This is the entire AutoAuditorium website in a single page.
It is here as a convenience so you can print out the entire site all at once.
The AutoAuditorium System Home Page is:
http://www.AutoAuditorium.com
Foveal Systems Web Site Changes
Web Site Changes
Major changes:
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Date
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Page Title
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Nature of Change.
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| 29 September 2009 | The AutoAuditorium System - 10
Years of Televising Presentations Without a Crew | This whitepaper describes the system as high-level concepts and their implementation in hardware. It then recounts how the system has been used by several customers. |
| 1 December 2008 | Foveal Systems: Foveal Customizable 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount | Introducing a new Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount with an undrilled Camera Table so you can machine it to meet your needs. Or, if you like, we will drill it to your specifications. |
| 10 September 2008 | Foveal Systems: Press Release - September 10, 2008 | Press Release. AutoAuditorium Recordings Help Improve Student Performance |
| 10 September 2008 | Assessment of Student Performance in an Internet-Based Multimedia Classroom | Added University of Michigan at Flint conference paper. |
| 17 July 2007 | Automatic Video Production of Lectures Using an Intelligent and Aware Environment | Added Foveal conference paper from 2004. |
| 1 February 2006 | Foveal Systems: Press Release - February 1, 2006 | Press Release. AutoAuditorium Systems Celebrate 6 Years at IBM Research |
| 24 August 2005 | Foveal Camera Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates | Added web page. |
| 6 June 2005 | Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials | Added web page. |
| 18 January 2005 | Foveal Systems: Foveal FM3_2a Mount for Cognex 5100/5400 Cameras | Introducing a new Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount for Cognex® In-Sight® 5000 series cameras |
| 16 January 2004 | Foveal Systems: Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount | Introducing a new, less expensive version of the Rigid Camera Mounts |
| 6 January 2004 | Foveal Systems: Press Release - January 6, 2004 | Press Release. AutoAuditorium System Videos Grow 54% at IBM Research in 2003 |
| 9 June 2003 | Foveal Systems: Press Release - June 9, 2003 | Press Release. AutoAuditorium System Videos at IBM Research Grow 22% in 2002 |
| 7 July 2003 | AutoAuditorium Savings Calculator | Added Quick Answers: 4 prototypical cases. |
| 7 May 2003 | Foveal Rigid Camera Mount | Added new,
smaller models, prices, drawings. |
| April 2003 | All | Redesign of the web site. Most of the text and pictures did not change. |
| 13 December 2002 | Video Demonstration | Added a second video titled The Role of Automatic Video Production in Distance Education. |
| 1 November 2002 | AutoAuditorium Savings Calculator | New page. How much money can you save using AutoAuditorium Videos?
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| 12 October 2002 | AutoAuditorium Presentation At Government Video Expo 2002 | Updated page. |
| 5 June 2002 | Foveal Systems: Press Release - May 6, 2002 | Press Release. Boeing Research Uses the AutoAuditorium System to Span the Miles |
| 2 March 2002 | EMedia Magazine article | Title: Case Study - Foveal and IBM Colloborate on the Science of Streaming |
| 24 January 2002 | Foveal Rigid Camera Mount | Added additional models, prices, drawings. |
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/website_changes.html 2009/09/29
AutoAuditorium System Home Page
The Fully Automatic,
Multi-Camera System
that Produces Videos
Without a Crew
The AutoAuditorium System is a fully automatic, multi-camera
system for televising auditorium and classroom presentations.
Once installed in an
auditorium or large meeting room, recording or telecasting any
presentation given in that room is as simple as turning on a switch
and hitting RECORD.
There are no other operator controls.
All the shot selections, video transitions, camera motion, focusing and
zooming, are performed automatically.
The result is often indistinguishable from a program produced by a crew.
Recorded Lectures Help Improve Student Grades!
Read the Story
Did they record or broadcast that talk yesterday?
No?
Too bad you missed it.
It was really great!
It happens all the time ...
People miss talks, presentations and seminars because the cost
and complexity of recording or transmitting the event
are just too high.
In the past,
producing a video of a presentation was a big production.
You either had to use a TV studio,
or roll in a TV crew and their portable equipment.
Now there is a better way.
Foveal Systems presents
The AutoAuditorium System
that turns an ordinary auditorium into one that
automatically
creates videos of lecture-style presentations
for people who could not attend.
The system's intelligence knows when to zoom in on the
presenter, when to focus on the projection screen and when to show both.
And using it couldn't be easier ...
Connect to your teleconferencing network and/or start up your video recorder.
Turn on the AutoAuditorium System.
You are
producing a 4-camera video
without a crew!
See how an AutoAuditorium System can work for you.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/index.html 2009/10/05
AutoAuditorium System Overview
Overview
A large room full of people watching a presentation suggests that
there are other people, unavailable at that time or not at that
location, who would like to see the talk but cannot.
Their absence may be due to travel expense or restrictions,
schedule conflicts,
or a host of other reasons.
Televising that talk,
via broadcast or recording,
could serve those absent people.
An AutoAuditorium System,
featuring
Foveal Systems'
AutoAuditorium Controller,
turns an ordinary auditorium into
one that can automatically make broadcasts and recordings.
The system
is permanently installed in the room and uses optical motion tracking
(television cameras) to be "aware" of what
is happening in the room.
It uses this awareness to televise the
images and sound of the most common form of auditorium talk, a single
person on a stage, speaking with projected visual aids to a local
audience.
Once turned on, the system is completely automatic.
The person on
stage and the people in the local audience may not even be aware that
it is on.
To remote audiences, an AutoAuditorium program
gives the appearance of a professionally produced program
although no camera crew or operator was necessary.
Automatic Tracking of the Speakers on Stage
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera is completely automatic,
requires no targets and no transmitters,
and
automatically tracks the person or people on stage without requiring
that they be identified to the system in any way.
Automatic Shot Selection
The AutoAuditorium Director
automatically makes shot selections among multiple cameras,
based on what is happening in the program.
It also controls the timing of transitions and generation of special effects.
Automatic Audio Mixing
The system automatic mixes the audience and presenter audio
to create a complete program sound track
that is meaningful to local and remote audiences.
Most importantly,
the remote audiences have the
ability to hear audience questions and commentary.
When does an AutoAuditorium System work?
In any situation where a group of people come into a room
and watch a presentation
give by someone on a stage
who uses projected visuals.
If there are so many people in that room,
the bet is there are others who could be served with a recording or
broadcast.
Some examples of such presentations are:
-
Distance Education
-
Group Collaboration
-
Sales Seminars
-
New Product Launches
-
Corporate Training
-
Regularly Scheduled Presentations
-
Impromptu Events
-
Confidential and High-Security Presentations
(avoiding camera crew security clearance)
-
Presentation rehearsal and skills development
Using the AutoAuditorium System can bring many benefits;
See
System Benefits.
For an on-line version of our printed brochure
see our
Brochure Page.
To see the AutoAuditorium system in action,
go to our
Video Demonstrations Page.
For answers to the Frequently Asked Questions,
see our
FAQ Page.
You can see pictures of typical system installations on the
AutoAuditorium Rooms page.
To ask us a question,
use our
Information Request Form.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/overview.html 2003/04/10
AutoAuditorium System Benefits
System Benefits
AutoAuditorium Systems . . .
Any lecture-style auditorium presentation can be video recorded or
telecast at a moment's notice.
Because the system is permanently installed in the room,
it is immediately available.
It can be
setup in a few minutes; shutdown in less.
Because one switch turns the system on and off,
the steps to
record a presentation are
-
throw a switch,
-
insert a DVD,
-
press RECORD.
Connecting to a video network can also be as simple
as pushing a button.
Because the system is completely automatic,
an AutoAuditorium program costs much less than one done in
a TV studio or produced using a remote production crew.
The
experience of one company using an AutoAuditorium System was that the
money saved by
not making
6 remote productions in a year
paid for the system.
After that the
cost is just the price of a DVD and/or a distribution network.
Other organizations may find that
reduced travel expense or
employee productivity improvements
quickly pays for the system.
Some may assign a value to improved communications by asking questions like:
-
What is the hidden cost of staff members
missing important communications and information?
-
Can a copy of a the presenter's slides really convey
the full meaning of what was said and discussed?
Because there is
no post production,
programs can be watched in real time,
and
recordings are ready for distribution as soon as the program concludes.
There are fewer things to go wrong
because there are:
-
no targets
for the presenters to wear,
-
no camera controls
for the presenters to understand, carry and operate,
-
no need to identify the presenters
to the Tracking Camera
-
no battery operated devices to fail
(unless a wireless microphone is used).
Because
the Director
never gets
distracted,
called away
or
tired,
it always responds quickly to program changes.
For example,
when the presenter puts up a new slide,
it is put in the program immediately.
Likewise, since audio mixing is automatic and
doesn't require someone to turn up
the correct volume control,
remote audiences hear every word.
Because the presenters' slides are captured with a camera,
any form of presentation graphic works:
any type of computer projection, 35 mm slides, overhead foils,
or whatever.
If it is readable on the screen, the remote audiences can read it.
(But remember,
an AutoAuditorium system will not make a poor presentation better.
The image quality is only as good as the cameras and transmission channel
can produce.
If people at the back of the room have trouble reading the slides
because of fonts, point sizes, color choices, etc. the people
watching the AutoAuditorium video will have trouble also.)
Because there is no crew, nor portable equipment,
the telecast
does not disrupt the presentation.
The system is unobtrusive when in use
because the cameras and microphones are placed
so as not be be in anyone's sight line.
The local audience and the presenter forget about them.
And because
the system is unobtrusive when not in use,
the auditorium still functions as an ordinary meeting room.
Because the it is easy economical to use,
the system is used often.
Thus programs are recorded or telecast
that
would
have been considered too unimportant to be worth the cost.
One company,
in the first year they used the AutoAuditorium System,
produced
40% more recorded presentations
without any increase in staff.
And, finally,
because many more programs are recorded and telecast,
many more people can
avoid the cost and inconvenience of traveling
to presentations,
or missing them because of a schedule conflicts.
The result?
-
Better communications within and between organizations!
-
Less wasted employee time!
-
Reduced travel expense!
How much can you save?
Put your numbers into the
Savings Calculator
and see for yourself.
For some specific examples of AutoAuditorium savings,
go to
AutoAuditorium Systems Save Money When . . .
To see the AutoAuditorium system in action,
go to our
Video Demonstration Page.
For answers to the Frequently Asked Questions,
see our
FAQ Page.
To ask us a question,
use our
Contact Us.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/benefits.html 2008/06/12
AutoAuditorium Systems Save Money When . . .
AutoAuditorium Systems Save Money When . . .
. . .
People wishing to see presentations avoid traveling.
In a geographically dispersed organization, it is easy to see that
keeping people out of cars,
hotel rooms,
and
airplanes
can quickly
save travel dollars.
But they also save "looking-out-the-window" time.
For example, some
years ago there was a talk in our southern location, and about
a dozen people from the northern office got into cars,
drove 70 miles to the one-hour talk, and then drove back.
That meant 2, maybe 3,
hours of looking-out-the-windshield for 1 hour of productive time.
The following week,
there was a talk at the north location,
in the AutoAuditorium room, and the people down south simply went to one
of their larger conference rooms, maybe a 5 minute walk,
to attend via telecast.
And Time Zones are your enemy.
Everytime someone has to travel across time zones to see a presentaion
not only is there all the actual travel time,
but also that they arrive out-of-sync with the local schedule.
It is hard to be at your best when your internal clock keeps complaining.
How much does avoiding travel save?
Enough to justify your AutoAuditorium investment.
Put your numbers into the
Savings Calculator
and see for yourself.
. . .
People avoid having to choose when schedules conflict.
Time and again we've heard stories of people being "saved" by the
AutoAuditorium System.
A presentation conflicted with some other need.
Knowing that
an AutoAuditorium recording would be available
meant not having to choose.
Just deal with the need that required personal presence,
and then "attend" the presentation when convenient.
The
Savings Calculator
also will show you how quickly that value adds up.
. . .
Scarce resources are stretched too thin.
Time and again we have heard stories of someone running the cameras for
a lecture recording when the pager went off.
"I had no choice but to just set on a single shot
and go deal with the emergency.
It was half-an-hour before I could get back.
The customers of the recording weren't happy, but what could I do?"
The AutoAuditorium System never gets preempted by emergencies.
Nor does it get sick,
go on vacation,
quit,
get fired,
or
forget to show up.
. . .
Talented people get to do what they do best.
Most auditorium lectures are deadly-dull for the people who must
produce video recordings.
When the production crew does not understand the material,
or would rather be elsewhere,
the resulting program suffers.
The audiences who watch it suffer also.
. . .
You make recordings of talks which wouldn't even be considered before.
When an AutoAuditorium System is installed,
every
presentation given
in that room is fair game.
The system can be made available to everyone who books the room.
One customer tells us that their AutoAuditorium lecture hall
"sometimes makes 7 recordings in a 5-day work week.
And why not?
A recording costs next-to-nothing,
our customers are happy,
and we look good!"
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/savings.html 2008/06/12
AutoAuditorium System Savings Calculator
Savings Calculator
How Much Money Can You Save Using AutoAuditorium Systems?
Requiring some audience members to travel
in order to attend a presentation
incurs losses from unproductive hours and travel expenses.
These Travel Costs can be saved
when folks view the presentation via the AutoAuditorium System!
Also consider the value of having an informed organization.
We assume that the
time spent attending a talk is productive, so there are costs for those
people who would not or could not travel to a presentation.
We call these
Uninformed People Costs.
Also consider that not all travel has to be "long distance".
Even when the "other location" is just a "few miles" and a "few minutes" away
the travel costs and times can add up
and the decisions not to attend can multiply.
This calculator helps you determine how much you can save.
Fill in the fields with typical values for your organization.
(Fractional values, such as 1.5, are accepted.)
Then click the Calculate Savings button
to see how quickly your AutoAuditorium System will pay back your investment.
When filling in the fields,
consider if you want to use loaded salaries, which include overhead costs and
taxes paid by the company.
The default "Cost per Mile" for driving is the amount the Internal Revenue
Service uses for deductible travel.
Is that value appropriate for your case?
Quick Answers
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Click one of these prototypical cases, or fill in the form below.
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2 Presentations per month.
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4 Presentations per month.
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8 Presentations per month.
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20 Presentations per month.
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This link looks at the mathematics of this calculator.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/calculator.html 2008/07/11
AutoAuditorium System Brochure
Brochure
Produce Videos
Without A Crew?
Absolutely!
Just push the button.
Now You Are Using The
The Fully Automatic, Multi-Camera System
that Televises
Auditorium and Classroom Presentations
Without A Crew!
Broadcast and record your presentations
without the traditional costs and complexities.
The AutoAuditorium System Is Fully Automatic!
It is more than cameras, more than microphones.
The
AutoAuditorium System
uses cameras and microphones intelligently
to capture presentations as video telecasts and recordings.
It is built into your
lecture room or auditorium,
ready to use in a moment,
without a crew!
Once it is turned on,
there is
nothing to do
until it's time to turn it off.
The AutoAuditorium System has . . .
... automatic camera tracking ...
which follows the person making the presentation.
... automatic video switching ...
which
selects and mixes
the Tracking Camera
with
several stationary cameras.
... automatic audio mixing ...
which ensures that the speakers on stage and
questions from the audience are heard clearly
by those watching the video.
The AutoAuditorium System is . . .
...
as easy as pushing a button ...
requiring only a moment to set up or shut down.
No technical training is necessary.
Anyone who can insert a disk in a DVD recorder
and press a start button
can use the AutoAuditorium System.
It is that easy!
... always available ...
making it ideal
for producing videos of unscheduled events.
... unobtrusive ...
to the presenter, the local audience and the video viewers.
Everyone concentrates on the presentation,
not the distractions of making a TV program.
With the AutoAuditorium System . . .
...
the presenter is free to move ...
anywhere on stage!
And there are
no devices to wear or carry,
and no "target identification" process!
The motion-sensitive
Tracking Camera
follows each presenter from the moment he or she arrives on the stage.
... the program is mixed in real time ...
for live transmission
on your video network or recording.
All image selections and
audio mixing are performed automatically;
there is never any need for post-production.
... you can afford to make many more videos ...
since you don't have to set aside expensive studio space nor
schedule and hire production crews.
The cost of recording a session is only the price of a DVD,
or hard disk space;
the cost of a transmission is only the price of the medium.
And because the AutoAuditorium System equipment is out of the way,
the room is still available for non-video uses.
And the
AutoAuditorium System
is
missing
all those things you don't want ...
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No
big budget.
-
No
hours of preparation.
-
No
production crew.
-
No
dedicated studio space.
-
No
portable equipment.
-
No
post production.
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Turn Your Ordinary Auditorium into an AutoAuditorium!
An AutoAuditorium System is permanently installed in your
auditorium or lecture room.
A typical System has
three or four cameras installed over and behind the audience,
strategically placed microphones,
a small equipment rack
(containing
a system control computer,
a video mixer,
and
automatic audio mixers),
and
a video recorder located someplace convenient for your users.
In addition to video recording,
the AutoAuditorium Program signals
can be connected to:
-
your analog video network for in-house transmission,
-
your digital video network for streaming transmission,
-
your digital video recording system to support video-on-demand,
-
all your other video distribution systems.
AutoAuditorium Technology Produces Programs That Look Professional!
An AutoAuditorium System is entirely automatic
due to the patented technology of the AutoAuditorium Controller.
The Controller's
Tracking Camera
and
Director
modules
create programs that look professional
without using a crew.
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera Module
automatically follows the presenter
wherever he or she is on the stage.
And the presenter does not have to wear any sort of target or be
identified to the System.
If you are the person on the stage, you are the person tracked.
Pacing around?
The Tracking Camera zooms out for a wider shot
so the viewers don't get sea-sick.
Staying put?
The Tracking Camera zooms in tight.
