Knowledge Base

Adjusting Camera Settings in EthoVision XT

Adjusting camera settings directly within EthoVision XT has been possible since EthoVision XT v15 via the Noldus Basler Pylon Interface that EthoVision XT installs. However, Noldus Support recommends making these settings in Pylon Viewer as described in Section H. Settings made and saved in Pylon Viewer are applied across all EthoVision XT experiments. If you want to change the settings for a single experiment in EthoVision XT, follow the instructions below.

Important: To improve the quality of the image, always try adjusting the lighting and camera aperture before changing the settings in EthoVision XT.

Accessing Camera Settings in EthoVision XT

1. Choose Setup, then Experiment Settings, and click the camera button for the camera you require.
2. Open the tab you require.

Format Tab

The Format tab is only available for the first camera. The settings specified here are also applied to all other cameras.

You can change the Resolution and Frame Rate in EthoVision XT, but the new values are not retained in the camera software after restarting the computer. They will, however, remain selected within EthoVision XT.

Important: If you change the resolution, open Arena Settings and update the background image. If the Arena Settings are locked, delete all trials if possible, or make a duplicate of the Arena Settings and update the background image there.

Resolution

For single arenas with subjects more than a couple of centimeters long, a resolution of 384x288 (PAL) or 320x240 (NTSC) is sufficient. Higher resolutions provide more accurate tracking but result in larger video files when saving to a digital video file over a long recording period. If disk space is limited, use the resolutions noted above.

For analog cameras, the resolution is determined by the TV standard. For some cameras, only one video resolution is available.

Frame Rate

The frame rate is the number of video images per second generated by the camera. For analog cameras, this is determined by the TV standard. For digital cameras, it can vary. A high frame rate is recommended when working with fast-moving animals or when detecting rapid movements such as startle responses in fish or rapid turns in flying insects. High frame rates require more processing power. If a high frame rate is selected, it may be necessary to lower the video resolution. A message will appear in this window when that is the case.

Note that the frame rate is not the same as the sample rate.

---

Source: EthoVision XT 17.5 - GigE Install and Setup