Cambridge Research Systems

Why do I need ViSaGe?

Getting from that brilliant insight to the crucial experiment can be the hardest part of any research project. The choices for visual stimulus generation can be bewildering, but false starts waste your time and money.

Computer graphics seem the obvious solution, but it's not always that simple. Most systems are really designed for games: they are difficult for novices to program and unsupported by the manufacturer. Often their dynamic range is limited, with inadequate contrast and colour control for experimental applications, and timing is unpredictable.

You need the ViSaGe advantage:

Real-time driver for Windows guarantees frame-synchronous presentations even at 100Hz+ frame rates
14bit colour and luminance control with integrated support for gamma correction and colour calibration
Dedicated PCI Express framestore to buffer sequences of precalculated images
Integrated digital I/O interface for controlling third-party equipment like electrophysiological amplifiers
Toolbox for MATLAB means experimental scripts are easy to generate; no Windows programming in C is required for most applications!

Overview

ViSaGe is a programmable hardware and software system for a PC running Windows XP. It allows you to display calibrated visual stimuli on a CRT-based computer monitor for precise amounts of time, and makes it simple to synchronise the stimulus presentation with external data collection equipment (e.g. button boxes or eye trackers, motion trackers, electrophysiological amplifiers, and MRI scanners).

Proven - ViSaGe is the Gold Standard visual stimulus generator and is based on 20 years of development. It has been used in literally thousands of experiments worldwide and is cited in the leading peer-reviewed journals.

Compatible - ViSaGe will integrate easily into your laboratory setup and can be combined seamlessly with our other products and peripherals to provide a customised solution to your research needs.

Precise - ViSaGe is based on graphics hardware from an industry leader; it offers accurate frame-based timing, and precise luminance and colour control. The Spring 2006 Hardware Refresh uses PCI Express technology and is compatible with the latest multi-core processors.

Easy - The new CRS Toolbox adds the clarity of MATLAB to the power of the ViSaGe. Taking full advantage of MATLAB's power and simplicity, we have added a whole new range of functions. Every ViSaGe is sold with unlimited free technical and programming support; we have an online Support Portal dedicated to helping you get the most from your research equipment.