Re: Video camera recommendation?

[Mark Rivers via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hi Donny,

• These cameras take up quite a lot of bandwidth, what parameters do you find to be optimal when even three of these cameras simultaneously, do you use any compression? Do you collect and broadcast the image using AreaDetectors?
  

We use the following strategies to mitigate network bandwidth issues:

• Connect to camera directly to a dedicated NIC on the computer which will most frequently be viewing those images, using a private IP.  That computer runs the IOC.  It can share the images on the network via PVA or CA.
• Run the camera only at the frame rate needed for the application.
• Run the CA or PVA plugin that shares the images on the network at the minimum rate required, for example 5 Hz.
• Use the NDPluginCodec to do JPEG compression of the images before sharing on network with PVA.  This can reduce bandwidth 10X with no visible loss of quality.
• For color cameras always do the Bayer to RGB conversion on the IOC, not on the camera.  This reduces bandwidth by a factor of 3.

We have several computers with 3 cameras each.  These use dedicated NICs and mainly local display, and that works fine.

Mark

---

From: Donny Domagoj Cosic <Donny.Domagoj.Cosic at irb.hr>
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2024 4:08 AM
To: Mark Rivers <rivers at cars.uchicago.edu>
Cc: Jesse Hopkins <jhopkins1 at iit.edu>; EPICS Tech Talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Re: Video camera recommendation?

 

Hi,

These cameras take up quite a lot of bandwidth, what parameters do you find to be optimal when even three of these cameras simultaneously, do you use any compression? Do you collect and broadcast the image using AreaDetectors?

Thank you,

---

Donny Domagoj Cosic

Laboratory for Ion Beam Interactions
Ruđer Bošković Institute
Bijenička cesta 54 | HR-10 000 Zagreb | CROATIA
T: +385 1 4561 041 | @: dcosic at irb.hr | www.irb.hr

Dana 2024-09-19 22:04, Mark Rivers via Tech-talk je napisao(la):

Hi Jesse,

 

I just bought 3 of these cameras for exactly the purpose you describe:

 

FLIR BlackFly S GigE, model BFS-PGE-23S6C-C.

• Color
• 2.3 MP (1920x1200)
• 41 frames/s
• $580

 

https://www.flir.com/products/blackfly-s-gige/?model=BFS-PGE-23S6C-C&vertical=machine+vision&segment=iis

 

These cameras have a resolution and aspect ratio that matches many computer monitors.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Mark

 

 

From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> On Behalf Of Jesse Hopkins via Tech-talk
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2024 1:17 PM
To: EPICS Tech Talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Video camera recommendation?

 

Hi folks,

 

We're looking to migrate all of our old analog video cameras around the beamline to ones that are digital, preferably GigE. Does anyone have recommendations for relatively cheap, reliable, color digital video cameras that integrate well with AreaDetector? Ideally something that's ~1080p in resolution.

 

Apologies if this has been asked before, I did a quick search of the archives and didn't turn up anything recent.

 

All the best.

- Jesse

 

----
Jesse Hopkins, PhD
Deputy Director
BioCAT, Sector 18
Advanced Photon Source