Frequently Asked Questions

The GigE Vision standard is an open, global standard for transporting video and device control over Ethernet networks. It was introduced in 2006 and has been widely adopted by hardware and software vendors of industrial imaging equipment. It is being used successfully in video applications for machine vision, the military, medical imaging, traffic monitoring, and other industries. The GigE Vision standard provides a framework for connectivity between video transmitters, video receivers, video servers, video processing units, and control and management entities over standard GigE networks. Through compliance with the standard, these network elements interoperate seamlessly over the well-understood Ethernet infrastructure, making it easier for video applications to leverage Ethernet’s low cost, networking flexibility, scalability, high throughout, full-duplex connections, and long-distance reach. The GigE Vision standard is managed by the AIA. For more information on the GigE Vision standard, and to download the specification free-of-charge, visit the AIA web site.

Pleora’s Ethernet-based video interface products are GigE Vision compliant, and the company plays a leadership role in GigE Vision standards activities. We co-founded the GigE Vision initiative in 2003, our representative serves as Vice-Chair of the AIA GigE Vision Standard Committee, and we make significant contributions to the AIA GigE Vision Technical Committee.

The GigE Vision standard is the only video interface on the market that meets growing demand for the advanced networked architectures required by new-generation applications in the military, medical, and manufacturing sectors. It is also the only video interface standard that supports a wide variety of video network elements. Compared with other standard protocols, the GigE Vision standard cost-reduces the design, deployment and maintenance of high-speed video applications. The standard offers a turnkey solution that encompasses all aspects of communication and control, while leveraging globally established and industry maintained Ethernet standards protocols and the GenICam standard to speed time-to-market. The standard eases installation and reduces costs by enabling third-party interoperability and the use of widely available Ethernet elements. In addition, the GigE Vision standard makes it easier for designers to leverage the native performance attributes of Ethernet, including longer distance reach, network flexibility, scalability, high throughout, and full-duplex connections.

No. The GigE Vision framework defines protocols for the exchange of video and control data, and the event sequence for network device discovery. Specific attributes of compliant products are vendor-specific. These include reliability, recovery from packet loss, deterministic real-time operation, and precisely timed triggering. This approach ensures vendors have room to differentiate their products and gives users the broadest possible selection of compliant products with which to work.

The USB3 Vision interface is based on the USB 3.0 interface and uses USB 3.0 ports that will soon be standard on most PCs. Ratified in February 2013, the standard specifies how to format, stream, and control the transfer of the imaging and video data over the USB 3.0 bus, and includes a methodology for interoperating with software applications and software development kits (SDKs) on the host computer. The USB3 Vision interface helps reduce the design, deployment and maintenance costs of high-speed video applications based on the USB 3.0 bus by allowing cameras and other imaging products from various vendors to interoperate seamlessly. In addition, the standard makes it easier to leverage the performance attributes of the USB 3.0 platform, including higher bandwidth, power over cable and plug-and-play usability, using the affordable widely available USB 3.0 ports. The USB3 Vision standard is managed by the AIA. For more information on the USB3 Vision standard, and download the specification free-of-charge, visit the AIA web site.

Pleora’s USB 3.0 video interface products are USB3 Vision compliant, and the company plays an active role in USB3 Vision standards activities. Pleora contributed to the technical specifications and marketing development needed to launch the standard, and our representatives are driving its ongoing evolution by serving on the USB3 Vision Technical Committee.

The GenICam standard defines a generic camera programming interface that allows a single API (application programming interface) to control any compliant camera, regardless of its vendor, interface technology, or feature set. To gain compliance with the GigE Vision standard, system elements must include an XML file in a format specified by the GenICam standard describing a basic set of features. The GenICam standard allows the same applications design framework to be used for different types of cameras and imaging products, and simplifies the integration of new cameras and other imaging products into larger systems. The European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) publishes the GenICam standard and oversees the compliance process.

Pleora’s frame grabbers and embedded video interface hardware are GenICam-compliant, and the company plays an active role in GenICam standards activities. Pleora contributed to the technical specifications needed to get the standard launched, our representative serves on the EMVA GenICam Standard Committee, and we contribute to the standard’s ongoing technical evolution.

Yes. All of the elements in Pleora’s video connectivity solutions combine to form richly featured, high-performance video networks that are compatible with these standards.

Whether you’re designing a commercial machine vision system or upgrading a system within your own organization, standards-based interfaces help speed design time. Pleora has been deeply involved in the development of vision standards based on common PC interface and networking technologies because this ultimately drives design flexibility for our customers. By deploying a standards-based interface, designers can concentrate on image processing requirements rather than spending time reading standards documentation and testing implementations for compliance and interoperability.

Employing our solutions, camera and systems manufacturers can increase reliability and performance while reducing development risk, shortening time-to-market and lowering costs. Our external frame grabber and embedded hardware products are deployed globally in a wide range of applications – including manufacturing, medical, defense, security and transportation systems – that require high-speed, uncompressed video for real-time analysis.

