Hd Infrared

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HIGH DEFINITION INFRAREDThe Truth About What You Thought You Knew


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Te term HD has become ubiquitous through productslike HD V, HD radio, even HD sunglasses. Obviously,the term doesnt truly apply to all these areas. Further,because the term has become watered down, HD hasalso been inaccurately used to imply a capability thatisnt actually provided.

In specialty felds, such as inrared imaging, real HD

video requires numerous HD-capable components, alldesigned to seamlessly work together. Some playersin this industry will achieve HD capabilities in one oranother component and use marketing to coverdefciencies in other areas. Tis applies to everyplayer in the thermal imaging industry except one FLIR Systems.

FLIR has been at the oreront o inrared technology ordecades; pioneering everything rom increased detectorand resolution capability to 3D inrared binoculars. Its

no dierent with HD thermal imaging. o understandhigh defnition in regards to thermal imaging, one mustfrst understand what they do and do not know.

In the end, no matter what you call it, real HD inraredimage quality speaks or itsel.

FLIR has been at the oreront oinrared technology or decades.


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In simplest terms, HD, or high defnition, reers to anyvideo system that has higher resolution than standarddefnition the more pixels, the better the resolutionthe higher the defnition. o be accurate, image clarityis also reliant upon the quality o the pixel itsel, but thatlevel o understanding isnt required or this discussion

Most people understand HD, frst and oremost, in

terms o their television set. o that end, high defni-tion reers to a pixel count o 1920x1080 (1080p) or1280x720 (720p), as compared to standard defnitionwhich is much less. In terms o HD thermal imagingresolution is o similar importance, with more totalpixels providing not only greater image clarity, but alsomore detailed inormation on heat gradients across abody or an object. Tis is particularly important orsmaller or more distant bodies and objects.

For most people, pixel count is the extent o their un-

derstanding o high defnition the bigger the numberthe better the result. However, there is much more toproviding HD quality video than the total number opixels. For example, keeping with the television analogyi the source video isnt high defnition, it wont matterthat the V itsel is HD-capable, the standard defni-tion video is all the viewer will see. Likewise, i the videoeed is HD-quality, but the V only has standard defni-tion resolution, the viewer will still only see standarddefnition video. Tough the pixel counts that denotehigher defnition are the same whether one is discussingV or thermal imaging, there is a signifcant, primarydierence. HD V deals with displaying HD contentWhen generating HD ootage, there are many more ele-ments that can drastically aect the quality o the imageviewed beyond the simple display resolution.

HIGH DEFINITION

What Most People Understand

Low defnition pixel resolution

Standard defnition pixel resolution

High defnition pixel resolution


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Like HD V, an HD thermal image is only as good asits source. o create a real HD thermal video, all aspectso the camera must be HD capable the optics, the de-tector, the processing electronics, and the interace, notto mention the actual digital fle ormats. Beyond thetechnical capabilities o the camera components, theentire system must also be supported by an exception-ally stable gimbal even more than usual to ensure a

crisp image without blurring or visible jitter.

High defnition thermal imaging requires native highdefnition capability not only in the detector, but alsoin the optics. Putting a high defnition detector behindstandard-defnition optics will result in a standard-defnition image. Even with HD capable components,a ull high defnition thermal imaging system also re-quires the high-bandwidth digital inormation to beprocessed in its native ormat, thus at much higherspeed, to maintain image fdelity. Once that data is cap-

tured, it needs to be output in a proper ormat. Cuttingcorners at even one o these steps will degrade the qual-ity o the image and result in data loss.

Real HD thermal imagery begins with the optics. Teunction o the lens is to recreate the picture or the sen-sor. Te quality o the lens is a signifcant arbiter o qual-ity; aecting contrast, sensitivity, and image sharpness.

Lenses designed or standard defnition imaging sys-tems only support a limited optical resolution. HD sys-tems are ar more demanding. Te level o defnition alens is capable o transmitting is determined by line-pair per millimeter (LP/mm). A standard defnitionlens resolves at no more than 30 LP/mm. Te higherresolution requires a lens resolving at a minimum o 80

HIGH DEFINITION THERMAL IMAGING

More Than One Step Beyond Standard

Object

Lens

Detector/Focal Plane Array

Image Processor

Data Connector and Cabling

Output or Display


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LP/mm. FLIR in-house optics and coatings capabilitiesresult in signifcantly superior perormance with lensresolving capabilities exceeding 200 LP/mm.

Once the image is translated through a cameras lensit needs to be captured by a detector. Inrared detec-tors (or sensors) use ocal plane arrays (FPAs) to cap-ture image data. o achieve HD quality, these FPAs

must have either native 640x512 pixel plus optical mi-croscanning or native 1280x720 pixels to achieve ul1280 x 720 (720p) resolution.

