Set button or use the pull down list box in the Annotation toolbar e View Annotations button displays a text file which may be saved or printed listing the annotations posted to the video file File Position scrollbar horizontal scrollbar shows the position of the currently displayed video frame in the video file May be dragged with the cursor or moved with the left and right keyboard arrow keys e Annotation display annotations attached to the video file will be displayed in the text control below the File Position scrollbar Annotation Toolbar As described in the Camera Window section Annotation Toolbar subsection the Annotation Toolbar may be used during video playback to add text strings to a video clip Any annotations added during video playback can be seen in the bottom pane of the Annotation Toolbar Clicking the X at the top right of the toolbar or pulling down the View menu and deselecting the Annotation Bar option will remove it from the Playback window To jump to a specific annotation s time in the video double click the annotation in the bottom pane Posted Annotations of the Annotation Toolbar MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR CHAPTER 3 Using Video Monitor Video Monitor is a flexible program it can be used to view live video feeds record video and play back saved videos To view or record live video Video Monitor requires camera s to be properl
22. e number of cameras that are turned on for the FireWire card currently active in the Camera Tree control When the OK button is pressed and the System Settings dialog is closed each on camera will have it s video stream displayed Cameras Max Current Card shows the maximum number of cameras that may be activated on that FireWire card Cameras Max Current Card will never be greater than the number of cameras successfully attached to the FireWire card selected in the tree control Cameras On Computer Max Cameras Computer The Cameras On Computer displays the number of cameras on for the entire system For systems with only one FireWire card installed this number will be the same as the Cameras On Current Card field Max Cameras Computer displays the cumulative total of the Cameras Max Current Card values from each FireWire card Saved File Folder Browse Video or snapshots for the camera selected in the tree control will be saved in this directory Use the Browse button or type in a valid directory name File Name Use Default Video files will be saved with this filename The keywords Date and Time without quotes will be expanded to the date and time that the video was started The date will be in format DDMonYYYY time as HH MM SS For example if the File Name field is RatCagel Date Time wmv and the video starts at 4 13 22 on September 23 2006 the saved file will be called RatCagel 23Sep2006 16 13
23. e saved video Close MED PC to Video Monitor communication channel with DisconnectVM Example pisconnectVM Sac4 commands Video Monitor to close its communication channel with MED PC Basic MED PC Triggering Example Following is a basic example of triggering a camera using MED PC code Start Trans IV In Trans IV create a new file and type in the Med State Notation below 1 Pull down the Trans IV File menu and click New 2 Enter program in Med State Notation State 1 in the code below opens a communication channel with a camera named Sac4 The indicates Video Monitor is running on the same computer as the MED PC software To trigger Video Monitor running on a networked computer other than the computer running this Med State Notation specify the computer name in place of below State 2 starts saving video State 3 stops the saving after 60 seconds State 4 closes the communication channel S S 1 S1 1 ConnectToVM Sac4 S2 2 2 WriteEventVM Sacd StartSavingEvent Start Video S3 53 60 WriteEventVM Sac4 StopSavingEvent Stop Video 54 S4 1 DisconnectVM Sacd STOPKILL 3 Pull down the Trans IV File menu and click Save As Name the file VideoTest MPC 4 Open the Trans IV Translation menu and choose Translate and Compile sure MED PC is NOT running before compiling 5 the Specify Files to Trans
24. gering video recording via TTL Input directly to the camera is an optional accessory to Video Monitor NOTE Do not confuse the Save Video Trigger described here with the Trigger option in the Features section of the System Settings dialog The Features section Trigger refers to externally controlling each frame s capture via a TTL pulse on input line 0 See the Camera Features section below for more on the frame rate Trigger setting Annotation Set When recording video or playing back a video using the Video Monitor player text can be added to the video file and stored in the resulting wmv file When the video is played back the text will appear as closed captions with the timestamp and text This text is added to the video file using the Annotation Toolbar in the playback and recorder windows The Annotation Toolbar will show a set of text strings defined as an Annotation Set To choose which Annotation Set to show in the Annotation Toolbar with the camera stream during recording select the desired set in the Annotation Set list box To add or delete Annotation Sets choose Add Delete Annotation Set from the list box For more information on creating Annotation Sets see section Add Delete Annotation Set Frame Rate Based on the Video Mode selected various frame rates are available The frame rates listed are in units of frames per second A higher frame rate will require more processor resources and hard drive space It is impo
