Amped FIVE updates demultiplexer

We still do get the occasional multiplexed video. If you're lucky enough to have a hardware demultiplexer, then you can easily port channels into your capture device. But, if you don't ... or if you want to save time, you can demux in software. Software demultiplexing is one place where Amped FIVE rocks.

In my example, taken from a very old case, FIVE easily found the 16 camera views. My sample isn't very long, only about a minute and a half. The ability to find the cameras, and the time it takes to separate them all, aren't related. Processing time is related to the length of time contained in the file. 

The latest update automatically saves the different streams/views to individual files when demultiplexing. It's a huge time saver.

Just check the Write all sequences to file box in the Output window, and FIVE saves the streams to your project folder. The Scene settings drop down controls which camera view is displayed in the Viewer for processing.

Enjoy.

Was Shakespeare better in the original Klingon?

In an interesting twist, I recently found myself in a situation with a DVR where the manual was less than helpful. The manual, fortunately, was written in multiple languages. The English version was horrible and offered little help. For some odd reason, the company didn't have a capable English translator and likely resorted to Google's translation services - it was that bad.

But, the interesting part, the German version was spot on. The nice thing about the German language is it's preciseness - with words meaning only one thing. Given this, translation into/from German is easy.

Thank goodness I payed attention in college level German. My German professor said that it would come in handy some day. Turns out ... he was right.

The Honor Flight Network

In Honor of Our Veterans. The Honor Flight Network is an outstanding way of paying a small tribute to those who gave so much — a memorable, safe, and rewarding tour of honor.

“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” - Will Rogers

My family has a long tradition of military service. The support of veterans is one of my family's charitable missions. One of the groups that we support is the Honor Flight Network.

"Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out."

With the National Park Service's decision to barricade and guard the National WWII Memorial against visiting vets and their families, I want to take this time to encourage you to examine the issue of how our country's vets are treated.

7 officials working here today - one carrying wire ties pic.twitter.com/9LEz4WrSg7

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) October 2, 2013

If you feel called to do it, please consider supporting the Honor Flight Network.

Multi-cam in two minutes or less

Last month, I posted about a new piece of software that's taking the FVA market by storm. A few days ago, I received a personal tour of the software's many features from SIFT's Customer Support Manager. But, before you go thinking that such a tour is only available to powerful and influential members of the media, or before my head swells ... every new customer gets this hands on tour of the software. Pretty cool, eh?

Anyways, back to work.

One of the features that really stood out to me was their implementation Multi-Angle Video Display (multi-cam mode). Remember that FlexView Pro isn't an NLE, so there's no editing involved. Here, we're taking the videos as they are, in their native formats and running them in sync for display purposes. I've had to set these jobs up countless times after big incidents involving multiple cameras, or where suspects show up on multiple cameras / or multiple systems (in the case of pursuits).

SIFT's FlexView Pro allows users to view multiple video files at the same time for analysis/comparison/display. There are three methods with which users are able to create Multi-Element Assets:
1. Using the Multi-Angle Import , to import organized folders of video
2. Copying/Pasting Clipboard to Asset, from one asset to another asset
3. Add File to Asset, as an additional angle to an asset

The best part of this functionality is the Sync-Lock. If two Elements of an Asset are not recorded in sync together, the Sync-Lock tool can adjust their timelines so they will play back in sync.

With Sync-lock, the LOCK button allows for the Elements timelines to be Locked or Unlocked in relation to each other.

Simply scrub each video's time line to the point where they are in sync. Then click on the Lock. When playback begins, they will be in sync.

So for this example, the videos were loaded, sync'd and locked in less than two minutes. You can choose to play the videos back on your computer, or package the project up for distribution (includes a free player in the distribution package).

Import multiple camera views, sync them up, lock them down, and view them in just a few steps. No worries about converting the files to something your NLE will accept - FlexView handles anything that will display in Windows Media Player, and Milestone files as well. (If you need a container conversion, you know how to do that quickly as well.) No worries about expensive hardware. I ran the test on my famous $350 Lenovo laptop.

After the tour, the discussion about business models was quite illustrative of the mindset of the newcomers to the FVA market. Rather than extending the life of decades old tech to squeeze out every last dime of profit, these new players are giving us entirely new, purpose built software based on our needs as they are today, with flexibility to handle tomorrows issues. That's a plan that appeals to the geek in me. And, it's that kind of attentiveness to the emerging needs of law enforcement that will win them many customers in the days and months to come.

Enjoy.

Important Changes to Avid Software Availability

This just in from Avid:

"As your trusted partner, we strive to ensure you have timely and complete insight into what’s happening at Avid – to help you succeed both now and in the future. To that end, we are writing to make you aware of some very important changes that will affect access to your Avid® software. Due to a contractual change with our third-party Java software supplier, Avid is implementing support for an Open Source Java alternative in our products moving forward to ensure an optimal user experience at the lowest cost possible for our customers.

However, this means we will no longer offer software installers for many legacy versions of your Avid video and broadcast products after November 1, 2013. Because of this, we strongly encourage you to follow general IT best practices and back up all of your Avid software installers now to ensure that you have what you need in the future.

While we will continue to offer downloads of more recent Avid software releases through our Download Center, using an Open Source Java alternative, the following versions of software—and all prior releases to these—will be removed indefinitely:

Action required—Back up your software by November 1st

Because of these changes, please be sure that you download and create backup copies of the installers for any affected Avid software you own and save them in a secure location. You’ll find your available software by logging in to your My Avid account and looking under “My Products”, “Products Not Yet Downloaded” or the “Avid Video Download Center.” After November 1st, Avid Customer Success, Professional Services and Avid Resellers will not be able to assist with the affected software installations listed above; you will have to rely on your own backup copy to install your software. Following these recommended procedures now will ensure that you have the ability, if needed, to reinstall your software anytime after November 1st.

At Avid, we want to ensure we are fully preparing you for these upcoming changes so that you can make the most of your Avid software—both now and in the future. For more information, tips for downloading and backing up software, and answers to questions, please visit our Avid Software Availability forum. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your continued support."

Ed note: if you're an Ocean Systems customer, remember that they rarely ship Avid media (if at all) with your workstation order. It's important that you log into your Avid account today (it will need to be current) and download everything to which you are entitled. If you decided, like some agencies, to not renew your Avid software service contract ... well ... sorry. Hopefully, you downloaded everything before you quit the program.

An open letter to the marketing and management staff at Ocean Systems

Call me a troll, if you will. But, I had to say something. My previous post on the subject caused a little ripple in the community. Since that time, I've seen quite a few copies of the same advertisement for the Ocean Systems Field Kit. You know the one that I'm talking about. So here's the open letter:

Dear Ocean Systems,

As a long time loyal customer, a long time LEVA member and LEVA instructor, and a member of the public service video/image analysis community, I have a particular problem with the language in your recent marketing campaign. Your statement, "With the Omnivore Field Kit, first responders and forensic video analysts alike can go on scene and walk away with an uncompressed copy of the evidence they need to investigate the case," I believe is misleading and borders on a false claim. I believe that it does harm to your trusted name in the community and perhaps will do harm to those who do not take the time to investigate your claims and trust that in purchasing your Field Kit, using it at a crime scene as their first and only option, will in fact "walk away with an uncompressed copy of the evidence they need to investigate the case;" not knowing that they are leaving so much valuable data behind.

