Commonly Asked Questions about the FalconEye Series

1)  What is CCIR 601?  720 pixels per line by 485 lines is the CCIR 601 format for NTSC.  For PAL, the CCIR 601 format is 720 x 576.  FalconEye also supports  CIF format at 360 x 242 and QCIF at 180 x 121 for NTSC.  For PAL, CIF format is 360 x 288 and QCIF is 180x144.  These image aspect ratios do not result in "square pixels."

2)  Do we need to FalconEye board to playback the stored video?  The user can decompress and play back without the FalconEye board.  Our FalconEye Utility and FalconWatch will do that.  The user can also develop their own S/W by calling our SDK.

3)  Can we save odd and even fields separately?  When compressing, only one field gets compressed, the other field is skipped (we use CIF format).  However, the user may Capture (without compression) any field through a separate DMA Engine on board.

4)  What is the format of the stored video?  Our SDK put the compressed codes on disk in our proprietary format.  The SDK gives the user the capability to write into their own file format.  The code is in Analog Device's Wavelet code stream format.

5)  Does the FalconEye use the MuTech JPEG library?  No, it is a new SDK.

6)  Do we need to synchronize the 8 or 16 cameras?  No, there is no requirement for the cameras to be synchronized and there is no sync out from the FalconEye.  Normally, it will take approximately 4 to 5 Vertical sync pulses after the video channel is switched to resynchronize.

7)  What does the display of FalconWatch look like? Can we display multiple video sources at the same time?  FalconWatch has 6 or 7 defined configurations of different video sources.   For absolute flexibility, a user may write their own display program using our Software Developer's Kit (SDK).

8)  Is the quality the same as from IV410 board for single capture?  It is the same.  We use the same front end.

9)  Can FalconEye work with both color and monochrome cameras?   Yes.

10)  Can the FalconEye continue to record while playing back an earlier recording?  Yes, this "duplex" operation is fully supported.

11)  If I use the motion detector, do I need to use the same settings for all channels?  You may adjust the motion detector threshold for each camera.

12)  Do I need to record all channels at the same rate?  You may specify the frequency of each channel separately. In fact, you can have the frequency automatically change based on user defined alarms.

13)  What is the difference between the FalconEye Utility and FalconWatch?  The FalconEye Utility is a free application that allows simple recording and playback.  FalconWatch is a comprehensive application that is available for purchase from MuTech which allows total control over all aspects of the video recording, events and alarm response.

Specifications subject to change without notice

Last Updated: March 7, 2003