25. he selected device 36 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Select Install from a list or specific location Advanced and then click Next Figure 4 11 Install from a list or specific location Advanced Hardware Update Wizard Welcome to the Hardware Update Wizard This wizard helps you install software for Generic 1394 Desktop Camera If your hardware came with an installation CD lt 6 or floppy disk insert it now What do you want the wizard to do Install the software automatically Recommended di Click Next to continue Back Cancel When Figure 4 12 appears select Don t search will choose the driver to install and click Next Figure 4 12 Don t search will choose the driver to install Hardware Update Wizard Please choose your search and installation options ES Y C Search for the best driver in these locations Use the check boxes below to limit or expand the default search which includes local paths and removable media The best driver found will be installed Search removable media floppy GD ROM Include this location in the search DA wot 394 Browse Choose this option to select the device driver from a list Windows does not guarantee that the driver you choose will be the best match for your hardware BIET 37 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR When Figure 4 13 appears select the Me
26. install repair ts unplug eject and configure your hardware Hardware Wizard r Device Manager m The Device Manager lists all the hardware devices installed on your computer Use the Device Manager to change the properties of any device Driver Signing Device Manager r Hardware Profiles AS Hardware profiles provide a way for you to set up and store different hardware configurations Hardware Profiles wa Click on the Imaging Devices icon and each camera that is plugged in should show up as a Generic 1394 Desktop Camera Select the first camera and then go to Action Update Driver as shown in Figure 4 10 Figure 4 10 Imaging Devices g8 Device Manager File Action Update Driver Disable Uninstall Scan for hardware changes Print Properties Help IDE ATAJATAPI controllers 9 IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers 388 Imaging devices 1394 Desktop Camera 338 Generic 1394 Desktop Camera 2 SB Generic 1394 Desktop Camera 3 Generic 1394 Desktop Camera 4 ae Keyboards 5 4 Med Associates Devices 4 7 Mice and other pointing devices l 4 E E E E E E E E Monitors E9 Network adapters 9 9 Ports COM amp LPT 19 9 Processors xi Launches the Hardware Update Wizard for t
27. late dialog select the VideoTest MPC file and click the Make button Click the OK button to translate and compile the program Exit Trans IV Start Video Monitor At the Video Monitor System Settings dialog perform the following steps 1 Select camera Sacd in the tree control 2 Fill checkboxes for On and Save 3 Select Remote Trigger 4 Click OK The System Settings dialog will close and a window with camera Sac4 s video stream will be displayed The title bar will read Waiting for remote trigger Video Monitor is now properly configured to receive commands from MED PC Start MED PC 1 If MED PC is running on a machine with no connected MED PC hardware select No at the warning dialog to run in Emulation mode 2 If the Wizard starts click Close to exit 3 Pull down the MED PC File menu and choose Open Session 4 n the Procedure combo box select VideoTest or name used in Step 3 of Trans IV section above 5 Select Box 1 as the only box to load 6 Press OK 7 Press Close The camera window title in Video Monitor will change from Waiting for remote trigger to CAMERA Sac4 SAVING TO XXXXX where XXXXX is the location specified in the System Settings dialog Saved File Folder and File Name fields Extended MED PC Triggering Example For a more detailed MED PC to Video Monitor communication example see the Video MPC procedure that ships with Video Monitor This procedure uses the extended connec