So much has changed since we first published Best Practices for the Retrieval of Video Evidence from Digital CCTV Systems (DCCTV Guide). One of the concerns that we had was that people know the difference between video forensics and computer forensics - at the time, we weren't trying to tell folks that they had to follow computer forensics protocols in order to obtain valid multimedia evidence. That is, if they could coax the machine to give them a copy of the data. We gave the community a flow chart of options, options for obtaining the data on various types of media. When all else fails, we noted, resort to signal capture technology. Again, signal capture was/is a last resort option. The Field Kit, relying on the Omnivore, is a signal capture device and is thus a last resort - not something for first responders, certainly.

The industry has changed and responded to the needs of forensic video analysts. There now exists a suite of tools from various manufacturers to image drives and process the data in a meaningful way. Do I mean to say that the Omnivore has no value? Certainly not. I own one and have had occasion to use it when all else failed. When all else failed, it saved my bacon. It offered the trier of fact the only look at the data that was possible. But again, it was the last option on my flow chart; and I'm a trained specialist who knows how to use it effectively, how to document it's use, and so forth.

Therefore, I'll ask a simple request. I do not ask for you to stop marketing the Field Kit or the Omnivore. You are certainly entitled to make a living, to profit, and to thrive. Please, don't be the braggart that leads the good and well meaning astray. I simply ask that you re-word your marketing such that your customers and potential customers are made aware of what they are buying; something akin to "When all else fails, we're here for you." Heck, I'll even pitch in with the example that I reference above and allow you to quote me.

So, please. Be the one that saves the day. Be the one that your customers can rely upon, when all else fails.

Thank you.

Premiere Pro output options for YouTube and Vimeo HD

Over on Klout.com, I was asked a question, "What is the best codec to export in premiere pro? I am running on Mac osx. 1080p footage, probably for YouTube and Vimeo HD?" Not knowing the version of Premiere Pro, I directed my response to the options available in the Creative Cloud version.

A simple way to export the same file to multiple locations is with the Adobe Media Encoder, included in the Creative Cloud subscription. As you can see from the graphic, there are a ton of options for exporting video for YouTube and Vimeo HD.

As for "the best," it depends on the source and the target. A little trial and error will be necessary.

Does Photoshop CC Shake Reduction pass the test?

One of the new features in Photoshop CC is Shake Reduction. Thankfully, I'm now only getting one e-mail per blast from Adobe (thank you Adobe Marketing for straightening that issue out) per news release.

According to Adobe, you can "quickly restore sharpness to images blurred by camera motion, whether the blur was caused by a slow shutter speed or long focal length. With Camera Shake Reduction, you can make your shots steady — even if your hands aren’t." As always, I like to test new features with older files that I know have specific issues. To me, when I hear "Shake Reduction," I think PSF. So, lets see how well it performs.

First, I open my file and convert the image to a Smart Object (Layer>Smart Object>Convert to Smart Object). I do this as I may want to go back later and edit the settings, and this is the only way to do that. Simply choosing Filter>Sharpen>Shake Reduction, without first converting the file to a Smart Object, won't allow me to edit the settings later. But we already know about, and love, Smart Objects.

The Shake Reduction dialog box opens, and for my file, automatic produces a modern art masterpiece. It does not automatically detect and correct the PSF issues in my test file. Thus, I must perform a manual correction.

In the top left corner of the dialog box, you'll see four icons. We'll want the Blur Direction Tool (the second from the top). We use this to trace the point that has become a line (PSF). Here, it's a bit off its mark initially. But there are further controls available.

With these controls, I can visually dial in the PSF and correct the problem. I don't want smoothing as details are important. Artifact Suppression dials down the ripple effect of this process.

Once I'm satisfied with the results, I simply click OK and continue to work my workflow. As the PSF process corrects focus, it's done at the Focus step of my workflow. After the focus issues are addressed, I move on to global color and light issues.

That's the good news. Here's the bad.

If you're relying on Photoshop to track your edits and record your settings, you'll be disappointed. It doesn't record the settings for this filter.

There it is, from opening to saving. I have the Preferences for my History Log set to Detailed. Just to make sure that I wasn't doing anything wrong, I quit Photoshop, relaunched, and performed the test again. Again, the same results in the History Log. So, one more check - do Shake Reduction without converting the image to a Smart Object. Same results (data ...)

In terms of reproducibility, you'll need to record the settings yourself; Photoshop seemingly won't. Screen shots of the settings area might help you here.

So in the end, as a Photographer, I think it's a cool addition to the venerable program that I've loved since discovering version 3. As a forensic scientist, it's one more little annoyance - why can't the data be included in the History Log? Plus, as it's an Adobe product, I'll have to guess at the algorithm they used. But, if all you can afford is a CC subscription, at least you'll know now how to correct some PSF issues in Photoshop. (It did not do well when the pixel bubbled out in a circle, only when it blurred into a line. That's more of a Smart Sharpen (blind deconvolution) issue in Photoshop. But with that test, Photoshop fails miserably due to lack of precise control and refresh issues.)

So, I'll stick with FIVE. FIVE gives me the control I need. It's quicker to the punch in performing PSF corrections. It can handle, precisely, all my PSF needs. It reports all of the settings, gives me the plain English explanation of what I've done, as well as the reference for the algorithm in the report. And, as Photoshop is still a verb in California, I don't get all the baggage that comes with trying to explain how the image was "Photoshopped" correctly.

A word about purpose built software solutions

This was posted over in a LinkedIn group, so I thought I'd share it with everyone. This comment is from the creator of Amped FIVE, Martino Jerian.

"I know it's very difficult to have a one-stop solution for everything, especially if you are proficient and know very well other tools.

When I started working on FIVE my vision was precisely that: a one-stop solution (exactly as written in our about page). I know that's a very ambitious target, but it is what is driving our development in the right direction. It is something you can never fully reach, but I think we are asymptotically going there. The thing I hate most is to use different software to solve one single task: converting, exporting, importing is a boring process, tedious and error-prone (unless you work completely via scripting unix-style, but takes a lot of time).

When working on cases I rarely use anything else than FIVE (mainly for format conversion ffmpeg and VirtualDub). If I have a new need, rather than look for third-party software, I create a new tool for FIVE, so that, sooner or later, our customer can benefit from it as well. Granted, that is easy for me, being the developer, but very often we try to do that for our customers too, it the request is feasible. Jim already told you that in a previous post. For what regards George Reis, I implemented several of his requests, but he's so demanding I have to start a new company just to keep up with his features request ;)"

Sinar rePro for Latent Print photography?

A few years ago, I was experimenting with a Hasselblad camera for surveillance photography. The results were stunning. I also examined the H4D for studio use. But that was then. Now comes the Sinar rePro and it gives me a whole new set of ideas - shooting medium format for in-lab latent print photography?

