Tech Source Adds Wind River VxWorks Support to H.264 XMC Video Card

By Caroline Rees / 07 Aug 2013

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

Condor VC 100x Video CardTech Source, Inc., an independent supplier of high performance embedded video, graphics and high end computing solutions, has successfully added driver support for Wind River® VxWorks® real-time operating system (RTOS) to its low power Condor VC100x H.264 video capture and compression card.

By adding support for the leading RTOS – VxWorks is used in over a billion embedded systems around the world – Tech Source will be able to target those developing mission and safety critical video streaming applications for aerospace and defense customers, such as unmanned aerial vehicles.

Selwyn L. Henriques, president and CEO of Tech Source Inc., said: “Most mission and safety critical applications use a real-time operating system, so our support for VxWorks will enable us to target the safety critical market and applications that require capture and encoding of video data with lower latencies.”

“Our Condor VC100x card has been designed for use in UAVs that require low power and yet high profile H.264 compression in a compact, lightweight form factor,” continues Mr. Henriques. “VxWorks provides UAVs real-time capability while keeping size, weight and power (SWaP) demands to a minimum.”

“The Condor VC100x enables a rapid upgrade to legacy systems, and, when combined with open standards like OpenGL, POSIX, Linux, FACE, and ARINC 653, can rapidly deploy enhanced video across a wide range of aerospace systems,” states Chip Downing, senior director of aerospace and defense at Wind River. “The combination of Condor and VxWorks enables Tech Source and Wind River customers to leverage the broad range of powerful capabilities built into both products.”

Tech Source’s XMC form factor module – featuring an H.264 video encoder with baseline, main and high profile support up to Level 4.1 – supports up to 4 composite video inputs (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) or up to 2 SDI inputs (SD-SDI/HD-SDI), all of which are selectable through the provided API. The VC100x also has 2 stereo or 4 mono audio inputs.

The Condor VC100x card performs H.264 encoding in hardware to minimize CPU usage. Video data is captured and stored in files and made available to customer applications for processing, analysis or display on a local graphics card.

Condor VC100x is available in various ruggedized levels and has conduction or convection cooled variants. While Windows, Linux, and VxWorks drivers are available by default, other real time operating systems (RTOS) such as Integrity and LynxOS may be optionally supported on both X86 and PowerPC platforms.

Tech Source will demonstrate the Condor VC100x – and other products – on Booth 1513 at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems , DC Convention Center, Washington, DC, 12-15 August 2013 and also on Booth S3-337 at DSEI Defense Exhibition 10-13 September 2013, London, UK.

Tech Source has been developing graphics solutions for air traffic control, military and embedded applications for over 25 years. The ISO9001:2008 certified company offers a range of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, including graphics processors – targeted at general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) applications, input solutions, video compression and streaming boards, imaging cards, recording solutions and software libraries. Key markets include airborne, shipboard, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and ground based systems.

Posted by Caroline Rees Caroline co-founded Unmanned Systems Technology and has been at the forefront of the business ever since. With a Masters Degree in marketing Caroline has her finger on the pulse of all things unmanned and is committed to showcasing the very latest in unmanned technical innovation. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Most Read Articles on UST This Week

Here’s our round-up of the five most read articles on UnmannedSystemsTechnology.com this week

Jul 11, 2025
Vertiq Speed Firmware v0.1.1 Now Available with Bug Fixes

Vertiq has released firmware v0.1.1 to correct a parameter bug affecting telemetry and 3D mode settings on select G1 and G2 modules

Jul 11, 2025
The Role of ROVs in Unmanned Marine Operations

Oceanbotics has answered the most common questions about ROVs, covering how they work, where they're used, and key capabilities

Jul 11, 2025
LiveU File Transfer Speeds Up Drone Data Delivery for Critical Missions

LiveU’s File Transfer enables rapid transmission of large drone data files, reducing delays and supporting faster decision-making in public safety and infrastructure operations.

Jul 11, 2025
Exploring Differences Between M9PLUS & M9 GNSS Antennas

Discover the key upgrades in Maxtena’s new M9PLUS GNSS antenna, including improved performance, signal purity, and multipath mitigation over the original M9

Jul 11, 2025
USAF Uses Inertial Labs Drone Lidar for Tree Obstruction Survey

The US Air Force successfully used Inertial Labs drone Lidar and cloud software to quickly map tree obstructions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), improving airfield safety

Jul 11, 2025

Featured Content

USAF Uses Inertial Labs Drone Lidar for Tree Obstruction Survey

The US Air Force successfully used Inertial Labs drone Lidar and cloud software to quickly map tree obstructions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), improving airfield safety

Jul 11, 2025
New UAV to Combine Solar Hydrogen & Battery Power for Extended Flight

XSun and H3 Dynamics are developing the first UAV powered by solar, hydrogen, and batteries, aiming to deliver zero-emission, long-endurance unmanned flight

Jul 07, 2025
Enhancing Mangrove Restoration Through 3D Printed Drone Design

Explore how Inverto Earth, in collaboration with HP Additive, is using sustainable 3D printing and drone technology to drive large-scale mangrove restoration and protect vulnerable coastal ecosystems

Jul 03, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.