Data synchronization is vital in multimodal research. Without it, studying time relationships is difficult. The Observer^® XT is especially designed to synchronously record and play multiple modalities. Common modalities include video, screen captures, physiological signals, eye tracking data, FaceReader™ and uLog™ data, and of course behavioral data.

• Perform superior behavior recording and analysis.
• Use The Observer XT and keep all your data in sync.
• Get complete insight in behavior and physiology.
• Take advantage of fully integrated equipment.

All-sync system
With The Observer XT you will easily keep all your data in sync. Synchronous recording and playing multiple video and data streams seems straightforward. However, there are numerous technological issues to consider such as delays, clock drift, gaps, a need for reference points, and sampling frequency variation. To make synchronization easy, The Observer XT allows you to start all your equipment with the press of one button. After recording, you integrate all your data to fine-tune the synchronization. You can achieve frame accurate synchrony, even in long recordings.

Fully integrated
The key to synchronization is integration. The Observer XT is a fully integrated package. All data and video material is stored in one database and shown in one software application. It gives you complete control over video, and guarantees a frame accurate link with your data. Moreover, The Observer XT allows you to correct the offset for each separate video and data stream with millisecond accuracy.

Behavioral and physiological data
Behavior and physiology are closely linked, making synchrony all the more crucial for drawing the right conclusions. Since Data AcQuisition (DAQ) is done by separate systems, accurate synchrony can be hard to achieve. Clock drift is a known source of error and may bias your results. With The Observer XT you don’t have to worry about this. Via a permanent link, time information is easily and continuously exchanged between The Observer XT and the DAQ system. The signal is recorded and recognized when the data is imported. This way, you get complete insight into the relationships between behavioral data and physiological responses.

A variety of synchronization options
The Observer XT offers you a wide variety of synchronization options, such as electrical trigger signals, Windows commands to start recordings, time information in data files, and manual offset and stretch of imported data. The most optimal synchronization option depends on your DAQ system. Since some recording devices do not allow full integration, while other devices cannot receive the signal from The Observer XT, you will benefit the most from one of our integrated solutions.

Perfectly synchronized
Verifying the synchrony of multiple modalities can be a challenging and tedious task. That is why we designed the SyncBox. It  ends signals to a range of external equipment, which are recorded in the data. Outputs include electrical signals, sound, light, and keystrokes. All signals are sent at exactly the same time. In The Observer XT you can verify them in all data and video streams, and compare them to a reference point in the event log. If not, you can easily correct the offsets of each data stream to get everything perfectly synchronized.

Synchronization, part of our service
When you purchase a Noldus lab, integration and synchronization of all equipment is part of our installation service. You can be sure that your hardware and software works together, and that all your data is in sync. We can even build set-ups of multiple videos and DAQ systems, eye trackers, screen captures, uLog and other products.

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• Portable observation lab
• Usability lab
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• Mobile lab
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