Back in'09, I was testing ACR for Latent Print Analysts and made the comment that if you had $80k to spend, try the Foster+Freeman DCS 4. Re-examining the Foster+Freeman offerings some years later shows that DCS 4 is still on offer. Thus, if I had the same $80k to spend, what would I buy?

I'd take a serious look at the Sinar rePro. "The legendary precision of Sinar view cameras for analog and digital studio photography is already well known and highly valued by a great number of users around the world. Based on the same standards, the Sinar rePro is specifically designed to meet the requirements of reproduction photography. On the Sinar rePro only the essential operating elements have been implemented, the resulting simplicity of operation leads to an optimal reliability and prevents handling errors. The Sinar rePro fits seamlessly in the universal Sinar System and it provides an easy workflow with maximum accuracy." Capturing for a latent print workflow is almost identical to a reproduction workflow in terms of precision / accuracy. This adds a touch more control and, with the right digital back, a huge increase in pixels (the eXact allows for a 192MP 16bit RGB output). SWGFAST has their recommendations in terms of minimums, but why settle for minimums if you've got $80k to spend?

Plus, "The basis for the accurate image sharpness is the perfect flatness of the object to be captured and the parallel alignment of the camera. A further novelty provides valuable assistance: Sinar parallel is an excellent device for precise adjustment. The battery powered Sinar parallel is placed on the capturing table and its laser beam reflects from a mirror on the camera. Precise alignment of the camera is achieved when the laser beam exactly hits the middle of the crosshairs of Sinar parallel." Precision alignment is a key to achieving great results.

So, if money was no object, and I wanted a very high megapixel result combined with benefits of a medium format reproduction camera set-up, then I'd really like to see the results achieved of putting the Sinar rePro together with a decent light source. Hmmm ... Christmas is coming.

The perils of freeware

Over on LinkedIn, I recently posted a link to a post from Amped's blog in a group dedicated to audio and video forensics. One of the group's members, after accusing me of being an Amped employee (I'm not), went on to note that he's been doing everything that FIVE does for years, using freeware tools like Virtualdub and Pmod. So, I thought, can I work on .pqz files with Virtualdub? Here's what I found when I went to the main Virtualdub web site:

"It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read (not write) MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP images." Thus, I'll need to either find or write filters to extend the capability of Virtualdub to work with proprietary file types like .pqz. So I clicked on the third-party video filters link, which displayed the following: "I've decided that I don't have the time or energy to hunt down and maintain a list of all the current video filters available for VirtualDub, so I've appointed Donald Graft as honorary filter website maintainer. You can find his own filters, and a comprehensive list of other third-party filters, at: http://neuron2.net/"(don't go there unless you want to be attacked).

There's lots of links to choose from in no particular order. But, I discovered a big problem on the A/V Links page (other tools and filters), the site tried to load a java script exploit to compromise my browser and gain access to my computer. Thankfully, I have a decent firewall and AV solution, so it blocked the attack.

Therein lies the problem for me. I'm not the greatest when it comes to scripting on my own, nor do I have the time to attempt the many different things I do with a scripting approach, so I'll have to find these scripts on the web. Like searching for codecs, searching for scripts from unknown sources is dangerous. If you're not familiar with scripting - you're launching a program or extending the functionality of a program (script) on your machine. Heck, just getting to the page with the list of scripts was problematic for me - the page automatically launched an attack on my computer.

Thus, I don't like the hassle - so I choose commercial software. As I need to be able to reproduce other experts' work, I tend to have a copy of just about everything from the horribly expensive (MATLAB) to freeware like ImageJ.

So just because its free, doesn't mean it's without cost. Make sure you're well protected before going off into freeware script land.

Surveillance Photography vs. Surveillance Videography

Evidence Technology Magazine is out and has a ton of good information, as usual. There was one article that caught my eye: Surveillance Videography Using DSLR Cameras. The author does an outstanding job at explaining the various surveillance scenarios and the best approaches/gear for each situation.

Unfortunately, the author left out one important detail. If you're a privateer doing surveillance in a public space using an off the shelf DSLR, you may unknowingly be committing a felony in many jurisdictions.

In California, Penal Code Section 632 is quite clear: "632. (a) Every person who, intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of any electronic amplifying or recording device, eavesdrops upon or records the confidential communication, whether the communication is carried on among the parties in the presence of one another or by means of a telegraph, telephone, or other device, except a radio, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison, or by both that fine and imprisonment." "632 (d) Except as proof in an action or prosecution for violation of this section, no evidence obtained as a result of eavesdropping upon or recording a confidential communication in violation of this section shall be admissible in any judicial, administrative, legislative, or other proceeding."

Penal Code Section 633 is what gives the law enforcement official in California their permission to conduct audio surveillance, and an exemption to PC 632.

Other jurisdictions have similar language, as I've noted previously.

Remember, if you aren't a law enforcement official conducting an investigation and subject to your agency's policies, and you drop an open mic into a public space without consent of everyone within reach of the mic ... then you're asking for big trouble. In some areas, just using your iPhone to record you and your friends at the local pub can get you into trouble.

But, if you're a law enforcement surveillance specialist, the article is great from a gear buying standpoint.

Enjoy.

Calculate camera position from a picture or video

This just in from the folks at Amped Software: "In the latest version of Five, we have added several improvements, like the possibility to select the layers of calibration lines to show on the picture, and the possibility to draw free hand lines (not constrained by the perspective) to help with the estimation of ground floor points.

In the just released update, we added another useful feature to the Measure 3d filter, which is the ability to automatically calculate the camera position with respect to the ground plane.

Thanks to the calibration of the perspective, once you set the reference measure, you’ll know automatically the height of the center of the camera optics from the ground.

You can simple read the value from the Camera Position parameter in the Reference tab."

It just keeps getting better.

Work with only I-frames in FIVE

Some adjustments work best if you can isolate the I-frames in a video. Sometimes, you simply want a visual cue as to what type of frame is being displayed. Now, a recently added feature in FIVE helps solve that problem.

In the Player Panel, frame type (I,P,B) is displayed after the frame number, if the info is available. And, better still, you can select only the I-frames with which to work.

From the Select Filter menu, click on IFrames Selector. Wait a few seconds as FIVE scours the file and returns the I-frames for you.

So, not only can you select only the I-frames, the filter's menu will display the frame numbers of the selected frames. Better still, the selected frame numbers are entered in the report automatically. How cool is that?!

Converting containers

The more people see Amped FIVE, the more people share with me what they think is a huge selling point - easy conversion of proprietary file containers. For some analysts, this simple task represents 70% their daily work.

With just a few clicks, proprietary containers can be converted and the files opened for use in FIVE. If all you need to do is convert the file for the investigator, then just write the file out to your chosen format ... and you're done. FIVE offers an excellent level of control that's easy to understand.

Forensic Video's Detroit Moment

I doubt that anyone disputes Detroit's significance in the history of the automobile. In the first half of the 20th century, Detroit continued to grow on the back of the powerful auto industry. The US car industry could do no wrong ... until the 1960's.

