Release Notes for MOBOTIX MxEasy

Document Info

Contents

These Release Notes contain a short technical description of the most important changes of MOBOTIX MxEasy.

Software Releases—Overview:

Notes:

• Please download the stable customer releases of the software from http://www.mobotix.com/Support/Software-Downloads.
• Please send an e-mail to software-feedback@mobotix.com for feedback.

Version 1.1.0 (Release) of MxEasy

Creation Date: 2009-12-11

Publishing Date: 2009-12-11

Enhancements and Improvements

First and foremost, MxEasy 1.1 features a new look when compared to its predecessor version 1.0. The application can automatically adjust to the size of the displayed camera images. In addition, this version has been improved in many ways and many bugs have been fixed. For more information on the features described below, please consult the MxEasy 1.1 User Manual, which has been installed with the software. The newest version of this manual is also available from the MOBOTIX website.

Note:
Most of the features described below require a camera software version 3.5.2.x or higher (for M12, D12, D22M, M22M, D24M, Q22M cameras) or 4.0.2.x or higher (for Q24M, D24M, M24M cameras). If cameras with older software are added to the system, MxEasy will display a message box to alert the user of this fact. In such a case, some of the features described below will not be available.

Changes the User Interface and the Application Window

• Changed buttons, hideable toolbars
  The buttons arranged around the display area have been redesigned from the ground up. When selecting a different style from the Tools > Style menu, the buttons also change. In addition, you can choose to hide all buttons by deactivating the View > Layout > Toolbars menu entry.
• Different layouts and program window sizes
  The size and arrangement of display windows within MxEasy can be adjusted by selecting options from the View > Layout menu entry or the Camera Overview and Layouts button. The available sizes are automatically adjusted to the main window used for displaying the cameras. The remaining elements of the application window are arranged in a sensible manner.
• Overview layout has changed
  The Camera Overview and Layouts button now shows an overview with all cameras added to MxEasy, that does not contain any additional controls (i.e. checkboxes). To control which cameras are shown in the standard view, open the View > Camera Management menu entry.
• Enlargement of the application
  Click on the View > Maximize and View > Full Screen menu entries to enlarge the application window. Maximize will show the application frame and menu bar, Full Screen will hide these application elements. Press the [Esc] key on your keyboard to return to the standard view.

Improved MxEasy Assistant (Mounting Position and Display Mode Selection for Hemispheric Cameras)

• Improved Camera List
  The camera list, which shows all cameras on the network that are found by MxEasy and which can be integrated into the system, has been improved.
• Support of Hemispheric cameras
  When adding Hemispheric cameras to MxEasy, the assistant shows an additional dialog. You can set the mounting position and the desired display mode (e.g. Panorama) for the Hemispheric camera.

Extended Support of PTZ and Hemispheric Features

• PTZ actions in the application and in the camera
  When executing digital (virtual) zoom actions, MxEasy now differentiates between application and camera zoom. If the camera image has a higher pixel resolution than the available display area in the MxEasy main window, the application itself will execute the zoom actions. In application zoom mode, the image keeps sending unchanged images and MxEasy continues to zoom into the image until one display pixel corresponds exactly to one pixel of the camera image. If you continue to zoom into the image, MxEasy switches to camera zoom and the camera delivers a zoomed image. Different icons in the upper right corner of the image (a rectangle and a camera icon) will show, which zoom is used at the moment.
• Setup of Hemispheric cameras
  When setting up Hemispheric cameras, you can set the mounting position, the Panorama and Horizon correction directly in MxEasy. To make these adjustments, activate the function toolbar by clicking on the Image Formats and Views and use the corresponding buttons.

Definition of Network Environments

Defining different network environments allows adding the same set of cameras with different IP addresses to MxEasy. Switching the environment will use a different set of camera IP addresses without having to change the IP addresses individually for each camera. When using a laptop, for example, you can create two different environments - one for the camera network on the LAN and one for accessing the same cameras remotely via the Internet using a DynDNS service. To define different network environments, click on the File > Environment > Edit Environments.

Playback and Export of Recorded Data (with Preview) for AVI, MxPEG Clips and File Server Structures

• Export of audio/video data
  MxEasy now provides features for exporting the recorded audio/video data into different formats: AVI, MxPEG clips and MOBOTIX file server structure. To define the clips you would like to export, make sure that the Player Mode has been activated, then click on the Event Search button and highlight the desired range in the Select Event by Time dialog. Once the range has been set, you can add it to the export list by clicking on the Add Clip to Export List button.
• Playback and export with post PTZ actions
  When playing back recordings, the same PTZ actions and views are available as when viewing live camera images. This means that you can play back the original full images of a Hemispheric camera e.g. as Panorama images and with a zoomed image section. Just as when viewing live camera images, you can use the features of the Image Formats and Views button to select post-PTZ functions and view modes. If desired, you can use the selected view mode also when exporting the audio/video data.
• Playback of MxPEG clips and MOBOTIX file server structures
  In order to play back MxPEG clips or file server structures, click on the File > Open Clip menu entry to open the desired format.