28. ld Wizard Customer Information Please enter your information Please enter your name the name of the company for which you work and the product serial number User Name User Name Company Name Company Name Password 5 32 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR The default destination folder is shown If this folder is acceptable click Next to continue and the screen shown in Figure 4 5 will appear If it is not click Browse and browse to the desired folder Figure 4 4 Choose Destination Location Video Monitor InstallShield Wizard Choose Destination Location Select folder where setup will install files Setup will install Video Monitor in the following folder To install to this folder click Next To install to a different folder click Browse and select another folder Destination Folder C Program Files MED 4ssociates Video Monitors InstallShield If all of the information entered was corrected click Install to complete the Video Monitor software installation The screen shown in Figure 4 6 will appear Figure 4 5 Ready to Install the Program Video Monitor InstallShield Wizard Ready to Install the Program The wizard is ready to begin installation Click Install to begin the installation If you want to review or change any of your installation settings click Back Click Cancel to exit the wizard InstallShield gt 33 MED ASSOCIATES
29. licking the left mouse button on a FireWire card will cause most fields on the System Settings Dialog to be disabled because they display camera specific information The Cameras On and Cameras Max fields however are applicable at the FireWire card level Clicking on a camera will cause the remaining fields on the dialog to display information unique to that camera If a camera is plugged in and does not appear in the tree first be sure the card is expanded Then refer to the Installing amp Configuring Hardware section of this manual N Renaming a Camera To rename a camera select the camera in the tree Either click on the camera again with the left mouse button or use the right mouse button to bring up the context menu and choose Rename On Off If the On Off field is checked On the camera selected in the Camera Tree control will be shown when the System Settings dialog is closed An image stream from each On camera will be displayed in its own window when the OK button is pressed Save Video If the Save Video field is checked the camera selected in the Camera Tree control will have video recorded to disk If the Save Video field is checked the On Off field must also be filled to record video The video file will be saved under the filename displayed in the File Name field and in the directory in the Saved File Folder field Cameras On Current Card Max Cameras Current Card Cameras On Current Card displays th
30. log there are three buttons The first button starts and stops the saving There are two buttons if the camera was not set to Save Video Stop Start Saving Video When the OK button is pressed on the System Settings dialog any camera set to Save Video will start recording So pressing this button for the first time on any Camera Window will stop the video from saving but the live video stream will still be displayed in the Camera Window Snapshot Tool The button that looks like a camera is the Snapshot tool Press this button and a still image will be saved in BMP format in the same directory specified as the Saved Video Folder on the System Settings dialog 2 Camera Features The right most icon accesses the Camera Features dialog described in the System Settings section Annotation Toolbar For cameras that are saving video the Annotation Toolbar will appear at the right side of the Camera Window The Annotation Toolbar is also applicable using the Playback Window which may allow for more precise annotation placement The Annotation Toolbar can be turned off via the main window s View menu The Annotation Set specified in the System Settings dialog will be initially loaded but may be changed by pulling down the list box at the upper right as shown in Figure 2 10 IED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITO MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO VITOR Figure 2 10 Changing the Annotation Set CCS x Default Spinning Clockwise
31. ls For more information on using the Time Lapse Scheduler see the Time Lapse Scheduler section below Complexity Advanced Configuration Complexity is only shown with the command line switch advconfig specified at program startup Valid values are 1 2 3 or 4 This value specifies the level of compression algorithm complexity A higher level of complexity will demand more processor usage and yield a better looking video image For most purposes level 1 is appropriate Key Frame Advanced Configuration Key Frame is only shown with the command line switch advconfig specified at program startup The Key Frame value is maximum number of seconds between key frames in the saved video wmv file Normally this value is eight seconds File Quality Advanced Configuration File Quality is only shown with the command line switch advconfig specified at program startup Valid values are integers 0 100 Similar to Complexity a higher value will require more processor resources and yield a better looking video image Default value is 50 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Camera Features The camera features section allows the user to alter imaging components The options vary by camera model The camera features may also be adjusted during runtime by clicking the Camera Features icon in the camera window toolbar Figure 2 2 Camera Features Icon and Dialog Video Monitor DER File View Window Help Wi CAMERA Camera 1 Not rec