In the 60's and 70's, the world changed. The world wanted a different kind of car. Companies from Japan and Germany reacted to the change and thrived. US companies scoffed at the change, and are now largely gone. In 1950, you would have been laughed out of the room if you suggested that VW or Toyota would outsell GM worldwide. Today, it's a reality. Yesterday's auto industry wasn't nimble enough to react to world trends. I think about the 65' Chevy that I rode around in as a kid, Dad proudly at the wheel. Today, at 6'7", I can't fit in comfortably in a Chevy. Amazingly, my Honda Fit has more room and better fuel economy than its American equivalent.

But, this is an FVA blog. So, what does this have to do with video and images. A ton, actually. I see the forensic video industry as the US in 1970. The world is changing. But, the big players aren't nimble, they aren't reacting to the changes in the law and the world. Adobe and Avid products demand bigger GPUs and subscription pricing in the face of shrinking agency budgets. Both target the larger photographer and videographer market, leaving the law enforcement side to struggle to afford  the new products and to fit them into their workflow - big expensive square pegs for shrinking round holes.

Then, like German and Japanese auto makers of the 60's, along comes small companies like Amped Software, GP Sift Technologies, DME Forensics, and so forth, offering purpose built solutions directly to the LE market.

I've been asking Adobe to include FFT in Photoshop for over a decade - it's still not there. FFT was in the first release of Amped FIVE. We've been wondering at how to work with native files effectively. FIVE and GP Sift have addressed it in a number of helpful ways. Amped and GP SIFT are Milestone partners, why aren't Avid and Adobe? With Milestone providing the technological backbone to almost 100% of LE's camera systems (Axis & Sony based pole cams, CCTV, etc), why wouldn't the big boys want to partner with them?

So, when the US car industry stopped making cars that supported me and my needs, I shopped around and found Honda. I'm wondering if the big boys of the FVA industry see what's going on. I'm wondering if they and their partners can react in time. Judging on what happened at LEVA, I'm not holding out hope.

Say goodbye to your NLE

The job of a video analyst has evolved. I mentioned in previous posts that the game has changed. Here's another bombshell. In the future, you won't need an NLE. And, guess what ... the future is now. Say good bye to your NLE.

Many of the folks that first started working with video and images in law enforcement came from a production background. They were well versed in broadcast video technology. At the time, it made sense to structure a workflow around products from companies like Avid, Adobe, and Apple. After all, what else was there? Over time, new features were added to your favourite NLE that could be used to assist with case management and courtroom presentation. But in the end, NLEs were expensive and offered a steep learning curve for folks in law enforcement without a background in media/production.

For me, I like to have it all. But, that being said, I work for clients and court systems that don't have everything that I have. I have to be mindful of discovery / repeatability issues when I begin casework. If I use Avid software, and the opposing expert doesn't, how will they be able to view my bin and verify my work. Adobe products have free trial versions,  but the same issues will hold true. The additional wrinkle for me ... Photoshop is a verb. Traditional production oriented tools like Avid's MC and the Adobe CC line are generally not used in my workflow anymore. So, how might I go about creating my demonstratives for court and sharing them with my clients.

Meet GP SIFT. If you haven't heard of them, you might start by reading this white paper or watching this video. SIFT Technologies offer solutions to a number of my current problems, from live capture of interview room and pole cam feeds (Milestone based), to evidence management, to their FlexView product - digital evidence viewer and presentation creation.

The Key Features of their FlexView product:
• Open format platform handles virtually any digital evidence
• Does not require an expensive server
• Does not alter the original digital evidence unless directed by user
• Creates and converts video and picture evidence to multiple industry standard formats
• Video trimmer to easily distribute clips of video evidence
• No Single Point of Failure with real-time automated backup

When I first heard of this company and their product, I knew what a stir they/it would create. It runs on just about any Windows PC. It's reasonably priced. It offers tons of annotation/telestration features. You can trim audio/video files whilst protecting the integrity of the original (works on a proxy). Can be easily shared and protected.

Whilst they were a vendor at the recent LEVA conference, I'm not sure if folks knew what they were seeing. I did, immediately. SIFT offers an alternative to recurring payments and expensive service contracts. It offers a purpose built software for our unique needs. It offers a ton of flexibility. And, as a Milestone partner, it offers a way to work with all the native Milestone video that I get (facility and pole cams).

So, if your agency has Axis based pole cams, if your stations have a Milestone based CCTV system, if your corporate clients are standardized on Milestone (about 70% of the large scale facility market), or if you're looking for a cost effective alternative to the production oriented NLE, give SIFT a look. I know that you'll be impressed.

We now resume our regularly scheduled broadcast

I went to the doctor today to get the stitches out of my wrist. I'll spend the weekend getting my hand used to fine motor skills again. The blog posting will begin on Monday. Boy, do I have a lot to share with you. A lot has happened since I last posted.

LEVA class preview

Ok. Surgery was a week ago. Still typing one handed. Pain sucks, but it's nothing that the water of life can't handle. Should make for an interesting class as the bandages don't come off until 3 days after the class is over.

Folks are wondering what's on tap for my Image Analysis class at LEVA in Asheville. For those of you that can't wait, I've got four words for you that completely describe the class ...

CHRIS RUSS WAS RIGHT.

If you were in the 2008 class that Chris and I presented in Orlando, you'll understand immediately.

See you in Asheville next week.

a life well lived

Typing one-handed isn't easy. I had a wee "accident" during a workout at my local Krav Maga gym. No one's fault - just working hard and having fun. Surgery's next Wednesday. I'll be out for a while as the doc re-arranges my wrist and hand.

The blog will return to it's regularly scheduled programming sometime in mid-September.

Thanks for your continued support.

The Language of Statistics

You may be asked to express the results of your work on a case in the language of statistics. What was your hypothesis? How did you test your hypothesis? You are offering an opinion. On what is your opinion grounded? If you believe that the man in the picture is the defendant, how do you express this belief? Would you enter into the discussion with some variation of Null = not the defendant / Alternative = the defendant? If you go down this road, be prepared to talk in the language of statistics.

Can We Accept the Null Hypothesis?

Some researchers say that a hypothesis test can have one of two outcomes: you accept the null hypothesis or you reject the null hypothesis. Many statisticians, however, take issue with the notion of "accepting the null hypothesis." Instead, they say: you reject the null hypothesis or you fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Why the distinction between "acceptance" and "failure to reject?" Acceptance implies that the null hypothesis is true. Failure to reject implies that the data are not sufficiently persuasive for us to prefer the alternative hypothesis over the null hypothesis.

How did you conduct your hypothesis tests?

Statisticians follow a formal process to determine whether to reject a null hypothesis, based on sample data. This process, called hypothesis testing, consists of four steps.

State the hypotheses. This involves stating the null and alternative hypotheses. The hypotheses are stated in such a way that they are mutually exclusive. That is, if one is true, the other must be false.

