High-resolution CoaXPress cameras with image processing for expanded networking capabilities

The BASTION project was initiated on April 1, 2014 with the main of objective to research and develop new applications for the Broadcast Market, and for the Security and Surveillance Markets. Both will be built on top of the Internet Protocol network, which will allow distributing the video over several physical sites. The cameras will be located on one or more sites, and the monitoring/control room will be on a separate site. The main benefit of this distribution is that it will enable:

Increasing the efficiency for producing live Broadcast content by a factor of 2-3, by sending only camera personnel to remote sites, and having the main production team in the home studio to do several programs in a single day.
Integrating high-quality and high-resolution (HD and higher) image sensors in a networked infrastructure to detect, recognize and identify Surveillance and Security issues when observing long distance or large-scale events.

BASTION, which is an acronym for Broadcast And Surveillance Technologies Over Networks, is based on a consortium containing 6 companies (Adimec, Axon, Grass Valley, Caeleste, Altera, e2V) divided over 4 countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), 1 research institute (Armines), and 1 end user (Sagem).

BASTION will address imaging issues in security and surveillance applications such as poor image quality due to low cost image sensors and insufficient image processing before compression, high and unpredictable latency of video signals, unpredictable quality of service or poor reliability of transmission of video data over IP networks, and multiple interface standards for point-to-point connections.

Adimec will contribute camera technology for high-end security applications with excellent image quality under the most challenging imaging conditions, including optimization for different wavelengths, to overcome current limitations. Adimec will also develop an image processing platform that allows inputs from several camera sources and performs high-end processing functions to extract the maximum amount of data from the camera images. Included in this are developments for high quality image compression as the data rate from cameras continues to increase while the available bandwidth behind them does not.