Maxtor Meteor Compatibility List
Using the Multiple Matrox Meteor in a System
(active window)
signal
INTRODUCTION
This document briefly describes how multiple Matrox Meteors can be supported in a single PC system. The
use of multiple Matrox Meteor boards can allow a user to grab multiple images simultaneously. It is possible
to grab from genlocked cameras or from non-synchronous sources (cameras can be of the same or different
formats).
Topics covered below are:
ü installation of the boards;
ü grabbing from genlocked or non-sync cameras;
ü the number of cameras per board;
ü system bandwidth requirements;
ü along with a software example and software support.
MULTIPLE BOARD INSTALLATION
Installation of multiple boards will require an empty PCI (32-bit) slot for each board to be installed, and in
some instances, the removal of a PCI card from the system to make room for the additional board. When
installing an additional card, it is important to observe the steps followed when installing the first Matrox
Meteor board and pay close attention to the existence of a large black-ridged heat sink found in some
computers. This heat sink prevents long cards from using most PCI card slots. The Matrox Meteor boards
must never come in contact with this heat sink and it is important to use a slot that will allow the boards to
completely avoid the heat sink. In the event that the heat sink prevents installation of the additional Matrox
Meteors, contact your computer dealer. Through the MIL-Lite software, the user can specify the number of
Matrox Meteor boards desired in a system (see SOFTWARE EXAMPLE in this document).
GRABBING FROM GENLOCKED OR NON-SYNC CAMERAS
Grabbing from two genlocked cameras simultaneously allows the capture of two different images at exactly
the same time (see figure 1) at different memory locations or different memory buffers. In this case, the
cameras must be in the same format. In the case of non-synchronous, the cameras can either be the same
format or different formats (see figure 2). The MIL driver version 3.1x supports the display of one live (active
window) and one pseudo live image (non-active window) while version 4.0 will support the display of two live
images.
live grab
RS-170
timing
RS-170
Matrox
Meteor
Matrox
Meteor
Figure 1: Grabbing from two genlocked cameras
pseudo-live grab
(non-active window)
May 8, 1998 1
Using the Multiple Matrox Meteor in a System
(non-active window)
selected through multiplexer
multiplexer*
multiplexer*
one camera
live grab
(active window)
RS-170
CCIR
Matrox
Meteor
Matrox
Meteor
pseudo-live grab
Figure 2: Grabbing from two non-synchronous cameras (with different formats)
HOW MANY CAMERAS PER BOARD?
Since the Matrox Meteor has up to four software selectable video inputs available, a user may connect one
or more cameras to each of the Matrox Meteors. However, since only one camera is selected through a
multiplexer (see figure 3), only one image will be grabbed from one camera per board at a time. The image
from each one of the cameras will be grabbed and displayed as a live (active window) or pseudo live (nonactive window).
software select
multiple cameras per board:
live grab
(active window)
Matrox
Meteor
Matrox
Meteor
pseudo-live grab
(non-active window)
*for illustrative purposes - the multiplexer is actually located on the board
Figure 3: Grabbing from multiple cameras connected to each board
PCI BANDWIDTH REQUIREMENTS
Sustained PCI transfers to memory require the use of a high performance PCI core logic chipset, such as the
Intel 430 FX (Triton). If a high performance chipset is used, using two Matrox Meteors in a system for
simultaneously grabbing two full size images at full rate should not present any PCI bandwidth problems.
However, using more than two Matrox Meteors for simultaneously grabbing more than two images may result
in PCI bandwidth problems.
May 8, 1998 2
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