EthoVision XT 19 - Welcome to EthoVision XT - What's New in EthoVision XT 19
Last updated: Jul 28, 2026
What's New in EthoVision XT 19
In the Spotlight
Automatic Size Calibration
- Place the calibration card in view of the camera and EthoVision XT automatically determines the scale. No manual pixel-to-centimeter calculations are needed. See Calibration.
Four New Social Interaction Variables
Faster Re-ID After Occlusions
- Post-tracking re-identification of individuals after social interactions now completes in seconds. See Re-Identification.
Parameter Heatmaps
- In addition to the existing track density heatmap, you can now visualize the average value of a selected parameter (e.g., velocity, distance moved) at each location in the arena. Smoothing can be adjusted or set to none. Parameters with negative values are supported. See Heatmap.
Detection and Data Acquisition
- Lens focus assist: a visual feedback tool helps you achieve optimal camera focus before recording. See Arena Settings.
Data Analysis
- Reorganized variable categories: dependent variables are now organized into five categories: Activity and Movement, Zones and Exploration, Orientation, Social, and Hardware and Advanced.
Miscellaneous
- New package structure: Essential, Advanced, and Premium packages replace the previous module-based licensing. See Packages.
- Updated system requirements: full support for NVIDIA RTX 50 series GPUs and CUDA 13.1. Pascal architecture (GTX 10 series) is no longer supported for deep learning features. Recommended OS is Windows 11 Pro 25H2. See System Requirements.
Restrictions in EthoVision XT
General
| Feature | Maximum Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects per arena | 1 (Base module), up to 16 (Social Interaction module) | The limit of 16 subjects is set by the software. It may be difficult to discriminate between 16 different color marks depending on the light conditions. See Color Markers. We recommend only using tracking from video files when tracking multiple subjects and multiple body points. The technical limit of 16 subjects per arena can be overridden in the software; contact Noldus Support for possible solutions. |
| Arenas | 100 | With the Multiple Arena Module; one arena with the Base Module. Arenas must not overlap. The number of arenas does not depend on the number of cameras. You can have, for example, 96 wells in one camera image, or 16 arenas with 16 camera views (one arena per camera). When combining tracking of multiple subjects (with colors) and multiple arenas, performance may limit the total number of subjects followed simultaneously. |
| Trials | 10,000 | |
| Behavior types scored manually | 256 | |
| Hardware commands and signals | 1,024 | With the Trial and Hardware Control Module. |
| Arena Settings cache | 50 MB | |
| Heatmap dimensions (pixels) | 65,536 | |
| Rows or columns in analysis results table | One million | |
| Free intervals | 2,000 | See Free Interval. |
| Time bins | No restriction | If you create more than 1,000 time bins, the group charts are not displayed. |
Computer
| Feature | Limitations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Computer type | Workstation | We recommend the use of Dell workstations especially when using multiple add-on modules (e.g. tracking nose-, center- and tail-base points in multiple subjects simultaneously). When tracking for more than 24 hours, restart the PC before a new trial. See Hardware. |
| Video graphics card | NVIDIA, 4 GB or larger | If you opt to buy your own PC, it must have a stand-alone graphics card that supports Direct3D acceleration. We recommend NVIDIA video cards with a memory of 4 GB or larger. For tracking subjects with deep learning, there are further restrictions. See Deep Learning: Requirements. |
| Processor and RAM memory | Intel | We recommend an Intel processor; for desktop PCs, 32 GB RAM, and for laptops 16 GB RAM. |
Video Resolution, Sample Rate and Trial Duration
Important: When tracking from video files at high resolution and/or frame rate, always select DDS in the Playback Control window. This way EthoVision XT adjusts the analysis speed to the time needed to analyze each frame without skipping frames. See DDS (Detection Determines Speed).
Important: When tracking for more than 24 hours, always reboot the PC after every trial to refresh the PC resources, the RAM specifically. Failure to do so could result in crashing, which can corrupt the experiment or the recorded video.
| Feature | Maximum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video resolution (camera image) | Depends on camera type | See Cameras Supported by EthoVision XT. |
| Video resolution (video file) | 1900 x 1200 | Higher resolutions, for example 4K video, may work. Test a few sample videos and check for missing samples. Keep DDS selected in the Acquisition screen. See DDS (Detection Determines Speed). |
| Sample rate (live tracking) | 60 frames per second; depends on the camera | See Cameras Supported by EthoVision XT. |
| Sample rate (tracking from video file) | Not specified | EthoVision XT can handle short video files with a frame rate of 1000, but that also depends on the video format. Test a few sample videos and check for missing samples before running the experiment. |
| Trial duration | 72 hours, but this depends on the tested setup | See Resolution, Frame Rate, and Maximum Trial Duration. |