Welcome to the beta page for ImageSalsa version 2.x

Please read the current features that are enabled and known bugs and limitations to prevent unnecessary emails telling me xyz doesn't work :)  If you do find something, send me an email at support@imagesalsa.com.

Thanks!

Jason

Current release is version 2.0.13 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 12:30 PM, 1/22/2006)

For version 2.0.13, I  made these changes from 2.0.12:

• Added non-expiring demo key starting with programs downloaded on 1/22/2006.
• There are lots of code changes in this version so if you experience crashes, please send me the error report.  If the crashes interfere with the operation, please try 2.0.12 which has been stable.
• Added a CaptureType selector for the video capture inputs.  One is a non-blocking type that has been used so far that has the lag in the video.  The other is a blocking-type that removes the lag, but consumes more resources.
• Upgraded to version 14.5 of the LeadTools library which reduced the lag mentioned above slightly.
• Added Motion Detection to the new VfW and DirectShow video capture methods.
• Added a Fast Motion Detect mode that compares only every 8th line -- allowing for much faster motion compares.  Note that when this mode is activated, diff images are gray except for the every 8th line.  This is now the default mode for motion capture setup.

Version 2.0.12 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 6:10 PM, 12/12/2005)

For version 2.0.12, I  made these changes from 2.0.11:

• Fixed slow memory leak when using a URL for a graphic image -- thanks to Tom at http://www.skycrane-rc.com/ for identifying this issue, providing bug isolation, and beta testing the fix!
• Updated the source runtimes to Visual Studio 6 SP6.

Version 2.0.11 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 11:00 PM, 12/2/2005)

For version 2.0.11, I  made these changes from 2.0.10:

• Added Image Orientation to the VfW Input and Capture Device Configuration Tabs -- Allow flipping vertically, horizontally, and rotations of 90°.
• Much smoother, but slower, text and graphics rotations.

Version 2.0.10 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 2:00 PM, 11/22/2005)

For version 2.0.10, I  made these changes from 2.0.9b:

• No changes -- just made it 2.0.10 since 2.0.9b and 2.0.9 looked identical on startup.

Version 2.0.9b (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 11:35 AM, 11/22/2005)

For version 2.0.9b, I  made these changes from 2.0.9:

• Ignores date/time fields in the data.csv file imported from VWS.  Since later versions of VWS fail to update the seconds field, ImageSalsa believed the file's data hadn't changed.  Now, ImageSalsa will read the data at the user-defined interval.
• Placed comments around the friendly name retrieval from the DirectShow devices in case an error is generated.

Version 2.0.9 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 11:30 PM, 10/22/2005)

For version 2.0.9, I  made these changes from 2.0.8:

• The only change was a modification to the Interval call in the script engine.  Previously, it was executed on startup and anytime the rate or basetime was changed.  Now it will only executed when the interval is actually reached.  If you need it to run once at startup, enable the Startup procedure and make an internal call to Interval from your Startup procedure:

Sub Startup
    Call Interval
End Sub

Version 2.0.8 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 12:00 AM, 10/11/2005)

For version 2.0.8, I  made these changes from 2.0.7:

• Removed Show Device Properties button -- didn't work and was for debug purposes only.
• Added a frame size combo list selection -- takes a few seconds for the new size to take.  Should retain value between sessions.
• Fixed a bug: when downloading images from the internet in GIF or BMP format where the URL does not end in .gif or .bmp (for example ...image.gif&height=240&width=320...) would download but not show the image.

Version 2.0.7 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 10:52 PM, 9/18/2005)

For version 2.0.7, I  made these changes from 2.0.6:

• Fixed a bug where the old VfW video feeds were not re-enabled on startup.
• Adds a low-resource mode to certain editions that *may* make ImageSalsa run a little more smoothly on Windows 98 or Windows Me machines.
• It only allows up to 10 canvases, 20 lines of text (per canvas), and 5 graphics items (per canvas).  If the version you are using has less of any of these parameters, it will use the smaller of the two numbers.
• This mode is enabled by editing or inserting this line under the [Registration] section of the ImageSalsa.ini file:  ResourceSaveMode=True

Version 2.0.6 (4.5M) -- Download Now (Updated 10:53 AM, 8/6/2005)

For version 2.0.6, I only made these changes from 2.0.5:

• Adds support for CSV files with version 1.01 -- adding csvmonthlyrain and csvyearlyrain tags
• If you have written scripts around the CSV values, see CSV101 Script Writers Guide.pdf for how this affects the parameters.

