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Camera Integration SDK 1.0.2
(Software Development Kit)
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| Note : |
You can download the entire current SDK 1.0.2 package
here. |
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Obsolete SDK releases:
1.0.1,
0.9.1,
0.8.3
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Overview
The MOBOTIX SDK is intended to support software developers of,
e.g., surveillance solutions and/or video management systems in integrating
MOBOTIX network cameras into their products. Typical integration tasks
here include
- retrieval and decoding of MxPEG video/audio streams for the purpose of displaying, analyzing, converting, post processing or storing
- programmatically changing camera settings and parameters
- programmatically making use of camera events
- programmatically triggering signal output and other camera actions, as for
example FTP transfers or the sending of mail messages
To assist in solving these tasks, MOBOTIX offers three different
levels of integration support providing the developer with varying degrees of
control. These levels are
- the Camera HTTP API
- the MxPEG ActiveX Component
- the Open Source MxPEG Decoding Library (C++)
and they will be discussed more thoroughly in the following sections.
The intended audience for the Software Development Kit are system integrators
and developers with a background in image compression. In order to reasonably
make use of the included source code, solid experience with C++ development is
required.
Please note that MOBOTIX AG's regular product support does not include
assistance in programming with the SDK's C++ library. However, feel free to
contact mxpeg-sdk@mobotix.com if you
have questions of this sort or regarding MxPEG in general.
What's New in Release 1.0.2
The sole purpose of this release is to publish an updated version of the MOBOTIX MxPEG ActiveX Component.
- New MOBOTIX MxPEG ActiveX Component version 1.6.3.0
What's New in Release 1.0.1
The major changes clearly have been improvements to the included C++ library
package:
- First off, there's been a change in functional scope. The package no
longer contains any user interface and/or video display elements, but
concentrates on the actual MxPEG decoding instead. Thus, the dependency on
Qt has been eliminated. As another consequence the portable MxPEG Player
application is no longer part of MxPEG SDK.
- Audio Support : The decoder interfaces have been extended in order to also
hand decoded audio data over to the client application code for further
processing. Note however that in order to actually hear anything, you will
have to provide your own audio output routines for your specific target
platform - a fact that is now also true for displaying video.
- As was requested by many customers, the package now also compiles under
Microsoft Visual C++. At MX, we're working and testing with Visual Studio
2005.
- We are currently migrating considerable parts of our codebase to a
component oriented design, with the MxPEG SDK C++ package actually being
a subset of it. As a result, the MxPEG SDK code has also been reworked and
molded into components, and its infrastructure and interfaces have
received a fair amount of streamlining in the process.
- The actual MxPEG decoder engine has grown more mature: it implements a
larger subset of the JPEG stream specification including an additional
subsampling mode (enabling it to also properly digest MJPEG streams coming
in from certain Axis and MerritLiLin camera models), hands more frame
parameters over to the client application and has an improved handling of
error conditions.
Version
| SDK Release |
1.0.2 |
| Release Date |
Feb. 26, 2010 |
| ActiveX Version |
1.6.3.0 |
| Compatible Camera Models |
All MOBOTIX cameras |
| Compatible Camera Software Versions |
All versions |
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Camera HTTP API
The HTTP API allows your software to interact with MOBOTIX cameras by
invoking special CGI programs via standard HTTP transactions
and by processing potential reply messages. The HTTP API is supported by all
MOBOTIX camera models and, among other things, can be used to
- retrieve single camera images or continous MxPEG / MJPEG
video streams via the HTTP protocol
- programmatically change camera settings and parameters
- programmatically make use of camera events
- programmatically trigger signal output and other camera actions, as for
example FTP transfers or the sending of mail messages
| Note: |
Please note that these API pages are not generic, but depend on the camera model and software version. It is thus highly recommended to open the HTTP API and CGI Parameters of the MOBOTIX Camera help topics on your camera to find the options that are available. |
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MxPEG ActiveX Component
The MxPEG ActiveX Component shipping with each MOBOTIX camera
can be used as a plugin in Microsoft Internet Explorer, thus
allowing for playback of live or stored MxPEG video streams in the web
browser, including audio if desired. MJPEG streams can be displayed as
well, but obviously without sound.
What makes the MxPEG ActiveX Component furthermore attractive in regard
to integration efforts, is that it can be integrated into 3rd party MS
Windows applications in order to
- display MxPEG streams received fom MOBOTIX cameras in
the ActiveX component's display window, optionally including audio playback
- display MJPEG video streams received fom MOBOTIX cameras
in the ActiveX component's display window (no audio playback in this case)
- retrieve and decode MxPEG or MJPEG streams, handing
the individual frame bitmaps over to the client application for further
processing
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MxPEG C++ Library
As part of the Software Development Kit, MOBOTIX releases a C++
library in open source form under the BSD License. It provides
MxPEG decoding to system integrators and runs on Windows, Linux and
Mac OS X.
System integrators are encouraged to incorporate the code in their own
software products. Since the sources are freely available, potential
shortcomings if they should be considered as such can be easily fixed, as
missing features for a given specific application scenario can be added.
By using the MxPEG SDK C++ library, application developers have the most
flexible access to MxPEG or MJPEG video streams coming in from
MOBOTIX cameras. In contrast to the ActiveX component described earlier,
due to their platform-indepent nature these classes can be used to build
applications that can be deployed on Windows, Linux or Mac OS X.
The C++ library basically implements an object-oriented decoder
infrastructure allowing for the processing of
- MxPEG streams, including video and optional audio
- MJPEG streams, video-only
In the typical case your client application will feed an MxPEG stream
into the decoder, and be then presented with a sequence of
- decoded video tiles, 16x16 pixels, three-byte-RGB
- audio blocks
all together with the necessary timestamp information for proper
resynchronization. Furthermore, entire frames can be dumped in raw RGB
or YUV formats, as well as they can be re-packed into individual single
JPEG frames.
To complete the package, there is also an optional Qt-dependent part
of the library that provides support for the aforementioned camera HTTP API by
implementing classes for comfortably performing HTTP GET transactions
with remote cameras.
Please note again that assistance in programming with the SDK's C++ library
is not included in MOBOTIX AG's regular product support. Note also that
solid experience with C++ development is required to reasonably put to use the
included source code.
- Open Source, Cross-Platform C++ Library
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MxPEG Format Documentation
To help you better understand the aforementioned C++ library's source code, and
to enable you to extend it in case you need access to a larger subset of the
stream data, our Development Tools package is completed by a detailed
description of the MxPEG stream format.
MxPEG Format Documentation
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Copyright © 2005-2007, MOBOTIX AG. All rights reserved.