The Tracking Camera module
operates with several popular robotic cameras.
The AutoAuditorium Director Module
automatically selects the appropriate camera and video effect, . . .
. . . whether it's an establishing shot of the stage, . . .
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. . . the Projection Screen, . . .
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. . . the Tracking Camera following the presenter, . . .
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. . . or the Projection Screen and Tracking Camera together.
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Throughout the program
the Director module chooses the right shot and effect for the program viewers.
The selections and transition effects
are tuned
to your choice of video mixer
and
your directorial preferences.
Optionally, you can choose one of several customized directorial styles
for each program.
The AutoAuditorium Controller
gives you flexibility to design your video production system to your needs.
It controls the Tracking Camera and Video Mixer,
but does not interfere with the video or audio signals.
The equipment supported ranges
from very economical to the highest quality.
Some customers have found they already own equipment
the Controller can command.
Everyone Wins When It's An AutoAuditorium Program!
-
For Producers
...
it's an affordable,
versatile and trouble-free communications tool.
-
For Presenters
...
it's the freedom to move and concentrate on the presentation.
-
For The Local Audience
...
it's a presentation free of studio and crew distractions.
-
For Video Viewers
...
it's the same presentation the local audience saw.
Your AutoAuditorium System Is Ideal For . . .
-
Distance Education
-
Group Collaboration
-
Sales Seminars
-
New Product Launches
-
Corporate Training
-
Regularly Scheduled Presentations
-
Impromptu Events
-
Confidential and High-Security Presentations
(avoiding the need for camera crew security clearance)
-
Presentation Rehearsal and Skill Development
|
So Go Ahead.
Push The Button!
You're
Producing
an
AutoAuditorium Video!
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To get a 4-page glossy version of this brochure,
use our Information Request Form.
To see the AutoAuditorium System in action,
go to our
Video Demonstration Page.
You can see pictures of typical system installations on the
AutoAuditorium Rooms page.
For answers to the Frequently Asked Questions,
see our
FAQ Page.
Also look at our
Web Site Map.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
www.AutoAuditorium.com/brochure.html 2008/07/11
AutoAuditorium System FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Frequently Asked Questions
The minimum system uses 3 cameras:
2 static
(that is, non-moving, non-zooming, fixed focus)
cameras, and 1 AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera
with a full range of automated pan, tilt and zoom functionality.
-
The static camera that looks at the entire stage area is
sometimes referred to as the "front-of-the-room" camera.
-
The static camera that looks at the projection screen is
referred to as the "slide" camera.
This camera sees whatever is being projected to the screen.
Projected sources could include
computers,
slide projectors,
document cameras
or
overhead transparency projectors.
-
The Tracking Camera is the one that follows the person giving the talk.
An optional fourth camera would provide an additional cover shot.
It is typically mounted above the corner of the stage furthest from the lectern
and pointed across the stage.
Having more than one "covering" shot used
while the Tracking Camera repositions itself makes for a more interesting
program.
The front-of-the-room and the optional across-the-stage cameras
are used when the system transitions from
the Tracking Camera's shot
of just the person to
the combination slide-and-person shot.
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera subsystem uses a
patented optical motion tracking technology to
keep the person on stage in sight.
The "front of room" camera serves as a "spotting camera",
looking at the entire stage area,
watching for the person giving the talk.
The Foveal Systems' AutoAuditorium Controller
then drives the Tracking Camera
to follow that person as they move around.
Because the Tracking Camera follows whoever is on the stage,
there is no need to have that person carry or wear a tag or target,
as some other systems require.
There are other tracking camera systems that follow a person (or other target)
because they are wearing a specific color.
That color must be identified
to the camera system during an initialization step.
There is no "initialization step" for the AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera.
It begins tracking any person on the stage as soon as the system starts.
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera does
not require any initialization or
identification of the person to be tracked.
So, if I am speaking on stage and finish my talk,
I might leave the stage by the stairs on the right.
Since you are the next speaker, you may come up on the stage on the left.
When I am no longer within the spotting camera's view
(see above)
and you are seen by the spotting camera,
then you will become the person to follow.
The Tracking Camera will be aimed at you and will follow you while you are
on stage.
The system installation includes steps that align the spotting
and tracking cameras.
The installer defines a
"Search Area"
and an
"Extraneous Motion Area"
in the image taken by the spotting camera.
See the illustration.
The Search Area defines the portion of the spotting camera image where
motion will be considered significant.
It is set so that people seated, or, if possible, standing, in front of the
stage are not considered as targets for the Tracking Camera.
Likewise, the Extraneous Motion Area is defined around the projection screen.
For motion within the Extraneous Motion Area to be considered significant it
must be adjacent to motion outside that area, and still within the Search Area.
Generally, when the speaker stands in front of the screen,
the slide is not changing, so the Tracking Camera only responds to her.
Even if there is motion in the slide while she is standing in front of the
screen, the tracking camera just zooms out to include her and the screen,
which generally looks OK.
Also, a minimum target size and maximum target size is defined,
which helps keep the Tracking Camera subsystem from being distracted by
things much smaller and much larger than a person.
These concepts are discussed a bit more in
a paper
presented at the
1998 NIST Smart Spaces Conference.
When the system identifies one moving target inside
the Search Area,
the system labels it as "significant"
and
the Tracking Camera follows it.
If a second moving target is identified,
the system remains aware of it,
but the Tracking Camera does not follow it right away.
For instance,
if someone comes in late and walks into the Search Area but then immediately
sits down, the Tracking Camera ignores that person.
However, if that second target stays around for a period of time,
say 10 seconds or more,
then that second target is labeled as "significant".
Now there are two significant targets, so the Tracking Camera zooms out
so that both can be seen.
Additional targets are treated the same way.
They become "significant" only after they remain identified
for a period of time.
As with the Tracking Camera,
the patented AutoAuditorium Director uses information
from camera images to determine what is going on.
The camera pointed at the projection screen sees the images that are shown
there.
If there is nothing on the screen,
then the Director knows it should not show
that camera, as it contains nothing that would be interesting to the
audiences.
However, as soon as an image is projected on the screen,
the Director detects its presence and selects that camera to be part of the
program.
Should the image on the screen stay there for a long time
(which is a tunable parameter)
the Director figures that the audiences have had a good chance to read
and understand what is there and thus it may choose to cut away from the
screen.
It will then cycle between showing and not showing the screen until:
-
There is motion on the screen, such as when the slide changes or the
speaker points to the screen,
in which case it shows the screen immediately, or
-
The screen goes blank, in which case it will stop showing the screen at all.
Some programs are beyond the AutoAuditorium System's capabilities.
In such cases it may be desirable to use the AutoAuditorium System
cameras, mixer, DVR, etc. to produce a program under manual control.
We can include a joy-stick control box for the Tracking Camera.
A switch then gives the user a choice:
-
Have the AutoAuditorium System control the Tracking Camera and Video Mixer.
-
Have a person control the Tracking Camera with the joy-stick and
run the Video Mixer by hand.
It is also possible to smoothly switch the Tracking Camera from
AutoAuditorium to manual mode "on the fly".
This allows someone monitoring the AutoAuditorium program to
correct a poor choice the software might make.
For example, if more than on person comes on stage,
the Tracking Camera software may concentrate on the wrong person.
By switching the Tracking Camera to manual mode,
a person can then create the best shot for the current situation.
Switching back to AutoAuditorium mode puts the software back in charge.
Please contact us
if you want more details.
The design of the audio system is very important to the production of a high quality program and should not be overlooked. The audio system must be designed to serve two very different audiences:
- The local audience, in the same room as the person presenting the talk.
For them the room's sound system provides most of the audio assistance.
- The remote audiences watching the program via broadcast or recording.
They need to hear the same sound picked up by the room's sound system, but they also want to hear the questions from members of the local audience.
An AutoAuditorium System installation is likely to have
at least one wireless microphone and a microphone built into the lectern.
If being installed into an existing room,
then use of the existing public address system may provide a number of microphones,
especially wireless microphones,
as part of the basic system.
To be able to pickup audience questions and commentary,
your choices range from as simple as "passing around a hand-held wireless mic"
to strategically placing microphones in the ceiling.
Some facilities may lend themselves to use of wired conference mics.
Audio and video signals flow independently so you are assured that the sound
and image quality of your program will be unaffected by the AutoAuditorium
Controller.
A well designed audio system will only serve to enhance the effectiveness of
programs produced using an AutoAuditorium System.
The best audio system design has much to do with the variety of
acoustical and architectural considerations unique to a given venue.
Several AutoAuditorium installations follow this model:
-
To serve the local audience,
the stage sound system is enhanced
by placing microphones over the stage area.
These microphones automatically select the strongest signal
and put them into the room's sound system.
If the speaker is wearing a wireless microphone,
that is usually the strongest sound source.
But if the wireless microphone is turned off,
goes dead,
is not desirable for some reason,
or cannot be found,
then the overhead microphones will provide
adequate pickup so both the local and remote audiences
can hear the person on stage.
-
Likewise,
so the remote audiences
can hear the local audience's questions and reactions,
ceiling microphones are also placed over the audience's heads
and
automatic audio mixers combine their sound
with the sound from the stage.
A special subsystem keeps the room's sound system from being
"heard" by the audience microphones.
This prevents the "bottom of the barrel" sound often heard
when ceiling microphones pick up the stage audio through
the public address system.
Because the AutoAuditorium Controller
operates independently of the system's audio signals,
you have the maximum flexibility to design a system
that will best meet the needs of both your local and your remote audiences.
If you are unsure of your sound system requirements,
please contact us.
We will discuss your specific needs
and analyze your requirements.
The AutoAuditorium System captures a presentation as
"base-band video and audio"
in either NTSC or PAL format.
Since a video recorder is generally included in the installation,
a DVD recording is the easiest way to capture a talk.
Camera video is used only as a reference
to make intelligent and professional program decisions.
Video signals flow independently
and are unaffected by the AutoAuditorium Controller.
Therefore,
you may use any of the common video formats
including some of the newer digital video recorders.
The base-band video and audio can be sent to a video network
using any of the common base-band converters,
but such converters are
not
part of an AutoAuditorium System.
If requested,
we will help customers make the connections to video networks,
but the cost and engineering of those networks are their responsibility.
Likewise,
the base-band video and audio of an AutoAuditorium program could be
recorded and/or transmitted digitally over a computer network.
Again,
if requested,
we will help customers make the connections to such digital networks,
but the cost and engineering of those networks are their responsibilities.
Absolutely.
Please
contact us.
The economies that an AutoAuditorium system offers derive largely from the
fact that it is permanently installed in a room.
That means it is always there,
ready for use on very short notice.
Getting ready takes less than 10 minutes.
(Turn the AutoAuditorium Start switch ON,
slide in the DVD,
and press RECORD.
Give your presentation.)
However,
the actual installation requires
considerable planning and effort
to figure out the most advantageous places to put the cameras and microphones.
The installers must then
align and tune
the Tracking Camera and Director image analysis subsystems.
Finally,
the Audio Mixers are interconnected with the
existing room's sound system.
To make a reasonable and effective portable installation
would require some time and effort placing and cabling the cameras and
microphones,
and require considerable expertise
in the subtle ways an AutoAuditorium system interacts with its environment.
Then,
once the programs were finished,
all the system
components would have to be taken down and packed up.
The amount of time and effort would probably be as much as
or greater than having a crew set up a normal remote production.
The fully automatic features of the final installation must be a
compelling factor to warrant creating and repeatedly installing
and removing a portable system.
However,
we can imagine situations where the underlying technologies
of the AutoAuditorium system could be used in applications which are
not lectures given to audiences.
Please contact us if you are still convinced a
portable AutoAuditorium system is what you want
or
if you have a problem that you think might benefit from using the
AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera,
or
Director.
For information on how you can own an AutoAuditorium system,
please contact us ...
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/faq.html 2009/03/04
AutoAuditorium System Scenarios
Scenarios
AutoAuditorium System
scenarios
that can work for you.
Pictures of typical system installations are on the
AutoAuditorium Installations page.
|
|
AutoAuditorium progam at Bellcore, circa 1997
|
Uses at Telcordia Technologies
The AutoAuditorium system and its predecessor
experimental prototypes, known as
I-See-You Camera Control and
I-See-You Director, were in use at the
Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore) Morristown NJ Auditorium since
1993.
Since the late 1990s, when it became a commerical offering,
it has been used regularly by Telcordia Technologies' employees.
-
Many talks and presentations given in the
Telcordia Technologies Auditorium in Morristown NJ
were telecast and recorded automatically.
The recordings were loaned to people who could not attend the events
and cataloged in the company libraries for circulation.
-
For several years Telcordia Technologies had an experimental
desktop video conferencing system, known as
Cruiser, that at its
peak served about 100 people.
AutoAuditorium recordings of some talks were
placed on a video-on-demand server and watched later through the
Cruiser
system.
The
Cruiser Talk of the Week was a popular service.
-
Rehearsing presentations in the AutoAuditorium
environment
let speakers see and hear how their material comes across,
which helped them refine the content and presentation style.
-
To see what a digitized AutoAuditorium
video looks like, go to our
Video Demonstration
page.
The system can be useful in many other environments.
Large corporations have situations that suggest
AutoAuditorium uses.
The simple example is telecasting and/or
recording any
presentations in the company auditorium.
If it's important enough to attract an audience that big or to call for that
formal a presentation space, then it's important enough to share with those
who were on-the-road, ill, or otherwise occupied at the time.
Which of the possible distribution channels
to use is an open question,
but with low cost of blank DVDs
there is almost no expense to making another recording.
Corporate training
is an important part of keeping employees sharp and up-to-date.
But how many
times have you been at a course and seen someone drop out because they
suddenly had an emergency back at the office?
Do you think they ever get
to make up the days they miss?
With an AutoAuditorium system scaled down to classroom size,
a recording of the missed days would allow those who
were called away to catch up on the material they missed.
Not all presentations need to be seen by the largest possible audience.
Sometimes, the
the event is a
presentation of sensitive information
and it is inappropriate for a video production crew to see and hear
the material.
In that case,
an AutoAuditorium recording is the ideal solution.
Anyone can put the blank video in the VCR and press the AutoAuditorium
START button before the presentation.
Press STOP and EJECT, and you now have a fully produced, ready-to-watch
recording that has not been seen by anyone else.
A hospital, especially a teaching hospital,
is an example of organization that can rarely bring everyone together
for a meeting.
There is always someone who must be on duty and thus miss
an important activity.
In this environment, the AutoAuditorium
system can
capture events for those too busy to
attend.
For those who have to be at the nurse's stations,
they could be telecast on the in-house cable TV system
or over the computer network
(if it can handle multimedia traffic).
Telecasts could be sent to other
locations, on DVD,
via teleconferencing connections, or as computer files,
saving people at associated hospitals the need to travel to attend talks.
Hospitals also have to serve some of the
social needs of its patients.
For example, religious services performed
in the auditorium could be televised over the in-house cable system to
patients unable to attend in person.
Similarly, a hospital often sponsors
events for the community
they serve.
Talks given on current
health and medical topics could be made available as recordings available
at local public libraries
or over public access cable TV channels.
In each of these cases, using the AutoAuditorium
system to capture the event would reduce the opportunity and personnel
costs of creating the telecast.
Because the system is as simple as turning
on the power and hitting RECORD, it will be used often.
The cost of creating
the next telecast quickly becomes very small.
Educational institutions are facing the challenges
of a mobile population.
Many schools offering
continuing education courses
and
degrees for employed
students
find that their pupils have difficulty keeping regular
class hours because of job pressures.
Using AutoAuditorium techniques to capture classes for students,
recordings can be made available
through the mails on DVD,
via community cable TV,
via satellite,
or over the Internet;
in fact, AutoAuditorium programs can be sent
on any medium that carries television.
Also, school systems with
distributed campuses
can use AutoAuditorium systems to share events among
their students and faculty.
A presentation made by a national figure can
be shared with all the campuses.
A seminar on teacher's issues can be shared
with the dispersed faculty.
Situation Rooms where people respond to emergencies
could benefit from a presentation area with AutoAuditorium capabilities.
Broadcasting
up-to-the-second information
could be made much easier if no
one had to work the cameras and run the systems.
It would be as simple
as
-
preparing the visuals,
-
walking to the podium,
-
turning on the projector,
-
pressing a
BROADCAST
button,
-
and present vital information to viewers.
For information on how you can own an AutoAuditorium system,
please contact us ...
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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|
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|
www.AutoAuditorium.com/scenarios.html 2009/03/05
AutoAuditorium System Installations
Rooms with AutoAuditorium Systems
While it is called
The AutoAuditorium System,
as you can see in some of these pictures
it also works in rooms not necessarily considered
"auditoriums".
|
Formal Auditorium
-
280 seats, fixed.
-
Front projection.
-
AutoAuditorium System controlled from the "back room".
-
Wireless microphone for the presenter.
-
3 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera,
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera (shown, wide zoom).
|
|
Formal Auditorium
-
190 seats, fixed.
-
Front projection.
-
AutoAuditorium System controlled from the "back room".
-
Wireless microphone for the presenter.
-
3 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera (shown),
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera.
|
|
Formal Lecture Hall
-
113 seats, fixed.
-
Rear projection.
-
AutoAuditorium Start Button on the console touch panel.
-
AutoAuditorium VCR available to all users.
-
Wireless microphone for the presenter.
-
Ceiling microphones over the audience.
-
3 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera (shown),
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera.
|
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Multi-Purpose Room
-
80 - 100 seats, moveable.
-
Rear projection.
-
AutoAuditorium System controlled from the "back room".
-
Ceiling microphones over the stage.
-
Wireless microphone optional for the presenter.
-
Ceiling microphones over the audience.
-
4 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera (shown),
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera,
Side-Shot Camera (looks across stage from audience-right towards lectern).
|
|
Informal Lecture Room
-
50 seats.
-
Front projection.
