Overview of video support in the analysis software.
Video support is completely integrated into the analysis program.
You can either take video from our VIDEO4 system, or from an external GoPro Camera.
With regards loading video from the VIDEO4 video
- Automatically loading video with run data when available
If there is a video file in the same directory as the run data file when the run file is loaded into the analysis program, then it is normally most convenient to automatically load the video. There is a configuration option under the “Analysis options” form. More information is available
here.
- Manually loading video into the analysis software
If the run data is already loaded in the analysis software and you want to subsequently load in a video file, this can be done from the run manager. More information is available
here.
With regards loading video from the GoPro
There is extensive information on this here.
whatever the source of the data, either the VIDEO4 or GoPro, the system for using the video data is the same.
Viewing a video frame
When using video in the analysis software, by far the most common operation is to view a particular video frame that is associated with a particular data sample. For example you might have a graph of speed for 2 laps, and you want to see the video for this data. To do this you open a “video camera view” and click on the graph. More information is available here.
Playing the video in real time along side the data
As well as viewing a particular frame of video, it is sometimes convenient to simply “play” the data and video along side each other. Real time playback is handled using the “real time playback” control, whilst having a “video camera view open”, as well as any combination of other data objects (track maps, graphs, value table etc). More information is available here.
Comparing race lines using video
A typical use of video along side the race data is to examine racing lines around the track. There are 2 simple ways that this can be handled:
- Using a graph (or quick graph) of speed versus distance for up to 5 laps, then click on the graph with a “video camera view” open and scroll back and forth over the corners.
- You can also do something very similar by using the special “play at constant speed” mode from within the playback control. More information about this is available here.
The video loading process
Note that when you load a video file, either automatically or manually, then the analysis software will check that the video file can be read in and the speed that it can be decoded. If the video file has a matching IDX file then loading is almost instant, if the IDX file is missing and has to be generated, then this can take a significant time and a progress indicator will be shown. Note that generating an IDX file for a particular video file should be a one time operation as it is cached on the PC. Also note that the very first video that is loaded for a particular session of analysis takes a few seconds as the program tests the PC performance to ensure that it is fast enough to handle the video.