Sarnoff, the Princeton, NJ-based technology development company, has announced two MPEG-2 software encoders that deliver high-quality, real-time video and embedded stereo audio on standard Windows-based PCs.
Sarnoff’s RTV-100 digital TV software, aimed at broadcast television applications, converts an uncompressed analog or digital program into a single MPEG-2 transport stream. The RDV-100 version, targeted at system suppliers, converts camcorder, DV video and audio, or Web content to an MPEG-2 program stream for recording on DVDs or distribution over home networks.
Both versions use Sarnoff’s Vision-Optimized Encoding (VOE) algorithms to produce video at 4 Mb/s that, the company claimed, “is visibly superior to what (some) other real-time software encoders produce at almost twice that bit rate.”
The DTV-100 encoder is targeted at TV stations and cable head-ends that need instant conversion of D1 video into an MPEG-2 stream for digital television broadcast or distribution over a cable system. Typical uses include conversion of ENG video or local studio programming to a transmitter site. Coded video sizes include 720x480, 640x480, 528x480, 480x480 and 352x480 pixels.
The DVD-100 is designed to meet the needs of videophiles and independent videographers. It accepts standard DV audio and video output. Coded video output rates include 720x480 and 352x480 at 30Hz, and 720x576 and 352x576 at 25Hz. Both software converters run under Windows 2000 on a 3.2 GHz Pentium-based PC and require a standard-definition capture card. The television-oriented DTV-100 also requires a DVB-ASI PCI card in the computer.
For more information visit www.sarnoff.com