FAQs

This section provides answers to many of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) Pleora receives about GigE and its networked video connectivity solutions. For more details, contact Pleora directly at +1-613-270-0625, or send an email to sales@pleora.com.

• FAQs
  

FAQs

GigE (Gigabit Ethernet) is the third generation of Ethernet, the time-honored standard used in most of the world's local area networks, including those for high-performance, real-time military, medical, and industrial applications. The Ethernet standard defines four data rates: Ethernet (10 Mb/s), Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s), GigE (1000 Mb/s or 1 Gb/s), and 10 GigE (10,000 Mb/s or 10 Gb/s). All generations use the same frame format. This ensures backward compatibility, permits system upgrades without sacrificing the equipment already in place, and allows multi-rate networks to interwork seamlessly.

Ethernet delivers five key benefits for video connectivity:

• a low-cost, well-understood, and widely available infrastructure;
• exceptional networking flexibility, with support for almost every conceivable connectivity configuration, including point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multi-point to multi-point;
• high throughput;
• long reach, allowing spans of up to 100 meters between network nodes over standard copper cabling, and greater distances with switches or cost-effective fiber extenders; and
• scalability, with an inherent ability to accommodate links operating at different data rates and the addition of new processing nodes, displays, and sensors.

The GigE Vision^® standard is an open, global standard for transporting video and control data over Ethernet networks. It was introduced in 2006 and has since been widely adopted by hardware and software vendors of industrial imaging equipment. It is being used successfully in video applications for machine vision, the military, medical imaging, traffic monitoring, and other industries.

The GigE Vision standard provides a framework for connectivity between video transmitters, video receivers, video servers, video processing units, and control and management entities over standard GigE networks. Through compliance with the standard, these network elements interoperate seamlessly over the well-understood Ethernet infrastructure, making it easier for video applications to leverage Ethernet's low cost, networking flexibility, scalability, and long-distance reach.

No. The GigE Vision framework defines protocols for the exchange of video and control data, and the event sequence for network device discovery. Specific attributes of compliant products – such as reliability, recovery from packet loss, deterministic real-time operation, and precisely timed triggering – are vendor specific. This approach ensures vendors have room to differentiate their products and gives users the broadest possible selection of compliant products with which to work.

The GenICam™ standard defines a generic camera programming interface that allows a single API application programming interface) to control any compliant camera, regardless of its vendor, interface technology, or feature set. To gain compliance with the GigE Vision standard, system elements must include an XML file a format specified by the GenICam standard describing a basic set of features.

Yes. All of the elements in Pleora's networked video connectivity solutions combine to form richly featured, high-performance video networks that comply with both of these standards.

The GigE Vision standard is the only video interface on the market that meets growing demand for the advanced networked architectures required by new-generation applications in the military, medical, and manufacturing sectors. It is also the only video interface standard that supports a wide variety of video network elements. This table compares the attributes of the GigE Vision standard to five other high-speed interfaces.

Pleora is the world leader in networked video connectivity solutions for mission-critical applications. We pioneered the use of GigE for real-time video connectivity in 2002, co-founded the GigE Vision^® standard in 2003, and today offer the industry's largest and most feature-rich solution set for high-performance video networking.

Our singular focus on video connectivity gives us unique insight into the challenges of achieving performance and reliability over Ethernet networks. We understand the technology, know the applications, and play a lead role in the ongoing evolution of the standards.

By partnering with Pleora, OEMs and systems integrators gain access to our unmatched depth and breadth of expertise in networked video connectivity solutions for mission-critical applications. This allows OEMs and systems integrators to:

• significantly reduce design risk;
• speed time-to-market and accelerate field deployment;
• pass off the substantial engineering investment needed to keep up with the fast-paced evolution of video technology and standards;and
• allocate valued internal resources to areas that deliver higher value to their core businesses.

Pleora specializes in networked video connectivity solutions that are customized to meet specific requirements. Working with its rich portfolio of video networking elements, Pleora partners with customers to tailor solutions to their individual needs, from definition to deployment, with full integration support.

Our modular IP engine architecture is designed to accommodate a flexible range of requirements, including on-board processing, application-specific interfaces, and unique test patterns. At the PC, we can design software to accommodate application-specific requirements. For more information, visit our IP (intellectual property) offering page.

Our EtherCast family of products is comprised of compact, purpose-built, low-latency ASI-to-IP transceiver hardware. It allows broadcasters, integrators, and service providers to reap the cost and performance benefits of video-over-IP connectivity between central facilities and remote sites, while preserving existing ASI encoder investments.