-
AutoAuditorium System controlled from the "back room".
-
Ceiling microphones over the stage.
-
Wireless microphone optional for the presenter.
-
Ceiling microphones over the audience.
-
3 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera (shown),
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera.
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|
Class Room
-
35 seats.
-
Front projection.
-
AutoAuditorium System controlled from the "back room".
-
Ceiling microphones over the stage.
-
Wireless microphone optional for the presenter.
-
Ceiling microphones over the audience.
-
3 AutoAuditorium cameras:
Spotting Camera (shown),
Slide Camera,
Tracking Camera.
|
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
www.AutoAuditorium.com/rooms.html 2008/07/11
AutoAuditorium System: What You Get, What It Costs
What You Get, What It Costs
The AutoAuditorium System is a complete, installed addition to your
new or existing auditorium or lecture room.
The exact price for your system
will depend on your requirements,
the System Level you select,
and the specific configuration of your room.
Your system installer will first perform an
Engineering Study of your site, and then quote you a final price.
While you are thinking about price,
also consider the savings created using your
AutoAuditorium System.
The
Savings Calculator
web page helps generate the numbers.
What You Get
The AutoAuditorium System adds automatic video production capabilities to your
new or existing auditorium or lecture room.
We expect your room will have a stage, or other presenter's area
separated from the audience, and a permanent projection screen.
AutoAuditorium Systems work best when projectors
(slide, overhead, video, etc.)
are mounted in fixed positions and all project
onto the same area of the screen.
We expect most rooms will have a sound system.
A complete AutoAuditorium System typically adds:
-
The AutoAuditorium Controller with
Tracking Camera and Director modules
-
A Tracking Camera with remote pan/tilt mount and lens control
-
2 or 3 Stationary Cameras (Spotting Camera, Slide Camera, etc.)
and mounts
-
Video Switcher/Special Effects Mixer with 3 inputs, minimum
-
Sound subsystem
-
Stage and Audience Microphones
-
Automatic Audio Mixers
-
Interconnection with the existing room sound system
-
Equipment Rack, including power control
-
Video Recording Equipment (e.g. DVD-recorder, DVR, VCR, etc.)
-
Base-band Video and Audio Connection
to an existing video network,
video-on-demand server or
streaming media digital encoder
In many cases an AutoAuditorium installation can use
the existing facilities of your room.
For example,
your sound system and control system
are usually integrated with the added AutoAuditorium equipment.
What It Costs
Most of the components added by an AutoAuditorium System
are widely available industrial- and
broadcast-quality items sold by audio-visual system contractors.
Because several brands are supported,
you may choose to use relatively smaller,
less expensive,
single-chip cameras,
or,
to achieve better video quality and system performance,
you can use
top-of-the-line,
high resolution,
3-chip cameras.
Below are outlines of typical levels of system functionality.
Choice of System Levels
The first step is to determine the system level
that is nearest to your needs.
Below we list three levels,
Basic,
Standard,
and
Professional
which represent commonly requested feature sets.
The prices are approximate budgeting guidelines.
Because an AutoAuditorium System is tightly integrated into the room where
it is installed,
some installations are easier and less expensive than others.
Also, your needs may allow you to make substitutions which can save money
where it won't make a difference to you and spend it where it will.
For example, S-Video cabling with 1-CCD cameras might provide the video
quality you need without stepping up to 3-CCD cameras.
After you have looked over these System Levels and the available Options
contact Foveal Systems to discuss your specific needs.
All the System Levels of the AutoAuditorium System start with:
-
AutoAuditorium System Controller
with Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse
-
One-year Controller service and upgrade warranty
-
One-Switch AutoAuditorium System ON-OFF Control, including power
-
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
for the Spotting and Slide Cameras
-
Video Mixer
-
Video Monitor
-
Distribution amplifiers, video and audio
-
Equipment Rack, power plugs, etc.
The approximate prices include rough estimates for:
-
Engineering
-
Installation Labor
-
Wall or ceiling camera supports, e.g. a shelf for camera mounts
-
Cables
They do not include:
-
Lighting
-
Projection
-
Room sound system
-
Video network and encoders
Basic System
Approximately $60,000.
Provides:
-
Smaller rooms
-
Moderate video quality
-
3 1-CCD cameras
-
Records only the room's existing sound system
No audience sound recording
Includes:
-
1/4 inch 1-CCD Tracking Camera with integrated Pan/Tilt/Zoom Unit
-
1/3 inch 1-CCD Spotting Camera
-
1/3 inch 1-CCD Slide Camera
Standard System
Approximately $90,000.
Provides:
-
Good video quality
-
3 1/3 inch 3-CCD cameras
-
Automatic mixing of room sound system and audience microphones
Includes:
-
1/3 inch 3-CCD Tracking Camera with remote control Zoom/Focus lens
on industrial Pan/Tilt Head
-
1/3 inch 3-CCD Spotting Camera
-
1/3 inch 3-CCD Slide Camera
-
Audience ceiling microphones
-
Automatic Matrix Audio Mixer
Professional System
Approximately $120,000.
Provides:
-
Excellent video quality
-
4 1/2 inch 3-CCD cameras
-
Automatic mixing of room sound system and audience microphones
Includes:
-
1/2 inch 3-CCD Tracking Camera with remote control Zoom/Focus lens
on industrial Pan/Tilt Head
-
1/2 inch 3-CCD Spotting Camera
-
1/2 inch 3-CCD Slide Camera
-
1/2 inch 3-CCD Audience Shot Camera
-
Audience ceiling microphones
-
Automatic Matrix Audio Mixer
While you are thinking about price,
also consider the savings created using your
AutoAuditorium System.
The
Savings Calculator
web page helps generate the numbers.
Options
These options can be purchased on any level system;
Basic, Standard, or Professional.
Multiple Director Shooting Script
The user can be given a choice of directorial styles.
Each style can have its own pace, shot choices, and effects choices.
For example, the AutoAuditorium System used to produce the
demonstration videos,
has a Director "shooting script" which deliberately makes decisions much faster
and uses more video effects and transitions
than is normal for a lecture given in the same room.
By selecting that Director script,
the demonstration videos go through most of
an AutoAuditorium System's
features in a very short time.
The scripts customers normally use are much less frenetic.
In another example,
a customer has an auditorium which can be split in half.
(Look at the first two photos on the
AutoAuditorium Installations
web page.
They are the same auditorium, with the partition wall opened and closed.)
The AutoAuditorium System cameras are in the projection booth at the rear of
the audience seating.
When in Full Room mode,
the AutoAuditorium Director uses the formal stage and the large screen
as the areas of interest.
When in Half Room mode, a partition closes across the width of the
room, and the AutoAuditorium Director instead is sensitive to the
person standing in front of the the wall and
the much smaller screen.
A simple toggle switch makes the choice.
Dual Use System
By "Dual Use" we mean one AutoAuditorium Controller can produce a program
using either of two sets of cameras.
The most common case would be two rooms,
each with its own set of cameras and microphones and audio mixer,
and one AutoAuditorium Controller, one Video Mixer, one video recorder, and
an audio/video routing switcher.
Under the Controller's command,
the routing switcher "bank switches" the signal sources from one room or
other into the Mixer and Controller.
The Director can have different production scripts to accommodate the
specific needs of each room.
Remember that the Dual Use System will only produce a program from one
room at a time.
Switching after the end of a program in one room to the beginning of a program
in the other room will only take two or three minutes.
Manual Control
Some programs are beyond the AutoAuditorium System's capabilities.
In such cases it may be desirable to use the AutoAuditorium System
cameras, mixer, DVR, etc. to produce a program under manual control.
We can include a joy-stick control box for the Tracking Camera.
A switch then gives the user a choice:
-
Have the AutoAuditorium System control the Tracking Camera and Video Mixer.
-
Have a person control the Tracking Camera with the joy-stick and
run the Video Mixer by hand.
It is also possible to smoothly switch the Tracking Camera from
AutoAuditorium to manual mode "on the fly".
This allows someone monitoring the AutoAuditorium program to
correct a poor choice the software might make.
For example, if more than on person comes on stage,
the Tracking Camera software may concentrate on the wrong person.
By switching the Tracking Camera to manual mode,
a person can then create the best shot for the current situation.
Switching back to AutoAuditorium mode puts the software back in charge.
Please contact us
if you want more details.
Additional Stationary Cameras
It is possible to add additional stationary cameras to be used as
covering shots during the program.
The cost is very modest and
the additional shots provide variety to the program
that the viewers appreciate.
For more information,
or to learn about compatibility of existing audio-visual
equipment that you already own, please
Contact Us.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/whatyouget.html 2009/03/05
AutoAuditorium System Controller Specifications
Controller Specifications
AutoAuditorium Controller Hardware
The brain of an AutoAuditorium system is
the Controller
and the intelligence of the system is
contained in the proprietary software programs
that run on it.
The system accepts inputs from
(among other things)
the video cameras in the room
and uses image and motion analysis on those images
to determine which actions to take.
Specifications
| Inputs |
| Video Input, Spotting Camera |
1 V p-p, 75 Ohms, NTSC, Composite (BNC) or S-Video Y-C (4-pin) |
| Video Input, Slide Camera |
1 V p-p, 75 Ohms, NTSC, Composite (BNC) or S-Video Y-C (4-pin) |
| Keyboard |
PS/2, 6 pin Mini-DIN Female |
| 2-Button or 3-Button Mouse |
PS/2, 6 pin Mini-DIN Female |
| Control Interface |
Parallel Port, 25 pin D Female, Dry Contact Closure |
| Outputs |
| Tracking Camera Control |
Serial Port, 9 pin D Male |
| Video Mixer Control |
Serial Port, 9 pin D Male |
| Monitor Video |
SVGA or XVGA RGB Video, 15 pin HD Male |
| Optional Outputs |
| AC Power Control |
Dry Contact Contact Closure |
| Routing Switcher Control |
Serial Port, 9 pin D Male |
| Power |
| Voltage |
120 Volts AC, 60 Hertz |
| Power |
300 Watts, Typical |
| Physical Characteristics |
| Dimensions |
17.31 inches W x 7 inches H x 17.70 inches D,
(plus handles and mounting flanges) 19 inch Rack Mount,
4 Rack Units High (2 RU Optional) |
| Weight |
(approximately) 45 Pounds, 20.4 Kilograms |
| Operating Environment |
+32 to +131 degrees F, 0 to +55 degrees C |
| Included |
| AC Power Cord |
| Control Interface Terminal Box (5 Contact Closures) |
| |
| Optional |
| Rack Slides for Controller Case |
| AC Power Control Interface |
For information on how your company can sell and install
AutoAuditorium systems,
please contact us ...
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
www.AutoAuditorium.com/controller_specs.html 2003/05/07
AutoAuditorium Video Demonstration
Video Demonstration
|
This
11 minute video,
produced by AutoAuditorium,
was shown at the
Government Video Technology Expo in December 2002.
As you watch, remember that the only control I am using is the button
that changes the slides.
All the camera work and video switching is performed without human
control.
The same presentation is also available in these other formats.
|
Unedited Video Demonstration
Recorded by the
AutoAuditorium System
at IBM Watson Research
in Hawthorne New York,
Fall 2002.
|
Download times too long?
Read the Storyboard.
Here is the
storyboard of the video
(590 KBytes)
with 39 screen shots.
Here is a
Video Demonstration FAQ
with answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the video itself.
There is also a
Frequently Asked Questions
page about the AutoAuditorium System.
Contact Us
if that isn't enough.
For the latest RealPlayer software,
go to
http://www.real.com/products/player/.
For the latest QuickTime software,
go to
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/.
For the latest Windows Media software,
go to
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/.
The
The Role of Automatic Video Production in Distance Education
video is also available on CD-ROM.
Just fill out the
Information Request Form.
. . . are available here,
as both low- and high-bitrate
encodings.
The smaller recordings show off AutoAuditorium's tracking and editting.
The larger recordings are very watchable for their content.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/videos.html 2010/02/01
AutoAuditorium Video Demonstration FAQ
Video Demonstration FAQ
A few notes and explanations about the
AutoAuditorium Video Demonstration
in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Is the AutoAuditorium System connected to the laptop computer
that is creating the visuals on the screen?
No.
The AutoAuditorium System has a camera pointed at the projection screen.
It analyzes that image to determine when to show the screen,
and when other shots are used.
Elsewhere on the web site you say that AutoAuditorium Systems have
four cameras.
Do I only see three different shots?
Yes.
The three camera shots are:
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The Tracking Camera, which follows the person on stage.
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The Slide Camera, which looks at the projection screen.
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The Room Camera, which looks at the entire front of the room.
Because the video is short, the fourth camera was not used.
In the room where the video was made
the fourth camera has a fixed shot from behind the lectern
pointed towards the seating area.
Normally that shot is used for a few seconds every once in a while to
keep the shots from being too repetitive.
Isn't the Tracking Camera following the sound of the person speaking?
No.
The Tracking Camera is only following
the motion of the person on the stage.
Isn't the Tracking Camera following the wireless microphone the speaker
is wearing?
No.
The Tracking Camera only follows motion.
In some installations the wireless microphone is seldom used because
the ceiling microphones do such a good job.
Not all installations can operate just on ceiling microphones,
but those that can frequently do.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/videofaq.html 2005/06/30
AutoAuditorium Video Demonstration Storyboard, GV Expo 2002
Video Demonstration Storyboard, GV Expo 2002
For those of you who do not have the means to download the full video,
we have this storyboard of the sound track and associated screen shots.
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Hello.
My name is Mike Bianchi
and I am very happy to be here at ...
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... the 2002 edition of the Government Video Technology Expo.
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I'm here to give a presentation
about the
Role of Automatic Video Production in Distance Education.
I hope to make the case that
technology
now allows us to use
automation to create distance education video programs
inexpensively, easily and effectively.
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As I give this presentation I am demonstrating
the AutoAuditorium System, which is a
fully automatic,
multi-camera system
that televises auditorium and classroom presentations
just like this one.
Everything you are going to see in this presentation,
-
all the camera work - panning, tilting, focusing, and zooming,
-
all the video effects and video mixing,
-
all the audio mixing
that go into this production are being performed automatically by
the AutoAuditorium System.
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There is no crew.
In fact,
there is only one control,
it's this button,
and it tells this laptop computer to change that slide.
So let's get started.
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What is education?
Well it's when you learn something you value.
You go to the time and effort to acquire information that is useful to you.
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So naturally, what is distance education?
It is when you do the same process,
but instead of doing it with books or in a classroom
you do it through an audio-video medium.
For the purposes of our discussion we mean television programs,
video programs, ...
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... delivered as television signals.
Now-a-days,
the computer and the internet provide another way to watch television.
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What has limited our ability to use distance education video?
It has been the cost and complexity of producing the programs.
Doing a full-blown television program
requires planning, scripting,
scene-by-scene shooting and editting
if you want the highest possible quality for the program itself.
But I will claim that that is not always possible, or even desirable.
It is expensive.
It takes a lot of time.
It's difficult to react quickly with new information if you have to go
through all these steps.
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So we usually eliminate some of them.
We plan and script.
Then we rehearse and shoot in a single take.
That sometimes has an advantage because then you get the energy of a live
audience.
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But even that may be too complicated; too difficult.
So we eliminate some more steps.
The teacher and producer get together and plan the program.
Then the crew comes in and shoots in a single take.
And, again, that doesn't always work.
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Sometimes the person speaking shows up with a
laptop,
a stack of foils, or
a Carousel of slides.
They get up and give their talk and
the production crew simply has to wing it,
shooting as they find the program.
Well that's an opportunity.
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If we are using that very basic kind of presentation technique
it is an opportunity to use automatic video technology and
replace the manually operated cameras with
robotically operated cameras.
Replace the people with computers and computer systems
and create the program.
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Now, that sounds wonderful.
But is it really?
Is it really what we want?
What do we save?
What do we gain by doing that?
That is what the rest of this talk is about.
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Let's compare the costs.
The traditional costs of a distance education video are that
-
you have a crew,
-
you have equipment,
-
you either have a dedicated space like a studio
or
you use an ordinary room which you turn into a
television-studio-for-a-day.
-
That involves setting-up and tearing-down.
-
Then you record and telecast the lecture.
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How does that compare with automatic distance education video production?
Well, for one thing we eliminate the crew.
It's all done with automation.
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What about the equipment?
Well, you don't have intercoms and the things that crews require
but
you do have robotic cameras, lenses and pan/tilt heads,
the computer system itself and the software.
That adds up.
Let's say that the equipment costs are about the same.
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Studio or reserved room?
The easiest way to install an AutoAuditorium System is to just build it
into the room, making it part it.
Because you can turn the system on or off in ten minutes
you don't have that fallow
time when the room is not available.
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You also avoid the set-up and tear-down labor expense, ...
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... so you still have the equipment costs,
you still have the recording and telecast costs,
but you have eliminated all those others
when you make an automated distance education video.
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So I hope I have made the case that the advantages of using this
automatic distance education production technique
is that you can lower the cost and
that you can lower the
human effort required to make a program.
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Now, I can hear it it.
Someone is saying, "Aren't you putting people out of work?"
That's a very legitamate concern and we should address it.
Our experience has been quite the opposite.
We are not putting people out of work.
We are just making much more video.
This AutoAuditorium System is in the IBM Watson Research Center in Hawthorne
New York.
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They tell us that they used to do about fifty crew-based video productions
per year.
Those are very fine programs
produced in the usual way.
They still do about fifty videos a year.
So where are the savings?
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The savings are because they are also making
about 250 AutoAuditorium videos a year.
They are recording events that were not recorded in the past.
And those events represent opportunities that were always there.
There was always the need for those videos.
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It's just that noone thought it made any sense to record them.
Those talks, seminars and classes were missed because of
the cost and complexity of doing manual video production.
Now they are available.
And because they are available
the whole situation changes.
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There are more education opportunites.
The question changes.
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The question used to be, "Can we afford to record this class?"
