Knowledge Base

Default/More

• Click the Default button to change the camera settings back to default. The settings on the other tabs will not change.
• Click the More button to open the camera software with additional settings. To operate this software, click first the Cancel button in the EthoVision XT Video Settings window.

Gamma

Human visual perception is typically non-linear. Adding 1 to a dark or bright color would not result in the same increase in the perceived brightness. Gamma adjusts the brightness of pixel values to account for this non-linearity. Choose sRGB to take a color as is. Choose user to fine-tune the color representation and get a color perception that is optimal for you.

When the gamma correction value is set to 1, the output pixel brightness is not corrected. A value between 0 and 1 results in increased overall brightness; a value greater than 1 results in decreased overall brightness.

Color Adjustment

With Color Adjustment you can fine tune the color perception by adjusting the settings of colors separately. Select Enable, then choose a color from the list and adjust the saturation Value. Check the result in the image preview.

Address Tab

This contains the settings for IP cameras.

IP Address

Enter the IP address of the IP camera. For details about how to define an IP address for the camera, see Assigning IP Address to Camera.

Port

Enter the port number specified for the IP camera (default for Noldus cameras: 554).

User Name

Enter the user name specified for the IP camera. For details on how to define a user, see Assigning IP Address to Camera, or see the camera's manual.

Password

Enter the password specified for the IP camera. For details on how to set a password, see the camera's manual.

Notes:

• What settings are available depend on the camera type (analog vs. digital). This topic describes the most relevant ones. For digital GigE or USB 3.0 cameras, additional settings are available in the camera software Pylon Viewer. See Configuring the GigE Camera in Pylon.
• When you adjust the camera settings in EthoVision XT, the settings are sent back to the camera once you re-open the experiment.
• Settings are saved at the experiment level. So, you can create two EthoVision XT experiments with different camera frame rates, exposure levels, etc.

Test and Check Camera Setup

Aim

If a digital camera is not set up properly, you will get dropped video frames which results in either Missed samples or Interpolated samples in EthoVision XT.

Prerequisites

• You have followed the steps to connect and configure the camera.
• You have created an experiment in EthoVision XT.
• You have made the Arena Settings. This step is necessary to open the Detection Settings.

Procedure

1. In the EthoVision XT experiment, select Setup > Detection Settings > New.
2. Make sure that the video window shows the live camera image.
3. In the Detection Settings pane, under Smoothing, set Dropped Frame Correction to Off.
4. Locate the Detection Performance pane.
5. Check the value of Missed Samples. If the percentage of missed samples is low (less than 1%), then the camera is set up properly. If the percentage is higher, there may be an issue with the camera.
6. You have a few options:
   • For GigE cameras: check that the exposure time is not too high for the set frame rate.
   • Reduce the video resolution, the frame rate, or both.
   • The Ethernet board may not be set up properly.
   • See the Troubleshooting section.

Notes:

• The value of Subject Not Found is not related to the camera setup. It shows how often the software is not able to find a subject in the arena. If the arena is empty, the value grows to 100%.
• The Dropped Frame Correction set to Off enables you to see if EthoVision XT can cope with the actual camera frame rate without missing samples.
• If the camera is set up properly and still the number of Missed Samples is high (e.g. > 5%), you can set Dropped Frame Correction to On. However, the software interpolates samples to compensate for the missing video frames.

Here is how to check for Missed Samples and/or Interpolated Samples in EthoVision XT:

• Missed Samples (in Detection Settings, default)
• Interpolated Samples (in Detection Settings, when Dropped Frames Correction is ON)
• Missed Samples (in Acquisition, default)
• Interpolated Samples (in Acquisition, when Dropped Frames Correction is ON in Detection Settings)

The Missing Samples and/or Interpolated Samples percentage should be at or near 0% (anything less than 1% is acceptable). Anything higher indicates that your exposure settings in Pylon are not optimal.

You can also see the Missing Samples or Interpolated Samples after tracking via the Trial List. Go to the Trial List, then select Show/Hide, then select Variables and choose either Missed Samples or Interpolated Samples. Both should be less than 1% for proper camera setup.

Pylon Troubleshooting

1. If Pylon IP Configurator is not detecting the camera:
   • If your camera connects to an Axis Power injector, confirm it is connected correctly. See the wiring diagram in Section E.
   • Make sure that the Axis Power Injector or POE switch is powered.
   • Reboot the PC if you did not do so after installing the camera's driver.
2. In Pylon IP Configurator, the camera is visible but the Status column says Not Reachable:
   • The network card IP and camera IP do not match. For example, the network card should be 192.168.200.101 and the camera should be 192.168.200.1 (the first three numbers must be the same but the fourth number must be different). Also verify the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 (not 255.255.0.0).
3. No camera image in Pylon Viewer despite all previous steps being verified:
   • Disable firewall and/or anti-virus software.
   • The network card could be defective.
4. If you cannot save your camera's configuration (as User Set 1) in Pylon Viewer:
   • Click the Stop button first.
   • Confirm you selected either Expert or Guru via the Tools menu. Select Options and check that the User Level is set to Expert or Guru.
5. Camera image is static/pixelated with red, blue, and green pixels:
   • The color space setting in Pylon Viewer is incorrect for the camera type. This setting can be found in Pylon Viewer under Image Format Controls, then Pixel Format:
     • Black and white camera (monochrome): select Mono8
     • Color camera: select Bayer RG 8 (previously YUV 422 (UYVY) Packed)

Source: EthoVision XT 18 - GigE Install and Setup, Noldus Information Technology