An SDI camera is a type of video camera that uses the Serial Digital Interface standard for transmitting high-quality digital video and audio signals over coax. SDI is used extensively for video surveillance in public safety and security operations due to its ability to transmit uncompressed, high-definition video signals with low latency.
Connect Tech’s newest vision solution for the NVIDIA Jetson ecosystem, its NVIDIA Jetson SDI Vision Platform, allows for ultra-low hardware latency SDI-to-MIPI CSI-2 conversions on Connect Tech NVIDIA Jetson Carriers and Edge Systems, providing a direct ISP ingest path to GPU compute on Jetson. Designed for Connect Tech Carriers and Systems for the Jetson AGX Orin and Jetson AGX Xavier system-on-modules, this full-vision solution can lead to endless possibilities.
High Quality/Low Latency
SDI cameras are known for their ability to capture high-quality, uncompressed video signals. By connecting an SDI camera board to the Jetson platform, you can capture video with minimal compression or loss of quality. This is essential for applications where video fidelity is crucial, such as in public safety operations.
SDI low-latency capabilities make it essential for live streaming and broadcasting to the command-and-control centers of operations, exercises, and briefings. This technology allows for real-time dissemination of information to security personnel and the public. The power of the Jetson platform leads to minimal delay and quicker network uploads.
Remote sensing devices and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) use SDI cameras and equipment to capture and transmit high-resolution imagery and video data for situational awareness and intelligence gathering. The low-latency transmission of the data is essential for drone operators.
Video Processing & AI Integration
Multiple video feeds from various sources, including fixed cameras, drones, and satellite systems, need to be displayed and distributed all at once, without a loss of signal integrity. This enables security personnel to make informed decisions, since SDI technology can be paired with encryption methods to ensure secure transmission of video and data, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access.
The powerful AI capabilities of the Jetson platform can be used to process and enhance video in real time – for example, allowing for long-range operation, real-time color correction, image stabilization, and noise reduction. AI and machine learning can be harnessed for target identification, object recognition, scene analysis, and automated tracking.
Video Encoding
An often-used feature of SDI equipment is IP encoding. IP encoding allows the user to transform analog video into high-quality IP video streams. High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a video compression standard, also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2. The goal of all video encoders is to encode video at the lowest possible bit rate while maintaining a high level of video quality. This ensures that the video quality of long-range thermal video remains nearly as high as it was initially recorded.
It is worth noting that Jetson AGX Orin video specifications include the H.265 standard at up to 4K60 quality for encoding and up to 8K30 for decoding.
Rapid Deployment
Connect Tech is committed to finding solutions that easily integrate sensors with embedded hardware to empower rapid product development and field deployment. As one of NVIDIA’s largest Jetson hardware partners, we’ve teamed up with industry-leading vision camera and sensor providers to develop pre-integrated and verified solutions. With trusted hardware that comes supplied with the necessary camera and sensor software, customers can minimize overall application development time.
The combination of the SDI Vision Platform with a Jetson AGX Xavier or Jetson AGX Orin is useful for industries such as public sector, broadcasting, filmmaking, and live events where video quality, real-time analysis, and enhanced situational awareness are paramount.
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