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Now the question has changed to,
"We've got the recording.
Who should see it?
How do we get this class to the people who need to see it?"
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So this room where people come to hear seminars all the time
now becomes
the source of information, knowledge, interconnection and relationships
among employees, customers and students.
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And I contend that is the value of the AutoAuditorium System
and these automatic video techniques.
It's not so much that your are saving money.
It's more that you are informing people.
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The people who have the opportunity
to see these programs, that they would not see otherwise,
now have the opportunity to know things they wouldn't know otherwise.
The answers to, "Why weren't you at the talk?" used to be:
"I was on the phone with a customer."
"I was traveling."
"I was on vacation."
"I was in Europe.
I'm employed in Europe.
There is no way I can get there."
Now there are alternatives.
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Which highlights another benefit.
Because these materials are so easy to produce
you can afford to distribute them around the world
to your other locations.
Now people have more opportunity to be aware of what is happening
in other corners of their organization.
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And there is one last thing I wish to point out.
Creating all these videos means you have captured
all this information.
If you save it,
archive it in a library,
you can now make it available to people in the future.
They might want to know, "How did we ever come up with that?
Why did we ever come up with that?
What was the thinking back then?"
This is a record.
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So that's my presentation on the
Roles of Automatic Video Production in Distance Education.
I hope I have made the case that
we can increase people's access
to classes, presentations, talks and seminars
and that we can do it at very low cost.
Together they make a compelling case
for using automation.
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I will remind you that
everything you have seen
in this unedited video ...
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... all the camera work,
all the video selection and effects,
all the audio mixing,
that went into making this recording were performed
without an operator.
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They were performed automatically by
the AutoAuditorium System.
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If you would like to know more,
please visit our web site,
www.AutoAuditorium.com
send us e-mail
or call us at
973 822-2085
and let's talk about how an AutoAuditorium System
might help you.
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My name is Mike Bianchi.
I thank you very much for your attention,
and as this is the end of my talk,
I'm now available for your questions.
Thank you.
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Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/storyboard2.html 2003/07/30
AutoAuditorium More Video Demonstrations
More Video Demonstrations
Presented with the kind permission of
John C. Priscu
Professor of Ecology
Department of Land, Resources and Environmental Science
Montana State University
Recorded on October 10, 2008,
by the AutoAuditorium System
at the IBM Almaden Research Center,
San Jose California.
encoded at 350 Kbits/second, 320x240 pixels
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encoded at 560 Kbits/second, 640x480 pixels
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Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/morevideos.html 2009/10/05
AutoAuditorium Demo - Earth's Icy Biosphere (320x240)
Earth's Icy Biosphere
Presented with the kind permission of
John C. Priscu
Professor of Ecology
Department of Land, Resources and Environmental Science
Montana State University
Recorded on October 10, 2008,
by the AutoAuditorium System
at the IBM Almaden Research Center,
San Jose California.
See the same video encoded at
560 Kbits/second, 640x480 pixels.
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encoded at 350 Kbits/second, 320x240 pixels
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Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/playbackEIB_320x240.html 2009/10/05
AutoAuditorium Demo - Earth's Icy Biosphere (640x480)
Earth's Icy Biosphere
Presented with the kind permission of
John C. Priscu
Professor of Ecology
Department of Land, Resources and Environmental Science
Montana State University
Recorded on October 10, 2008,
by the AutoAuditorium System
at the IBM Almaden Research Center,
San Jose California.
See the same video encoded at
350 Kbits/second, 320x240 pixels.
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encoded at 560 Kbits/second, 640x480 pixels
|
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/playbackEIB_640x480.html 2009/10/05
AutoAuditorium System Information Request Form
Information Request Form
The AutoAuditorium System is only available in the United States
and Canada at this time.
If you would like to be considered
as a sales partner or customer when we do offer it elsewhere,
please see the
Foreign Customers page.
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Tell me more!
Or you can contact us directly . . .
Foveal Systems E-mail, Privacy, and Advertising Policies
Any and all information that you provide to us is used only by
Foveal Systems LLC.
It will not be shared or sold.
We periodically send out news and information about AutoAuditorium via e-mail
but only to those who have requested to be included
in our e-mail distribution list.
Please check the "Please send periodic news ..."
box above to be included.
We will only send information to you via e-mail when we have something
new to say, and never more than once a month.
Mike Bianchi
Founder
Foveal Systems LLC
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/infoform.html 2009/01/14
AutoAuditorium System Sales Partners
Sales Partners
Would your company like to sell AutoAuditorium Systems?
If your company is in the United States or Canada,
then we would like to talk with you.
If your company is elsewhere,
then please see our
Foreign Customers page.
AutoAuditorium Systems are sold through professional
audio/video systems designers, integrators, and installers.
Most of the hardware,
cameras,
pan/tilt head,
video mixers,
microphones,
audio mixers,
etc. are standard items sold by companies such as yours.
Foveal Systems provides
room layout guidance,
equipment choices,
and the AutoAuditorium Controller that change what
would be an ordinary, manually operated camera system into a
fully automatic production facility.
For information on how your company can sell AutoAuditorium Systems,
fill out the
Information Request Form,
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/var.html 2003/11/19
AutoAuditorium System Foreign Customers
Foreign Customers
The AutoAuditorium System is not available outside the United States
and Canada.
At this time we are not able to support AutoAuditorium System
sales and installation outside the United States and Canada.
We hope to some day.
If you would like to be contacted when the AutoAuditorium System
is available for sale in you country,
please tell us about your company and
the market you foresee.
Send e-mail to
If you or a client interested in
having the first AutoAuditorium System in your country,
please contact us.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/foreign_partners.html 2003/05/07
AutoAuditorium Presentation at Government Video Expo 2002
AutoAuditorium Presentation at Government Video Expo 2002
Michael Bianchi,
founder of Foveal Systems LLC,
will give a talk entitled
The Role of Automatic Video Production in Distance Education
at the
Government Video Expo 2002
in Washington DC.
It will be presented as part of the
Day 1 / Production Strategies Track
held
12:30 - 2:00 on Wednesday, 4 December 2002.
Abstract of the talk
Using video for internal communications and distance education is often limited
by the costs and complexities of traditional video production.
The totally
automatic camera and editting techniques of the AutoAuditorium System create
videos easily and inexpensively.
The AutoAuditorium environment is one that,
once turned on, works entirely automatically.
Multi-camera videos of
auditorium or classroom presentations are produced without any human control at
all and no distractions.
The system reacts to the people on stage and the
projected visuals in real time.
Audiences watching from a distance or in the
future see the same program as those in the room.
Because making a video of a presentation is so easy and inexpensive the
question changes from "can we afford to make this video?" to "what do we do
with the videos we are creating?".
Some are only watched live.
Some, for a
time, are placed into video-on-demand servers.
Some become part of a
permanent collection.
The cost of equipping auditoriums or classrooms with the AutoAuditorium System
is quickly recouped in many ways.
Some of the savings come from the lower
production costs.
More comes from lower travel costs.
Non-financial benefits
include more and better informed people, greater cross-organizational
awareness, and longer organizational memory.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/gvexpo.html 2003/04/10
AutoAuditorium System Wins R&D 100 Award
A Winner of R&D Magazine's
R&D 100 Award!
R&D Magazine
gave
the AutoAuditorium System
an
R&D 100 Award
in 1999.
The list of awards was published in their September 1999 issue
and
the Awards Banquet was held at the
Museum of Science and Industry
in Chicago Illinois on 23 September 1999.
The Chicago Tribune has called these awards "The Oscars of Invention."
Others have referred
to the R&D 100 Awards as the "Nobel Prizes of Applied Research."
Past winners have included
breakthroughs like
Polacolor film,
the flashcube,
the digital wristwatch,
antilock brakes,
the automated teller machine,
the liquid crystal display,
the halogen lamp,
and the fax machine.
We thank R&D Magazine for their recognition.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/rd100.html 2003/10/16
AutoAuditorium System: Smart Spaces Conference Paper
Smart Spaces Conference Paper
This paper was
presented at the 1998 Joint DARPA/NIST Smart Spaces Technology Workshop,
30-31 July 1998,
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD.
At that time, Telcordia Technologies was known as Bellcore.
The system, much improved since this paper was written,
is now sold by Foveal Systems.
See the AutoAuditorium Home Page:
www.AutoAuditorium.com .
AutoAuditorium:
a Fully Automatic, Multi-Camera System
to Televise Auditorium Presentations
Bellcore Applied Research
Morristown, NJ 07960
Abstract
A large room full of people watching a presentation
suggests that there are other people,
unavailable at that time or not at that location,
who would like to see the talk but can not.
Televising that talk, via broadcast or recording,
could serve those absent people.
Bellcore's AutoAuditorium
(TM)
System
is a practical application of a Smart Space,
turning an ordinary auditorium into one
that can automatically make broadcasts and recordings.
The system is permanently installed in the room and
uses optical and acoustic sensors
(television cameras and microphones)
to be ``aware'' of what is happening in the room.
It uses this awareness to
televise the sound and images of the most common form of auditorium talk,
a single person
on a stage,
speaking with projected visual aids to a local audience.
Once turned on, the system is completely automatic.
The person on stage and the people in the local audience may not even be
aware that it is on.
To remote audiences,
the program is usually as watchable as one produced by a
one-person crew running the system by hand.
This paper describes the system,
some of our experiences using it,
and planned enhancements and research.
AUTOAUDITORIUM SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
The prototype AutoAuditorium System
is installed in the
largest meeting room at
Bellcore's Morristown New Jersey location.
The system consists of
a computer with two video frame grabbers,
three fixed cameras
(pointed at the stage, the screen, and the lectern from the side),
one tracking camera under computer control that follows the person on the stage,
a video mixer, also under computer control,
and several automatic audio mixers.
The system is organized into three main subsystems.
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera
follows a person on the stage,
panning, tilting, zooming and focusing in response to her movements.
The AutoAuditorium Director
controls the video mixer,
selecting among the four cameras and a combination shot
(slide screen + presenter)
using heuristics that produce quite watchable programs
from most presentations.
The AutoAuditorium Sound
mixes sound from an optional wireless microphone,
microphones installed above the stage,
and microphones installed above the audience seating area.
The stage microphones provide adequate audio coverage if the wireless
microphone is not used or fails,
and they also feed the room's public address system.
The Sound subsystem
gives preference to voices originating from the stage,
but also listens for audience questions.
The outputs of these subsystems create a television
program that is then distributed via various mechanisms,
video cassette recording,
video network,
and
computer-encoded recording and transmission.
In the current system,
each of the subsystems operates independently, although the
Director changes parameter settings in the Tracking Camera algorithm
for some shot selections.
We plan to add more cross-subsystem awareness.
AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera
The AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera follows the person on the stage without
requiring
that they wear or carry anything
or
that they be identified in advance to the system.
(There are other tracking cameras that identify their targets via devices
worn by the person, or by an operator identifying a ``visual signature''.
Either of these techniques would have interfered with the goal of making
the system totally automatic and unobtrusive.)
Instead, a ``Spotting Camera'', mounted close to the Tracking Camera,
is pointed at the stage area
and its signal goes to one of the frame grabbers in the computer.
A Search Area, where the person on the stage will be walking in the Spotting
Camera image,
is defined during installation.
A map is defined that relates points in the Spotting Camera image to
pan, tilt, and zoom positions of the Tracking Camera.
The Tracking Camera software
detects any motion in the Search Area and drives the Tracking Camera
to the appropriate pan, tilt, and zoom position.
(The Search Area also keeps the seated (and sometimes standing)
audience motion from becoming important to the Tracking Camera.)
See Figure 1.
Figure 1:
Spotting Camera Image,
with Search Area and Extraneous Motion Area Defined.
Several parameters are set during system installation to
tune the various tracking and smoothing algorithms:
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Parameters associated with the particular brand and model of
pan-and-tilt mount, lens, and camera used in the Tracking Camera
subsystem.
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A minimum and maximum target shape and size.
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Areas where there may be ``extraneous'' motion.
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Parameters that affect the responsiveness of
the tracking algorithm
An example of an extraneous motion occurs when the projection screen is within
the Search Area that a person may occupy.
Defining the portion of the Spotting Camera image
that is the projection screen as an Extraneous Motion Area
helps the algorithm discriminate between motion due to the person and
motion due to the visuals changing.
(Figure )
When the person is not standing near the screen, there is no confusion.
Should the person be near the screen when the slide changes or animates
the algorithm may see the motion on the screen and the motion of the person
as related.
If it does, the Tracking Camera zooms out to include both in the shot.
AutoAuditorium Director
The AutoAuditorium Director's function is to present camera shots
that will be interesting to the remote audiences.
It is driven by analyzing the image on the projection screen,
viewed by a fixed camera called the Slide Camera.
That image goes to both the video switcher and
the second frame grabber in the computer.
The Director analyzes the Slide Camera image to determine if the projection
screen is blank.
If so, it directs the video mixer to show
the Tracking Camera, following
the speaker as he moves around the stage and talks to his audiences.
See Figure 2.
Figure 2:
Tracking Camera Shot of Speaker, Alone.
Should a slide be projected, the Director sees that the Slide Camera image
is no longer blank
and quickly directs the video mixer to show it.
See Figure 3.
Figure 3:
Slide Camera Shot of Projection Screen, Alone.
Since it is not yet possible to determine automatically
whether the most important image should
be of the speaker or of the screen,
a ``combination shot'' is constructed,
with the speaker placed in a picture-in-picture box
in the lower corner of Slide Camera image.
See Figure 4.
Figure 4:
Combination Shot: Slide Camera with Tracking Camera Picture-In-Picture.
The picture-in-picture appears after a brief delay,
since the Tracking Camera alogrithm needs time to adjust
to the new parameters that the Director sends it.
Figure 5:
Combination Shot: Blank Projection Screen.
Figure 6:
Covering Shot.
If the screen goes blank
(Figure 5),
or if the slide is unchanging for a long time,
then the Director selects a ``covering shot''
(Figure )
from one of the other two fixed cameras,
while the Tracking Camera algorithm is reset to track the person in the
center of the image.
Then the covering shot is replaced with the Tracking Camera shot,
Figure 6.
Should there be motion on the projection screen,
or should the slide remain unchanged for an even longer time,
the Director then reconstructs the combination shot.
See Figure .
Figure 7:
Back to the Combination Shot.
Because the slide image is quickly recalled to the program if there is motion
within it,
the Director often selects that shot just as the speaker
is making a point about,
and pointing at,
the slide.
Simple, But Effective
This simple heuristic,
determining whether the projection screen is blank or not,
has proved surprisingly
effective in creating watchable programs of auditorium talks.
Most of the time, the image on the screen is one with which
the remote audiences can identify.
A slide screen that has not changed in a long time
(90 seconds in the Morristown installation)
is generally not missed.
Bringing the slide image back periodically lets the remote audiences
refresh their memories about slide's content.
AutoAuditorium Sound
The AutoAuditorium Sound subsystem listens to
sound from the stage,
sound from the audience,
and
sound associated with presentation projectors.
It produces a final mix from these sources.
Stage Sound
In a ordinary auditorium,
it is not uncommon to require that the speaker either
stand at a lectern's microphone,
or stand in front of a microphone stand,
or wear a wireless microphone.
But in a modest size room,
with seating for 100 or fewer,
sound system amplification for the speaker may not be strictly necessary for
the local audience.
Still, some form of audio pickup is required for the remote audiences.
In the Morristown Auditorium, the ceiling over the stage is low enough that
six microphones, careful placed, provide adequate audio coverage of
anyone standing on or near the stage.
An automatic microphone mixer combines them with the signal from
the wireless microphone receiver and a microphone built into the lectern.
It is so effective at selecting the best sound source into the program that
we just leave the inputs at standard settings.
The output from this mixer is used both
for the room public address (PA) system and
as part of the AutoAuditorium Sound feed.
See Figure 9.
Figure 9:
AutoAuditorium Sound System.
Audience Sound
A similar system of ceiling microphones and an automatic mixer is used to
cover the audience seating area,
but with a crucial difference.
Since the PA speakers are also on the ceiling over the
audience, their sound would be heard by the audience microphones and
cause a ``bottom-of-the-barrel'' reverberation.
To prevent this,
a simple circuit,
referred to as the ``Mic Ducker'',
mutes the audience microphones
whenever the room PA system ``speaks''.
This gives the sound from the stage precedence and keeps general
audience rustling from being an annoying
part of the AutoAuditorium program sound.
However,
it also allows the remote audiences to hear the reactions and questions
of the local audience.
Projector Sound
A third audio source is sound associated with projections,
either from video tape or computers.
In our Morristown auditorium, this ``HiFi System'' has its
own amplifiers and speakers,
under the projection screen.
This signal is ``tapped'' and provided to the AutoAuditorium Sound mix.
The Final Mix
The three audio feeds,
from the stage,
the audience,
and the projectors,
are mixed together by a final automatic mixer.
Again, the strongest signal source or sources dominate the mix,
and the master level is kept within the limits.
The result is generally acceptable,
although soft-spoken audience members are sometimes difficult to hear,
both in the room and in the the program.
AUTOAUDITORIUM EXPERIENCES
The idea of being able to telecast auditorium talks anywhere within Bellcore's
New Jersey locations originated in the late 1980s.
By the end of 1993 we had four auditoriums equipped with manually
operated 3-camera systems.
The expectation quickly grew that any talk of importance in any of those
auditoriums would be telecast over our in-house T1 video network.
But the auditoriums can sometimes get very busy,
with two and even three separate events in a single day.
Operators stuck at the control console all day became
bored and tired and would make mistakes.
The operators also had other duties and were sometimes difficult to schedule.
As computer vision systems became more capable,
experiments in using vision analysis to drive a tracking camera
and a video mixer showed promise.
By 1994,
the first version of a research
prototype AutoAuditorium System became operational
in our Morristown NJ auditorium.