Formulate an analysis plan. The analysis plan describes how to use sample data to evaluate the null hypothesis. The evaluation often focuses around a single test statistic.

Analyze sample data. Find the value of the test statistic (mean score, proportion, t-score, z-score, etc.) described in the analysis plan.

Interpret results. Apply the decision rule described in the analysis plan. If the value of the test statistic is unlikely, based on the null hypothesis, reject the null hypothesis.

If you're not prepared to go down this road - DON'T. Simply explain your workflow and present your findings: this is what I did and this is what I found. If you are clarifying / enhancing images and video - don't talk in the language of stats about your results. You didn't conduct an experiment, you simply made the image / video more clear and usable for the trier of fact. In doing this, you didn't analyze the file, you just cleaned it up.

Game changer

Amped Software offered a hint at the future of the industry in their latest blog post. I've seen what they're talking about when they hint at new products on offer. Whilst I've been sworn to secrecy, I will say that one of these new products will change the industry, as disruptive technologies always do.

You can get your hands on it at the LEVA conference in Asheville in just a few weeks. If you're not among the fortunate few that was able to get a room at the venue, find a way to get there if at least for a day. You need to see this.

I've always said, the best comment you can make about a product is to spend your own hard earned money on it (as opposed to your agency cutting a PO). This product has so magnetized my money that I'll be first in line to buy it. Needless to say, once it's out of the box, I'll be featuring it here in a series of posts.

See you in Asheville!

Using JTAG to attack DVRs at the chip level?

We've had a ton of success using a "JTAG attack" to do physical dumps of mobile phones for later analysis with tools like FinalMobile and Cellebrite. The attack works like this, there are these IC debug ports on the phone's "mother board." Except for some of the very lowest end systems, essentially all embedded systems platforms have a JTAG port to support in-circuit debugging and firmware programming as well as for boundary scan testing. So, you connect to it, talk to it, and get it to spill its secrets. Like I said, we've been able to do this with phones when the handset was damaged, but the chips and board were still OK (smashed screen, etc.). When the board's damage, we can do a "chip-off" exam, but I digress.

So, I've been thinking. DVRs work the same way in terms of the motherboard having these test points. Why not talk with the encoders to find out what they're doing, then use this in my analysis of the dump of the DVR data. Whilst I've still got to run this by legal, I think I'm in the clear as I'm not "leaking" proprietary code to competitors, or publishing the code, or monetizing my findings - simply finding out what the chip says is going on and bouncing it off the dump of the hard drive. Essentially, I want to find out what the encoder is doing with the incoming signal - compression, file type, container, etc - after I parse the dump of the chip's info. I think it has practical applications for authentication in terms of getting a "fingerprint" from the chip as to how it encodes then testing a file against that fingerprint to see if it could have come from that encoder ... and so on. Challenging the provenance of files is the latest attack on evidence, so it would be nice to have a tool to deal with it.

There's a cool tool out there that I think is up to the job. It's called JTAGulator. Once my legal team signs off on the initial test protocols, it'll get fun. Eventually, once tested and validated, I'd like to be able to use this in actual casework (when necessary).

I don't know if I can pull it off, but I'm excited to try. As with all theories and scientific endeavors, it starts with an idea, moves on to testing, validation, peer review, and eventually to publication and implementation. So, I'm just at the idea phase on this. Stay tuned.

Google: Gmail users ‘have no legitimate expectation of privacy’

This just in from RT.com: "... Consumer Watchdog has unearthed a July 13, 2013 motion filed by Google’s attorneys with regards to ongoing litigation challenging how the Silicon Valley giant operates its highly popular free email service.

The motion, penned in hopes of having the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismiss a class action complaint against the company, says Gmail users should assume that any electronic correspondence that's passed through Google’s servers can be accessed and used for an array of options, such as selling ads to customers.

"Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient's assistant opens the letter, people who use Web-based email today cannot be surprised if their emails are processed by the recipient's [email provider] in the course of delivery,” the motion reads in part. “Indeed, 'a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties.’"

Privacy issues aside, if you have your government / sensitive e-mail with Google, this presents some interesting issues. Take a closer look at the privacy policy and see what it says for your account.

In the end, Google is free ... but it's not. They're getting theirs.

See you in Asheville!!!

All of the logistics are now solved. So, I'll see y'all in Asheville for the LEVA Conference. I'll be teaching the Forensic Image & Video Analysis with Amped FIVE class.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again, and to seeing what's so special about Asheville. Hopefully, you have your room and I'll see you there.

Enjoy.

Can 1fps represent a scene?

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not a lawyer ... and I'm not your lawyer. So, with that said, here's today's question: can a one frame per second CCTV recording represent a scene accurately?

Years ago, I testified in a case where the action occurred outside of the motion trigger zone, so the recording wasn't activated. The video presented to the jury did not match the witness statements due to large chunks of time missing. The witnesses testified that the defendant came into the business, had a brief conversation with the victim, smacked her hard in the face, then was taken down forcefully by two security guards. The defendant testified that he came in, placed his order, and was attacked by the security guards. The video, with chunks of time missing, seemingly supported the defendant's view of the incident and lead to a hung jury.

But, that was a case involving motion triggers. What about a system with a setting of only 1fps/camera? I've come across systems with eight 4-channel boards running on an old WinME system so overburdened that it could barely manage 1 frame every 10 or so seconds per camera, in spite of the settings.

I think that I would argue that for each frame, it represents what the system saw at that specific second in time. But for the rest, it wasn't captured and I could thus offer no opinion.

What say you?

the LEVA saga continues

I called the resort to confirm that a reservation had been made in my name. As of this morning (EST), there was no confirmation in my name ... and no available rooms. Another call and a more frank reservation attendant noted that the site managers often keeps a few rooms in reserve, and that there might be some room to move. But that I'd have to call and speak with the local manager and plead my case. Also, those rare rooms wouldn't be going for the LEVA rate, for certain.

Given that the room was supposed to be booked for me, I'm a wee bit concerned. I was told that this would be taken care of for me ... as I'm a volunteer instructor. But, as of this morning, no room and no flight. I've got calls and e-mails out to the appropriate people.

To be continued ...

LEVA Conference Update

I sure hope that, if you're planning on attending next month's LEVA Conference, you've booked your room. The LEVA web site notes that the cut-off is the 12th of August. But, as you can see, there are no more rooms left at the resort, ummm ... conference location.

A quick search of the local hotels shows that there's a few rooms left at the one star establishments. There really aren't any rooms at the same rate at a comparable hotel, close to the conference. Hopefully, Chris is building a bunkhouse on his property. :)

Enjoy.

MotionTracking objects in videos using Premiere Pro CC & After Affects CC

If you're looking for a solution for tracking, check out Richard Curtis' piece on leveraging Premiere Pro and After Affects. If you already have a CC subscription, then you can do this. I plan on checking this next week vs. ADS' mjpeg avi outputs.

Why what happens next in Houston is important

Houston's Forensic Science Local Government Corporation (LGC) has selected a nine-member team of experts to help put its forensic lab back together. One of the stars of the team, Dr. Clifford Spiegelman, is a distinguished professor at Texas A&M who has written papers that have changed the way investigators look at evidence.