32. mera The default values cover the fields e Format Mode e Frame Rate fps e Brightness Auto Value Exposure Auto Value e Sharpness Auto Value e White Balance Auto Valuel Value2 e Hue Auto Value e Saturation Auto Value e Gamma Auto Value e Shutter Auto Value e Gain Auto Value e Iris Auto Value e Focus Auto Value e Temperature Auto Valuel Value2 e Trigger On Polarity Mode Parameter e Zoom Auto Value Pan Auto Value Tilt Auto Value e Fit To Screen e File Quality e Bit Rate Key Frame Spacing e Complexity Use Remote Saving e Time Lapse Scheduler Settings Add Delete Annotation Set Figure 2 3 Add Delete Annotation Set Add Delete Annotation Set Current Annotation Sets OK Cancel Delete Set Mew Annotation Set Copy Annotations from selected set When recording or playing a video the annotation toolbar can be used to add text notes to the video file These annotations can be viewed using Media Player by turning on Closed Captioning Groups of annotations are called Annotation Sets To create a new annotation set or delete an existing set select Add Delete Annotation Set from the Annotation Set list box on the System Settings dialog The dialog above will appear To create a new set type the name in the New Annotation Set edit field If you wish to initially populate the text fields of the annota
33. no Mode 8bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 15 1280 X 960 Y Mono16 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 375 4 5 1600X 1200 Y Mono16 Mode 16bit pixel 1 875 3 75 7 5 640 X 480 Y Mono Mode 8 bit pixel 100 480 X 256 Y Mono Mode 8 bit pixel 250 NOTE All cameras do not provide all modes supported by Video Monitor The specific video formats and frame rates available will vary depending on which camera s you are using with your Video Monitor system Save Video Trigger The trigger mechanism for saving video can be manually controlled or from MED PC or on some cameras a TTL pulse Manual video will begin recording when the OK button is pressed on the System Settings dialog if the Save Video checkbox is filled e Remote the save video trigger will be sent from MED PC script language When the System Settings OK button is pressed the camera s video stream will be shown in a window with Waiting for remote trigger in the title bar Video saving will start when commanded by MED PC For more details refer to the section Trigger from MED PC Optional Save Video Trigger e TTL Input Line 1 video saving starts when the camera s TTL input line 1 goes high As with the Remote setting the camera s video stream will be shown in a window titled Waiting for remote trigger when the System Settings dialog OK button is pressed TTL High is 3 5 to 5 VDC TTL Low is 0 0 to 0 4 VDC AII cameras do not support this feature Trig
34. omputer the appropriate driver must be installed MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Installing the FireWire Camera Driver Right click on the My Computer icon then click Properties as shown in Figure 4 7 Figure 4 7 My Computer Properties Internet Computer Internet Explorer amp 3 E mail CZ control Pane Outlaok Express PowerDesk a Network Con Search a C Windows Explorer Manage Q9 Help and Sup Map Network Drive Command Prompt Disconnect Network Drive pe Search Show on Desktop fa Notepad 17 Ronee Rename 8 Windows Calculator All Programs D P Log Off Turn Off Computer When Figure 4 8 appears click the Hardware tab Figure 4 8 System Properties System Properties 21x System Restore Automatic Updates Remote Computer Name Hardware Advanced System Microsoft Windows Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 1 Registered to 55277 DEM 0011903 00106 Manufactured and supported by Heuiett Packard Pavilion Intel R ha Celeron fi CPU 2 30GHz 2 29 GHz 248 MB of RAM i t LJ cos m 35 MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Now click on the Device Manager button see Figure 4 9 Figure 4 9 Device Manager System Properties six General Network Identification si User Profiles Advanced r Hardware Wizard The Hardware wizard helps you install un
35. onnected Q 0 4 Connected Q 1 5 Failure Q 2 S2 S2 Attempt connection with VideoMonitor V X is Interface Status Value from MED VM Interface dll 0 1 X GetIfaceStatus SHOW 2 Status X IF X Q 0 NotConnected Next NotConnected SHOW 1 Not Connected 0 gt 52 Next IF X Q 1 Connected Next Connected SHOW 1 Connected OK 1 gt S3 Next IF X Q 2 Failed Unknown Failed SHOW 1 Connection Failed 0 gt S6 Unknown SHOW 1 Unknown State 0 gt S6 S3 Send command to Start Saving Data 1 WriteEventVM Cam StartSavingEvent StartEvent S4 S4 Send command to Stop Saving Data 10 WriteEventVM Cam StopSavingEvent StopEvent gt S5 S5 Disconnect from VideoMonitor 0 01 DisconnectVM Cam S6 S6 0 01 gt STOPKILL CHAPTER 4 Hardware Driver and Software Installation Computer systems purchased from MED Associates have all hardware drivers and software installed and configured prior to customer s receipt In the event of a system failure e g hard drive crash the software and or hardware may need to be installed on another machine or reinstalled The hardware required by Video Monitor software is a FireWire card installed in the computer and cameras connected to that card The required software is all included on the Video Monitor CD Installing Video Monitor Software When purchasing a Video Monitor system
