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| Neugent goes for Linux Last October, Neugent launched the Hawkeye LX DVR Series — a set of 16-channel and 8-channel PC-based digital video recorders running on the Linux platform, targeted for the enterprise market. Hawkeye LX DVRs feature MPEG-4 video compression at 30fps/channel (recording resolution up to 704x480 NTSC), G.723 audio compression, sensor & relay integration, digital watermark, motion detection and PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) functions to name a few. Neugent is set to launch a new version of the LX DVR Series by end of 2005, which feature hardware MPEG-4 video compression, hardware G.723.1 audio compression, hardware motion detection and hardware watermark. The trend towards Linux is not just a tiny phenomenon. In fact, it has already penetrated the consumer market – LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips and Samsung, to name a few. Why is Linux the choice for the operating system, then? Linux, which was first developed by Finnish computer programmer Linus Torvalds, has some key advantages when used as the operating system for DVRs. First, since Linux is an open-source and the best operating system for programmers, it makes it easier to customize to only include functions and services which the end-users need. When you boot a Hawkeye LX DVR, it automatically launches the surveillance application and you won’t see e-mail nor spreadsheet programs on the interface. All unnecessary applications are removed. Moreover, some services are fine-tuned to deliver an optimized system. Second, since Linux can be customized, it means that the operating system can be tweaked to remove unnecessary services or prevent operation of certain application codes. This increases system reliability. Moreover, most active viruses cannot do your system any harm because they have nothing to attack as the services which are usually hit by such viruses are not running. In the end, we provide a much more stable and secure DVR system. Third, an optimized Linux-based DVR will require less memory or RAM and provides a bigger hard drive space for faster viewing, recording and playback. Neugent believes than Linux will become the viable and global operating system for DVRs, replacing Microsoft Windows. Currently, Neugent has around 20 engineers who are in charge of developing its line of DVR solutions. It has also begun with the development of a DVR with embedded Linux O/S, which is scheduled for release by first quarter of 2006. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Computing News :: home page |