Version 2.0.5 -- Download Now (Updated 10:09 PM, 7/26/2005)

For version 2.0.5, I am asking for testing of these features:

• Same issues as 2.0.4
• Video capture device friendly names -- with a unique 4-digit number in the front derived from the long names in case two or more devices with the same friendly name are connected.
• New temporary FTP file names used with FTP using the rename operations.  New names based on image file name: FTP* was causing customers with multiple copies of ImageSalsa running on multiple PCs to try to upload the same temporary file.
• New URL image fetch method used -- ditched the bug-proned MSINET.OCX control.  I've tested it with multiple web and ftp servers (include username:password ftp servers) and so far haven't had any troubles.  I'm looking for you guys to torture it :)
• New URL image fetch adds 120-second watchdog timer.  If an internet image fetch lasts longer than 120 seconds and the update interval comes back up, then it will cancel the previous read attempt and start a new image fetch.  This one will be trickier to validate unless you have a really slow server and a really big image.

Known bugs/limitations in version 2.0.5:

• [Bug] "The format is currently not available" non-fatal error for most devices after closing "Show Device Properties" window.
• [Bug] Some DirectShow devices provide incorrect height and width numbers.  For example, the Sony DV cameras reports a resolution of 4x0 instead of 720x480.  This resolution is corrected in IS, but there may be others.
• [Limit] The current DirectShow implementation has a delay of about 15 frames.  I plan on tapping the video data differently to obtain the current frames.

Version 2.0.4 -- Download Now (Updated 10:40 PM, 4/21/2005)

Version 2.0.4 may go through various distributions while I narrow down the files that need to be in the distribution for the program to run.  If you see a new update, try the new file.

For version 2.0.4, I am asking for testing of these features:

• Distribution.  Files required for operation.  Version 2.0 and later will also require DirectX 8.0 or later installed.
• Disable all older video feeds under "Video" menu, "Video Feed Setup".  This method of configuring the video feeds will become obsolete.  For now, however, it is the only method for using the Motion Detection feature.
• The new video feed configuration (called Input Devices now because of the larger subset of devices that will eventually be included) is found under the "Video" menu in a new selection labeled "Configure Input Devices".
• The Input Configuration Dialog has two functional tabs right now:
• VfW (Obsolete) tab -- uses the original VfW drivers.  However it not displays the "encoding format" such as RGB, I420, etc...  Furthermore, these formats are now supported -- so non-RGB devices such as the ATI cards and Intel cameras should now work.  You will also notice a difference in how devices are selected -- using a "check list box" instead of the drop-down list with the enable checkbox.  Select a box besides a device to enable it.  Select a list item to see its preview window or modify its settings.
• Video Capture tab -- uses the DirectShow drivers (requires DirectX 8.0 or later).
  
  • Supports multiple USB devices (even 2 or more of the same type of device), DV, screen capture, etc... 
  • In this release, the full (ugly) device name is presented in the box -- eventually you will only see the "friendly" name. 
  • If you plug in a removable device while IS is running, it will remember the device's ID (up to 30 devices). 
  • Plugging the same device in a different port, however, will register it as a different device (the ugly name encodes a combination of the port and serial number of the device). 
  • Click "Reset Device List" to reset the list to only the presently-connected devices. 
  • Click "Show Device Properties" to open the device's property window (the device has to be enabled first).
  • Same enabling operation as VfW tab.
• Canvas Properties -- Graphics Tab -- Video Feed column -- All input devices are now listed here.  The original VfW feeds show if they are enabled in the original video feed configuration window; these feed names are prefixed with "[Old]".  The new VfW feeds appear (enabled or not enabled) with a [VfW] prefix.  The DirectShow devices appear (enabled or not enabled) with a [Vid] prefix.  DirectShow devices use the ugly names for now.

Known bugs/limitations in version 2.0.4:

• [Limit] Ugly device names
• [Bug] Reset Device List shows friendly names in device list -- may cause issues
• [Bug] "The format is currently not available" non-fatal error for most devices after closing "Show Device Properties" window.
• [Bug] Some DirectShow devices provide incorrect height and width numbers.  For example, the Sony DV cameras reports a resolution of 4x0 instead of 720x480.  This resolution is corrected in IS, but there may be others.
• [Limit] The current DirectShow implementation has a delay of about 15 frames.  I plan on tapping the video data differently to obtain the current frames.