Frame grabbers interface cameras to a PC. While frame grabbers have traditionally been an internal component of the PC, with a camera interface provided through a PCI or a PCMCIA card, in today’s smaller form factor PCs there is often no room for an internal frame grabber. Instead, standards like GigE Vision and USB3 Vision allow the use of external frame grabbers connecting to ports already built into these smaller computing platforms. With external frame grabbers, end-users can more easily deploy a distributed computing system that integrates multiple cameras, small form factor PCs and remotely located processing or upgrade an existing vision system with an installed base of high-performance or application-specific analog cameras.

Pleora’s embedded hardware products are camera interfaces used to transport images from the camera sensor to the PC. Analog interfaces were originally used to transfer images, with camera settings performed manually at the camera. These have now been replaced with digital interfaces that allow higher speed imaging and enable camera control functions to be handled by the host software. Pleora introduced the first digital interface using GigE in 2002. Today we deliver an extensive family of embedded hardware products, with interfaces for video delivery over GigE, 10 GigE, USB 3.0, and wireless.

Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) is the third generation of Ethernet, the time-honored standard used in most of the world’s local area networks, including those for high-performance, real-time military, medical imaging, and industrial applications. The Ethernet standard defines four data rates: Ethernet (10 Mb/s), Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s), GigE (1000 Mb/s or 1 Gb/s), and 10 GigE (10,000 Mb/s or 10 Gb/s). All generations use the same frame format. This ensures backward compatibility, permits system upgrades without sacrificing the equipment already in place, and allows multi-rate networks to interwork seamlessly.

Ethernet delivers the following key benefits for video connectivity:

• Long reach, allowing spans of up to 100 meters between network nodes over standard copper cabling, and greater distances with switches or cost-effective fiber extenders;
• Ubiquitous connection method, with Ethernet ports widely available on computing and networking devices
• A low-cost, well-understood, and widely available infrastructure;
• Exceptional networking flexibility, with support for almost every conceivable connectivity configuration, including point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multi-point to multi-point;
• Cabling flexibility and small connectors that can be field-terminated;
• High throughput;and
• Scalability, with an inherent ability to accommodate links operating at different data rates and the addition of new processing nodes, displays, and sensors.

Yes, Pleora’s eBUS SDK is optimized to help software developers quickly and easily develop processes to acquire an image from a camera or external frame grabber. As a result, developers can concentrate on image processing functionality, rather than understanding the intricate details of vision-specific standards. The comprehensive SDK is interoperable with both Pleora and third-party devices supporting GigE Vision, USB3 Vision and GenICam standards. Learn more about the Pleora eBUS SDK.

Pleora specializes in networked video connectivity solutions that are customized to meet specific requirements. Working with our rich portfolio of video networking elements, we partner with customers to tailor solutions to their individual needs, from definition to deployment, with full integration support. Our modular IP architecture is designed to accommodate a flexible range of requirements, including on-board processing, application-specific interfaces, and unique test patterns. At the PC-level, we can design software to accommodate application-specific requirements. For more information, visit our Custom Solutions page.

Pleora is a COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) supplier. We do not comply with DFARS and FARS nor NIST 800. For more information and a full list of our certifications, please review the Policies page. Policies.

Pleora was established in 2000 with the objective of simplifying high-performance video. We were the first to introduce technology to reliably stream lossless, uncompressed video over Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), and with this began a trend to replace industry-specific camera interface standards with new standards that leverage proven network and peripheral connectivity technology. Today, we continue to provide video connectivity solutions based on proven industry-specific and cross-industry standards.

Pleora is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with a sales office in Europe, applications engineering support in Asia, and an extensive network of regional channel partners. Visit the Contact Us page for details on how to reach us.

Pleora is the world leader in networked video connectivity solutions for mission-critical applications. We pioneered the use of GigE for real-time video connectivity in 2002, co-founded the GigE Vision standard in 2003, and play an active role on the GenICam and USB3 Vision standards committees. We offer the industry’s largest and most feature-rich solution set for high-performance video networking. Our singular focus on video connectivity gives us unique insight into the challenges of achieving performance and reliability over Ethernet networks. We understand the technology, know the applications, and play a lead role in the ongoing evolution of the standards.

By partnering with Pleora, manufacturers and systems integrators gain access to our unmatched depth and breadth of expertise in video connectivity solutions for mission-critical applications. This allows them to:

• Significantly reduce design risk;
• Speed time-to-market and accelerate field deployment;
• Pass off the substantial engineering investment needed to keep up with the fast-paced evolution of video technology and standards; and
• Allocate valued internal resources to areas that deliver higher value to their core businesses.

New customers should visit the Contact Us page and provide us with your contact details and basic information about your application or product requirements.

Existing customers requiring assistance should visit the Support page. If you are already a registered Pleora Support Center user, access “My Support” to submit and track cases.