VideoFOCUS 13.1 Now Available

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Both VideoFOCUS Pro 13.1 and VFSource Version 13.1 are now in general release and are available for download and installation under all licenses having a currently-paid maintenance contract*.

Version 13.1 improvements are focused specifically on media export, to include:

  • Faster Export: We have engineered significant performance improvement in the export process, which has the net effect of speeding up MP4 export in many circumstances by a factor of 2 or more;
  • Export Quality Metrics: Prompted by customer interest in methods or approaches that might be useful to evaluate media quality we have taken the opportunity to leverage the VideoFOCUS export framework to support an ability to calculate and review quality metrics for VideoFOCUS video exports. Video Multi-Method Assessment Fusion (VMAF) is an open source algorithm developed by Netflix to evaluate the impact that video encoding has on the quality of video from the viewer perspective. Detailed information on its implementation in VideoFOCUS Pro (also applicable to VFSource) can be found here;

Features introduced in previous versions of VideoFOCUS Pro, which are all inherited by Version 13.1, include:

  • Version 13.0: An initial neural net-based Video Object Search capability has been implemented to enable the examiner to identify and isolate brief appearance of specific objects (people and vehicles) within long periods of surveillance video. To date the challenge has been that the computation required for effective operation was so significant that the media has to be uploaded to run on remote data center based applications; however, recent improvements in techniques and in computer hardware, specifically GPU performance, has enabled us to offer an inbuilt video search capability in VideoFOCUS that runs directly on the examiner’s workstation. Further details and download link for VideoFOCUS Pro 13.0 are available here;
  • Version 12.0: The concept of “folders” has been added to the session list for each case, allowing imported media items, processed items, and export items in the session list to be separated into folders rather than having everything in a single “flat” list as in all previous VideoFOCUS versions. Further details and download link for VideoFOCUS Pro 12.0 are available here;
  • Version 11.x: A new low-level video processing architecture improves the interactive performance with uncropped HD and UHD media while providing exported output where each operation in the case has been applied at full original resolution. This behavior is entirely transparent to the user and is automatically applied during the export step. Additionally, an initial “toolbar” has been added to the main UI player that implements commonly-used editing operations as direct, single-click actions rather than opening a window. Further details and download link for VideoFOCUS Pro 11.1 are available here;
  • Version 10.x: A “QuickClip” feature has been added to allow the user to directly produce MP4 export media from time and view selections of source media that have been imported or captured without the delay or potential quality impact of re-compression. Additionally, the original screen capture functionality that dated all the way back to the original 1.0 version has been completely re-written as the new “Quick Capture” to support capturing any HD or 4K video that is played by another application on the workstation screen, via the GPU resources that are available in modern graphics cards. The user interface has also been greatly improved and streamlined. Further details and download link for VideoFOCUS Pro 10.1 are available here;

Please watch for our automated support messages informing of new releases, and also periodically check our support website for the newest versions of VideoFOCUS as they become available.

* Any previously-purchased VideoFOCUS license is eligible to gain entitlement to all new versions for one future year with the purchase of a 1YR maintenance contract. To request a quotation to renew maintenance on your VideoFOCUS license, please complete and submit the online form and either we or your in-country dealer will respond as soon as possible.

Spring-Summer 2024 Conferences

Posted on by donald_tunstall

For the Spring and Summer 2024 seasons, Salient Sciences will be exhibiting at the following events:

3/12/2024 – 3/14/2024:  Security & Policing Home Office Event 2024, Farnborough, Hampshire, UK (for details, please visit the Security & Policing website)

7/16/2024 – 7/18/2024:  NATIA 2024 Annual Conference & Exposition, Providence, RI

Please note that attendance at the NATIA conferences is strictly for NATIA members and exhibitors who are specifically invited by the NATIA organization. For further details, please visit the NATIA website.

VideoFOCUS 7.0 Now Available

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Having completed the initial beta testing period, both VideoFOCUS Pro and VFSource Version 7.0 are now in general release and are available for download and installation under all licenses having a current maintenance contract*.

