AVN-200
Front View and Rear View
The AVN-200 encoder from Visionary Solutions, Inc. is a little black box that weighs less than a pound (11' 8mm x 9' 7mm x 4' 3mm). It's a video network appliance that has specific task of taking in a video signal (either S-Video or compostie, with stereo-mini Audio), encoding it into MPEG-2 and turnig that into packetized IP data for distribution over a network. An RJ45 Ethernet port on the back is the primary output, although there are also an RS-232 control port and a digital I/O terminal that can be used for a digital output or an RS-485 interface.
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Complementary devices like remote camera pan/tilt/zoom controls for security installations are also among Visianary Solutions' offerings.
The AVN200 is built on an embedded Linux operating system and encodes video into MPEG-2 at full 720x480 resolution, as well as half D1 (352x480), 480x480, or SIF (352x240) over a range of bit rates from 1.2Mbps (1.6Mbps with audio) up to 7.5Mbps. Those are DVD bit rates. The product doesn't offer advanced encoding features, such as filters or image processing. Audio is encoded at 256Kbps or 384Kbps, MPEG-1 Layer 2. the default bit rate is 3.8Mbps, but you can set a custom bit rate manually. IP packet data can be encapsulatedas either UDP or RTP, with quality-of-service controls for Packet Shaping (for minimizing latency), Forward Error Correcetion ( for RTP streams only), Burst sizes. The AVN200 is supports unicast and multicast, including IGMP Snooping to allow creation and authentication of member groups. Password protection restricts access to encoded streams. |
Built on an embedded Linux operating system, Visionary Solutions' AVN-200 video network appliance encodes video into MPEG-2 and turns that into packetized IP data. |
An add-on feature is that you set all of the encoding and setup properties from Visionary Solutions' viewer application, VSImage Viewer, instead of a separate administrative utility. The exception is setting up an RS-232 or RS-485 session. A more user-friendly and application-broadening web browser control interface is in the works.
The setup control and the stream-monitoring utilites and password authorization make the VSImage Viewer a powerful piece of software. but it's a double-edged sword: Visionary Solutions ties it's security and device licensing to the viewer software. Thats not so much a problem for point-to-point display installations, but multicast viewing by several stations requires purchase of more software player licenses for $25 (three come free). Also, the VSImage Viewer is more complicated than is appropriate for the average desktop viewer.
Typical viewers would want to go into the programming interface, or even the file menu, for play and stop functions. They wouldn't need Query functions and network usage statistics. There are also awkward spots and first-visions shortcomings in the interface. For example, you can drag the the window to full screen, but there is no keystroke for it. there is a keystroke for returning it to native resolution. there are also non-standard keystrokesfor functions like Play/Stop, Mute, and Thumbnail. but these things are relatively minor flaws in the grand scheme.
The AVN200 produces compliant MPEG-2 streams that can be viewed on (theortically) any MPEG-2 set-top box. this may be the best solution for display-specific applications. Visionary Solutions doesn't make its own decoder, but does resell the Animo AmiNet 110 player ($400), a stylish little device - about the same size as the AVN200, but with a sleek, rounded, silver and black consumer design - that includes both a miniature keyboard/mouse ($75) and remote. With the keyboard, you can enter a unicast or mulicast address and log on to an AVN200 stream (and browse the web if it's connected to a LAN with Internet access).
Ultimately, this set-top box decoder alternative may be the most practical solution for digital signage applications. The fact that the Animo decder can view multicast streams makes it even mores praical for multiple signage monitors showing the same video content.
| MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS | |||
| Video input Formats: NTSC and PAL | Ethernet: 10baseT Ethernet- or 100TX Ethernet Compatible (auto-sensing) | Streaming MPEG-2 over IP: transport stream over UDP or RTP over UDP, multicast or unicast modes | Power:External power supply +3.3 VDC, 2Amps User Controlled Bandwith:30 f/s @ 1.2Mb/s, 325H x 240V (min); 30f/s @ 2.5Mb/s, 720H x 480V (recommended); 30f/s @ 3.8Mb/s, 720H x 480V (optinal); 30f/s @ 7.5Mb/s, 720H x 480V (max) |
| General Input/Output: Ethernet; RJ45; RS232 Serial connector; I/O 1:2 alarm in, alarm out; I/O 2: RS422/485 bi-directional | Audio/Video Input Encoder: S-video; composite video (BNS); audio (1/8-inch stereo) | Dimensions (Wxhxl): 3.9x1.8x4.8 inches | Weight: 0.75 pounds |