Weekly work-in-progress talks were sent live over our experimental
desktop video teleconferencing system,
called
Cruiser/Touring Machine
{CTM}
and also recorded for Cruiser's on-demand playback service.
These weekly tests led to more refined algorithms and tuned parameters.
Eventually, many people watching programs
produced by the AutoAuditorium System could not tell the difference between
them and manually produced programs.
In fact, the AutoAuditorum programs were sometimes superior to
those produced by hand
because the operators would sometimes day-dream;
producing a program can get very tedious.
Recently, the prototype system was ported from a locally written real-time
operating system running on a single board computer in a VME card cage and
using VME frame grabbers.
The production system now runs on an IBM-compatible PC running Linux with
PCI-bus frame grabbers.
While the system works well,
it cannot fix badly prepared or presented talks.
For example,
visuals that can not be read easily from the back of the room
are also difficult to see on television.
A human operator can sometimes improve the situation
by taking closeups of portions of the projection screen,
illustrating the points the speaker is making.
Such a capability does not yet exist in AutoAuditorium.
SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
A number of improvements and further investigations are under consideration:
More Than One Person on Stage
The Tracking Camera algorithms work well only when there is one person
to be tracked.
They do several things to keep from being distracted by other people
momentarily crossing the Search Area,
but if two people stand on the stage, the resulting Tracking Camera image
is fairly unpredictable.
The production system has considerably more processing power than the prototype,
so it should be possible to identify multiple people in the Search Area,
especially when they are well separated.
That would help the Tracking Camera to stay with the original target,
or to decide to zoom out to cover both targets until one or the other left
the scene.
Or, the one tracking algorithm could drive multiple tracking cameras,
say with very different view points.
When only one person was on stage,
the ability to change camera angles could help provide variety to the program.
When more than one person was on the stage, separate cameras could be assigned
to separate people.
Cross-Subsystem Awareness
The several subsystems of the AutoAuditorium
currently run very autonomously.
With the exception of the Director changing some Tracking Camera parameters
as it moves the speaker's image from a full-screen shot to picture-in-picture
shot,
the visual processes run independently.
The AutoAuditorium Sound does not connect to the computer at all.
However,
it is easy to enumerate benefits in making the different subsystems more aware
of each other.
For one, the Director could be aware of circumstances where the Tracking
Camera does not move for a long time.
Some speakers place themselves behind or next to the
lectern and stay there.
If the Director could be aware of that,
it could decide to take other shots,
say of the whole front of the room or of the audience,
just to provide some variety.
Another possibility,
given the enhancement to track more than one person on stage,
could be to use the whole-stage fixed camera shot when more than one person
occupies the stage, especially if the whole-stage shot covers a wider area
than the Tracking Camera can.
Multiple microphones over the stage area should make it
possible to know approximately where sound is coming from.
Again,
given the enhancement where the Tracking Camera can identify several people
on stage,
that information could help the Director and/or Tracking Camera decide which
person to show to the remote audiences.
Seeing Audience Members
The one area where a human operator can clearly outperform the AutoAuditorium
product is when audience members ask questions of the person on stage.
The audience microphones pick up the
questions of the local audience
and they are heard by the remote audiences.
A human operator can point a camera into the seating area
and find the person asking a question
but currently the AutoAuditorium System cannot.
Rutgers University has Array Microphone technology,
sometimes referred to as Speaker Seeker
{SS1}
{SS2}
that can stereo locate the position of a sound source.
We have an early version of Speaker Seeker installed in the
Morristown Auditorium, but it remains to be integrated with
the AutoAuditorium system.
When a person in the audience speaks,
Speaker Seeker can usually point a camera at her.
If that image, and the confidence measure from Speaker Seeker indicating
the likelihood that it had a good image,
were made available to the AutoAuditorium System, then the Director
could decide to include the image of the questioner along with the sound of
her voice.
Passive Micing Using Array Microphones
The Rutgers Array Microphone technology could also be used to pick up the
questioner's voice,
instead of ceiling microphones.
There may be rooms where Array Microphones on the walls
could do a superior job to over-head microphones,
such as when there are high ceilings over the stage and audience.
We would like to investigate expanding the
``nothing to wear to be heard'' aspect of our current installation
to more challenging spaces.
CONCLUSIONS
As the number and reach of high bandwidth networks grow,
and with them the ability to present quality video improves,
the opportunity, need, and demand
to produce video programs on a routine basis will also grow.
It is already becoming necessary to reduce or eliminate the manual
components of routine or ad hoc programs.
Turning an auditorium into a Smart Space
with the mission of capturing the talks that take place there
is a natural way to supply those programs.
Our own experience shows that
having an AutoAuditorium System allows us to
record and broadcast programs that
otherwise would not have been captured.
References
-
{CTM}
Bellcore Information Networking Research Laboratory (Mauricio Arango,
Lisa Bahler, Peter Bates, Munir Cochinwala, David Cohrs, Robert Fish,
Gita Gopal, Nancy Griffeth, Gary E. Herman, Takako Hickey, K. C. Lee,
Will E. Leland, Carlyn Lowery, Victor Mak, John Patterson, Lillian Ruston,
Mark Segal, R. C. Sekar, Mario P. Vecchi, Abel Weinrib, and Sze-Ying Wuu),
``The Touring Machine System'', Communications of the ACM, Volume 36,
Number 1, pages 68-77, January 1993.
-
{SS1}
D. V. Rabinkin, R. J. Renomeron, A. Dahl, J. French, J. Flanagan and M. Bianchi.
``A DSP Implementation of Source Location Using Microphone Arrays'', J. Acous. Soc. Am.,
Vol. 99, No. 4 Pt. 2, p. 2503, April 1996
(131st Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, May 1996).
-
{SS2}
D. Rabinkin, R. Renomeron, J. French and J. Flanagan.
``Estimation of Wavefront Arrival Delay Using
the Cross-Power Spectrum Phase Technique'', J. Acous. Soc. Am.,
Vol. 100, No. 4 Pt. 2, p. 2697, October 1996
(132nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, December 1996).
Footnotes
Automatic Auditorium, AutoAuditorium and AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies.
Copyright © 1999
Foveal Systems.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems Press Releases
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Releases
Foveal Systems
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
+1 973 822-2085 Voice and Fax
info@Foveal.com
http://www.Foveal.com
http://www.Foveal.com/PressRelease (This page.)
AutoAuditorium Recordings Help Improve Student Performance
The
AutoAuditorium™ System
installed at the University of Michigan at Flint
is a key component of their
Cyber Classroom.
A recent conference paper concludes that
"student outcomes from classes taught
in the Cyber Classroom
show a one-half point mean grade improvement,
a 36% increase in honors grades,
and a 56% reduction in failures."
. . .
400 AutoAuditorium Lectures Recorded at the University of Michigan
The
AutoAuditorium™ System,
at the University of Michigan at Flint (UM Flint)
got a lot of use during its first year.
"Over 400 lectures from 19 courses taught by 6 professors
were recorded since it was installed",
. . .
AutoAuditorium Systems installed at MIT and University of Michigan
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
are now in use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
and the University of Michigan at Flint (UM Flint).
"These two schools use their AutoAud Systems somewhat differently,
but they both make lectures available to audiences
distant in space and/or time",
. . .
AutoAuditorium Systems Celebrate 6 Years at IBM Research
The first two commercial
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
both at
IBM's Watson Research Center,
celebrated 6 years of use in early in 2006.
"Along with their third System, installed in 2001,
they produced 223 AutoAuditorium programs during 2005,"
. . .
AutoAuditorium System Videos Grow 54% at IBM Research in 2003
IBM Watson Research
used their three
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
to produce 233
video programs of classes, lectures and seminars during 2003.
"That's
78% of all the video productions they made last year,
. . .
AutoAuditorium System Videos at IBM Research Grow 22% in 2002
The three
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
at IBM Watson Research produced 151
video programs of classes, lectures and seminars during 2002.
"That's a 22% growth over the 123 programs they made in 2001,
and they tell me they
made 105 AutoAuditorium videos in the first five months of 2003,"
. . .
Boeing Research Uses the AutoAuditorium System to Span the Miles
Boeing Phantom Works,
the advanced research and development unit of The Boeing Company,
is now using the
AutoAuditoriumTM System
to send technical presentations from their Seattle location
to other sites around the US.
"They are sending talks, shot and edited automatically, in real time,
over their network to labs in
Southern California,
Mesa Arizona,
St. Louis,
Huntsville,
and
Philadelphia,"
. . .
AutoAuditorium Systems Produce Videos for IBM's e-Seminar Service
There are now three
AutoAuditoriumTM Systems,
in use at IBM Watson Research
. . .
AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera Covers Several People At Once
The
AutoAuditoriumTM System
Tracking Camera Algorithms have been improved to follow
more than one person at a time, automatically.
"The technology is still free of targets,
controls,
and magic colors,
but now it understands how to handle additional people on stage,"
. . .
Automatic Video Production System Pays For Itself Quickly
Foveal Systems, LLC,
has released performance data,
citing results from a customer's usage of the
AutoAuditoriumTM System.
"They are seeing substantial economic benefits
from their installations,"
. . .
IBM Research Installs Second AutoAuditorium System
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced it has completed installation of
IBM's second
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
at
the T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.
"This
one has a special dual-use
capability.
Since the auditorium can be split to make two smaller meeting spaces
the AutoAuditorium System accommodates both the entire room or
one of the divided sections,"
. . .
IBM Is First AutoAuditorium Customer
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced it has completed installation of an
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, New York.
"This is Foveal's first commerical installation
of an AutoAuditorium System,
and it is great to have IBM Research as the first customer,"
. . .
Foveal Systems Sells The AutoAuditorium System
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced that it is now selling the
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
the fully automatic, multi-camera system
that
produces videos of auditorium presentations
without an operator.
"After ten years of research, development and refinement,
we are now making this technology available,"
. . .
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
The Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision
technology, so . . .
Copyright © 2000
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
September 10, 2008
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium Recordings Help Improve Student Performance
The
AutoAuditorium™ System
installed at the University of Michigan at Flint
is a key component of their
Cyber Classroom.
A recent conference paper concludes that
"student outcomes from classes taught
in the Cyber Classroom
show a one-half point mean grade improvement,
a 36% increase in honors grades,
and a 56% reduction in failures."
The paper by professors Stephen Turner and
Michael E. Farmer was presented at the
2008 International Conference on Frontiers in Education:
Computer Science and Computer Engineering (FECS08)
in July 2008.
www.AutoAuditorium.com/PressRelease/FECS08_StudentPerformance.pdf
It describes their Cyber Classroom as combining
traditional classroom education with distance learning.
Each student can decide to
attend a class in-person
or watch a video of it
as daily circumstances require.
The AutoAuditorium System installed
in Murchie 104
produces the 3-camera programs of all the lectures
which are recorded as internet videos
made available to anyone.
Since most of the students are commuters
and many are employed,
the ability to see a missed period is very valuable.
Students may
look at a lecture to clarify or reinforce a particular class,
or watch it as a replacement for attending class.
Many use the programs as study aids.
The paper
focuses on student performance in a set of
computer science courses,
comparing grades before and after the adoption of the Cyber Classroom.
The courses in the study were given by
three faculty members who have taught them for a number of years.
The study includes 16 course sections taught as
traditional classroom lectures
(448 lectures given to 176 students)
and 11 course sections taught and simultaneously recorded
in the Cyber Classroom
(308 recorded lectures given to 173 students).
The authors credit the blending of on-line and in-class formats
for the student performance improvements noted above.
Students who used to "vanish" due to external problems
now remain connected and pass.
The ability to replay explainations of difficult concepts
improves comprehension.
Foveal Systems' owner Mike Bianchi notes that
"the AutoAuditorium System,
by completely removing the need for an operator,
and producing fully edited video in real time
makes the production very economical and readily available.
The result is that the cost of capturing the next lecture is very small.
Michael Farmer tells me
their AutoAuditorium System is in use 4 days a week from 9:30 am to 9 pm
and
each lecture is available for viewing 10 minutes after the class ends."
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2008
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
September 24, 2007
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
400 AutoAuditorium Lectures Recorded at the University of Michigan
The
AutoAuditorium™ System,
at the University of Michigan at Flint (UM Flint)
got a lot of use during its first year.
"Over 400 lectures from 19 courses taught by 6 professors
were recorded since it was installed",
said computer science professor
Dr. Michael Farmer.
The AutoAuditorium System installed
in the Murchie Science Building, room 104,
is used to record the class lectures
as internet programs
which are then made available to anyone.
The students use the recordings in many different ways.
Many rewatch lectures or portions of lectures
to clarify or reinforce what they saw and heard in class.
Others use the recordings as a replacement for attending class,
often to get around scheduling conflicts with other classes or work.
Since most of the students at UM Flint come to the school as commuters
and many are employed, the ability to see a missed period helps people
to hear all the material, even under demanding time constraints.
Because the AutoAuditorium System is entirely hands-free
recording all the lectures of a course is very easy.
Now those people who must miss lectures,
for whatever reason,
have the ability to keep up with the class.
Professor Farmer also tells of students struggling with the classroom lectures
because of physical handicaps or weak understanding of English.
"One student, unable to take notes in class,
reviewed the lectures later to better understand the material.
Another, whose English was very weak when he started the class,
watched the lectures with a friend.
They would pause the playback, and the friend would
translate and explain whatever he was having difficulty understanding.
Both students mastered the course material very well."
"Interest in using the AutoAuditorium System to make classes available to
remote audiences, whether remote in distance, remote in time, or both,
is growing in academic institutions.
The transmission and storage technologies have grown to the point that they are
very economical",
said Foveal Systems' owner Mike Bianchi.
"The AutoAuditorium System,
by completely removing the need for an operator,
makes the video production also very economical.
The result is that the cost of capturing the next lecture is very small."
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia Technologies
used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2007
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
October 15, 2006
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium Systems installed at MIT and University of Michigan
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
are now in use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
and the University of Michigan at Flint (UM Flint).
"These two schools use their AutoAud Systems somewhat differently,
but they both make lectures available to audiences
distant in space and/or time",
said AutoAuditorium System inventor,
Michael Bianchi.
The AutoAuditorium System installed at MIT
is an addition to the existing distance education production facility
in Room 9-057.
MIT has been sending operator-produced real-time lectures to
students half a world away over Internet-2 networks for several years.
Because there is a human operator, the remote students have the ability to
ask questions in real-time during the class.
MIT added the AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera to the existing facility
to lighten the operator work load.
The Tracking Camera follows any person or people on stage
making pan, tilt and zoom adjustments automatically.
The AutoAuditorium Director (which can edit a multi-camera
program in real-time) is also part of the installation,
allowing the possibility of fully automatic production of lectures if need be.
The usage of the AutoAuditorium System
in the Murchie Science Building at the UM Flint is somewhat different.
The lectures are only available as computer video recordings,
but are available to anyone.
A student missing a lecture is given access to the projected slides
and the recorded professor.
Since most of the students at UM Flint are commuters to class,
and many are employed, the ability to see a missed period helps people
to hear all the material, even under demanding time constraints.
One of the advantages of using the AutoAuditorium System is it is
easy to record ALL the lectures of a course.
Now all those people who miss classes, for whatever reason, have the ability to
catch up.
The System is turned on and off with a single switch, so the professor
has very little to do;
turn the System on,
start the recording,
stop the recording,
turn the System off.
"Interest in using the AutoAuditorium System to make classes available to
remote audiences, whether remote in distance, or remote in time (or both)
is growing in academic institutions.
The transmission and storage technology have grown to the point that they are
very economical",
said Foveal Systems' Bianchi.
"The AutoAuditorium System also makes the video production economical.
The result is the marginal cost of capturing the next lecture is very small."
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia
Technologies used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2006
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
February 1, 2006
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium Systems Celebrate 6 Years at IBM Research
The first two commercial
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
both at
IBM's Watson Research Center,
celebrated 6 years of use in early in 2006.
"Along with their third System, installed in 2001,
they produced 223 AutoAuditorium programs during 2005,"
said AutoAuditorium System inventor,
Michael Bianchi.
"That's just under one program per business day
and continues their history of steady usage over the years.
Clearly they value the programs their AutoAuditorium Systems create."
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of presentations without a crew.
It captures on video,
as a recording, telecast or both,
presentations made in classrooms, lecture halls or auditoriums.
Since the AutoAuditorium System is fully automatic and has no human controls
once it is turned on, there are fewer impediments to making videos
of practically every event given in those rooms.
In 2005, IBM Watson Research
connected their AutoAuditorium Systems with a commercial web
video hosting appliance that produces dual-stream programs on their company
computer network.
"They can now show high-resolution captures of the projected graphics
along with the AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera image of the presenter
walking around on stage.
At the same time,
they often produce DVD recordings as a normal television programs
viewable without using a computer,"
Bianchi added.
"Because each system is a permanent part of the room,
it can be ready to use at a moment's notice.
That means scheduling overhead is minimized;
if you have the room you can have a video,
and if you have the video
anyone can see the talk.
Those in near-by time zones can see the talk as it happens,
both
via simulcast over the corporate television network
and
via webcast over the computer network,
and everyone has access to the recordings.
Imagine what that means for world-wide collaboration
when everyone has access to all those presentations!"
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia
Technologies used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2006
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
January 6, 2004
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium System Videos Grow 54% at IBM Research in 2003
IBM Watson Research
used their three
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
to produce 233
video programs of classes, lectures and seminars during 2003.
"That's
78% of all the video productions they made last year,
and
a 54% growth over the 151 AutoAud programs they made in 2002,"
said AutoAuditorium System inventor,
Michael Bianchi.
"It's just shy of one every business day,
and continues their history of accelerating usage over the years;
the number of AutoAuditorium programs made in 2002
was 22% more than in 2001.
Clearly they value the programs their AutoAuditorium Systems create."
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of presentations without a crew.