Spiegelman said the team wants to change the way things are done. "Right now, the standard testimony is when there's a match, they testify that, to a practical certainty, this is the only weapon that could have fired the bullet," said Spiegelman. "The experiments don't support that. And what we're going to be looking at is error rates."

Error rates? Statistics in forensic science? Where have I heard that before?

According to the City of Houston website, The Houston Forensic Science LGC was established by Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston City Council as an independent city-chartered organization to assume the operations of the current Houston Police Department Forensic Division. Could this be just a one-off thing, happening only in Houston as a reaction to local events? Or, could this be the beginning of a nationwide trend - a response to the NAS Report?

Only time will tell.

Lens Profile Correction for GoPro Hero 3 Cameras

I've heard that a lot of the motor units are using GoPro cameras to record traffic stops. If that's the case, you'll want to correct for the lens issues before trying to do any sort of ID from the video. With that in mind, these new profiles are available in Adobe Camera Raw 8.2 and Lightroom 5.2. If you want to know more about lens correction, check out this cool video tutorial from Adobe's Russell Brown.

DefCon21 recap

I've just about recovered from the awesome time at DefCon21 in Las Vegas. If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to go at least once. You'll find, like me, that you'll want to return each year as it just keeps getting better.

Here's a list of some of the sessions at this year's event, at least the ones I attended:

• Hacker Law School - what can you legally do as a white hat hacker?
• Oil & Gas Infosec 101 - do you know how many oil wells there are in Texas? Who's watching them?
• Wireless Pen Testing 101 - you'll never pay for WiFi again. :)
• I Can Hear You Now - how easy it is to clone phones with a compromised FemtoCell.
• The Secret Lives of SIM Cards - how to program and install apps on SIM Cards, and why you'd want to.
• The Next Crypto War - how to scare the crap out of 2k people at once.
• ACL Steganography - new places to hide stuff in your PC.
• DIY Cellular IDS - great for agencies on small budgets.
• RFID Hacking - is your employee badge really safe?
• Pwn the PwnPlug - that power supply isn't what you think it is.
• JTAGulator - if you're trying to figure out how to get data off of throw away phones, this is the best tool to start your quest.

These are just some of the classes available. Each was well presented, entertaining, and quite informative. Aside from the classes, the networking opportunities were priceless.

Greetings from DefCon21

Spending the weekend at DefCon21 in Las Vegas. Lots going on. If you've never been, you need to come at least once.

Last month for special pricing on Adobe Creative Cloud

Browse through the Creative Cloud membership special offers before they end on 8/31. Click here for more information.

Greetings from Japan

Noritsu, the massive Japanese photo processing company, is making the jump to the US forensics market with their AccuSmart Vision Forensic Video Processing (ASV) product. I haven't gotten a hold of a copy yet, but it should be interesting to see what they're up to.

No idea on pricing or support, but it might be worth a look. Stay tuned.

Video playback resolution in Photoshop CC

This just in from @julieannekost: "Photoshop CC has added various resolutions to playback video. The default is 50% and other options are 25% and 100%. Setting a lower resolution can increase playback performance when working with high resolution video (in previous versions, Photoshop auto-dropped the resolution for faster playback). To select the playback resolution, click the gear icon in the Timeline panel. Note: the Loop Playback check box also appears in the gear menu."

Falsification: looking for evidence to disprove the theory

As we often times get asked questions in court that are posed in the context of research science, many are confused by the term Falsification. In the context of research science, it means looking for evidence to disprove the theory.

De Vaus notes, "As well as evaluating and eliminating alternative explanations we should rigorously evaluate our own theories. Rather than asking 'What evidence would constitute support for the theory?', ask 'What evidence would convince me that the theory is wrong?' It is not difficult to find evidence consistent with a theory. It is much tougher for a theory to survive the test of people trying to disprove it." (De Vaus, 2001).

"... falsificationism stresses the ambiguity of confirmation . . . corroboration gives only the comfort that the theory has been tested and survived the test, that even after the most impressive corroborations of predictions it has only achieved the status of 'not yet disconfirmed'. This . . . is far from the status of 'being true'." (Cook and Campbell, 1979)

If you are offering "technician level" testimony, I performed this workflow using these tools ... and offering the court no opinion, you'll likely not get any questions related to falsification. But, if you are offing your opinion, your theory, then be prepared for this line of enquiry. Being prepared starts with knowing what they're asking.

Seriously!? Adobe

I get about 5 of these e-mails per day. I'm already a Creative Cloud customer. Seriously Adobe, there's got to be an internal mechanism that says, OK, he's already a subscriber, maybe he doesn't need to get the subscription spam. Seriously?!

Adobe updates

I woke up to find a ton of updates waiting for me in my Creative Cloud notifier. Lots of bug fixes, really taxing my 6GB 4G monthly allotment. Unfortunately, I'm one of the 20% of rural Americans without high-speed wired internet. I get my internet through my Verizon handset at 4G. I'm starting to think that maybe Verizon owns Adobe stock, or the other way around. Hmmm

I'm liking the improvements to the CC products enough, I just wish I could download the patches elsewhere, save them to a thumb drive, then install them when I get home. Hmmm.

Public service careers and the mess in Detroit

I've been watching the various news reports on the demise of Detroit. It's very depressing.

I've got family in Michigan. I've got family from Michigan. I haven't set foot in the state in over 20 years, but I'm still a die-hard Wings fan. I go to see them play the Kings or the Ducks when they come to town. But, as you can see from the photo, as a civil servant, I can't afford to sit near the ice.

As a civil servant, there's only two things I can say about how much I make per hour, my benefits, and my pension - yes or no. I can take what's offered, or I can quit. In a closed government shop, I have no say. I like what I do, so I stay ... even as I make less than I did 10 years ago with all the give-backs and extra towards health and pension, I'm glad that I'm employed so I count my blessings and pray for those in worse circumstances.

With that in mind, I feel a bit angry at the news reports that say the government workers are to blame for sucking Detroit down a hole. Folks had nothing to do with that. The job opening was posted, they applied, the government union said what the pay scale was and how much they'd get in pension and health ... then they worked their careers. You can argue over individual slugs and super stars, but the workers don't set pay and benefit rules.

Since I don't live in the city that employs me, I don't get to vote for the people who set my wage. I think its the same way for a lot of government employees. So, I'm left with two choices: stay or go. If I go, someone else will take the job. Government won't shrink.

So what does this say about me, government workers in general, and Detroit (or your city)? The city where I am employed has such a positive balance in their portfolio (as reflected in their recent CAFR) that they could actually buy Detroit's entire debt burden and have about $3 billion left over. Why is my city doing so well and Detroit doing so poorly?

Something to think about as I change the channel to something more positive, like Extreme Amish Cougars on NatHistGeo HD.

Print Screen

There are occasions when you'll need to do a screen grab of your workstation's screen. You hit the Print Screen key on the keyboard, then paste the contents of your memory in Paint, Photoshop, and etc. For Amped FIVE users, it's there too.

