October 1, 2007 -- Optelecom-NKF, Inc. has developed a group of IP-based video surveillance products based on Texas Instruments' (TI) DaVinci digital media technology. Leveraging TI's DaVinci TMS320DM6446 digital media processors and proprietary compression algorithms, Optelecom-NKF has introduced its own video codecs to deliver DVD-quality video performance at both high and low bit rates, via the company's MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compression algorithms.
Optimizing the DaVinci digital media SoC [system-on-chip] processing performance, Optelecom-NKF developed a methodology for combining multiple compression algorithms for video and audio including MPEG-2, MPEG-4, M-JPEG, G.711, and AAC into a single IP/Ethernet output stream. By using TI's DaVinci technology, Optelecom was able to bring to market its two new products, the C-44 and S-44 video codecs, which the company says feature robust operating systems support, rich user interfaces, high processing performance, and the flexibility of a fully integrated mixed processor solution.
The C-44 and S-44 encoders are built with four DM6446 DSP-based SoCs, one per analog video input. Each DSP is capable of running two MPEG-2/4 encoders as well as an M-JPEG encoder. Applications include high-quality MPEG-4 for live viewing, reduced frame rate MPEG-4 for time-lapse recording, and JPEG image capture for web applications or remote devices such as PDAs. The codecs are capable of compressing up to four video channels over IP using MPEG-2/4 and Motion JPEG, and feature an enclosure less than eight inches in length that can withstand operating temperatures ranging from -40° to +74° Celsius. The two products are the first in a series of products based on TI's DaVinci processors to be released by Optelecom-NKF.
"TI's DaVinci digital media processors have quickly become a widely accepted technology for video compression, and we intend to base our future product family on that technology," comments Edmund Ludwig, Optelecom-NKF's president and CEO. "The primary differentiator in the TI DSP-based Optelecom-NKF solution is flexibility. The DaVinci DM6446 makes it easier to combine multiple compression algorithms including MPEG-2, MPEG-4, M-JPEG, as well as audio in the same hardware. The high performance TI processor will also allow us to quickly release next generation compression standards such as H.264."