News

RGB Spectrum's DGy™ high resolution digital recording and streaming systems have been chosen by the Canadian Navy for crew training for its Halifax-class frigate fleet. The DGy systems are a key component in the Navy's new High Resolution Digital Audio Video Recording System (HRDAVRS). The award entails retrofitting the Canadian Navy's complete 14 vessel fleet plus equipping land-based training facilities in Victoria, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The integration will be conducted by systems integrator Integrys Limited based in Mississauga, Ontario.

The installation of the DGy-based HRDAVRS is part of the Canada Navy's overall frigate fleet modernization program. The Halifax Class frigates, built in early 1990, are undergoing upgrades and systems modernization, particularly in the areas of marine engineering, command, control and combat systems.

The DGy codecs are a key element in the frigate crew training, encompassing navigation, tactical maneuvers, target acquisition, surveillance, and weapons control. The codecs record and transmit high scan rate imagery consisting of radar, sonar, and bridge console graphics during these training sessions. Later, instructors and command personnel use the DGy codec on ship and at the land-based training facilities to conduct after-action-reviews (AAR) for assessment of the crew's performance. The DGy recordings are also retained for future debriefings and archival purposes.

The Canadian Navy is utilizing the DGy's newest capability, Automatic Backup, which simultaneously records to an internal hard disk storage system and an external network attached storage device. This feature gives Navy trainers the ability to transport recordings from the ship to its land-based training facilities while keeping copies of the recordings on-ship for further after-action reviews. Trainers take full advantage of the DGy codec's feature-rich performance, including random access, event marking, variable speed playback, frame-by-frame jog and shuttle, versatile recording storage and transmission capabilities, as well as non-linear editing and DVD distribution of recordings.

"The modernization of the Halifax Class frigates will ensure the Navy maintains its operational capability," said the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "It will also ensure Canadian sailors have the best available equipment to continue ensuring the safety of our waters and ongoing cooperation with our allies."

According to Tony Spica Jr., Vice President of RGB Spectrum, "The frigate fleet's mission critical training systems require the highest fidelity encoding and decoding of the most intricate detail of graphics and video. The DGy's advanced JPEG2000 compression scheme delivers faithful recording and viewing of the frigates's complex imagery and fine symbology. The DGy provides the optimal solution, with exceptional image quality, field proven reliability, and superior performance. We are pleased that the Canadian Navy's exhaustive and comprehensive technical evaluation has culminated in their selection of the DGy recording and streaming system for this major vessel modernization program."

RGB Spectrum's DGy recording and streaming technology has become the de facto standard in mission critical applications such as simulation, command-and-control, emergency operations centers, missile testing, security, and telemetry. Noteworthy installations include the F-35 Lightning III Joint Strike Fighter simulator program, the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems program, the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, the U.S. Army Operational Test Command, and deployments on the U.S. Navy destroyer fleet, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Integrys Ltd., headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, is a leading supplier of specialized products and support services for OEMs and system integrators in Canada. Integrys specializes in providing integrated technology solutions for machine vision, industrial automation, telecommunications, aerospace and military applications. Integrys supplies stand-alone hardware and software solutions, integration and other value-added services. For more information, call 905-502-2070 or visit www.integrys.com/main.aspx.

RGB Spectrum® is a leading designer and manufacturer of videographic and multimedia hardware subsystems. Products include the View™ family of video windowing systems, the RGB/Videolink® line of scan converters, the DGy™ digital recording system, Quadra® universal scaler and synchronizer, SynchroMaster® keyers and overlayers and SuperWall™, ComputerWall® and MediaWall® multi-screen display controllers. RGB Spectrum is based in Alameda, California, and can be reached at 510-814-7000 and on the internet at http://www.rgb.com.