After pressing the Print Screen key, select Image Paster. Image Paster just places the contents of the memory capture into a new chain. You can select the compression level in JPEG, or choose another method altogether, in the Image Paster control box.

I know that you can do all of this in Paint or in Photoshop, but a reader asked about Image Paster, so ...

Enjoy.

Ahh ... the good old days

Amazingly enough, PC prices are at historic lows ... by my MacBook Pro cost almost exactly the same as my first Macintosh.

You might recognize the program on the screen. Aldus PageMaker rocked.

Verifeyed still not verified

About a year ago, I tested Verifeyed and found that it wasn't an appropriate solution for authenticating images from social media (see this post).

Since I last tested Verifeyed, they've changed it up a bit ... but not much.

Probably as a response to a discussion in a group at LinkedIn, I was offered a chance to try Verifeyed again (though I was told that this was/is a rare event as they don't have trial version of their software).

After a frustrating week of finding that not much had changed other than the UI, I sent them some of my test images to authenticate. As before, they were from my Facebook page. Here's the response from their support team: "To summarize, Verifeyed is not an appropriate software to analyze photos of the kind you shared with us. We recommend to use Verifeyed only on photos captured by today’s cameras."

Thus, given Verifeyed's high price, the things it actually does, and the lack of a trial version, I would say that FourMatch is a better choice for trying to authenticate images that come directly from "today's cameras." FourMatch is about half the price of Verifeyed, runs within Photoshop (which you should already own/rent), and they offer a trial.

Forensic Video Acquisition Field Kit?

So, I get an e-mail from my friends at Ocean Systems announcing their "Forensic Video Field Acquisition Kit." From reading the piece, I'm a bit worried that inexperienced folks and uninformed command staff might be confused as to what this is and what this isn't.

First of all, what is it? It's a nicely put together kit for your extremely last resort option of grabbing digital evidence out of the analog video port of a DVR. Yes, I had to say it. This is not a option of first choice, but one done when all else fails.

The Best Practices for the Retrieval of Video Evidence from Digital CCTV Systems (DCCTV Guide), also known as the red flip book, notes on page 1 that you should be after the data - "the retrieved video data should be retained as the master evidence." Note the word, data. This kit is designed/sold to grab signal, not data. (I guess you could use it to network to the DVR, but that isn't listed as a feature and you could just as easily buy a cheap laptop and a cross-over cable on Amazon to do that part).

Remember, DCCTV retrieval is the collection of relevant video data and associated metadata from a digital video recording system. In every class that I've ever taught on the subject of the retrieval of DCCTV evidence, I've focussed on securing the data and metadata as the master evidence. Again, this kit grabs signal, not data / metadata.

Page 25 of the red flip book notes that not all DVRs have a digital output option. For these systems, the book advises the investigator to consider seizing the DVR as the master evidence. If that's not possible, it then advises an analog signal capture as a last resort option. I know that the book says it, but why is seizing the box important? If I have a DVR with no digital output options, and I have the DVR in my lab, I can do whatever it is that I do for the case. I can turn the DVR over to opposing council's expert, and they can do whatever it is that they do - from the same piece of master evidence. With this kit's output, the opposing expert can only work from my output, not from the original evidence (with the DVR in continued service, it's likely that the original data will be long gone before trial ever starts).

Additionally, the statement "Now first responders and experienced analysts alike can go on scene with confidence that they will walk away with an uncompressed copy of the evidence they need to investigate the case" is a bit misleading. You aren't getting a copy in the classical sense of the word. If you were, you'd get a copy of the data - but you aren't. The evidence is the data and the metadata. The signal is a nice picture of the data, but it's just that, a visual representation of the data. It's like taking a picture of a pistol and trying to do ballistics.

Added to that is the fact that it's a less than real time option. Yes, I said it. It's less than real time. You have to play it back in real time, then wait for Omnivore to save it in its native Omnivore format, then convert it to something usable for your editor. So, it's less than real time - not "instantly previewed, saved or exported to common formats" as the marketing page states. What happens if you have multiple cameras, or multiple hours to capture? Is this something that you want to do in the field, or would you consider seizing the DVR and doing this back in the lab? In cases where I can get the data, that's my preference. If the data/player doesn't support the creation of a file that my attorney needs (.avi, .wmv, .mov) for his/her presentation, I can use my Omnivore to speed that along. But, I still have the original data. In many cases, like with .264 or .re4 files, I can quickly convert the proprietary files with FIVE and thus skip the real time Omnivore option (though I like the Omnivore's frame speed detection better for doing screen captures).

Another worry is that folks will use this, but not understand the underlying technology behind what's going on in this digital to analog to digital conversion. Remember, this is being marketed to First Responders. In the world of Melendez-Diaz, the accused can/will call the first responder to quiz them on their decision matrix, SOPs, choice of tools, familiarity with the tools/tech, and etc. Is this something that your command staff wants to have happen? Let's say that the recording was done in the DVR at 720x240 and the frame rate was variable ... but around 7 frames per second. Your linux based DVR has only a VGA output and you capture it using this system. How does the DVR put 720x240 into VGA and come out even? Was anything lost? What was lost? Was your process validated and is it reliable? With the many recorded frame sizes out there, are you comfortable with your first responders facing these questions under cross? I know a few "experts" who would have trouble articulating the answers in a way that the Trier of Fact would understand.

So, as an Omnivore owner, would I consider this an upgrade? I'm not sure. It seems like a logical update to the StarWitness Field Agent concept. Knowing the folks involved in making it, I'm confident that it will work well for what it actually does. But, I just wince at the marketing of it and the way it's portrayed. But, that's my unvarnished opinion.

How accurate is forensic analysis?

This Washington Post article highlights a review of death penalty convictions "... in which FBI forensic experts may have mistakenly linked defendants to crimes with exaggerated scientific testimony ..."

Within the article, there's an interactive info-graphic on the reliability of certain "forensic analysis" domains. "Body changes registered by polygraph equipment can be subjective to interpret, caused by anxiety rather than guilt." "A 2003 National Academy of Sciences panel found polygraph testing lacks sufficient scientific validity and accuracy to justify its use in screening federal employees but useful as an investigative tool. Several federal circuit and state courts deem polygraph evidence inadmissible." In spite of this, many LE agencies continue to use the Polygraph exam to screen recruits and internal transfers to sensitive assignments. One is left to wonder how many false positives have prevented otherwise fit candidates from gaining employment in LE. I know from my own experiences with the polygraph, wondering that since the attachments don't fit on my larger than average body, and I barely fit in the special chair ... how can the results be accurate or valid, much less reliable and repeatable.

Marketing smack down

Amped Software is sounding a lot like Jim Rome in this piece on their blog.

DAC acquires Salient Stills

While I usually refrain from publishing press releases, this one gets an exception.

