The exhibit hall at SAGES 2008 was something of an HD wonderland; everywhere you turned, there was another laparoscope pointing at a flower, the minute stalks of the stamen revealed in excruciating detail on a nearby flatscreen.
Of all the high definition systems shown, we must say that we were the least impressed with the optics from Olympus’s cameras. Their laparoscopes produced images that were really not much better than standard definition, not to mention that theirs is the only camera that doesn’t have a 16:9 aspect ratio. With that being said, the new Olympus recorder ain’t half bad.
The Nstream HD records 1080i high definition video to an internal 250 GB hard drive using MPEG-2 compression. (That was claimed to offer about 65 hours of recording time.) It can even record two separate inputs at the same time and time-lock them for later realignment. We prefer this over recording the picture-in-picture feed, as sometimes we get an interesting ultrasound finding and want to show it separate from the surgical footage later on.
As per usual, video files can be burned to a DVD at the end of a case or accessed over a network. The system offers a basic on-board editing application, although we weren’t able to figure it out after ten minutes (and we’re usually pretty fast, so that doesn’t bode well for the rest of you). In this video, we record a clip and then review it.
In all, it’s not a bad system. It’s comparable to the Stryker SDC Ultra, better than the Storz AIDA, and worse than the Sony ImageCore HD.
2 responses so far ↓
1 videoeditingmike // Apr 15, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I never understood why companies would not just emulate professional recording systems for the OR. Back in the VHS/S-VHS days this was the case.
Surgeons who have discovered the joys of recording to DV or DVCAM tape know the quality and easy to edit standard def recordings.
Granted most surgical recordings do not have editing in mind, so digital video capture is certainly appropriate in many cases.
The latest HD cameras from Sony and Panasonic use flash based media, however long term storage remains an issue - hard drives and DVD-R discs on a shelf are the options.
It would be cool if HDV could be used for HD video recording, at least for those wanting to do editing without purchasing an XDCAM deck ($17,000 vs $3500 for a deck and cheaper media).
Finally, has anyone considered recording HD video directly into a PC or Mac via an SDI editing card, such as AJA or Blackmagic Design’s products? One would want to record to the disk based OR video capture system as well, but going straight to a NLE could capture the most robust uncompressed image yet.
2 crk2002 // Aug 24, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I received a message from Olympus’ public relations firm requesting that we add a few product clarifications:
OpNotes comments:
The nStream + HD records 1080i high definition video to an internal 250 GB hard drive using MPEG-2 compression. (That was claimed to offer about 65 hours of recording time.)
Olympus’ correction:
Olympus’ nStream+(TM) Dual Channel Video Management System is a medical-grade digital video and image capture device tailored for surgical and clinical workflow. Available in both Single Channel and Dual Channel configurations, its uses include video documentation, collaboration and education. Finally, nStream offers 1080i high definition video to an internal 500GB HD on the nStream+HD, while the standard definition version of nStream+ offers 250 GB. Additionally the 500GB drive offers approximately 70 total hours of HD recording time on the nStream+HD.
OpNotes comments:
It can even record two separate inputs at the same time and time-lock them for later realignment.
Olympus’ correction:
Olympus’ nStream+ Dual Channel can record simultaneously, the nStream+ HD, however, is only able to record one input at a time. One featured advantage of nStream + Dual Channel System is its multi-modality quality, up to six input devices can be connected without having to change cables during the course of a procedure. Additionally, the Olympus nStream+ Dual Channel device recording is synchronized, so that playback of either video shows the same information at the same point in either video.
OpNotes comments:
As per usual, video files can be burned to a DVD at the end of a case or accessed over a network.
Olympus adds:
Olympus’ nStream products offer multiple export options. Video files can be burned to DVD and/or DICOM export is also an option. Access to files across a network is also available and provided through Olympus’ VaultStream Server using Video Information Portal (VIP). VIP allows authenticated users to access review and download video and stills from patient records through a secure web browser access. nStream+ HD also exports to VideoBricks, or other USB drives.
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