VOVERLAY: Programmable Text & Graphics on Video Overlay PCI Card

In addition to its existing MPEG encoder product range, Inventa Australia has released a high-quality Programmable Text & Graphics on Video Overlay card "VOVERLAY", that superimposes PC-generated text, graphics and video onto external video signal under full software control, and realtime output the superimposed result to SVideo and Composite ports. VOVERLAY allows user software to individually control every overlaid pixel on the output video frame in full 32-bit RGB Colour inc. Alpha Channel, easily creating unlimited video effects including speed-controllable motion text and graphics, timers,  multiple video windows, etc. The main features of VOVERLAY include:

--    Realtime overlay superior-quality PC-generated text, graphics, animation and live video on incoming external video signal

--    Overlaid text/graphics/animation has much higher quality than scan-converter styled overlay boxes

--    Full-Alpha blending control on all colour pixels mixed with incoming video at full 720X576 / 720X480 resolution

--    Instant on-board overlay memory read and write without delay on outputting video signal

--    Output video with overlay is forever synchronized with input video: side-by-side input & output videos are fully synced

--    Un-limited number of PC-generated text, graphics and video items can be overlaid simultaneously on incoming video

--    Self-generated internal time sync signal allows video-outputting PC generated text/graphics/animation without incoming video

--    Use full Windows GDI power to generate vector & bitmap graphics overlaid on incoming video

--    Overlaid contents can be fully constructed from PC's memory, no PC on-screen graphics display is required

--    Full software control at application and SDK level on video brightness, contrast, hue and saturation

--    PAL and NTSC video format are supported and software selectable

--    SVideo and Composite Video Input and Output, software selectable

--    SVideo output, main and secondary Composite video output ports

--    Secondary video output port can be separately configured independent of the main video output ports

--    Output ports can be software configured to display video only, video plus overlay, overlay only

--    Built-in TBC always provides clear video output even from old tapes and noisy incoming signal

--    Automatic Video Pass through on Power-Off

--    Overlay Text String support for different font colour, font name, font size and font style

--    Overlay Graphics Files support for BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF and Targa format

--    Overlay Timer support for time, date, mille-second, frame number display

--    Overlay Card Operation support for instant screen clear, area alpha change, port I/O selection, etc.

--    Overlay Windows support for constantly displaying any window’s content to TV & VCR

--    Constant Alpha Channel Value Change under software control for timing and increment

--    Horizontal and Vertical Moving Text & Graphics Overlay with software configurable steps and durations

--    Instant Overlay Display to external TV from any combination of overlay items constructed & loaded

--    Save and Load Overlay Item List Files for repeated use of complicated overlay schemes and patterns

--    Full SDK for Software Development inc. full C++ source codes of fully functioning application software

VOVERLAY uses on-board memory mapped mechanism to give application software direct access to all colour pixels that are realtime overlaid on the incoming video, allowing unlimited video effects creation using the full graphics processing power of the Windows operating system (the GDI API).  The hardware implemented Alpha-Channel blending capability gives application software easy and instant control for any overlay items' visibility on the external TV, complicated multiple-item graphical overlay effects such as fade-in / fade-out flying text over live video can be created within minutes. Since full PC based vector fonts (Windows' True-type fonts) can be used, text overlaid on video is fully scalable in smooth edges and proportional aspect ratio. VOVERLAY can display any graphics file directly on TV in extremely high-quality, with or without live video background. When live animation and movie playback is required on TV, VOVERLAY displays them in full motion and maximum flexibility. Using VOVERLAY, numerous special text and graphics overlay effects can be instantly constructed on TV without any software conversion. Combined with multiple MPEGIO cards, VOVERLAY can also create live video-on-video Picture-in-Picture result on its video output ports: multiple live video will appear in front of a background live video, in addition to other overlay effects such as text and animation graphics (see encoded video sample here) ---- all these are live realtime video passthrough without any video capture, editing or delays.

Up to 32 VOVERLAY cards can be used simultaneously in one PC, supported by both the application software and the SDK.

VOVERLAY can be used in many applications where high-quality PC-generated text, graphics and video are needed to overlay on live video:

--    Video Annotations 

--    Video Capture, Encoding and Streaming

--    Video Editing

--    TV and Video Broadcasting

--    Digital Signage

--    Recording PC-Generated Text, Graphics, Animation and Video to Video Tapes with or without external incoming video

VOVERLAY  runs on Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems, comes with full application software and user manual, plus full Software Development Kit. Used together with the Inventa's Hardware MPEG Encoders, Live Video with Overlays generated by VOVERLAY can be realtime recorded as MPEG files and/or realtime streamed out to remote network clients.

Interested parties can telephone 61-2-95186100, or e-mail info@inventa.com.au for more details.

Hardware  Specifications: