Phynx RGB - VGA or RGB capture
Many applications require the ability to display, capture, and/or stream VGA or RGB data taken from various sources such as Windows, Linux, UNIX or MAC PC’s, Embedded systems, medical devices, games consoles and other scientific or Lab equipment etc.

The typical approach to solving this problem has been to use a scan converter to convert the RGB signal from the computer to an NTSC or PAL video signal and then digitize the video signal, compress, archive or transmit it. This solution works, but the quality is poor due to the lower resolution video signal and the errors inherent in digitizing an analogue video signal. (i.e., a 1024x768 RGB image has to be mapped into a 768x576 video image)
The correct solution to achieve full resolution with high quality images or video streams is to use the Phynx RGB capture board in a Windows based PC. Using this hardware, it will be possible to capture full resolution RGB images (i.e., XGA, SXGA, UXGA or other possible custom signals) and either save them in BMP/JPG/AVI format or stream the video in real-time to LAN/WAN networks. Moreover, since the images will not be transformed through NTSC or PAL, they will be of much higher quality

RGB Streaming For streaming applications the PhynxRGB can be used with Windows Media Encoder to compress and stream captured video. To replay the video use Windows Media Player. PhynxRecorder and PhynxPlayer The PhynxRGB software application now supports the recording of captured frames to disk for subsequent playback using EMS PhynxPlayer. Both PhynxRecorder and PhynxPlayer applications are included in the latest release of the PhynxRGB driver and application software. Record and playback RGB data at high frame rates. Adjustable compression control for increased storage capacity. Noise reduction control for improved image quality. Recording rate selection in frames per second/minute/hour.

Multiple card operation The Phynx RGB driver supports multiple card operation in a single PC. In a standard desktop PC it is possible to install up to 4 boards, more boards can be installed by using an extended PCI back-plane. With 4 dual channel boards installed this will enable eight VGA or RGB inputs to be connected to a single PC. All inputs are displayed in individual desktop windows - with or without file menu or borders.

Phynx RGB - what you get!

• Phynx RGB PCI based hardware - single or dual channel
• Phynx RGB drivers for Windows® 2000 or XP
• Phynx RGB SDK for custom development using the Phynx RGB driver, source code example included in C/C++
• WDM streaming driver for use with Microsoft Windows Media Encoder or other various third party software with WDM support. Own front-end interface or application can be developed using the DirectX SDK from Microsoft.
  To use the WDM streaming driver the Microsoft DirectX run-time must be installed.
• Phynx RGB application
  Listed below are some of the Phynx application functionality
  1. Auto-detect the incoming signal (utility supplied for custom signals)
  2. Full resolution display in a desktop window with/without file menus and borders
  3. Scale image up/down
  4. Capture image and send to file or direct to printer
  5. Schedule multiple image capture with auto file name generation
  6. User configurable sample rate for multiple video display windows, different rates for active or non-active windows. (multi-card operation)
• PhynxRecorder & PhynxPlayer
  This will now enable users to recorder motion to harddrive, the recording can only be played back by the PhynxPlayer. For 'AVI' file format recording please see the PhynxVCR currently available free of charge for a limited time period.
  
  Additional Software
• Phynx VCR application - all-in-one package using the WDM streaming drivers for capturing still images and also motion video using various file formats including AVI, additional facilities for remote software trigger from user applications.
• NEW! StreamPix digital recorder, record live un-compressed or compressed video directly to your PC's RAM or hard disk drive in real time at up to 625 Mbytes/second..
  StreamPix guarantees no image drops when acquiring a sequence, The USB I2C/IO interface board is required with the PhynxRGB if used with StreamPix digital recording software for hardware trigger from an external source.
  Using a P4, 3.2 Ghz computer, with a Asus P5GD2 motherboard, 1 disk dedicated to the Operating System, and 3 extra drive to handle the video stream.
  performances:
  
  1024x768, 16 bit @ 66 fps. CPU load is 33 %, direct to disk, no frame drop.
  1280x1024, 16 bit @ 40 fps, CPU load is 40%, direct to disk, no frame drop.
  1280x1024, 32 bit (BRGx) @ 20 fps, CPU load is 20%, direct to disk, no frame drop.

Technical Specifications

Board Format:		PCI Level 2.1 compliant, half size plug-in card 105mm x 170mm PCI Bus Master with scatter / gather DMA providing up to 132 MBytes per second data transfer
Connectors:		Two VGA D Type connectors
Maximum Sample Rate:		280 Mpixels per second
Video Sampling:		16 bits per pixel / 5:6:5 format
Video Capture Memory:		6 MBytes per channel (updated in real time)
RGB Mode Support:		640 x 480; 800 x 600; 1024 x 768; 1600 x 1200 (other wide screen modes now adapted)
Pixel Display Formats:		555, 565 or 888 pixels
Update Rate:		User defined, typically up to 30 updates per second
Video Format Options:		RGB plus HSync and VSync (5 wire) RGB with Sync on Green (3 wire) RGB with Composite Sync (4 wire)
Operating System Support:		Windows NT4; Windows 2000; Windows XP
Power Requirements:		PhynxRGB-I: 8 watts(max), +5v @ 1.5A, +12v @ 150mA PhynxRGB-II: 10 watts (max): +5v @ 2A , +12v @ 200mA
Operating Temperature:		0 - 35 deg C
Storage Temperature:		-20 - 70 deg C
Relative humidity:		5% to 90% non-condensing

Hardware up and downscaling for resizing the captured video. The Phynx RGB uses specialized dual ported video memory to ensure the highest possible performance with low system overhead. The Phynx RGB has 6MBytes of video capture memory per channel and can capture data at 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 and 1600 x 1200 resolutions. Custom resolutions are possible if they are within the bandwidth limits of the Phynx RGB. The Phynx RGB captures data at a maximum rate of 280 Mpixels per second. Once captured, the data is converted to either 555, 565 or 888 pixel display formats and then transferred over the PCI bus to host memory, for display on the desktop. 32-bit or 16 bit capture mode WDM Streaming driver support for up to 8 streams Dynamic Input Source Selection Administrator Mode Update Indicator Always on Top Save to file Direct print to printer, Auto capture and save to auto filenames