• Format
  Color (PAL, NTSC)
  Monochrome (CCIR, EIA)
  
  
• Full resolution images
  Up to 640 x 480 (NTSC / EIA)
  Up to 768 x 576 (PAL / CCIR)
  
  
• Full-frame or single-field images
  
  
• Image size
  All sizes supported, high-quality hardware scaler
  Built-in arbitrary cropping to a region of interest
  
  
• Real-time acquisition from one to four cameras
  
  
• Quick switching acquisition between up
  to 16 video sources
  
  
  
  

• Image format storage: all popular color formats
  such as RGB, YUV, planar or packed
  
  
• Direct capture of individual frames as well
  as video sequences to PC memory

• Picolo Jet-X
  four on-board JPEG encoders
  
  
• Picolo Diligent
  four MPEG-4 compression chips
  Microsoft codec MP4S and DivX codec DX50
  
  

• Cost optimized
  
• Full frame acquisition in real time
  
• Improved switching acquisition, up to 4 cameras
  
• Color PAL/NTSC, monochrome CCIR/EIA/RS-170
  
• MultiCam and standard drivers compatible
  
• Available in large quantities to OEMs
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  
  

• Suitable for single camera systems
  
• Low-cost
  
• Industrial and video surveillance applications
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Suitable for 4 cameras systems
  
• Quick switching for superior frame rate
  
• Highest image quality
  
• Optimized for video surveillance
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Expandable architecture up to 16 cameras
  
• Video modules for 4 cameras or for 12 cameras in one slot
  
• MIO isolated I/O modules
  
• Quick switching for superior frame rate
  
• Highest image quality
  
• Optimized for demanding video surveillance applications
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• 16 video-channels PAL / NTSC
  
• One compact HD-44 video connector and its corresponding internal header
  - Sixteen video inputs
  - Four S-Video inputs
  - One video output
  - One cascade video input
  
• Small form factor
  
• Watchdog and 9 professional I/O lines
  
• Universal PCI: 32-bit, 66 MHz, 3V / 5V
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Four color-video digitizers for video streaming and camera switching
  
• 240 fps
  
• 64-bit, 66 MHz PCI bus
  
• Expandable architecture
  
• 3 Video Expansion Brackets for up to 16 camera inputs
  
• 1 Video Expansion Bracket 12 for 16 camera inputs
  
• 1 Video Expansion Bracket for 4 buffered video outputs
  
• MIO, I/O module compatible
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Four video color digitizers
  
• Four on-board JPG encoders
  240 fps
  
• 64-bit, 133 MHz PCI-X bus
  
• compatible with any conventional PCI slot
  
• Quick switching between up to 16 cameras on 4 digitizers
  
• Expandable architecture:
  
• VEB (Video Expansion Bracket), VEB 12
  
• MIO (I/O module) compatible
  
• TTL I/O lines and watchdog
  
• PICOLO Jet-X Starting Kit (SK), including two sample programs
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Proprietary video-surveillance FPGA
  
• Simultaneous capture and preview functions
  
• 16 video inputs
  
• 200 / 240 fps constantly available
  
• Form factors:
  - Universal PCI: 64 / 32 bits, 66 / 33 MHz, 3V / 5V
  - PCI Express x1
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

• Proprietary video-surveillance FPGA
  
• Simultaneous full D1 preview and full D1 compressed capture
  
• 4 video inputs
  
• Real-time MPEG-4 acquisition in full D1 format
  
• 200 / 240 fps constantly available
  Universal PCI: 64 / 32 bits, 66 / 33 MHz, 3V / 5V
  
• One selected video output with cascading capability
  
• Software support:
  - DirectShow filters
  - MultiCam drivers
  

Picolo Series Comparison Chart (click to enlarge)

Picolo Series General Features

Acquisition
The Picolo boards acquire images that are scalable, before PCI transfer to the PC, to any smaller format down to 1/12. This process involves a sophisticated hardware device, performing an accurate interpolation in both directions, horizontal and vertical. The image buffer for a downscaled image is smaller, and its transfer requires less PCI bandwidth. Moreover, the image transfer can be restricted to a rectangular region of interest. All desirable adjustments can be applied to the images during the acquisition, such as video contrast, brightness, color saturation and hue (NTSC).


Synchronization
A fully digital technique is used to synchronize the digitizer operation on the incoming video signal. This ensures a stable and robust operation despite the varying video conditions. The Euresys video capture boards robustly support poor video signals issued by a low-end VCR. When using high-quality video surveillance cameras, the acquisition performance is exemplary, as demonstrated by a jitter figure in the nanosecond range.


Bitmap image formats
Before storing the acquired image into the destination memory buffer, a pixel format conversion takes place in real-time. Numerous color or monochrome formats are available such as packed RGB32, RGB24, RGB16, RGB15, YCrCb 4:2:2, YCrCb 4:1:1, Y8 or such as planar YCrCb 4:2:2, YCrCb 4:1:1, YCrCb 4:2:0, YCrCb 4:1:0, YCbCr 4:2:0, YCbCr 4:1:0. For a complete list, click here.


Bus mastering
All Picolo boards are PCI bus mastering agents that directly store the acquired images into the PC physical memory without CPU involvement. As a unique feature, the Euresys capture boards automatically recover the scatter-gather virtual memory mapping to present the data as a regular bitmap image in a user allocated memory buffer.


Jumpers
The Picolo inputs feature a removable 75-Ohm termination resistor enabled by a jumper or a dip-switch (Picolo Tetra, VEB, Picolo Alert and Diligent).


PICOLO Alert & PICOLO Diligent, a natural match with the DirectShow API