WinSGL is a software genlocking solution for PC clusters running under Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP. It can be used to synchronize the video signals of the nodes to an external clock. The external TTL synchronization signal is transmitted over the interrupt line of the parallel port to a dedicated driver. A user-space application performs the synchronization by inserting or removing lines to the invisible part of the image. Robustness to potential frame losses is achieved through continuous consistent timestamping. Tests yield an accuracy of up to 1/2 line deviation from the external signal and a low CPU load of 2% on current PC systems. The system has been designed to be compatible with off-the-shelf graphics hardware and digital output devices based on LCD or DLP technology.
Documentation
User manual and source code documentation
Michael Duller. Software-Genlock for Windows. Semester Thesis, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 2005.
Executable for Windows 2000 / XP.
Needs the shareware tool PowerStrip for adjusting the video timings.
Source Code
The source code is managed on the SourceForge project homepage. Stable releases can be downloaded from the files page. Development versions can be accessed via the subversion repository.
The WinSGL application and our custom part of the driver are released under the GNU General Public License. The generic part of the driver is publicly available but closed source. For compiling the package, you have to get it from CD-ROM of the book "Walter Oney. Programming the Microsoft Windows Driver Model. 2nd Edition. Microsoft Press. 2003. ISBN 0735618038". Both driver parts have to be built using the Windows Driver Development Kit. For further information, read the documentation included in the source release package.
Contact
Michael Duller
michael.dullerinf.ethz.ch
Daniel Cotting
dcottinginf.ethz.ch
Michael Waschbüsch
waschbueschinf.ethz.ch
Computer Graphics Laboratory
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
inf.ethz.ch
