PC-based Real Time Video Digitizer, Processor, Compressor

In order to best take advantage of digital video, one must have the capability to perform real-time digital signal processing on the video bitstream. This includes compression, wihch can greatly reduce the storage media or bandwidth needed to support digital video. A PC-based card design is proposed which will provide the ability to digitize a color video image at a maximum resolution of 1024 x 512 pixels. The digital bitstream will be processed through a digital signal processor (DSP) and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), each of which is fully programmable. Algorithms to perform the necessary image processing will be selected and software will be written to drive these components. A video compression RISC processor capable of high-resolution (704x480 NTSC) MPEG, JPEG, and P*64 moving image compression will provide bitstream compression with ratios from 65:1 to 2000:1, depending upon the demand for image quality. An EISA bus interface will then allow the image data to be transferred to PC memory or fixed storage media in real time. A prototype will be delivered which demonstrates video digitization and real time compression on a 352x240 NTSC image at 30 frames per second. Anticipated Benefits: The design of a PC-based system which has the ability to deliver real-time image preprocessing as well as compression would be well received by the image processing community. It would eliminate the data bottleneck which now stifles PC-based video. The extension to a Phase II prototype capable of high-resolution (704x480 NTSC) compression and processing would be a commercially viable innovation.