36. ording ma Camera Features Features Brightness Cancel Apply to All Cameras Automatic F Feature On CAMERA2Camera 3 SAVING TO C Documents and Settyigs Costa My Documents Camera 3 18Aug2006 10 45 33 wmv BARI x Default 7 Alt Behavior Spinning Counterclockwise Spinning Clockwise Head Bob Freeze Sleep Time Posted Behavior As a general rule set all features to Automatic if available as a first step in creating a sharp clear picture During live video playback of a typical camera in a multi camera setup adjust one feature at a time Once satisfied if all cameras are the same make and model press the Apply to Cameras button Some fine tuning of individual cameras may still be necessary due to slight camera lighting environment and subject differences Most video cameras support the following features Brightness adjusts the black level of the camera Auto Exposure allows the camera to control exposure time Sharpness affects the clarity of detail in an image White Balance calibrates a camera s color response to take into account different color temperatures of light i e fluorescent light is greenish sunlight more blue incandescent light yellowish This calibration allows the camera to define what the color white is under any of these various lighting conditions Saturation the saturation of a color is the degree to which the color departs from
37. rtant to note that if the frame rate setting is higher than 60 fps it may be necessary to save the video as uncompressed If a hardware frame trigger is used Features section Trigger option Feature On checked the trigger rate must be entered The Frame Rate list box will be disabled and an edit box labeled Ext Trig Rate will be shown Enter the trigger rate in frames per second so the playback window knows which speed to play the video Uncompressed Video Clicking this check box disables the compression routine while saving to disk This will yield very large files and should only be used for short duration videos The uncompressed video option is intended for high gt 60 fps frame rate videos where the compression algorithm might not be fast enough to keep up with the incoming video Bit Rate When saving video to disk the video stream data is compressed to conserve storage space The recommended video compression ratio is 120 1 This is an approximate value the requirements for video quality and disk space may differ To calculate the bit rate for your video format and frame rate use the following formula width height bits per pixel frames per second 1024 120 bitrate kbps Where width and height are the frame size in pixels and bits per pixel is essentially the color resolution of the image format Frames per second is the camera recording rate 1024 is the number of bits per kilobit and 12
38. s BOX Note in the ConnectToVMEx example the Video Monitor program is run on the same computer as MED PC and therefore the computer name is To find the Video Monitor computer name when using a two computer setup go to the Start menu then Control Panel open the System dialog and then click the Computer Name tab The computer name is the text before the first period on the Full computer name line In the screen shot below the computer name is testxp Leave off the domain information car inavt us when specifying this computer in the Med State Notation code Figure 3 3 Finding Computer Name System Properties System Restore Automatic Updates Remote General Computer Name Hardware Advanced d Windows uses the following information to identify your computer on the network Computer description TestMachinexP For example Kitchen Computer or Mary s Computer Full computer name testxp car inavt us Domain car inavt us To use the Network Identification Wizard to join a Network ID domain and create local user account click Network ID rename this computer or join a domain click Change Cancel Apply When using the extended ConnectToVMEx connection protocol connection errors are reported back to MED PC In the status bar of MED PC to the right of the date and time the message ERRORS CHECK LOG will appear Pull down the MED PC View menu and choose Display Log The error log will have