In addition to numerous improvements to the user interface and support for some additional DVR formats, the new features of VideoFOCUS Pro include:

  • Automatic Reporting, which produces a PDF report detailing the properties of each item being reported, all steps required to reproduce, hashes (both SHA1 and SHA-256) for all imported and exported media items, plus user-editable text fields under Case Properties and Session Properties that provide notes for the overall case and each item along with the agency name, examiner name, case number, and case title;
  • Macro Function, enabling any set of actions taken on one piece of media to be quickly applied to other similar media, without the user having to repeat the same actions in the user interface;
  • Unified Export Window, supporting the simultaneous export of multiple images, video, and audio, with separate tabs allowing independent format selection for each type and a detailed PDF report being automatically produced and saved along with the items (if enabled);
  • Improved Item Labeling and Tooltips, providing a more consistent methodology for the labeling of items created by filters, modifications, edits, etc.;
  • Independent Time Zone Setting for Each Case under the new File->Case Properties menu item, a helpful function for examiners who work on cases originating from across multiple time zones, and;
  • Cases Now Described Through a Standardized Text File, not a version-specific binary file as in previous versions, enabling new cases created in versions 7.0 onward to be opened with later versions.

Please watch for our automated support messages informing of new releases, and also periodically check our support website for the newest versions of VideoFOCUS as they become available.

* Under Upgrade Amnesty, any previously-purchased VideoFOCUS license is now eligible to gain entitlement to all new versions for one future year with the purchase of a 1YR maintenance contract. To request a quotation to renew maintenance on your VideoFOCUS license, please complete and submit the online form and either we or your in-country dealer will respond as soon as possible.

VideoFOCUS 6.1 Preview

Posted on by donald_tunstall

At the recent DAC School Training in Phoenix, AZ, Jeff Hunter introduced the new VideoFOCUS Pro Version 6.1 software that we are working to release hopefully sometime in the next few weeks. In addition to numerous improvements to the user interface and support for additional DVR formats, the new features include:

  1. Improved hierarchical visual organization of the sessions list;
  2. Ability to arrange views in the MultiView sessions in any desired arrangement, with independent zooming;
  3. Hashing (MD5, SHA1, and SHA2) for all imported and exported files;
  4. Explicit indication of key frames in all views;
  5. User-defined labeling of time regions across multiple videos within the same case;
  6. Better handling of footage gathered from across different time zones, and;
  7. New audio redaction function.

Please watch for our automated support messages informing of new releases, and also periodically check our support website for the newest versions of VideoFOCUS as they become available.

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Upgrade Amnesty for Old VideoFOCUS Licenses

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Effective 1 January 2017, all Perpetual licenses to VideoFOCUS may be brought current to the latest version and gain entitlement to all new versions for one future year simply by purchasing a one-year maintenance renewal.

Under this upgrade amnesty, all retroactive “upgrade” and “back maintenance” charges are waived entirely, providing an excellent opportunity especially for those who may have bought an early version of VideoFOCUS from the old Salient Stills company to get current again and take advantage of the expanded capabilities of versions 6.0 and beyond.

To find out if your old VideoFOCUS license qualifies for upgrade amnesty, please complete and submit the online form and we or your in-country dealer will respond as soon as possible.

Environmentalist protesting deforestation with blank sign

 

Improved Subscription Licensing Now Available for VideoFOCUS!

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Since the release of Version 4.0 in 2012, both Perpetual and Subscription licensing have been available for all VideoFOCUS software products. As of Version 6.0, Salient Sciences additionally offers USB Dongle Activation for Subscription licences, allowing these date-limited licenses to be shared across multiple machines and operated without an internet connection in the same way as dongle-based Perpetual licenses – an important consideration for workstations housing sensitive data.

When a Subscription license is purchased with USB Dongle Activation specified, a special RTC dongle having its own real-time clock (or “RTC”) on board will be supplied at no additional cost. This independent RTC enables VideoFOCUS to reliably manage the subscription term, even when an internet connection to a trusted time server (e.g. nist.gov) is not available. For Perpetual licenses, which are not date-limited, a non-RTC dongle will be supplied. Pictures of the two dongle types are provided below.

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RTC Dongle (Black) – Used for Subcription Licenses

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Non-RTC Dongle (Purple) – Used for Perpetual Licenses

Follows is a more detailed explanation of Perpetual vs. Subscription licensing:

With Perpetual licensing, the customer “owns and maintains” the software license. Analogous to buying a car, there is a significant initial investment to purchase the license, which includes an initial maintenance contract providing entitlement to all new versions that are released during that first year of ownership; thereafter, the customer can purchase a new maintenance contract each year to continue entitlement to the latest versions.

