Release Notes
These Release Notes contain a technical description of the most important changes of this release of the MOBOTIX M1 network camera. Refer to News for a more general description of the release news in this help.
Changes in Software M1-V1.9.4
The software version M1-V1.9.4 has been released in October 2003 for customer usage.
This description contains all changes from the last customer version M1-V1.9.0. Note, that this software version has been enhanced in some points.
Contents
General Remarks
- Due to the enhancements in the new software (voice functions, help system), the update file
M1M_system_1_94x.mpl
is now 8 MB.
- If you are updating an older camera model, make sure that you read the Restrictions for Older Camera Models section.
Help, Information
Useability, Menus and Dialogs
- All Menus and dialogs have been reworked and consistency has been checked.
- Restructured Admin Menu.
- M1-Quick Installation wizard for simplified system configuration has been completely reworked and expanded.
- Reloadable language modules. The language modules comprise: Language files for menus and dialogs, help pages and voice files for speaker and phone output. The language module currently loaded is displayed in the Hardware and Release Information dialog. Language modules can only be loaded if they match the software version on the camera.
- Enhanced compatibility to Mozilla-based browsers.
- Bubble help (short popup descriptions) has been added to the user menus (Live, Player, and MultiView pages).
- You can set the preset and maximum frame rates for the Guest page and the preset frame rate for the Live page in the Language and Entry Page dialog.
- Enhanced pages for PDAs and smart phones with low bandwidth, optimized for small screens.
- The PDA or PDA Event List pages (short list with events) can be set as startup pages in the Language and Entry Page dialog. This is useful in particular when accessing the camera using low-bandwidth connections (such as GSM, GPRS).
- Graphical input of coordinates for Video Motion (VM) and Obscure Area (OA) windows.
- New Dialog for Managing Cameras for MultiView pages. Functions, refer to System.
Image Creation, Image Settings, Image Display
- Coordinates for exposure window works like all other window definitions, i.e. the origin (0,0) is the lower left corner of the window (not accessible using the dialogs).
- Variables for image texts
^J#
and ^j#
for image sizes are deprecated.
- New variables for image texts
^S#
and ^s#
display the messages received via the serial interface.
- Synchronization mechanisms between JavaScript and web server for improved image display.
- Java applet for displaying the server push (JPEG stream) in browsers that do not support server push (Microsoft Internet Explorer).
- Automatic selection of live image display method on the Live page depending on the browser: JScript, JScript sync, server push, Java.
- Text caption
DY
for daylight and NI
for night operation, if the automatic switch for the night lens has been activated (only Secure models).
- "Cover-up Image Area (CU)" has been renamed to Obscure image area (OA).
- Obscure image area (OA) can now be controlled using time schedules (only Secure models).
MxPEG
MxPEG is the MOBOTIX streaming format that produces image streams in JPEG quality, but requires very low bandwidth. To view the image stream, use the MxPEG_Viewer Windows® application.
- If the camera runs in MxPEG mode, it still produces complete JPEG images for browser viewing.
- The MxPEG_Viewer.exe Windows® application can be downloaded directly from the camera.
- MxPEG_Viewer.exe now supports (among other things):
- Browser start (e.g. for configuring a camera)
- Setting important image parameters,
- Evaluation of MultiView information
- Soft buttons of the MultiView page
- Accessing the event images of cameras
- Local recorder (on your computer) with storage and load functions
- Signal out control
- Log file with event times
- Remote control using a configurable port
- Control of pan/tilt mounts
- Bidirectional voice transmission
See also: help pages for the MxPEG Viewer.
Event and Action Management
- Serial COM In (CI) events can be triggered by a text message or data pattern that is received via the serial interface.
- Temperature (TP) events can trigger once or every time the temperature is higher (or lower) than the selected value.
- The Enhanced Signal Input event is deprecated.
- Enhanced time control for arming; this allows to define a different program for the weekend, for example.
Number of time periods: Secure: 12, IT: 4, Basic: 1.
- Active time periods in the weekly program have a blue background.
- Selection of individual events that only trigger the storage of image sequences.
- Selection of individual events that only trigger actions.
- Selection of individual events that only trigger messages.
- New display options for the Video Motion (VM) sensor: activate the frame only upon alarm, and markup image areas within the VM window(s) that have changed.
- Minimum size of Video Motion (VM) windows is now 10 x 10 points to avoid malfunctions.
- Configurable port for sending network messages. Application: cameras behind firewalls.
Internal and External Image Storage
- Internal image storage for Secure models has been reduced to 30 MB, since the audio functions required more storage capacity. (See the Restrictions for Older Camera Models section when updating cameras with only 32 MB RAM.)
- Dynamic management of storage for image sequences to avoid Out of memory. Limit story to n error message.
- System Messages contains more detailed error messages for external image storage. (See also: System.)
- Camera information contains more detailed status messages for file server storage.
- Various measures for enhancing stability and performance of the file server storage, improved buffering mechanisms.
- Problem with internal image storage for some Secure models (showed too little capacity) resolved.
Audio Functions, ISDN Telephone Functions
Note: The Basic model does not have any audio capabilities. Cameras with less than 32 MB RAM, see the Restrictions for Older Camera Models section.
- Greatly enhanced audio and voice functionality of IT, Secure and Banking models.
- Microphone can be activated permanently and irreversibly. Click on More in the Microphone and Loudspeaker dialog. This fulfills certain requirements stipulated by law or contractual provisions.
Caution: The microphone cannot be reactivated any more! Deactivating the microphone will also disable the Microphone event (MI).
