The heart of the advanced hardware technology is the new PXA270 Intel processor, which runs up to 520 MHz and includes a new MMX (Multi Media.
It is this new processor that allows three times the frame rate of the previous Mobotix camera models and generates a VGA video stream with up to 30 frames per second from an image with 1.3 megapixels. The new platform, including improved image processing and coding functions, was completely developed and implemented in Germany. Since Mobotix cameras are designed for outdoor applications, the platform must also be able to withstand extreme weather conditions. The low power consumption of only three watts and a guaranteed temperature tolerance ranging from - 30°C to +60°C are two more advantages of the new platform technology. Over the course of the next year, this new platform will also be integrated into other camera models made by Mobotix.
The technology used in the Mobotix cameras is quite different from other camera manufacturers in two distinct ways. First, the Mobotix cameras use only digital CMOS image sensors with backlight compensation instead of half-frame based CCD sensors.
The M22M camera series employs the new Mobotix network camera technology. Second, thanks to the Mobotix software integrated into the cameras, image processing and coding is purely digital, whereas other manufacturers use standardized hardware digitizers and compressors to do the same job.
Another advantage of the software-based solution, according to Mobotix, is that image processing becomes much more flexible because information can be simply inserted into the image and scaling can be used to obtain higher image quality. This is particularly important when a camera has to reduce the size of megapixel images to obtain a more efficient image format for data transmission or storage. Hardware solutions do this by omitting lines and columns in the image to produce "rastered" images with step-like artifacts at the edges. Mobotix cameras, however, simply use the integrated software to reduce the images to other formats, just like an image processing program. Since large images can be scaled down with no loss in quality, Mobotix cameras can consistently use high-resolution megapixel sensors. In addition, the software-based system is also able to implement motion algorithms with pixel-by-pixel accuracy. This technology also allows the expansion of the range of functions in the Mobotix cameras at a later date by simply uploading the free Mobotixsoftware updates.

CMOS instead of CCD
Mobotix cameras use highly sensitive full-frame CMOS sensors to prevent the annoying blurring and stripe effects that can occur in standard cameras using CCD technology. CCD technology divideseach frame into even and odd lines: first, the even lines are recorded, then the odd ones. Then the two consecutive half frames are interlaced to form a complete frame with a high number of lines. This process does not always reproduce optimum image quality.
The CMOS sensors used in Mobotix cameras are equipped with backlight compensation to eliminate the need for a mechanical auto-iris lens or automatic shutter. This improves camera reliability and increases the temperature range within which they can be used without any additional heating. Thanks to software-supported image processing, the user can also freely define the important exposure zones to ensure optimum exposure in these areas. Since there is no auto-iris lens, which darkens the image when there is a significant amount of backlight, the dark areas can be lightened up sufficiently to allow better recognition of people's faces, for example.

A Wide Range Of Functions And High Performance
In addition to the advantage of image processing, Mobotix cameras also feature a number of integrated alarm and recording functions which other camera manufacturers usually have runningas client software on the PC, and they have to be purchased separately.
Thanks to Mobotix technology concept, live video can be shown at 30 frames per second in VGA format (640x480 pixels) and stored together with lip-synchronous audio in the same quality and at the same frame rate. The integration of the software in the camera also results in a ten-fold increase in performance: a standard PC is able to record the images of approximately 30 Mobotix cameras simultaneously in live quality at 30 frames per second and in VGA resolution. Other manufacturers' systems generally record one to four frames per second in the considerably smaller CIF format