It captures on video,
either as a recording or telecast,
presentations made in classrooms, lecture halls or auditoriums.
Since the AutoAuditorium System is fully automatic and has no human controls
once it is turned on, there are fewer impediments to making videos
of practically every event given in those rooms.
IBM uses their AutoAud Systems to create digital recordings delivered by
IBM's VideoCharger Servers at all eight
IBM Labs locations around the world.
"Their AutoAuditorium-equipped rooms range from a 35 seat class room,
to a 110 seat lecture hall, to their large 300 seat auditorium.
On occasion they have AutoAuditorium programs going in all of them!"
Bianchi added.
"Because each system is a permanent part of the room,
it can be ready to use at a moment's notice.
That means scheduling overhead is minimized;
if you have the room you can have a video.
And that means any IBM researcher can see the talk.
Those in near-by time zones can see the talk as it happens
via simulcast,
and everyone has access to the recordings.
Imagine what that means for world-wide collaboration
when everyone has access to all those presentations!"
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia
Technologies used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2004
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
June 9, 2003
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium System Videos at IBM Research Grow 22% in 2002
The three
AutoAuditorium™ Systems,
at IBM Watson Research produced 151
video programs of classes, lectures and seminars during 2002.
"That's a 22% growth over the 123 programs they made in 2001,
and they tell me they
made 105 AutoAuditorium videos in the first five months of 2003,"
said AutoAuditorium System inventor,
Michael Bianchi.
"That's about one every business day.
If they keep that up, they could reach 250 for all this year."
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of presentations without a crew.
It captures on video,
either as a recording or telecast,
presentations made in classrooms, lecture halls or auditoriums.
Since the AutoAuditorium System is fully automatic and has no human controls
once it is turned on, there are fewer impediments to making videos
of practically every event given in those rooms.
IBM uses their AutoAud Systems to create digital recordings delivered by
IBM's VideoCharger Servers at all eight
IBM Labs locations around the world.
"Their AutoAuditorium-equipped rooms range from a 35 seat class room,
to a 110 seat lecture hall, to their large 300 seat auditorium.
On occasion they have AutoAuditorium programs going in all of them!"
Bianchi added.
"Because each system is a permanent part of the room,
it can be ready to use at a moment's notice.
That means scheduling overhead is minimized;
if you have the room you can have a video.
And that means any IBM researcher can see the talk.
Those in near-by time zones can see the talk as it happens
via simulcast,
and everyone has access to the recordings.
Imagine what that means for world-wide collaboration
when everyone has access to all those presentations!"
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia
Technologies used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2003
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
May 6, 2002
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
Boeing Research Uses the AutoAuditorium System to Span the Miles
Boeing Phantom Works,
the advanced research and development unit of The Boeing Company,
is now using the
AutoAuditoriumTM System
to send technical presentations from their Seattle location
to other sites around the US.
"They are sending talks, shot and edited automatically, in real time,
over their network to labs in
Southern California,
Mesa Arizona,
St. Louis,
Huntsville,
and
Philadelphia,"
said
Michael Bianchi,
owner of Foveal Systems, manufacturer of the System.
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of auditorium and classroom presentations without a crew.
"This AutoAuditorium System captures the
presentations as a 3-camera TV program.
They can record the program on a VCR and
simultaneously turn it into digital video sent on their intranet."
The Slide Camera is always watching the projection screen,
the Tracking Camera is always following the speaker,
and the 3rd camera has a general shot of room.
The System automatically performs all the camera motion (pan, tilt and zoom)
and automatically selects among the 3 cameras, including picture-in-picture
shots when appropriate.
"They set it up as a push-button operation, so anyone who comes into
the room can put a tape in the VCR and press `AutoAuditorium Start' on
the touch panel,"
Bianchi added.
"Once they start the system there is nothing to do,
except give the talk,
until it is time to turn the system off."
The 40x30 foot room where the system is installed
is a normal multi-purpose room,
sometimes set up as a class room with tables and chairs, and sometimes
as a lecture hall with just chairs.
The cameras are permanently installed on the ceiling and back wall,
and ceiling microphones pick up both the person at the front of the room
and those in the audience.
"They tell me that the remote audiences like the fact that they can hear
the questions as they are asked.
No one has to ask that questions be repeated.
Plus there are no microphones or tracking targets to wear.
The fact that all this capability,
automatic camera tracking, video mixing, and audio mixing,
is in a battery-free, one-touch environment makes for
extreme ease-of-use.
The use of the AutoAuditorium System at Boeing Research is increasing
as people find out how easy it is to use."
Bianchi concluded.
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
"AutoAuditorium" is a trademark of Telcordia
Technologies used under license.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2002
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
December 7, 2001
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium Systems Produce Videos for IBM's e-Seminar Service
There are now three
AutoAuditoriumTM Systems,
in use at IBM Watson Research
in New York state, working in rooms ranging from the 290 seat auditorium in
Yorktown Heights to a couple of small classrooms.
Each AutoAuditorium
System produces 3-camera video programs of talks, lectures and seminars
automatically, without a crew.
Most of these programs are encoded as MPEG digital recordings and are then
made available at the IBM Research laboratories around the world as part of
IBM's e-Seminar research project.
A paper published by IBM researchers at
the Multimedia Computing and Networking Conference in January 2001 said the
archive of programs then totalled 250 hours and was growing by 5-to-10
hours each week.
The addition of the third AutoAuditorium System in August
2001 helped bring the e-Seminar research project to a level of use where
people expect talks to be recorded, and those recordings are being watched,
globally, with increasing frequency.
While a few programs are still created using production crews, the vast
majority of programs are made by the AutoAuditorium Systems.
With the
addition automatic video production capabilities in some of the most
popular meeting rooms in Hawthorne and Yorktown Heights NY, the barriers of
time, schedule and distance are being attacked.
Anyone unable to be in a
particular room at a particular time now may have the option of viewing
that event as an e-Seminar telecast, either live at another New York
location through the IBM video network, or as recordings played from IBM's
VideoCharger servers at all of their Research locations.
And when a System is not being used for formal events, there are informal
uses.
For example, the AutoAuditorium System in the Hawthorne NY
auditorium is part of the "public" facilities available to employees when
the room is not reserved or after hours.
If someone wants to rehearse a
talk, they can go into the empty auditorium, plug in their laptop computer,
turn on the projector and practice.
If they bring a VHS video tape, they
can put it in the AutoAuditorium recording VCR, press the AutoAuditorium
START button on the lectern, and make a 3-camera video for review later.
Foveal Systems LLC of Madison New Jersey develops and markets the
AutoAuditorium System.
www.AutoAuditorium.com
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2001
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
October 25, 2001
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera Covers Several People At Once
The
AutoAuditoriumTM System
Tracking Camera Algorithms have been improved to follow
more than one person at a time, automatically.
"The technology is still free of targets,
controls,
and magic colors,
but now it understands how to handle additional people on stage,"
said Foveal Systems owner,
Michael Bianchi.
The completely automated video
production system creates 3- or 4-camera videos of auditorium talks while
avoiding the costs of a production crew.
"The system requires no director,
no engineers and no camera operators.
Making a recording can be as easy as
putting a tape into a VCR and pushing one button.
All camera motion and video
switching is then automatic and performed in real-time."
The improved Tracking Camera Algorithms can also help the system deal
with common challenges.
"For instance,
in many lecture spaces a person arriving late and taking a seat in the
front row might be identified by the previous version as the person-of-interest
and therefore tracked.
That is far less likely to happen in the Version 5 software
which is now the standard offering,"
said Bianchi.
"Situations which presented challenges,
such as an open door in a classroom or oddly shaped stage,
are now much easier to accommodate."
Bianchi elaborated: "The previous algorithms were based on a very
simple model of a talk:
one person, on a rectangular stage, giving a talk using projected visuals
on a single screen.
The new capabilities are far more flexible.
Thus AutoAuditorium programs involving
two or three people, complex stages and a couple of screens
look quiet presentable.
To my knowledge, no other tracking camera technology has these capabilities."
Foveal Systems, located in Madison, NJ,
makes the AutoAuditorium Controller which implements the Tracking Camera
and Director subsystems.
Those subsystems control several brands of cameras and video mixers.
Foveal sells the Controller
through audio-visual systems integrators.
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2001
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
AutoAuditorium System Pays For Itself Quickly
AutoAuditorium System Pays For Itself Quickly
Customers are now distributing talks
they could not afford to record in the past.
One customer's experience:
Two AutoAuditorium Systems
produced 47 videos
in 3 months
and
avoided $80,000 in production costs.
Substantial increase in the number of recorded talks and
presentations.
3-camera productions at a small fraction of the traditional cost.
Enables communications that otherwise would not have happened.
By encoding the
AutoAuditorium programs as Internet streaming media,
a presentation may be seen by audiences scattered around the globe.
Read the full Press Release
See how an AutoAuditorium System can work for you.
Visit these pages:
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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www.AutoAuditorium.com/pays.html 2003/04/10
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
June 1, 2001
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
Automatic Video Production System Pays For Itself Quickly
Foveal Systems, LLC,
has released performance data,
citing results from a customer's usage of the
AutoAuditoriumTM System.
"They are seeing substantial economic benefits
from their installations,"
said Foveal Systems owner,
Michael Bianchi.
The completely automated video
production system creates 3- or 4-camera videos of auditorium talks while
avoiding the costs of a production crew.
"The system requires no director,
no engineers and no camera operators.
Making a recording can be as easy as
putting a tape into a VCR and pushing one button.
All camera motion and video
switching is then automatic and performed in real-time."
Bianchi cites the experience of a research laboratory with locations in New York
state.
"Their two main auditoriums each have an AutoAuditorium System, and
they have seen a substantial increase in the number of recorded talks and
presentations.
For example, in the first quarter of 2001,
a total of 50 programs were produced using 3 cameras.
The AutoAuditorium System
recorded 47 of those programs using an intelligent Controller that takes the
place of a production crew.
I estimate that the cost of contract professionals
to produce those 47 programs would have exceeded $80,000,
which means the system pays for itself quickly."
Bianchi elaborated: "Our customers say that many talks cannot
justify the expense of a professional crew.
They either
use a camcorder at the back of the room,
which usually results in a poor program,
or just don't record the talk at all.
An AutoAuditorium System delivers 3- or 4-camera productions at a small
fraction of the traditional cost."
"However, the benefit of using this system is not just cost avoidance.
It
enables communications that otherwise would not have taken place",
added Bianchi.
In addition to videotape,
the company's corporate video-on-demand service
encodes the AutoAuditorium programs into Internet streaming media,
which helps employees work around scheduling conflicts
or travel restrictions
and yet obtain the information they would have missed.
And employees in other countries have access to
presentations they would not have seen before.
"A presentation may be intended for a small,
very specialized audience that is scattered around the globe.
It is now possible to serve that audience
in a more timely manner at considerably less cost," said Bianchi.
Foveal Systems, located in Madison, NJ,
makes the AutoAuditorium Controller and
sells through established audio-visual systems integrators.
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2001
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
June 14, 2000
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
IBM Research Installs Second AutoAuditorium System
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced it has completed installation of
IBM's second
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
at
the T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.
"This
one has a special dual-use
capability.
Since the auditorium can be split to make two smaller meeting spaces
the AutoAuditorium System accommodates both the entire room or
one of the divided sections,"
said Foveal Systems owner,
Michael Bianchi.
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of auditorium presentations without an operator.
It captures on video,
both as recordings and as telecasts,
presentations made in a large meeting room
such as a lecture hall or auditorium.
"Having an AutoAuditorium System in the largest
meeting space at the Yorktown Heights Research Center
allows them to record and broadcast
many more of the talks
given there,"
Bianchi added.
The auditorium already has a control booth with modern video production
capabilities which is still used for the more elaborate events
taking place there.
"But the set up and crew requirements are such
that many lectures,
even those that drew large audiences,
were not made into videos.
Because the AutoAuditorium System runs without any human control,
until its time to turn it off,
IBM can make videos
of many more events."
Since an AutoAuditorium program does not require
any post-production,
the transmission and recording are identical.
The AutoAuditorium System's video output is
connected into IBM's existing video networks,
both traditional and Internet-based,
so talks can be distributed live to other locations.
IBM has other research centers around the world, as near as
Hawthorne, New York, just down the road
and as far away as Texas and California,
Japan, China, India, Israel, and Switzerland.
"A potential benefit,"
according to Bianchi,
"is research colleagues staying in closer contact
without having to travel as much.
If someone is able to see an AutoAuditorium presentation that
would otherwise require traveling long distances to attend,
the savings in airfare and accommodations will quickly cover
the cost of the system."
Foveal Systems sells AutoAuditorium Systems
through established audio/video installation companies.
Foveal would like to hear from AV companies
interested in adding the AutoAuditorium System to their prodcut line.
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright © 2000
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
April 11, 2000
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
IBM Is First AutoAuditorium Customer
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced it has completed installation of an
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, New York.
"This is Foveal's first commerical installation
of an AutoAuditorium System,
and it is great to have IBM Research as the first customer,"
said Foveal Systems owner,
Michael Bianchi.
The AutoAuditorium System is
the fully automatic, multi-camera system that
produces videos of auditorium presentations without an operator.
The AutoAuditorium System captures on video,
either as a recording or telecast,
presentations made in a large meeting room
such as a lecture hall or auditorium.
"IBM was building a new,
technology-rich lecture room at their Hawthorne location,
and wanted to be able to record and telecast the events that
took place in that room.
The original design called for a manually operated system,
but when they saw the AutoAuditorium System prototype,
they decided to add its automated capabilities,"
said Bianchi.
"They put a
`Start the AutoAuditorium System'
button on the lectern's touch control panel
and a S-VHS VCR built into the wall behind the lectern,
so anyone who gives a talk in the room can make a recording
of a presentation.
Once started, the AutoAuditorium System is
completely
automatic,
so there is nothing for anyone to do
until it is time to turn it off.
None the less,
the AutoAuditorium System produces a very watchable
3-camera video of the talk,
and I'm told that it gets used several times a week,
and sometimes several times a day."
The AutoAuditorium System's video output is
also connected into IBM's existing video networks,
both traditional and Internet-based,
so talks can be distributed live to other locations.
Since an AutoAuditorium System program does not require
any post-production,
the transmitted program and recorded program are identical
and very close to the experience of those sitting in the room.
"I'm told that talks that might otherwise be given in
other rooms are often rescheduled into the Hawthorne auditorium
so they can be recorded and telecast.
Of course,
that is the whole idea behind making it so easy to use,"
said Bianchi.
"Because it really can be turned on with one button,
and because a trained operator does not have to be scheduled,
the system is used more often.
Even if you don't know which talks are going to
be the good or important ones,
with an AutoAuditorium System you
can record and transmit all of them
and then let your audience decide which ones are worth
watching or keeping."
Foveal Systems sells AutoAuditorium Systems
through established audio/video installation companies.
"Foveal is looking for AV companies that have an established
track record exceeding customer's expectations."
Acentech Incorporated
of
Cambridge, Massachusettes,
was the
audio, visual, and accoustics consultant
on the IBM project
and
Crimson Tech
of
Rocky Hill, Connecticut,
installed the audio/video systems.
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright ©
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Systems:
Press Release -
November 22, 1999
FOVEAL SYSTEMS
The Center of Vision
Press Release
For Immediate Release
FOVEAL SYSTEMS,
LLC
190 Loantaka Way
Madison NJ 07940-1910
Foveal Systems Sells The AutoAuditorium System
Foveal Systems, LLC,
announced that it is now selling the
AutoAuditoriumTM System,
the fully automatic, multi-camera system
that
produces videos of auditorium presentations
without an operator.
"After ten years of research, development and refinement,
we are now making this technology available,"
said the inventor and Foveal Systems owner,
Michael Bianchi.
The AutoAuditorium System captures on video
presentations made in a large meeting room,
such as a lecture hall or auditorium.
"It is ideal for any formal presentation where
a person stands on a stage,
giving a talk to a group,
using projected visual aids,"
said Bianchi.
"And since operating the system takes only two steps,
namely turning on the power and pressing the RECORD button,
it can be used by anyone.
Once started, no human control is possible
until it is time to turn it off.
None the less,
the AutoAuditorium system produces a very watchable
video of the talk.
It tracks the speaker,
shows the slides,
and produces combination and picture-in-picture shots
as appropriate in real time.
The program can be telecast live,
and recordings can be viewed immediately,
because there is no post production."
The system is designed to be unobtrusive to the presenter,
the local audience,
and the remote audiences.
For instance,
presenters do not have to wear or carry anything
for the AutoAuditorium Tracking Camera to follow
them as each speaks on stage.
"As each individual comes onto the stage,
the Tracking Camera uses motion analysis to find
and follow him or her.
So, unlike some other tracking cameras,
there is no target to wear,
no control to carry,
and no target identification step to perform,"
according to Bianchi.
"And even if the first speaker leaves on the left side of the stage
and the second one arrives on the right,
the Tracking Camera will quickly find and follow that second person."
A typical AutoAuditorium System is installed with
four cameras:
-
The Tracking Camera,
-
A camera focused on the projection screen,
called the Slide Camera,
-
A camera that has a fixed shot of the entire front of the room,
-
And a camera taking either another shot of the stage,
say from the side,
or a shot of the audience.
The AutoAuditorium Director software decides which shots to show.
"If the projection screen is blank,
then obviously you want to see only the person on stage,"
explained Bianchi.
"But as soon as the slide is shown,
you want to see it.
The Director,
quickly and automatically,
switches to the Slide Camera,
so you can read it.
After a while,
a combination shot of both the person and the slide
is shown,
so you can see the presenter's gestures
along with their projected visuals."
The audio is also automatically mixed,
so audience questions and reactions are included,
again without any human control.
"In fact,"
said Bianchi,
"in some installations we can cover both the stage
and the audience using ceiling microphones.
The result is a system that is not only unobtrusive,
but battery-free.