BOSTON, July 15, 2013 – Salient Stills, a leader in video forensics and image enhancement, today announced it has been acquired by Digital Audio Corporation (DAC), a leading supplier of forensic audio clarification tools. DAC will sell, support and offer training for Salient Stills’ VideoFOCUS PRO and VFSource systems. Salient Stills CEO and President Laura Teodosio and CTO Jeff Hunter will join DAC, and continue their market and product development.

“We’ve been considering strategic acquisitions for several years, and Salient Stills is the perfect complement to our existing products,” said Donald Tunstall, President and General Manager of DAC. “Together, we can more seamlessly meet the unique video and audio forensics challenges of our shared customer base in the law enforcement, homeland security, and defense sectors.”

“DAC is the ideal home for our technology and customers, and this acquisition ensures that our products will continue to evolve,” said Teodosio, of Salient Stills. “The combination of our forensics technologies also enables DAC to offer the industry’s most advanced and comprehensive toolset available.”

VideoFOCUS Pro captures and exports video from videotape, CCTV systems, digital video cameras, cell phones and proprietary DVR formats, and generates higher resolution stills and videos. DAC’s CARDINAL forensic audio processor seamlessly handles forensic analysis and processing of all analog and digital media. DAC will be exhibiting these products in booth #812 at the NATIA conference this week in Memphis, TN.

Reliability and validity

With all the chatter on the Zimmerman trial and the exclusion of the State's voice "experts," I wanted to take a moment to look at reliability and validity from a science standpoint. To do this, I'll enlist the help of one of my favorite authors on the subject, William M.K. Trochim, Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University.

"Reliability has to do with the quality of measurement. In its everyday sense, reliability is the "consistency" or "repeatability" of your measures. Before we can define reliability precisely we have to lay the groundwork. First, you have to learn about the foundation of reliability, the true score theory of measurement. Along with that, you need to understand the different types of measurement error because errors in measures play a key role in degrading reliability. With this foundation, you can consider the basic theory of reliability, including a precise definition of reliability. There you will find out that we cannot calculate reliability -- we can only estimate it. Because of this, there a variety of different types of reliability that each have multiple ways to estimate reliability for that type. In the end, it's important to integrate the idea of reliability with the other major criteria for the quality of measurement -- validity -- and develop an understanding of the relationships between reliability and validity in measurement.

We often think of reliability and validity as separate ideas but, in fact, they're related to each other. Here, I want to show you two ways you can think about their relationship.

One of my favorite metaphors for the relationship between reliability is that of the target. Think of the center of the target as the concept that you are trying to measure. Imagine that for each person you are measuring, you are taking a shot at the target. If you measure the concept perfectly for a person, you are hitting the center of the target. If you don't, you are missing the center. The more you are off for that person, the further you are from the center.

The figure above shows four possible situations. In the first one, you are hitting the target consistently, but you are missing the center of the target. That is, you are consistently and systematically measuring the wrong value for all respondents. This measure is reliable, but no valid (that is, it's consistent but wrong). The second, shows hits that are randomly spread across the target. You seldom hit the center of the target but, on average, you are getting the right answer for the group (but not very well for individuals). In this case, you get a valid group estimate, but you are inconsistent. Here, you can clearly see that reliability is directly related to the variability of your measure. The third scenario shows a case where your hits are spread across the target and you are consistently missing the center. Your measure in this case is neither reliable nor valid. Finally, we see the "Robin Hood" scenario -- you consistently hit the center of the target. Your measure is both reliable and valid (I bet you never thought of Robin Hood in those terms before)."

So, yes, I can hear you now ... but you're talking about social research, like the stuff that you're doing for your PhD. Ok, sure. But think about it for a second. You call yourself an image analyst or a video analyst. Those fields have specific domains. Those domains involve measurements of one type or another. So, I ask you, are we really talking about two different things? Or, does the scientific method work across a number of academic and professional disciplines? I would argue that it does.

The inverse CSI effect in the age of digital crime

Here's an interesting take on the CSI effect: "The "CSI Effect" has been described as being an increased expectation from jurors that forensic evidence will be presented in court that is instantaneous and unequivocal because that is how it is often presented for dramatic effect in television programs and movies. Of course, in reality forensic science, while exact in some respects is just as susceptible to the vagaries of measurements and analyses as any other part of science. In reality, crime scene investigators often spend seemingly inordinate amounts of time gathering and assessing evidence and then present it as probabilities rather than the kind of definitive result expected of a court room filled with actors rather than real people.

However, while suggesting this CSI Effect is perhaps not quite as widespread as one might imagine among jurors, informatician Richard Overill of King's College London believes it might have a positive effect on reducing the tendency to criminal behaviour among some individuals. He offers details of his analysis of the "Inverse CSI Effect" in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics. This would be manifest, he says, particularly among so-called cyber-criminals, fearing the instantaneous and definitive forensic evidence from the imagined cyber-sleuths.

If this inverse CSI effect exists then one might imagine that a proportion of cyber-criminals would modify their behaviour in one of three ways. They might go straight by withdrawing from their nefarious activities altogether. They might attempt to go "under the radar", restricting their crimes to ones with lower impact and less "profit" that would not necessarily warrant costly police resources for investigation. Alternatively, they might expend large amounts of effort or money to obfuscate their modus operandi with multiple layers of concealment and stealth to make their crimes invisible to even the slyest cyber sleuth ..."

Continue reading by clicking here.

Samsung RE4 and VFS4 Files

Spreadys Space goes into incredible depth on the .re4 / vsf4 issue. Check in out by clicking here.

Florida Says "Good-Bye Frye" & "Hello Daubert"

This just in from the BullsEye blog: "Say hello to a whole new expert era in Florida. After nearly a century of utilizing the Frye standard to evaluate the admissibility of expert witness testimony, on July 1 a new law adopting the federal Daubert standard came into effect across Florida state courts.

The July 1 date is a momentous one for those who rely on the use of expert witness testimony in Florida state courts, as it signals a major evidentiary shift related to the use and admissibility of expert testimony in Florida. Signed into law on June 5th by Gov. Rick Scott as HB 7015, the law officially abolishes the long-standing Frye standard in Florida, replacing it with the federal court’s more rigorous Daubert standard.

Florida’s adoption of the federal Daubert standard for admissibility means big expert witness changes for that state are on the horizon. Implementation of the Daubert standard will impose greater hurdles for the admission of expert testimony in Florida state courts, affecting attorneys, experts, parties, and even judges ..."

re4 file problems solved

So it's back to work after an extended holiday. First off, a disc with an .re4 file. Thanks to Larry, I can get the link to download a player ... but the player offers no export other than still images. My options? Omnivore, which is a slower than real time solution for this particular file's 16 cameras. Or, Amped FIVE.

FIVE opened the file using the DVR Change Container to AVI function. It's now just a big multplexed AVI file. Then, a quick demux, select the appropriate camera, trim to select just the part of the scene containing the relevant footage, and output to AVI. Once the footage has been demuxed, it's as easy as selecting the next relevant camera view, trim, and output. All in all, a very fast option indeed.

So, for those files that use "normal" video codecs wrapped in a proprietary container, FIVE is the fast option for getting a usable clip.

Enjoy.