Altera and Eutecus announce world's first 1080p/30fps video analytics solution on an FPGA

SAN JOSE, USA: Expanding its leadership in high-definition (HD) video-surveillance solutions, Altera Corp. announced the world's first FPGA-based full-HD 1080p/(30 frames per second) 30fps video analytics on a Cyclone IV FPGA.

Altera's single-chip solution provides a new level of video analytics performance, combining exceptionally high throughput (60-Mpixel per second) with pixel precision detail not possible with traditional digital signal processing (DSP)-based approaches.

The solution includes Eutecus' Multi-Core Video Analytics Engine (MVE™) intellectual property (IP), which performs the analytics functions in the FPGA. Because this solution can be easily integrated into HD Internet protocol cameras, it is ideal for a variety of applications, including traffic surveillance that monitors accident detection, vehicle counting, lane-exit detection, stopped traffic, red-light violations and vehicles moving in the wrong direction.

Altera and Eutecus' FPGA-based video analytics solution is the first and only solution capable of delivering the processing power required for full HD 1080p/30fps real-time video processing. The performance and flexibility of FPGAs continue to rapidly replace other technologies for important functions such as these.

The greater performance allows the user to track dozens of user-defined rules. For example, the user can define rules, configure alerts and remotely update rules for events they want detected, such as a person entering a room or a restricted area in an airport terminal or a building entrance. Video analytics offers surveillance customers the ability to monitor videos automatically, eliminating the need for a person to scan hours of footage to detect and determine specified events.

Altera's Cyclone IV FPGAs offer video analytics designers greater flexibility to customize their application with Eutecus' MVE IP. The IP combines massively parallel algorithms and specialized coprocessors with multiple Altera Nios II cores integrated into a Cyclone IV FPGA. It also comes with a software GUI that allows designers to customize the event-detection parameters and rules for their specific applications. Eutecus' IP includes a robust application programming interface (API) that allows customers to interface with their own video management systems or develop their own custom GUI.

The performance and flexibility of Altera's video analytics solution offers customers a unique benefit by eliminating the need to make tradeoffs between system performance and the number of rules running at the same time.

Altera also offers a single-vendor source model for the video analytics solution. The IP and FPGA can be purchased directly from Altera, which simplifies the development of a video surveillance system significantly. The purchasing model eliminates the need to work with multiple vendors for licensing fees, NRE charges, or royalties.

"With Altera's FPGA's unprecedented video processing capabilities coupled with Eutecus' MVE analytics technology, customers can track multiple objects with multiple rules in varying weather conditions in real time, giving customers a more powerful and flexible solution compared to existing technology. This solution can also be leveraged for other applications such as automotive driver assistance which includes rear view and surround view cameras," said Arun Iyengar, VP of military, industrial, and computer, consumer, and storage business units division at Altera. "Altera's one-stop shop approach for the FPGA and IP reduces the barriers for customers looking to expand their analytics capabilities."

"Altera's Cyclone IV FPGA and its Quartus II software offer the ideal design environment for Eutecus' MVE solution," said Csaba Rekeczky, CEO and president of Eutecus. "Video analytics customers can take advantage of the partnership between our companies by leveraging Eutecus' highly modular, flexible and scalable IP product and Altera's high performing and customizable FPGAs."