If there are no battery operated devices,
then they cannot be lost or dead,
and we've eliminated a common failure mode."
The AutoAuditorium System is permanently installed in the room
so it is always ready.
"It really can be used on a moment's notice,"
said Bianchi,
"which means the system is used often.
How often have you heard
`I wish they recorded that?'
With AutoAuditorium Systems
you
can
record
every
talk and decide which ones to keep."
Foveal Systems sells AutoAuditorium Systems
through established audio/video installation companies.
"Foveal is looking for AV companies that have an established
track record exceeding customer's expectations."
Bianchi added,
"Most of the components of an AutoAuditorium system are
things they already install in video-production-ready meeting rooms.
The AutoAuditorium System replaces the manual operator's controls
with sophisticated automation.
And once the installation is aligned,
there is very little periodic maintenance;
just cleaning the lenses and the air filter on the controller."
Where does the name
FOVEAL
come from?
The fovea is the most sensitive part of the eye,
where we see with the greatest clarity.
Foveal Systems' products are based on computer vision technology,
so . . .
Copyright ©
Foveal Systems LLC.
All rights reserved.
Foveal Machine Vision Camera Mounts
Make Fine Position Adjustments and Lock Them Down!
Ideal for Machine-Vision Applications
|
Foveal 2-Axis and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
|
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mounts
|
RM3_3a Large, 3-axis Rigid Mount
|
|
The
Foveal 2-Axis and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
for small-to-large sized "box" cameras. Features:
-
Three Sizes:
- RM1 for small cameras.
- RM2 for medium-sized cameras and small environmental housings.
- RM3
for large-sized cameras and medium-sized environmental housings.
-
Two Models:
- 2-Axis Adjustment of pan, tilt.
- 3-Axis Adjustment of pan, tilt and roll.
- Fine Adjustment of all axes.
- Individual axis lock down
makes adjustment easier, more precise, and prevents accidental change.
- Heavy-duty construction.
|
The
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
for small-to-medium sized "box" cameras. Features:
- Fine Adjustment of pan and tilt axes.
- Individual axis lock down makes adjustment easier,
more precise, and prevents accidental change.
- Sturdy construction.
- Reconfigurable to many alternative configurations.
|
The
FM3_3a
for Cognex 5100/5400 Cameras
Designed explicitly for Cognex 5100/5400 Series Cameras.
Both Pan and Tilt axes rotate around the optical center of the imaging element.
|
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"Let me drill my own holes or slots!"
Order the
FM0_2a mount
with the undrilled Inner-L.
Or we'll drill it to your specification.
|
|
|
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Why Foveal Mounts?
The
Foveal Rigid Camera Mounts
were created to solve a particular problem,
namely to precisely position a camera and then lock it down so it will not move,
even under strong "persuasion".
The three sizes of Rigid Mount, the
RM1,
RM2 and
RM3 ,
accommodate a broad range of cameras and environmental housings, and are
available in both
2-Axis
and
3-Axis
models.
Our favorite story about the Rigid Mount comes from a manufacturing floor,
where a computer-vision system takes measurements as parts are
built.
One day, the vision system engineer came in to find a tool belt hanging on the
camera mount.
"I guess it weighed about 35 pounds!"
He was certain he would have to realign the camera.
That doesn't take long with these mounts,
but would mean shutting down the line.
But he didn't have to make any adjustments.
The camera had not moved!
The Rigid Mounts work very well.
But some potential
customers of the 2-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts found they were too elaborate
for their applications.
So we created the
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Mounts.
While not as robust as the Rigid Mounts,
the Fine-Adjustment Mounts
will work very well in applications where the mount will not be subjected
to extreme disturbances.
www.FovealSystems.com/fovealmounts.html 2008/11/30
Foveal Systems: Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
Foveal
2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
Ideal for Machine-Vision Applications
"Nothing is more annoying then having to shim into alignment
a vision system camera on a production line.
With the FM mounts,
fine adjustments are done in 1/4 of the time.
Thanks Foveal."
|
Robert T. Couture
|
|
| |
The
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
for small-to-medium sized "box" cameras features:
-
Fine Adjustment
of
pan and tilt axes.
-
Individual axis lock down
makes adjustment easier,
more precise,
and
prevents accidental change.
-
Sturdy construction.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
|
English and Metric Models:
|
FM1_2a
 Drawing
|
The original design, with camera mounting slots 0.75 inch apart.
|
FM2_2a
Drawing
|
Designed for cameras with metric M6 mounting sockets
20 millimeters apart.
|
|
|
Specialized Design for Cognex 5100/5400
Series Cameras
|
|
FM3_2a
Full
Description
|
A new design, customized for Cognex 5100/5400 Series
Cameras. Both Pan and Tilt axes
rotate around the optical center of the imaging element.
|
|
|
"Let me drill my own holes or slots!"
|
|
FM0_2a
Full
Description
|
Order the FM0_2a mount with the undrilled Inner-L.
Or we'll drill it to your specification.
|
|
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Choice of Mounting Plates:
|
Square
Drawing
|
The original design, suitable for general mounting.
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Rectangular
|
Designs for mounting on single-slot and 1-inch double slot
T-slot extrusion framing
systems.
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L-bracket
Drawing
|
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Specify which Mounting Plate when ordering.
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For our Canadian Customers:
|
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Fine-Adjustment Camera Mounts are available through
Sure Control Systems
in Ontario Canada.
905 799-8484
|
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Motivation
The
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount
was created to solve a particular problem,
namely the precise positioning of a camera that then is locked down so it will
not move even under strong "persuasion".
It does that very well.
But some potential
customers of the 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts found they were too elaborate
for their applications.
So we created the 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Mount.
Features
The 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
may be supported with the base down or the base up.
In either position, the plate the camera attaches to can be
either below or above the camera.
When coarse adjustments are unlocked,
there is sufficient friction to hold the camera in position.
Coarse position can be set by hand.
Fine adjustments are made using a hex wrench,
allowing for extremely fine positioning.
Independent adjustment of each axis
means each adjustment does not affect the other.
All adjustments and locking are made with a single 3/32 inch hex wrench.
Reconfiguration is done with a 9/64 inch hex wrench.
Once the mount is locked, the camera does not move.
While not as robust as the Rigid Mounts,
the Fine-Adjustment Mount
will work very well in applications where the mount will not be subjected
to extreme disturbances.
They are also suitable for mounting other types of instruments and sensors.
For a more robust,
three axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan, tilt, and roll axes, see the
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount.
Specifications
Options
|
Fine Adjustment Knobs (FAK) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
When the need is not set it and forget it
but instead the mount frequently needs to be finely adjusted,
we offer knobs for the fine position adjustment screws.
|
|
|
High Vibration Environment Kit (HVEK) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
This option
helps ensure that the pan, tilt and roll adjustments do not
change in the face of frequent or constant vibration.
Please call before ordering.
|
|
Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials (PTD) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
We offer the
FM1_2a,
FM2_2a
and
FM3_2a
Mounts with Protractor Dials on both
the Pan and Tilt Axes so the angles can be read out.
See the complete description at
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials.
|
Prices and Delivery
United States dollars
FOB New Jersey, United States
7% Sales Tax to customers in New Jersey
Call 973 822-2085
Questions? Call 973 822-2085
Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
Dimensions in inches.
|
Model FM1_2a-SMP3 (with Square Mounting Plate)
|
Model FM2_2a-SMP3 (with Square Mounting Plate)
|
|
What are the differences between the FM1_2a and the FM2_2a?
First, the position and spacing of the two slots for the camera mounting
screws are not the same.
In the FM1_2a, one of the slots is centered over the Pan pivot.
In the FM2_2a, the Pan pivot centerline goes between the two slots.
Second, in the FM1_2a, the slots are three-quarters of an inch apart.
In the FM2_2a, the slots are 20 millimeters apart.
The FM1_2a works well with most cameras with 1/4-20 mounting sockets.
The FM2_2a works well with some cameras with M6 metric mounting sockets.
Of course, you can drill the anodized aluminum or
create an adaptor plate.
Or call us and we can discuss a custom design
to match your specific needs.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
CAD files STEP format
FM1_2a-LMP.stp.zip
FM1_2a-RMP.stp.zip
FM1_2a-SMP3.stp.zip
|
CAD files STEP format
FM2_2a-LMP.stp.zip
FM2_2a-RMP.stp.zip
FM2_2a-SMP3.stp.zip
|
Mounting Plate Options
There are four mounting plate options for the FM mounts.
-
no mounting plate
The pan pivot has two 8-32 threaded holes in it.
-
-SMP3
Square Mounting Plate suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces.
-
-RMP
Rectangular Mounting Plate for general mounting or T-Slot framing
systems.
-
-LMP
L-bracket Mounting Plate specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
For more information, see
Foveal Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates.
Camera Mounting Alternatives
Adjusting camera mounts can become tedious in tight or inconvenient
spaces.
We have made the Fine Mounts customer-configurable,
so alternative placements of the adjustment screws are possible.
|
For example,
it may be more convenient to have the pan and tilt
coarse- and fine-adjustment screws
available from the back of the mount.
As this drawing shows, they can be moved.
(Moving the pan and tilt screws are independent operations.
We do not know why one would want to, but they can be on opposite sides.)
|
|
Note that these mounts can be configured with the tilt-axis L-bracket raised
above the pivot.
In this position, a small camera can be hung above the pan axis.
Also, the tilt axis locks can be repositioned so the tilt L-bracket hangs
outside the pan-axis base.
This can accommodate larger cameras and
a wider selection of tilt positions.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
|
Here are some examples with small- and medium-sized cameras.
|
|
Note also that there is an alternate pivot point on the tilt L-bracket,
offset 0.5 inch.
In this position, even larger cameras can be accommodated.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
|
Here are some examples with medium- and large-sized cameras,
and examples where the camera needs to be lifted a well above the base of the
mount.
|
|
Also, many cameras have mounting screws on top of the case,
which means they can be hung from the top directly.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
|
One customer needed to mount the camera from the rear.
|
|
And there are a few cameras where the mounting screw is on the side.
The pan adjustment, which normally changes the pan angle now changes tilt,
and the former tilt adjustment changes the pan angle.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
If you need to verify a particular configuration, please contact us.
For a more robust,
three axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan, tilt, and roll axes, see the
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount.
For information on purchasing
Foveal 2-Axis Fine Camera Mounts
please contact us ...
By e-mail at
info@Foveal.com
Or call
Foveal Systems
+1 973 822-2085
For our Canadian Customers:
Foveal Camera Camera Mounts are available through
Sure Control Systems
in Ontario Canada.
905 799-8484
B & B Model Shop Services, Inc.
is a partner in the design and construction of the Foveal Fine Camera Mounts.
www.FovealSystems.com/fine_mount.html 2009/10/21
Foveal Systems: Foveal 2- and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
Foveal
2- and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
Ideal for Machine-Vision Applications
RM2_3a-SMP4
| |
The
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount
for small-to-medium sized "box" cameras features:
-
3 sizes
RM1
for tiny machine vision cameras
RM2
for small box cameras
RM3
for larger box cameras or small environment housings.
-
3-Axis Adjustment
of
pan, tilt and roll.
2-Axis
models also available.
-
Fine Adjustment
of all axes.
-
Individual axis lock down
makes adjustment easier,
more precise,
and
prevents accidental change.
-
Heavy-duty construction.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
Motivation
A key element in creating reliable
AutoAuditorium System™
installations is
ensuring that the Tracking Camera and Spotting Camera stay in precise
alignment relative to each other.
The Tracking Camera has pan and tilt positions which must be related to
specific points in the Spotting Camera image,
and those relationships must be fixed and permanent.
In the past,
misalignment has been an all-too-frequent cause of Tracking Camera errors.
A key element to keeping the Spotting Camera image aligned with the
Tracking Camera is to guarantee that once the Spotting Camera is
positioned, it does not move.
We were unable to find camera mounts that permitted fine adjustment in the
pan, tilt and roll axis that then locked in those adjustments,
so we designed our own.
We also have used the 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount for the Slide Camera,
to ensure that it is always locked into the same position pointed at the
projection screen.
The ability to finely adjust the roll position of the camera makes it
much easier to set
the Slide Camera image absolutely square with the projection screen.
Customers of the Rigid Mounts include companies installing
machine-vision technology for laboratory and manufacturing use.
These camera mounts are also suitable for
other types of instruments and sensors.
Custom Widths to accommodate wider cameras, instruments, sensors, are available.
For a less expensive,
less robust,
two axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan and tilt axes, see the
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mounts.
Features
The 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount
may be supported with the base down or the base up.
In either position, the plate the camera attaches to can be
either below or above the camera.
When unlocked,
there is sufficient friction to hold the camera in position.
Coarse position can be set by hand.
Fine adjustments are made using a hex wrench,
allowing for extremely fine positioning.
Independent adjustment of each axis
means each adjustment does not affect the other two.
All adjustments and locking are made with a single hex wrench.
Once the mount is locked, the camera does not move.
As a testimonial to that last statement,
one customer tells us that they found a heavy tool belt
hanging on one of the RM3_3a Mounts on their factory floor.
The machine vision camera had not moved.
Specifications
Model RM2_2a 2-axis
Prices and Delivery
Model RM2_3a 3-axis
RM2 Photos, Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
|
| Materials |
black anodized 6061-T651 aluminum,
stainless steel hardware, nylon, Delrin |
| Weight (approximate) |
3.2 pounds |
1.5 kilograms |
|
| Dimensions |
| |
Overall Height |
4.80 inches |
12.19 centimeters |
|
| |
Overall Width |
7.10 inches |
18.03 centimeters |
|
| |
Overall Depth |
4.75 inches |
12.06 centimeters |
|
| Maximum Camera Dimensions |
| |
Width at Base |
3.90 inches |
9.90 centimeters |
| |
Overall Width |
4.30 inches |
10.92 centimeters |
| Coarse Position Range |
| |
Pan |
360 degrees |
| |
Tilt |
Up to 360 degrees,
depending on the camera size and
the amount it overhangs the mounting plate. |
| Fine Position Range |
| |
Pan |
± 12 degrees |
| |
Tilt |
± 12 degrees |
| |
Roll (RM2_3a only) |
± 8 degrees |
| Mounting Plate Dimensions |
| |
Height |
0.25 inches |
0.63 centimeters |
| |
Width |
4.75 inches |
12.06 centimeters |
| |
Depth |
4.75 inches |
12.06 centimeters |
Model RM3_2a 2-axis
Prices and Delivery
Model RM3_3a 3-axis
RM3 Photos, Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
|
| Very similar to Models RM2_2a and
RM2_3a except: |
| |
Weight (approximate) |
3.5 pounds |
1.6 kilograms |
|
| Dimensions |
| |
Overall Width |
8.10 inches |
20.57 centimeters |
|
| Maximum Camera Dimensions |
| |
Width at Base |
4.90 inches |
12.44 centimeters |
|
| |
Overall Width |
5.30 inches |
13.46 centimeters |
|
Custom Widths to accommodate wider cameras are available.
Options
|
Fine Adjustment Knobs (FAK) Option
Option Prices and Delivery
|
|
When the need is not set it and forget it
but instead the mount frequently needs to be finely adjusted,
we offer knobs for the fine position adjustment screws.
|
|
High Vibration Environment Kit (HVEK) Option
|
|
This option
helps ensure that the pan, tilt and roll adjustments
do not change in the face of frequent or constant vibration.
Please call before ordering.
|
|
Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials (PTD) Option
|
|
We now offer these mounts
with Protractor Dials on both
the Pan and Tilt Axes so the angles can be read out.
See the complete line at
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials.
|
Prices and Delivery
United States dollars
FOB New Jersey, United States
7% Sales Tax to customers in New Jersey
Call 973 822-2085
Questions? Call 973 822-2085
Questions? Call 973 822-2085
| Option |
Models |
Price and Delivery |
Fine Adjustment Knobs
RM2_3a_FAK-SMP4
No tool required for fine pan and tilt adjustment.
Useful when pan or tilt will be tweaked frequently.
|
RM1_2a_FAK 2-Axis
RM1_3a_FAK 3-Axis
RM2_2a_FAK 2-Axis
RM2_3a_FAK 3-Axis
RM3_2a_FAK 2-Axis
RM3_3a_FAK 3-Axis
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
|
High Vibration Environment Kit
If your mount will be subjected to high vibration,
please call.
|
All
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
|
Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials
RM1_3a_PTD-RMP
Read and set pan and tilt angles to the nearest degree.
|
RM1_2a_PTD 2-Axis
RM1_3a_PTD 3-Axis
RM2_2a_PTD 2-Axis
RM2_3a_PTD 3-Axis
RM3_2a_PTD 2-Axis
RM3_3a_PTD 3-Axis
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
See the complete line at
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials.
|
RM1m_2a_PTD metric, 2-Axis
RM1m_3a_PTD metric, 3-Axis
|
Please Call
|
Call 973 822-2085
RM1 Photos, Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
Dimensions in inches.
Model RM1_2a-SMP3 2-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Model RM1m_2a-SMP3 metric hardware, 2-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP3, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Model RM1_3a-SMP3 3-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Model RM1m_3a-SMP3 metric hardware, 3-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP3, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Mounting Plate Options
RM1 mounts
There are four mounting plates available for the RM1 mounts (above).
-
no mounting plate
The pan pivot for the RM1 mount has
two 8-32 threaded holes in it.
-
Square Mounting Plate (SMP3)
suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces.
-
Rectangular Mounting Plate (RMP)
for general mounting or T-Slot framing systems.
-
L-bracket Mounting Plate (LMP)
specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
For more information, see
Foveal Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates.
We also can design customized Mounting Plates to your specifications.