39. tion method ConnectToVMEx The procedure also calls another useful function Getl faceStatus to alter the course of the MED PC procedure execution in case of an error during communication start up Video MPC opens communication with MED PC using the extended connection method and checks the status of the communication before continuing If the communication is OK a 10 second video is recorded If the communication fails an error will be reported to the MED PC session log and the Video MPC procedure exits Copyright C 2008 MED Associates All rights reserved Video mpc Assigns MED VM Interface dll Connection constants defined in Iface hed to local array Attempts connection with VideoMonitor over LAN Domain or Workgroup If it does not connect it retries every 1 10 second If it connects with Video Monitor a Video is recorded for 10 seconds then the connection is terminated List Working Variables Here NV Q Array holds MED VM Interface Connections Status States Q 0 Unconnected Q 1 Good Connection Q 2 FAILED Connection N X Video Monitor Connection Status DIM Q 2 RAA ARR HR HR RH AH RH HR REA A AK RR KKK RR e MAIN PROGRAM NOR kk ee e RAR HR e eee RH HE HE ke Rk S S 1 ST 1 Q 0 UNCONNECTED O 1 CONNECT OK Q 2 CONNECT FAIL ConnectToVMEx MG BOX Cam SHOW 3 Unc
40. tion set with those of an existing set check the Copy Annotations from Selected Set field and highlight a field in the Current Annotation Sets list box To delete an Annotation Set select the set in the Current Annotation Sets list box and click the Delete Set button For information on adding and removing text strings to the Annotation Set see the Annotation Toolbar section later in this manual Time Lapse Scheduler The Time Lapse Scheduler provides the ability to record video segments or take snapshots at specific intervals Used in conjunction with the Record For feature this provides a very flexible means of recording images the table below five different recording examples are explained The table shows the settings of the Save Video Record For and Time Lapse Scheduler check boxes the Video Snapshot radio setting and the Record For Every and Experiment Length time settings In Example A the video stream is recorded until the user closes the camera window or presses the Start Stop Saving video button in the camera window toolbar MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Figure 2 4 Example A Onjoff i m Snapshot B Video 0 30 60 90 120 Record For sec ds z Time Lapse Scheduler T ot Delay tst acti In Example B a video is recorded for 30 minutes Figure 2 5 Example B Onjoff Snapshot Save Video Vid o 30 60 0 M Record For 30 Minutes Time L
41. ve if Action at Time O is selected as shown in Figure 2 8 or four if Delay 1 Action is selected Figure 2 8 Example E OnjOff M Record For 75 Minutes 0 30 60 75 90 120 TIME M Time Lapse Scheduler C Video Action at time 0 Snapshot C Delay ist action Every 30 E Minutes m Snapshot xperimeni Length 2 Hours m Video MED ASSOCIATES INC VIDEO MONITOR Camera Window Figure 2 9 Camera Window gt View Window Help ak E Video Monitor BE f ki LI te i A Camera 3 SAVING C Documents and Settings Costa My Documents Camera 3 18Aug2006 10 45 33 wmv ie x E Default Behavior Spinning Counterclockwise Spinning Clockwise Head Bob Freeze Sleep Fun o Ready Framerate 30 000 Frame 19363 Duration 0 10 45 _ After clicking OK on the System Settings dialog the Camera Windows will appear for any camera set On The title bar of the Camera Window will display the camera name and the location of the WMV video file if it is saving If the camera s Save Video setting was not checked on the System Settings dialog Not recording will follow the camera name Toolbar Controls e Save On Toolbar S Save Off Toolbar The camera window has several icons under the title bar in the toolbar If the camera was set to Save Video in the System Settings dia
42. y configured with your system See the Installing amp Configuring Hardware section for more information When Video Monitor is started the System Settings dialog is displayed The dialog can also be accessed through the File menu Use this dialog to turn on cameras configure cameras and set the video file storage locations Figure 3 1 System Settings Screen System Settings PCI bus 6 device 3 Function 0 Onjoff 0 Cameras On Current Card 0 Cameras On Computer SAC 0 E yv Save Video Cameras Max Current Card 5 Cameras Max Computer a Cancel SAC 2 Saved File Folder PCI bus 6 device 2 function 0 C Documents and SettingsiTestxP Browse Apply to All SAC 3 2 SAC 4 File Name Cameras SAC 1 Date Use Default Frame Rate fps Features Defaults 30 DE Brightness M Supported Video Modes Uncompressed Video r r Complexity YUV 4 2 2 Mode 16bit pixel Bit Rate Kbps SE b bit pi abit pixel 640 X 480 Y Mono bit pixel Use Default 640 X 480 100FPS Y Mono Mode 5 un 8 480 X 256 250 5 Mono Mode 8Bbitjpixel 227 55 38 pisk spore remenna VON File Qualit Fit to Screen 50 Save Video Trigger Record For econds Manual OK button C Remote MED PC C TTL Input Line 1 Eye ff rum me efaul Ext i p seconds Time Lapse Scheduler 5 22 Configuring Cameras
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