Optical microscanning is a technology that increasesthe real (native) resolution o the system and preventshigh resolution targets rom getting lost. Tis tech-nique increases range perormance while also increas-ing the brightness and contrast o small targets. FLIRuses both methods to generate real HD inrared video.

Other IR imaging systems that do not have optical mi-croscanning or real HD FPAs, simply up-convert lowresolution detectors using electronic zoom techniquesTis method will fll in otherwise empty space on a dis-play, but it will not provide any perormance beneftsIn essence, this method has the same eect as simplymoving closer to the screen.

Image processing is the next critical step in deliveringa real HD image. Te individual bits o data rom thedetector must be assembled and the fnal image con-structed, buered, adjusted or best viewability, andtransmitted through the system to the output interaceA real HD image has ar more data and is much denserin content than a standard defnition image, and althis processing must be done in real time. Tis requires


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much higher data rates and much more powerul pro-cessing electronics, which inevitably generates moreheat within the system. Te thermal management osuch a system, to keep it cool at high ambient tempera-tures, is another daunting challenge in building a reli-able HD system.

Once an image is captured and processed, the actual

image quality is related directly to the bandwidth avail-able rom the interaces; the more bandwidth, the morepotential visual resolution. Te converse is also true; theless bandwidth is available, the less detail will be visible.

Maintaining native fle size and data ormats will resultin a much higher resolution image. I the source videois compressed in any way or it to be streamed via a lowbandwidth interace, data will necessarily be lost. Allvideo compression techniques result in an end productthat is no longer high quality HD video.

Uncompressed, native HD video streaming utilizes avery high data rate which requires a high defnition se-rial digital interace (HD-SDI) or better. Tese inter-aces are reerred to by their technical standard namesand are appropriate or dierent levels o HD resolu-tion: SMPE-292M or 720p and either SMPE-372Mor SMPE-424M or 1080p. Without this level o inter-ace, the resulting video will be degraded.


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Unortunately, some in the industry have used mar-keting tricks to create hybrid and analog systems thatmanipulate the output to appear to be high defnitionbut are lacking the necessary image data. Even so, thesesystems are promoted as having HD capability.

At FLIR, when we say, real HD, we mean it. All ourHD cameras have native, high defnition digital com-

ponents and outputs, and we maintain that fdelitythroughout the system. FLIR doesnt compress, resizeor scale HD imagery, neither is the data fle convertedto another ormat. Te HD imagery stays digital romits capture all the way to the output same resolutionuncompressed, clear and pristine all the way through.

In the real world, rescues and military operations dontjust happen on bright sunlit days. Image quality is criti-cal to mission success and crew saety, especially atnight and during heavy weather.

All [FLIR] HD cameras havenative, high defnition digitalcomponents and outs.


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Te higher the resolution or the particular camera thesmaller and urther away a target can be. Tere is a di-rect link between the number o pixels and the abilityto detect, recognize, and identiy targets. Higher reso-lution thermal imaging provides fner detail and moreaccurate results. With real HD components throughoutan HD thermal imaging system, users have more pix-els on target, providing greater range and better overall

perormance.

When considering the reasons images are captured,whether or intelligence, surveillance, or reconnais-sance, by moving to real HD systems, our to six timesmore inormation is captured. Tis capability providesmore detail and enables cameras to see arther ormuch stealthier operations.

For the military, this means seeing the target at a lon-ger stando range so that service-members dont have

to go as ar into harms way to complete a mission. Forsearch and rescue operations, HD enables respondersto search much wider areas more quickly helping fndvictims quicker. For law enorcement, HD enables awider, more detailed picture o subjects on the groundwithout the soda straw eect that happens when a tra-ditional sensor is zoomed in.

What Does High Defnition

Mean For You?


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Having a basic understanding o what enables real HDthermal capability enables users to be more discern-ing. When considering purchasing an HD thermal im-aging system, savvy customers need to ask some verypointed questions.

1. What is the detector resolution of the focal planearray?

Anything less than a 640x512 ocal plane array(with optical microscanning) and 1280 x 720resolution is not real HD quality.

2. Does the system use HD-capable lenses? What is theline-pairs per millimeter (LP/mm) for the lens?

All lenses should resolve at a minimum o80 LP/mm to achieve 720p resolution.

3. What quality interface does the system use?

Nothing less than an HD-SDI, SMPE-292M in-terace should be used or a 720p HD system

A clear understanding o system components and re-sultant capabilities will result in a better application otechnology to a specifc application.

For more inormation on HD thermal imagingcapabilities and requirements, contact a FLIR subjectmatter expert.

Now That You Know

The Star SAFIRE amily o HD imaging systems is the frst true amily

o interchangeable and digital, high defnition, single LRU imaging

systems providing a ull spectrum o intelligence, surveillance, and

reconnaissance capabilities. Shown: Star SAFIRE 380-HD


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www.FLIR.com

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Hd Infrared