FPGA-maker, Altera, has released a new Internet protocol, high-definition (HD), wide dynamic range (WDR) surveillance camera reference design aimed at providing cutting-edge performance, slashing power consumption, and reducing board size and cost.
The reference design—which includes intellectual property from EyeLytics Inc. and Apical Limited and hardware from Aptina Imaging, Bitec, and others—uses a single Altera Cyclone III or Cyclone IV FPGA to manage the image processing pipeline, potentially replacing solutions that sometimes included a combination of digital signal processors, ASSPs, and FPGAs.
According to Altera, the design requires less board space than more conventional solutions and should cut power consumption by 50 percent. But the design also addresses three important and emerging requirements from the surveillance industry.
Video surveillance has long been the realm of closed-circuit television, analog images, and tape storage, but for dozens of reasons digital video has been slowly replacing analog for security cameras in recent years.
This migration has meant that surveillance camera systems that had once required yards or even miles of cable could now transit via internet protocol across the almost ubiquitous networks available in most commercial locations. There is even the potential for wireless video transmission, which would slash installation costs.
Standard definition television (and therefore analog security video) can usually be described in terms of National Television System Committee (NTSC), Phase Alternate Line (PAL), or Sequential Color with Memory (SECAM) formats depending on geographic location and will have a resolution between 704×480 and 720×576.
While these standards might still be good enough for some applications, security is not one of them. With surveillance cameras it is important to produce evidence quality footage. This means that if a perpetrator is captured on video breaking into a car at the Walmart parking lot, the video quality must be good enough to help police identify the criminal and help prosecutors convict the criminal.
The Altera reference design can support either 720p or 1080p HD video.
Wide Dynamic Range
Finally, because surveillance cameras are mounted in a variety of locations ranging from inside offices to outside of buildings, they must exhibit a wide dynamic range, meaning that details can be distinguished in both the very light and very dark sections of the video at the same time.