Amped Software announces a new addition to the Amped Ecosystem, tailored specifically for forensic image and video analysis. The new product is called Amped Engine, and it is a command-line tool that seamlessly integrates Amped’s unmatched proprietary video conversion capabilities into your software, service or video management solution. Keep reading to discover more.
The Challenge of CCTV Proprietary Video Formats
The first step is to look into the problem that Amped Engine is designed to solve. If you’ve ever dealt with video footage derived from Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems, you are aware that most Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) export videos in a proprietary format.
The native file’s incompatibility with consumer video players, such as VLC or Windows Media Player, implies that users face a challenge when attempting to play it. Consequently, investigators and individuals requiring access to the video are compelled to locate a specific proprietary player capable of reproducing and ideally exporting it into a standard format. However, as Amped Software explains on its blog, it is advisable to refrain from exporting videos using the DVR player.
Amped’s Approach to Video Conversion
To address the above issue, which poses a persistent challenge in handling surveillance footage, Amped has invested substantial resources in the development of a powerful conversion engine. This technology is fundamental to powering the Amped Ecosystem. In fact, Amped FIVE, Amped Replay and Amped DVRConv all share the same conversion engine.
Amped customers have long benefitted from the capabilities of the Amped conversion engine by simply dragging the native files into the product’s interface. By default, the conversion process preserves the original pixels while also extracting valuable side information like metadata, timestamps and audio tracks whenever possible. In cases where videos from multiple cameras are combined into one file, the conversion engine will split them into separate standard video tracks.
Welcome to Amped Engine
Amped is pleased to announce the release of Amped Engine, a command-line-based application that allows support for proprietary video formats coming from CCTV/DVRs and other sources, that easily integrates into third-party systems such as digital evidence management systems (DEMS), video analytics tools and local storage.
The straightforward command line API (application programming interface) enables you to effortlessly convert one or multiple files to a standard format with a single call. Gone are the days of grappling with complex software development toolkits (SDK) and their integration issues, as well as the need for advanced programming skills.
This simple command will convert all proprietary videos in the “nativeFiles” folder into a standard AVI format.
This announcement bears significant importance for the video forensics industry. As more law enforcement agencies are transitioning towards the use of Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS), whether in cloud-based or on-premise form, it becomes essential to ensure the accurate processing of surveillance videos during their ingestion. Mishandling them could jeopardize the investigation, making it worthless when it comes to trial proceedings.
As a result, Amped has made the decision to offer access to its conversion engine to companies involved in the development of video evidence management and analysis solutions.
Amped Engine offers extensive configuration options, allowing users to customize its functionality according to their specific needs. For instance, it provides the flexibility to either copy the original video streams into a standard container (which is typically recommended for forensic purposes) or transcode the input video into a universally standard format (ideal for ensuring maximum compatibility). Additionally, Amped Engine enables users to effortlessly split an input video into fixed-length clips or change and adjust its playback speed to ensure optimal playing performance.
Although the software is a command-line-based solution, it is imperative to note that users are not left without assistance. Similar to other Amped products, in the event of encountering an unplayable video format, Amped’s support team will assist users and potentially add support for that format in future software updates.
For further information regarding this product, please do not hesitate to contact Amped.