- Audio Messages: It is now possible to store and load your recorded messages. This allows backing up and editing messages as well as exchanging messages between cameras using a local computer. See also voice messages help.
- ISDN voice notification via telephone: More than one telephone number for IT model, acknowledgement of call by entering a PIN possible, hangup after 1 to 10 minutes after establishing the connection, Test button in dialog, example is pre-configured.
- New ISDN Audio Call-In allows calling the camera from any telephone for two-way communication and camera remote control.
- Calling into the camera can be restricted to specific MSNs or telephone numbers (if these are routed to the camera)
- Selectable message
- Authentication by entering PIN is possible
- Threshold and minimum switching time configurable for microphone control when using intercom mode
- Maximum time before hangup from 1 to 30 minutes
- Calling phone numbers and called MSN are displayed in the ISDN Audio Call-In dialog and can be pasted to the desired list boxes. It is hence a good strategy to call ISDN number of the booted camera so you can verify the MSN and telephone numbers.
- Remote control of the camera when using ISDN Audio Call-In by pushing keys on any touch tone telephone:
- camera information
- establish a dial-out connection from the camera to the ISP and announce the IP according to the language of the installed language pack
- hangup ISDN dial-out line
- announce date and time
- send an e-mail with the last event image
- trigger a User Click (UC)
- switch between Listen, Speak and Intercom modes
- Signal Out control.
- Voice error messages according to language set when using ISDN Audio Call-In.
- ISDN Camera Telephone (was "Camera Phone") enhanced and released.
- In Intercom mode (ISDN Audio Call-In or ISDN Camera Phone), the LEDs are signaling the speak (three upper LEDs are lit = microphone) or listen (three lower LEDs = loudspeaker) mode of the camera, unless the LEDs have been deactivated.
- Pressing the R button on the face of the camera will prompt the camera to announce the current Ethernet IP address, network mask and MAC address; useful when a dynamic IP has been obtained using DHCP.
System
- System clock's precision has been improved.
- Problems with page refreshs when loading a camera configuration with certain Internet Explorer versions have been solved.
- Error and success messages of important system services in chronological order in System Messages. Up to ten error or success messages each for file server storage, ISDN call-out, network, FTP, and e-mail.
- Hardware and Release Information has been reworked: Serial number corresponds to factory IP address, storage capacity is displayed in MB.
- The LED Setup dialog provides for completely switching off all LEDs (except during boot process). This will suppress any LED activity when using Intercom phone mode or when updating the software.
- Voice messages can be stored on local computer, see Audio Functions.
- Improved detection of user input errors when setting up time control.
- Time-controlled execution of voice messages via telephone or voice messages over loudspeaker.
- More information for individual cameras in the MultiView Screens > Cameras dialog.
- Camera names of other cameras can be modified in the MultiView Screens > Cameras dialog.
- The following configuration sections can be transferred to other cameras in the MultiView Screens > Cameras dialog:
- users and passwords
- network settings (except Ethernet interface)
- image storage and transfer
- audio and telephone settings
- basic camera settings
- page, language, soft buttons, MultiView settings
- image settings
- Event Control
- serial interface settings
- Time accounts for ISDN Dial-Out in minutes instead of seconds.
- Error when sending e-mails with attachments with missing carriage return
CR
character solved; this occurred with certain SMTP servers.
- Adaptation of internal image storage size depending on the services started (file server storage, ISDN, modem) to enhance storage management for cameras with less than 64 MB RAM. (See also Restrictions for Older Camera Models.)
- If the current software version does not match the configuration on the camera, three messages will be displayed when accessing one of the main windows. See also: help pages for Updating the Camera Software.
Network
- Web server now uses two ports with the same priority. This means that you could service two connections, one using port 80 for the Intranet and the other one using a mapped port via a router for Extranet connections.
- Network setup when using automatic network configuration via DHCP and missing DHCP server has been improved.
- Pressing the R button on the face of the camera when booting will prompt the camera to automatically configure its network interface using DHCP. The IP address will be announced after the camera has booted (not Basic or 32 MB camera models).
Factory Defaults
The following changes will only go into effect after a software update if the current configuration is reset to factory defaults.
Enhancements within M1-V1.9.4
- M1-V1.9.4.8
-
- After a software update, the camera may prompt you to update your configuration. This led to situations where all settings of the camera were being reset to factory settings. To prevent the cameras from becoming inaccessible, the dialog will now open with protected network and user settings.
- Fixed the problem, that image text could not always be switched off.
- Fixed the problem where cameras without a microphone always displayed PI when activating the scroll chart.
- Fixed the problem, that very long camera names could lead to reduced functionality.
- Fixed the problem where FTP or email transfer was impossible when the event did not create a story (by using the event story filter).
- Fixed the problem where some Obscure Image Area settings (only Secure models) led to aborting programs and rebooting cameras.
- Error message "Out of memory. Limit to no story" displayed in the image when very large images do not leave enough space for event stories.
- Lines with more than 1023 characters are now possible in the configuration file.
- Trigger level for night camera level now possible up to 70%.
Restrictions for Older Camera Models
The software version M1-V1.9.4 is running on all cameras with at least 64 MB RAM without any restrictions.
When updating older cameras with 32 MB (37,768 kB) RAM (see RAM size in Hardware and Release Information, some functions of this software version cannot be used. Also, some restrictions versus older versions of the software need to be considered:
- internal image storage maximum 5 MB. Maximum 4 MB used if image storage on Windows computer, ISDN, and modem have been enabled.
- No audio output is possible.
- No acknowledgement when using audio messages.
©2003 MOBOTIX AG, Deutschland · http://www.mobotix.com/
· E-Mail: info@mobotix.com