Bluecherry released an open source driver for version 2 of its Linux-based compression card for MPEG-4 digital video recording. Redesigned around the Linux kernel's API for Video (Video4Linux) and Audio (ALSA), the GPL-licensed driver primarily targets the Bluecherry compression cards and related Ubuntu-based video surveillance software, but can be used for a variety of video applications.

Texas Instruments has spun a new IP camera system-on-chip (SoC) that enables 1080p video and analytics for the video surveillance market. The TMS320DMVA1 SoC combines an ARM9 core, a new Vision analytics co-processor, and a codec co-processor, and is offered in a Linux-ready DMVA1 IP camera reference design, says TI.

Digital video capture cards and USB dongles can be had for less than $50 a piece. With such cheap hardware, turning a Linux server into a personal Digital Video Recorder (DVR) becomes very tempting.

Video card giant AMD announced the release of new Linux drivers for its popular line of video cards today. The new drivers, Linux Catalyst 7.10, provide updates and features for desktop effects and gaming.

Movie distributor Netflix is offering a $100 set-top box aimed at enabling subscribers to stream movies on demand, using a broadband Internet connection. The player runs an embedded Linux OS and is supplied by Roku, a California-based company known for its Linux-based PVRs (personal video recorders).

With the rise of open source, objects are back. Big-time. Many great open source projects are built on objects, small programs which developers then use to create their installations.

TI is offering Linux camera application source code and free codecs with two new IP camera reference designs based on its RISC/DSP SoCs. The Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) model handles widely variable lighting, while a Video Content Analytics (VCA) model targets video analytics processing applications.

Last year, while running Ubuntu, I decided I wanted to watch a video, so I opened it up in the built-in Totem player. What happened next took me back to the dark era of codecs and computing. The XviD video I was watching became pixelated, the video became out of sync; within a few minutes it was unwatchable.

QNAP VS-5020 VioStor NVR (Network Video Recorder) is a high performance network video surveillance system for high-end IP-based real-time monitoring and video recording. Powered by Intel 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB DDRII memory, the Linux-embedded NVR supports 20-channel H.264, MxPEG, MPEG-4 and M-JPEG recording