Photron updates camera viewing software

New features include binning options, video triggering, and bit shifting for increased light sensitivity.

-- Test & Measurement World, 2/2/2010 7:00:00 AM

Following the release of the Fastcam SA5 and multihead Fastcam MH4 cameras, Photron has given its PFV (Photron Fastcam Viewer) software a facelift to improve its functionality. The company says that PFV3 offers a new interface that lets users easily create and replay image sequences from industry-standard file formats.

PFV3 supports AVI (Windows video) and MOV (Apple QuickTime video), as well as TIFF, JPEG, BMP, PNG, RAW, and RAWW image-file formats. Videos saved using PFV3 software will automatically replay at the user-selected replay speed ranging from 1 fps to 1000 fps. When the video is opened with Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime, it automatically plays at the desired slow-motion rate. PFV also quizzes the host computer to see which compression codecs are installed and provides a list so users wishing to compress the saved files can do so.

New features in Version 3 include binning options to increase light-gathering sensitivity, video triggering to detect motion within the image displayed, and bit shifting to select which 8 of the 12 bits are displayed for increased light sensitivity. The program also offers an enhanced navigation mode, which divides the display area into nine squares, each controlling a different and selectable camera function. Matlab drivers are included to simplify camera integration into existing workflows.

Photron, www.photron.com.