3 x 3 inch
Square Mounting Plate
-SMP3
|
5 x 2 inch
Rectangular Mounting Plate
-RMP
|
Rectangular Mounting Plate
mounted on T-Slot frame
|
L-bracket Mounting Plate
-LMP
|
L-bracket Mounting Plate
mounted on T-Slot frame
|
|
|
RM1_3a-RMP
|
|
RM1_3a-LMP
|
RM2 and RM3 mounts
There are four mounting plates available for the
RM2 mounts and RM3 mounts (below).
-
no mounting plate
The pan pivot for the RM2 or RM3 mount has
two 10-32 threaded holes in it.
-
Square Mounting Plate (SMP4)
suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces.
-
Rectangular Mounting Plate (RMP)
for general mounting or T-Slot framing systems.
-
L-bracket Mounting Plate (LMP)
specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
The dimensions for the RMP and LMP
are the same as for the RM1 mounting plates (above).
|
4.75 x 4.75 inch
Square Mounting Plate
-SMP4
|
RM2 and RM3 Photos, Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
Dimensions in inches.
Model RM2_2a-SMP4 2-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP4, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Model RM2_3a-SMP4 3-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP4, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Model RM3_2a-SMP4 2-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP4, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Model RM3_3a-SMP4 3-axis, Square Mounting Plate
Choose one Mounting Plate
SMP4, RMP and LMP Mounting Plate Drawings
Camera Mounting Alternatives
Adjusting camera mounts can become tedious in tight or inconvenient
spaces.
We have made the Rigid Mounts customer-configurable,
so alternative placements of the adjustment screws are possible.
|
| |
For example,
it may be more convenient to have the tilt fine-adjustment screws available
from the top or back of the mount,
relative to the pan fine-adjustment screws.
As these drawings show, they can be moved.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
| |
Similarly, the tilt adjustments can be moved to the left side,
relative to the pan fine-adjustment screws.
|
| |
The 3-axis mounts can be reconfigured as shown here.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
| |
And, of course, the Rigid Mounts can be hung base up.
|
| |
Also, many cameras have mounting screws on top of the case,
which means they can be hung from the top directly.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
| |
And there are a few cameras where the mounting screw is on the side.
The base adjustment, which normally changes the pan angle now changes tilt,
tilt changes pan, and the roll adjustment still changes the roll angle.
|
If you need to verify a particular configuration, please contact us.
For a less expensive,
less robust,
two axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan and tilt axes, see the
Foveal 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount.
For information on purchasing
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts
please contact us ...
By e-mail at
info@Foveal.com
Or call
Foveal Systems
+1 973 822-2085
For our Canadian Customers:
Foveal Camera Camera Mounts are available through
Sure Control Systems
in Ontario Canada.
905 799-8484
B & B Model Shop Services, Inc.
is a partner in the design and construction of the Foveal Rigid Camera Mounts.
Automatic Auditorium,
AutoAuditorium,
and
AutoAud
are licensed trademarks of
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 - 2010
Foveal Systems, LLC.
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
www.FovealSystems.com/rigid_mount.html 2009/10/21
Foveal Systems: FM3_2a Mount for Cognex 5000 Series Cameras
Foveal FM3_2a Mount
for Cognex 5000 Series Cameras
Click to enlarge pictures and drawings.
| |
Foveal FM3_2a Fine-Adjustment 2-Axis Camera Mount
-
Specially designed
for the
Cognex® In-Sight® 5100
and
5400 Camera Lines.
-
Pan and Tilt Axes are
aligned with the optical center
of the imaging element,
making alignment easier.
-
Fine Adjustment
of
Pan and Tilt axes.
-
Individual axis lock down
makes adjustment easier,
more precise,
and
prevents accidental change.
-
Sturdy construction.
® "Cognex" and "In-Sight" are registered trademarks of
Cognex Corporation.
|
With the new layout of the Insight 5000 series,
there was no compatible camera mount
on the market.
Foveal Systems came
out with a competent camera mount that meets my needs.
Thanks Foveal.
|
Robert T. Couture
|
Motivation
The
Foveal 2-Axis Fine_Adjustment Camera Mounts,
models FM1_2a and FM2_2a,
are designed to match common
machine vision camera mounting configurations.
But a customer expressed the need for something similar
that could easily handle
the unusual mounting screw holes in the
Cognex 5100 and 5400
cameras.
(Other cameras in the Cognex line can be mounted on the FM1_2a and/or FM2_2a
mounts.)
So we created the FM3_2a 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Mount.
It shares the fine-adjustment features and mounting plate options of the other
Foveal FMs (Fine-Adjustment Mounts).
Specific Cognex model numbers supported include
5000,
5100,
5110,
5400,
5400C,
5401,
5403,
5410,
and
5411.
Because the FM3_2a is designed specifically for these make and model mounts,
we optimized the placement of the Pan and Tilt Axes so they are centered on the
imaging element inside the camera body.
Features
in common with all FM models
The 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mounts
may be supported with the base down or the base up.
In either position, the plate the camera attaches to can be
either below or above the camera.
When coarse adjustments are unlocked,
there is sufficient friction to hold the camera in position.
Coarse position can be set by hand.
Fine adjustments are made using a hex wrench,
allowing for extremely fine positioning.
Independent adjustment of each axis
means each adjustment does not affect the other.
All adjustments and locking are made with a single 3/32 inch hex wrench.
Reconfiguration is done with a 9/64 inch hex wrench.
Once the mount is locked, the camera does not move.
While not as robust as the Rigid Mounts,
the Fine-Adjustment Mount
will work very well in applications where the mount will not be subjected
to extreme disturbances.
They are also suitable for mounting other types of instruments and sensors.
For more robust,
two- and three- axis mounts that feature fine adjustment and locking
of the pan, tilt, and roll axes, see the
Foveal 2- and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mounts.
Specifications
|
Fine Adjustment Knobs (FAK) Option
Option Prices and Delivery
|
|
When the need is not set it and forget it
but instead the mount frequently needs to be finely adjusted,
we offer knobs for the fine position adjustment screws.
|
|
High Vibration Environment Kit (HVEK) Option
|
|
This option
helps ensure that the pan, tilt and roll adjustments
do not change in the face of frequent or constant vibration.
Please call before ordering.
|
|
Protractor Dials Option
|
|
We now offer the
FM1_2a,
FM2_2a
and
FM3_2a
Mounts with Protractor Dials on both
the Pan and Tilt Axes so the angles can be read out.
See the complete line at
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials.
|
Prices and Delivery
United State dollars
FOB New Jersey, United States
7% Sales Tax to customers in New Jersey
Call 973 822-2085
Questions? Call 973 822-2085
|
Option |
Model |
Price and Delivery |
Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials
Read and set pan and tilt angles to the nearest degree.
|
FM3_2a_PTD
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
See the complete line at
Foveal Mounts with
Pan and Tilt
Protractor Dials.
|
|
Fine Adjustment Knobs
Useful if your mount will be adjusted frequently,
please call.
|
All
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
|
|
High Vibration Environment Kit
If your mount will be subjected to high vibration
please call.
|
All
|
See the Price and Delivery information, above.
|
Click to enlarge pictures and drawings.
Photos, Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
Dimensions in inches.
Mounting Plate Options
There are four mounting plate options for the FM mounts.
-
no mounting plate
The pan pivot has two 8-32 threaded holes in it.
-
-SMP3
Square Mounting Plate suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces.
-
-RMP
Rectangular Mounting Plate for general mounting or T-Slot framing
systems.
-
-LMP
L-bracket Mounting Plate specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
For more information, see
Foveal Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates.
3 x 3 inch
Square Mounting Plate
-SMP3
|
5 x 2 inch
Rectangular Mounting Plate
-RMP
|
L-bracket Mounting Plate
-LMP
|
|
|
|
|
Camera Mounting Alternatives
Adjusting camera mounts can become tedious in tight or inconvenient
spaces.
We have made the Fine Mounts customer-configurable,
so alternative placements of the adjustment screws and the Tilt table
are possible.
|
For example,
it may be more convenient to have the camera mounted away from the Pan
axis.
In particular, this allows the camera to look over around a corner or down over
an edge.
Note that in this configuration the Pan axis
does not
go through the optical center of the camera,
although the Tilt axis still does.
|
| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
If you need to verify a particular configuration, please contact us.
For information on purchasing
Foveal 2-Axis Fine Camera Mounts
please contact us ...
By e-mail at
info@Foveal.com
Or call
Foveal Systems
+1 973 822-2085
For our Canadian Customers:
Foveal Camera Camera Mounts are available through
Sure Control Systems
in Ontario Canada.
905 799-8484
B & B Model Shop Services, Inc.
is a partner in the design and construction of the Foveal Fine Camera Mounts.
www.FovealSystems.com/fm3_2a.html 2009/10/21
Foveal Systems: Foveal Customizable 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
Foveal
Customizable 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
When You Need Something More Than Our Standard Fine Adjustment Mounts
| |
Foveal FM0_2a Fine-Adjustment 2-Axis Customizable Camera Mount
-
Undrilled Camera Table
so you can machine it to meet your needs.
Or, if you like, we will drill it to your specifications.
-
Fine Adjustment
of
Pan and Tilt axes.
-
Individual axis lock down
makes adjustment easier,
more precise,
and
prevents accidental change.
-
Sturdy construction.
|
Motivation
If the hole patterns we offer in the other Fine Adjustment mounts do
not suit your needs,
you can order the FM0_2a which has no camera mounting holes and drill your own.
Or we can drill holes to your specification.
Features
The 2-Axis Fine-Adjustment Camera Mount
may be supported with the base down or the base up.
In either position, the plate the camera attaches to can be
either below or above the camera.
When coarse adjustments are unlocked,
there is sufficient friction to hold the camera in position.
Coarse position can be set by hand.
Fine adjustments are made using a hex wrench,
allowing for extremely fine positioning.
Independent adjustment of each axis
means each adjustment does not affect the other.
All adjustments and locking are made with a single 3/32 inch hex wrench.
Reconfiguration is done with a 9/64 inch hex wrench.
Once the mount is locked, the camera does not move.
While not as robust as the Rigid Mounts,
the Fine-Adjustment Mount
will work very well in applications where the mount will not be subjected
to extreme disturbances.
They are also suitable for mounting other types of instruments and sensors.
For a more robust,
three axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan, tilt, and roll axes, see the
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount.
Specifications
Options
|
Fine Adjustment Knobs (FAK) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
When the need is not set it and forget it
but instead the mount frequently needs to be finely adjusted,
we offer knobs for the fine position adjustment screws.
|
|
|
High Vibration Environment Kit (HVEK) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
This option
helps ensure that the pan, tilt and roll adjustments do not
change in the face of frequent or constant vibration.
Please call before ordering.
|
|
Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials (PTD) Option
Prices and Delivery
|
|
We offer the
FM0_2a,
Mounts with Protractor Dials on both
the Pan and Tilt Axes so the angles can be read out.
See the complete description at
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials.
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Prices and Delivery
United States dollars
FOB New Jersey, United States
7% Sales Tax to customers in New Jersey
Call 973 822-2085
Questions? Call 973 822-2085
Dimensional Drawings, CAD Files
Dimensions in inches.
Mounting Plate Options
There are four mounting plate options for the FM mounts.
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no mounting plate
The pan pivot has two 8-32 threaded holes in it.
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-SMP3
Square Mounting Plate suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces.
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-RMP
Rectangular Mounting Plate for general mounting or T-Slot framing
systems.
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-LMP
L-bracket Mounting Plate specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
For more information, see
Foveal Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates.
3 x 3 inch
Square Mounting Plate
-SMP3
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5 x 2 inch
Rectangular Mounting Plate
-RMP
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Rectangular Mounting Plate
mounted on T-Slot frame
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L-bracket Mounting Plate
-LMP
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L-bracket Mounting Plate
mounted on T-Slot frame
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FM0_2a-RMP
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FM0_2a-LMP
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CAD files STEP format
FM0_2a-SMP3.stp.zip
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CAD files STEP format
FM0_2a-RMP.stp.zip
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CAD files STEP format
FM0_2a-LMP.stp.zip
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Camera Mounting Alternatives
Adjusting camera mounts can become tedious in tight or inconvenient
spaces.
We have made the Fine Mounts customer-configurable,
so alternative placements of the adjustment screws are possible.
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For example,
it may be more convenient to have the pan and tilt
coarse- and fine-adjustment screws
available from the back of the mount.
As this drawing shows, they can be moved.
(Moving the pan and tilt screws are independent operations.
We do not know why one would want to, but they can be on opposite sides.)
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Note that these mounts can be configured with the tilt-axis L-bracket raised
above the pivot.
In this position, a small camera can be hung above the pan axis.
Also, the tilt axis locks can be repositioned so the tilt L-bracket hangs
outside the pan-axis base.
This can accommodate larger cameras and
a wider selection of tilt positions.
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| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
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Here are some examples with small- and medium-sized cameras.
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Note also that there is an alternate pivot point on the tilt L-bracket,
offset 0.5 inch.
In this position, even larger cameras can be accommodated.
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| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
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Here are some examples with medium- and large-sized cameras,
and examples where the camera needs to be lifted a well above the base of the
mount.
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Also, many cameras have mounting screws on top of the case,
which means they can be hung from the top directly.
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| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
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One customer needed to mount the camera from the rear.
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And there are a few cameras where the mounting screw is on the side.
The pan adjustment, which normally changes the pan angle now changes tilt,
and the former tilt adjustment changes the pan angle.
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| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
If you need to verify a particular configuration, please contact us.
For a more robust,
three axis mount that features fine adjustment and locking
of the pan, tilt, and roll axes, see the
Foveal 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount.
For information on purchasing
Foveal 2-Axis Fine Camera Mounts
please contact us ...
B & B Model Shop Services, Inc.
is a partner in the design and construction of the Foveal Fine Camera Mounts.
www.FovealSystems.com/fm0_2a.html 2009/10/21
Foveal Systems: Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials
Foveal Mounts
with Pan and Tilt Protractor Dials
Set the Pan and Tilt Angles to the Nearest Degree
Ideal for resetting to known positions!
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The
Foveal Mounts with Pan and Tilt Angle Protractors
for small-to-medium sized "box" cameras feature:
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Read Out Pan and Tilt Angles
to the nearest degree.
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The Protractor Dials
can be repositioned to the 4 quadrants;
0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees.
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The Indexes
can be repositioned
to either the front or back side of the mount.
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Fine Adjustment
of all axes.
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Individual axis lock down
making adjustment easier and more precise,
and
preventing accidental change.
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Sturdy construction.
See-through indexes.
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Click to enlarge pictures and drawings.
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Motivation
A customer wanted a
Foveal Fine Adjustment Mount
that could be easily reset to specific positions.
"We want the operator to dial it in to the approximate position, say a degree
or so, and then tweak it using the camera monitor."
We now offer both the Fine Adjustment Mounts
and the Rigid Mounts
with Protractor Dials
on the Pan and Tilt Axes, so the angles can be read out.
The addition of the Pan Dial raises the mount 1/16 inch.
Features
These mounts are identical to their cousins:
and share all their features,
plus the ability to
read the Pan and Tilt angles to the nearest degree.
Specifications, CAD Files
Each of the Pan and Tilt Protractor Dial mounts is virtually identical to its
dial-less cousin.
As can be seen in these photographs,
the 3-inch diameter Tilt Protractor Dial
is 1 inch wider than the 2-inch wide camera platform
and 1 inch wider than
the 2-inch wide Rectangular and L-bracket Mounting Plates.
Also, the Pan Protractor Dial raises the mount 1/16 inch more above the base
plate.
The RM1 mounts also use the 3-inch diameter dials.
The RM2 and RM3 models use 4-inch diameter dials.
Prices and Delivery
United States dollars
FOB New Jersey, United States
7% Sales Tax to customers in New Jersey
Call 973 822-2085
Dimensional Drawings
Dimensions in inches.
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Model FM1_2a_PTD-SMP3 with Square Mounting Plate
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Model FM2_2a_PTD-SMP3 with Square Mounting Plate
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What are the differences between the FM1_2a_PTD and the FM2_2a_PTD?
First, the position and spacing of the two slots for the camera mounting
screws are not the same.
In the FM1_2a_PTD, one of the slots is centered over the Pan pivot.
In the FM2_2a_PTD, the Pan pivot centerline goes between the two slots.
Second, in the FM1_2a_PTD, the slots are three-quarters of an inch apart.
In the FM2_2a_PTD, the slots are 20 millimeters apart.
The FM1_2a_PTD works well with most cameras with 1/4-20 mounting sockets.
The FM2_2a_PTD works well with some cameras with M6 metric mounting sockets.
Of course, you can drill the anodized aluminum or
create an adaptor plate.
Or call us and we can discuss a custom design
to match your specific needs.
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Model FM3_2a_PTD-SMP3 with Square Mounting Plate
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| Click to enlarge pictures and drawings. |
Mounting Plate Options
There are three mounting plate options for the FM mounts.
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Square Mounting Plate suitable for general mounting to flat surfaces:
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3 x 3 inches for FM and RM1 mounts.
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4.75 x 4.75 inches for RM2 and RM3 mounts.
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Rectangular Mounting Plate for general mounting or T-Slot framing
systems.
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L-bracket Mounting Plate specifically for T-Slot framing systems.
For more information, see
Foveal Mounts - T-Slot Mounting Plates.
3 x 3 inch
Square Mounting Plate
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4.75 x 4.75 inch
Square Mounting Plate
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5 x 2 inch
Rectangular Mounting Plate
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Rectangular Mounting Plate
mounted on T-Slot frame
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L-bracket Mounting Plate
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Camera Mounting Alternatives
Please note that the Pan Protractor Dial is always
between the tilt table support and the tilt table.
Most Foveal Mounts can be reassembled into several different
configurations.
See the
Fine Adjustment Mount
and
2- and 3-Axis Rigid Camera Mount
web pages for examples.
In the case of the FM (Fine Adjustment Mounts) with Pan and Tilt Dials,
the configurations that would have the tilt table hanging outside
the tilt table support are not possible as delive
Overview