System Shutoff – Privacy Mode

The new Privacy Mode button in the upper toolbar now provides a function to "switch off" the complete camera system. Since this system does not have a physical switch, the "system shutoff" had to be implemented by a software function. Once this switch has been activated, the cameras will not allow any access to live images or recordings; even the system administrator does not have any means to access the cameras. MxEasy accomplishes this by replacing all passwords on the cameras by an admin password that is generated at runtime and by completely blocking public access. The cameras are signaling this operating mode by a special (new) blinking pattern: two specific LEDs are flashing simultaneously every three seconds. On Q24M, D24M and M24M cameras, both LEDs will flash green, even the second LED, which only blinks red otherwise!

CAUTION:
To return to the standard mode, you can either deactivate the Privacy Mode in MxEasy or you can login at the cameras from the browser interface. When activating the Privacy Mode, make sure that you are making a note of the automatically generated admin password or that you are assigning your own password.

Other Improvements

• Echo cancellation
  Thanks to the fully integrated echo cancellation, you can play back the sound from the camera microphone on the computer speakers and at the same time send an announcement from the computer microphone to the camera speaker.
• Deactivating the OpenGL hardware acceleration
  By default, MxEasy uses OpenGL commands to accelerate the display of the graphics and the camera's video images, since all modern graphics adapters support these commands. As OpenGL commands may cause problems on some computer systems, you can deactivate OpenGL in the Settings dialog, General tab.

Bugfixes

• Support of ATI graphics adapters
  MxEasy version 1.0 caused problems on some systems with ATI graphics adapters when displaying graphical elements and camera images.
• Playback of recordings sometimes instable
  When playing back recorded camera data (audio and video), various problems occurred, such as timeouts, display of wrong timestamps, abrupt player stops, etc.
• Support of https/SSL Connections
  You can now add cameras to MxEasy, which are using https/SSL connections.

Known Limitations

• Player mode – playback does not work backwards
  Playing back recordings backwards continuously is not possible with this version. It is only possible to go back one event at a time by clicking repeatedly on the corresponding button.
• Player mode – event handling
  When playing back the events of a continuous recording, MxEasy will also show the "pseudo events" generated automatically every minute. Is is currently not possible to show only the "real" events, such as video motion detection (VM), microphone, etc.

Platform-Specific Notes

Mac OS X

This version only runs on Mac OS X computern with Intel processor and OS X 10.4 or higher.

Linux

MxEasy version 1.1 is also available as a Linux application. Supported distributions (32 and 64 bit computers):

• Fedora 11
• Fedora 12
• OpenSuse Linux 11.1
• OpenSuse Linux 11.2
• Ubuntu 8.04
• Ubuntu 9.10

Version 1.0.4 (Release) of MxEasy

Creation Date: 2009-03-20

Publishing Date: 2009-03-23

Enhancements and Improvements

• Automatic software updates for camera software
  From this version on, MxEasy also checks the software of the managed cameras and notifies the user if a newer version is available.
• Defining of Video Motion windows improved
  
  • You can define reference windows by pressing the Alt key while dragging a frame.
  • You can add or single nodes of a video motion polygon window by pressing the Shift key.
• Crop marks for quick definition of video export range
  When exporting recorded video data, crop marks allow defining a start and end position of the ranges that are to be exported.

Bugfixes

• Problems sometimes occurred when changing the network configuration or the access data of cameras already managed by MxEasy.
• When restoring a previously saved camera configuration, problems sometimes occurred if the access data had been changed in the meantime.
• The time server setting was not transferred properly when initially setting up cameras.
• The stylesheets of the skin definitions had been missing in the Windows installations.

Version 1.0.3 (Release) of MxEasy

Creation Date: 2009-03-06

Publishing Date: 2009-03-06

Welcome to MxEasy

This release is the first publicly available version of the new MOBOTIX MxEasy. MxEasy provides for quick setup, configuration and use of a video security system with up to 16 MOBOTIX cameras. It is thus the correct choice for all small and compact camera networks. The application finds all existing MOBOTIX cameras and automatically conducts the initial configuration of the devices. You do not need any deeper knowledge of network technology to connect and operate your MOBOTIX cameras.

The configuration of the cameras is facilitated thanks to the intuitive user interface of MxEasy. In most of the cases, it is not required to use a web browser to configure the cameras.

This version is available for Windows computers and Mac OS X systems.

System Requirements

Windows

• Windows XP SP3 or higher
• Processor with at least 2 GHz
• Minimum 1 GB RAM

Mac OS X

• Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
• Processor with at least 2 GHz
• Minimum 1 GB RAM

Important Notes

• Minimum firmware version of the cameras for full functionality: 3.4.5.4.
• Many features (operating mode, alarm planner, etc.) will be switched off if only one camera does not have the minimum firmware version.
• MxEasy currently only fully supports the recording on the internal SD/CF storage media of the MOBOTIX cameras. Although you cannot use MxEasy to set up recording on file servers, MxEasy can play back the data recorded on the file server via the camera.

Known Limitations

• Post image creation features such as distortion correction of live and recorded full sensor images of a Q22M camera with L11 lens as well as other post-processing features are not yet available.
• Q22M: You can only define hidden (obscured) areas in the Full Image display mode.
• Systems with ATI graphics adapters may experience problems when displaying graphical elements and video images.
• Reconfiguring cameras to use DHCP may not work properly.
• Make sure that you restart MxEasy after adding/changing information on a proxy server.

Platform-Specific Notes

Mac OS X

• Audio messages to the camera are currently not supported.
• AVI export is not supported.