Apr 16

NAB2007 - ADS Tech Announces High-speed, Low-power H.264/AVC Hardware Capture Device by:  mike

04/16/2007 01:14 PM

Converts Tapes, TV Shows and Video Files for High-quality Playback On-the-Go ADS Tech unveiled today a new power-saving H.264/AVC Video Capture Device that provides a fast, easy way to capture video from any analog source to a highly compressed, high-quality H.264/AVC video. With the new USB capture device, consumers will be able to enjoy all of their favorite videos and TV shows on portable video players such as the video iPod®, PSP™, Apple TV™ or a mobile phone. The innovative device will also be available to OEMs and system integrators as a developer’s kit. Visitors to ADS Tech’s NAB Booth #SL7910 this week will see live demonstrations of the technologies that will be featured in the H.264/AVC board for capturing a composite or S-Video (Y/C) video stream with audio, converting it to an H.264/AVC file and saving it to a Windows® PC via a USB port. ADS Tech’s plug-and-play H.264/AVC Capture Board connects to the USB port on a PC or Mac® to enable capture from analog video sources. Video and audio signals can be transferred from analog sources, including VHS tapes, camcorders, set-top boxes or VCRs. With the board, users can capture resolutions ranging from ¼ CIF, CIF , QVGA, VGA, and 16x19 VGA to SDI. In addition to capturing video, the H/264/AVC device can also convert or transcode video files already stored on the user’s hard drive into the H.264/AVC format at speeds up to five times faster than real time, saving time compared to software conversion. Incorporating both capture and conversion technologies, the new video capture device features the same ultra-fast video file transcoding technology that has made Instant Video To-Go™, ADS Tech’s H.264/AVC hardware encoder product, so popular. To create the highest-quality video without putting extra strain on the host PC, the video capture device uses Mobilygen’s MG1264 H.264/AVC Codec IC. The MG1264 is based on Mobilygen’s patented low-power architecture and leading-edge video encoding algorithms. Its performance, video quality and low power consumption meet ADS Tech’s exacting requirements for the Video Capture Device. With this advanced technology, a 100-min./2GB MPEG2 or VOB video file can be converted into high-quality (320x240) H.264 video in approximately 20 minutes. The same video would require about five hours to convert with software encoding. The H.264 digital video codec standard, which is also known as the Advanced Video Codec (AVC) specification or MPEG 4-Part 10, achieves two to three times the compression efficiency of older standards such as the MPEG-2 standard. H.264 also delivers high-definition video with six times the resolution of standard-definition DVDs. Because H.264 technology produces the highest quality and the smallest file size, it is quickly becoming the world’s leading standard for mobile devices, broadcast devices, satellite technologies, and more. According to market analysts at iSuppli, the number of H.264/AVC-enabled mobile handsets will rise from 1.9 million units in 2005 to 509 million units by 2010, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 206 percent. To meet the demand for expanded H.264/AVC applications that are emerging, ADS Tech will leverage the advanced technologies in its flagship video capture device to develop a whole new family of H.264/AVC-based solutions for release in 2007. Under the PYRO® AV brand, there will be professional products for broadcast video capture and broadcast video compression. For consumers, ADS Tech will offer H.264/AVC products ranging from video capture to streaming and security. ADS Tech’s H.264/AVC Video Capture Device will be available from Videoguys.com in July with a MSRP of US$129. A complete solution, the external USB device comes with a 6-in. USB 2.0 extension cable and a CD containing device drivers, as well as a quick start guide.


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