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

AI learns to understand brain signals.

Scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, used deep-learning algorithms to translate brain signals into sentences.They were able to generate words at a natural pace and with an average error rate of 3%.

The study subjects were epileptic patients, who had previously undergone electrocorticography, during which electrodes had been placed on the surface of their brains to directly record electrical activity from the cerebral cortex. In the experiment, patients were asked to read out different sentences (made up of 250 unique words). Data from 250 brain sensors were then fed into a neural network, which analyzed the patterns of brain activity associated with specific words, with a special emphasis on patterns related to vowels, consonants, and mouth position. The analysis of words that tend to follow one another proved particularly important for translation accuracy. This is crucial, because the strength of the electric field in the brain will never be identical even if the person repeats the exact same sentence twice.

The results of this first analysis were later conveyed to the next deep-learning network designed to study the formation of sentences from binary data. Initially, its accuracy was rather low; it was not until word sequencing was performed that the average error rate in a given repetition set leveled out to just 3%. The system thus maps brain activity to words, but also considers the structure of the sentence as a whole, i.e. the likelihood that a given word will come up. The process is so demanding that scientists decided to limit the experiment's vocabulary to just 250 words, much fewer than the 350 thousand mastered by an average person, but still useful for someone who cannot talk at all.

Many additional aspects need to be considered when generating sentences in this way, such as the psychological state of the speaker, the context of the utterance, and even the surroundings. These factors complicate the process, but the research team suggests that in the future, their system may be used to restore speech to people who have lost the ability. The interface also has a huge potential for commercial application, e.g. as a BCI interface for the control of electronic devices.

How to enable the Hik-Connect remote view feature on your PC?

To be able to stream footage from devices connected to the Hik-Connect cloud on your PC, you will need to install a CMS software that supports this feature, e.g. iVMS-4200.

The iVMS-4200 button connecting the app to Hik-Connect

To enable the support of cloud devices, just log in to your account. All the devices linked to the account will be automatically added to the list, allowing access to cloud features, e.g. live view (many channels at once), PTZ control, digital zoom, acoustic monitoring, playback of archived video, and alarm notifications (area intrusion, virtual line crossing, etc.).

Long-range HDMI cables.

Active optical cables (AOC) allow to connect a HDMI signal source to a monitor/TV receiver over a distance much longer than would be possible with a typical copper HDMI cable. The cables support the HDMI 2.0 standard (with a 18 Gbps throughput). They are also small in diameter (4.5 mm) and do not require an external power supply (instead, they are powered from the HDMI port).

DIPOL offers 2 cable models, one 50 and the other 70 m long:

Distinguishing features:

• Length: 50 m H1505 or 70 m H1705,
• Support for HDMI 2.0 – 18 Gbps throughput,
• Support for 4K UHD, 3D, Deep Color, HDR 10, HDCP 2.2,
• AUDIO return channel,
• Ethernet channel,
• High flexibility.

Installations implemented in difficult DVB-T reception conditions.

Where a single DVB-T receiver directly connected to an antenna allows to receive a digital signal, the signal can be regenerated and distributed in a network of several dozen or several hundred outlets.

Integrating the smart features of IP cameras and PTZ cameras via an IP NVR.

Hikvision's IP cameras, even those from the budget series (except EasyIP Lite), offer intelligent image analysis, including data such as virtual line crossing and intrusion zone. To enable and configure these features, you need to log in to your camera via the iVMS-4200 client software or directly to the Hikvision NVR. Virtual line crossing and area intrusion data can be used for the detection of people, vehicles, and other objects. Whenever a line is crossed in a given defined direction, the system will send a notification, trigger recording or alarm output, send an e-mail, etc. These events can also be linked with PTZ camera in order to trigger a preset, patrol or route.

The system below employs 10 compact IP cameras (Hikvision DS-2CD2023G0-I K17631) and one PTZ camera (DS-2DE4225IW-DE K17912). The cameras are connected to the DS-7616NI-K2 K22165 NVR that enables video recording and the integration of the intelligent features of the IP cameras with those of the PTZ camera. The PTZ camera has been mounted in the middle of the housing development to enable a detailed observation of the entire precinct. The compact IP cameras installed inside the area use the line crossing or area intrusion detection functions. Such events will trigger a specific preset defined in the PTZ camera, allowing to identify the object that triggered the alarm. If several areas are affected at the same time, the first event will be supported. If the parking feature is enabled, the PTZ camera will take a defined position after the event is over. If not, the next intrusion will trigger another preset.

IP video surveillance system using the intelligent functions of compact cameras and a PTZ camera. In response to area intrusion, the PTZ camera moves to a defined preset and shows the details of the event.

Passive optical networks (PON) - installing distribution frames.

In order to provide FTTH (Fiber To The Home) services in the entire apartment building, a fiber-optic cable needs to be connected to all subscribers. The most popular method involves the installation of distribution boxes in cable shafts on every floor. Independent fiber-optic cables run from the optical distribution frame to different floors, where they are directly connected to subscribers and terminated in termination boxes such as, e.g. ULTIMODE TB-02H L5302.

Distribution boxes are often installed in a confined space, so they should be small in size, easy to install and maintain. These requirements are met by ULTIMODE L5404 boxes allowing for the easy organization of up to 4 fibers.

All the fibers distributed in a building go from a distribution frame usually located on the lowest floor (basement). It is the node which connects the internal network with external infrastructure. An example is the ULTIMODE TB-48B L5448 frame.

FTTH architecture in a building

Separating local networks from CCTV networks. As per standard, a single network should not include CCTV devices (security systems) and home computer equipment. Separating these devices from one another is one of the factors that improve the performance of the security system....>>>more

An example of an IP network with VLANs

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