FlashBack-2 goes into the deep Return to News Page

FlashBack-2 goes into the deep!

Via Infinita Ltd and Katon Ingram Ltd - two UK companies with over 20 years' experience in systems for monitoring commercial fishing gear - have incorporated Ovation Systems' FlashBack-2 digital video recorder into their new Deep Sea Video Recorder (DSVR). Designed specifically for research in marine fisheries, this is a new and affordable deepwater video recording system that anyone can use.

The Isle of Lewis in winter does not provide the best conditions for underwater filming, but that didn't deter some intrepid fisheries scientists from braving the seas off Stornoway to record underwater footage of trawls in action. With FlashBack-2 safely housed within the watertight DSVR system, it was submerged to depths of over 80 metres (44 fathoms) to record high quality video footage. Julian Swarbrick from Via Infinita said “Finding out exactly what happens at sea when trawl gear is fishing underwater is crucial in being able to secure sustainable fisheries for our future."

With the arduous conditions of the sea, obtaining high quality video is a difficult task for researchers. FlashBack-2 is robust enough to withstand these conditions and is now becoming the system of choice for marine fisheries research. FlashBack-2 is easy to use and because it uses DVD-compliant MPEG-2, the recorded video is immediately available for playback on a laptop computer. This allows researchers to make informed decisions during a series of trawl monitoring exercises and each successive video recording session can be saved to a portable hard drive.

For a sample of the underwater footage recorded by FlashBack-2 click here
This footage is courtesy of Sea Fish Industry Authority (4.9 MB)

 

The DSVR, developed by Via Infinita Ltd and Katon Ingram Ltd, is designed to function in cold, deep dark Northern European waters and be practical for anyone to use. The DSVR is compatible with a wide range of video cameras, which means it can be shared between different fisheries organisations. The DSVR is customisable, but the default specification is designed to make any further customisation requirement unlikely. The multi-turn threaded lid is easy to remove and secure and maintains an effective pressure seal at all times. Sea Fish Industry Authority in the UK (www.seafish.org) and BIM in Ireland (www.bim.ie) are two European fisheries institutes who use the DSVR as a tool for fisheries research.

 

FlashBack-2, uses high quality MPEG-2 video compression to record video and audio to a Compact Flash (CF) memory card. Once a recording has been made, the flash card may be removed and immediately viewed on a hardware CF media player or a PC. The recorder is DC powered and has stereo audio inputs at microphone or line level. FlashBack-2 Dual offers two Compact Flash card slots, doubling the record time and allowing for the "hot swapping" of cards. Originally designed for covert video surveillance use by the police and military, FlashBack-2 is being used more and more in other applications because of its excellent picture quality and its ability to cope with harsh environments.

 

	UK Agent for the DSVR	UK Manufacturer
	Via Infinita Ltd 7 Drummond Road Ilkeston Derbyshire DE7 5HA UK Email: julian@via-infinita.com	Katon Ingram Ltd Unit 2, Vittlefields Ind Est Forest Road Newport Isle of Wight PO30 4LY, UK Email: tim.ingram@marine-data.co.uk

For a sample of the underwater footage recorded by FlashBack-2 click here
This footage is courtesy of Sea Fish Industry Authority (4.9 MB )

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