DIPOL Weekly Review – TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

AI protects salmon against parasites

Parasites such as sea lice have a serious impact on salmon farm populations around the world. In recent years, sea lice have depleted the total stock of Norwegian salmon by c. 9%, reducing the annual national revenue by more than 500 million euro. Usually no bigger than 15 mm long, these marine parasites attach themselves to salmon, creating an open wound that in many cases kills the fish. Conventional methods using toxic chemicals and strong sea currents have failed to put an end to the problem

To solve it, self-taught inventor Esben Beck has designed an underwater robot capable of eliminating the danger with the aid of image recognition, artificial and...laser technology. More than 250 of his patented units are now patrolling Norwegian fisheries, independently detecting and killing parasites to protect fish without the need to use any chemicals.

Lasers and artificial intelligence harnessed for the protection of salmon

Beck's invention relies on light rays to kill sea lice without causing damage to the fish and the environment. Stingray is a submersible robot about the size of a fridge, which monitors its surroundings and emits a strong green laser beam in the direction of the target. The device scans surrounding fish with stereoscopic cameras and image recognition software to detect sea lice. The powerful Stingray computer then models the trajectory of the fish in the water, directs movable mirrors to focus its laser beam on the lice, and emits a short 7 ms pulse of intense green light. With a wavelength of 532 nanometers, the laser is lethal to the dark-colored parasites, but reflects off the salmon's shiny scales. Stingray can operate round the clock, killing tens of thousands of sea lice per day.

Viewing HDMI-to-IP converter images on PC.

Signal HD's HDMI-to-IP and VGA-to-IP converters (H3614 and H3618, respectively) allow to connect a HD signal source to a receiver (television screen or monitor) equipped with a HDMI or VGA input through a dedicated computer network. The devices also make it possible to extend the IR (remote control) or USB (mouse, keyboard) signal, e.g. in order to control the NVR or STB.

Most commonly, converters are used to send point-to-point and point-to-multipoint signals from the HDMI source to the TV set. They also make it possible to view the HDbitT stream on PC using a special network video streaming software.

A system in which the STB image is viewed on TV and computer screens

To view the image on your PC, install a media player like VLC, and open the stream under udp://@239.255.42.42:5004. Thanks to the multicast transmission mode, the number of connected devices will only affect the load of the network equipment in the system and not that of the HDMI converter's CPU.

Camera signals in SMATV systems.

Converting A/V signals, generated by computers, players or surveillance cameras, into high-frequency RF signals used in terrestrial TV systems requires a modulator. The device is fitted with one or more A/V inputs (RCA, HDMI, etc., depending on its type) and an RF output (commonly known as the "antenna" output) and allows for audio and video playback on selected channels, in all TV receivers connected to the system. From the point of view of the receiver, the program introduced into the system is recognized as yet another terrestrial television channel.

Modulators can be divided into several groups, based on the type of RF output signal. There are analog modulators, which are gradually going out of use, and digital DVB-T and DVB-C modulators. Other subdivisions may be based on e.g. the number of sources that can be connected to a single device, output frequency range, the number and type of channels and inputs, and HDCP protocol support.

Using the MI520P IP - 2xDVB-T R81609 modulator.
The camera stream is converted to the DVB-T standard and then fed into the SMATV system.
Footage from each camera is displayed as a separate TV channel.

Are colors important for fiber-optic adapters?

In single-mode connections any type of connector can be created either with a PC ferrule (Physical Contact) or an APC ferrule (Angled Physical Contact, with an 8° angled end-face). The choice will depend on the devices used and specific reflectance requirements (APC connectors show the lowest optical back reflection). As per standard, the body of a PC connector is blue, while that of an APC connector is green.

The same applies to adapters, which can be either blue or green. However, adapters of different colors do not differ in terms of any technical parameters. Their internal positioning sleeves are of the same size and material. Their external dimensions are also identical. Why, then, are they distinguished by color?

The color of an adapter tells the installer which connector (patch cord) should be inserted into the distribution frame or fiber-optic box. The type of connectors inside the frame is often difficult to verify. The visible parts of the adapters then help eliminate mistakes during installation.

If the pigtails and adapters in an optical fiber distribution frame are green, you know you are dealing with SC/APC connectors

Distortion correction in CCTV systems.

Camera lenses may generate image distortions, which will affect object visibility and our ability to determine the relative positions of individual image points. Cameras with a 2.8 mm lens have a viewing angle of c. 100°. In cameras with a viewing angle of this size, the image will often bend outward from the center; the phenomenon is known as the barrel distortion. It is usually acceptable but can also be corrected. Image distortion correction is a function available, for instance, in 4-line Hikvision cameras. Below, you can see just what it can do.

Using Vimtag IP/Wi-Fi camera for baby care.

The CP3 K1579 4 MP camera by Vimtag is an ideal solution for all those who want to boost security in their home or office. It can be used as a nanny camera to monitor elderly household members or as a simple home monitoring system. Below, you can see an example of its application to monitor a sleeping baby. Two-way audio communication enables audio playback at the monitoring site, while voice messages can be sent to the camera via a built-in speaker. If motion is detected, a push notification can be sent to the smartphone. The PTZ function enables the remote control and observation of the entire monitored area. The camera is equipped with a LAN port, which means it can be connected directly to the router, and a Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz module to establish a wireless connection. It is powered with 5 VDC, which means it can be connected to a powerbank and placed at a convenient vantage point without the need for a network power supply.

A Vimtag CP3 K1579 camera used to monitor a sleeping baby

To start using any of the cameras, install the Vimtag application on your smartphone (dedicated for Android devices, iOS phones, or PCs). Connection to the cameras is also possible via a web browser. To access all connected Vimtag devices, log in to the previously created account. The procedure of configuring and adding a camera to the account is extremely easy and does not require port forwarding to connect to the external network.

Measuring optocal signal strength at network terminals. Examples of passive optical networks (PON), where receiver signal strength is of key importance, include fiber-optic TV systems, consisting of optical transmitters, passive elements such as cables, splitters, attenuators, and optical receivers...>>>more

The receiver signal level in shared SMATV systems can be measured with a TM503N L5816 meter.

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