For most of our customers, Perpetual licensing is preferred, because they never have to worry about a critical forensics tool ceasing to work for them if budget is not immediately available to renew the maintenance. Even if the maintenance should expire at some point without renewal, the software continues to function indefinitely at the most recent version that was allowed under the last expired contract (also called the “last entitled version”).

But for smaller customer agencies who may find it prohibitive to absorb the larger initial cost for the Perpetual license, the “rent and maintain” model of the Subscription license may be more attractive. Like leasing a car, the initial cost is more modest – essentially, you pay for the first year’s maintenance contract and you can start using the software immediately with full entitlement to all updates while the contract remains active.

The main potential downside of Subscription licensing is that if the maintenance is ever allowed to expire without renewal, the software will simply stop working – possibly making for a bad day if the maintenance happens to expire in the middle of a critical case!

The other potential downside of Subscription licensing is the need for the software to have a trusted clock source to reliably enforce the subscription term. Traditionally, our Subscriptions have used Online Activation only, meaning that the computer had to have an internet connection or the software would not run – again, potentially a big problem for machines having sensitive data. However, this limitation is completely overcome in Version 6.0 with the USB Dongle Activation via the RTC dongle.

To minimize any disruptions of Subscription licenses, and also to ensure that Perpetual license customers continue their entitlement to all the latest versions of VideoFOCUS, Salient Sciences starts e-mailing maintenance renewal pro forma invoices within 3-6 months of the maintenance expiring, which hopefully allows time to purchase the renewal and avoid any issues. Where necessary and appropriate, temporary maintenance extensions can be quickly granted by Salient Sciences sales (just e-mail us at sales@salientsciences.com) to keep VideoFOCUS running at the latest versions while the maintenance renewal purchase is being processed.

New Website and Blog!

Posted on by donald_tunstall

After several months of intensive design effort, we are pleased to finally announce the launch of the new Salient Sciences website, which is now fully live at www.salientsciences.com. This responsive site can be viewed by both desktop and mobile browsers, and provides efficient navigation to let you quickly access the exact information that you are looking for. Coupled with the website are the new blog and software support pages, which can be accessed either through the website or directly at blog.salientsciences.com and support.salientsciences.com. The website content is being continually updated with new software updates to our VideoFOCUS and CARDINAL MiniLab products, as well as useful application-related articles and other news, including upcoming trainings and conferences. Please check out the new site when you have a chance, and do let us know what you think!

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Next UK DAC School Training Announced

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Our UK dealer, Dave Thorne at Demux Video Services Ltd, has confirmed that our next UK DAC School session will be held the week of 27 February – 3 March 2017 at the Holiday Inn Oxford, Peartree Roundabout, Woodstock Road, Oxford , OX2 8JD.

FYI, this is the week prior to Security & Policing 2017, where Salient Sciences will also be exhibiting in stand P2.

For further details and enrollment information for the UK DAC School, please visit the Demux blog.

DAC Training

Expanded DVR Format Support in VideoFOCUS

Posted on by donald_tunstall

Starting with the release of Version 5.1 in 2015, in addition to supporting virtually all standard multimedia file formats, all three VideoFOCUS products (VideoFOCUS Pro, VFSource, and VFCapture) have also supported direct import of many proprietary DVR formats that previously could only be brought into VideoFOCUS through the real-time screen capture functionality.

Direct DVR file import is quickly and easily accomplished by the Import Media function in VideoFOCUS, through a combination of:

  1. Native parsing (via FFmpeg, licensed under LGPL), which opens perhaps 50% of these formats through a forced extraction of any video, audio, and images that are identified in the file, which largely ignores other metadata such as camera names, etc., plus;
  2. An integrated software component called DVRConverter, which additionally recognizes and interprets the metadata of many popular DVR formats and enables VideoFOCUS to correctly open these specific file types, achieving perhaps another 20% beyond what native parsing can achieve alone.

DVRConverter was first developed for VideoFOCUS under a commercial licensing arrangement with DME Forensics, Inc., and is based upon technology contained in its DVR Examiner product. DVRConverter continues to be improved on a regular basis by DME Forensics, with additional supported formats becoming available to all VideoFOCUS users having current software maintenance as new builds are released.

A complete list of the DVR file formats that are currently supported in VideoFOCUS by DVRConverter can be found here. For any questions related to importing and exporting specific file formats in VideoFOCUS, please contact technical support by e-mail at support@salientsciences.com, or by phone at +1 (919) 572-6767, option 2.

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Typical retrieval of multiple proprietary DVR files, as imported and synchronized by VFPro 6.0