Connectionists: New release of OpenViBE 0.8.0

[Yann Renard]

New release of *OpenViBE* 0.8.0 "Autumn edition" is now available for 
download at : <http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=download>

=== Overview =========================================

OpenViBE is an opensource platform that enables to design, test and use 
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). Broadly speaking, OpenViBE can be used 
in many real-time Neuroscience applications.

The OpenViBE platform stands out for its high modularity. It addresses 
the needs of different types of users (programmers and non-programmers) 
and proposes a user-friendly graphical language which allows 
non-programmers to design a BCI without writing a single line of code.

OpenViBE is portable, independent of hardware or software targets, can 
run under Windows and Linux and is entirely based on free and 
open-source software. OpenViBE is compatible with MATLAB programming.

OpenViBE comes with preconfigured scenarios and runs already existing 
applications such as :
  * BCI based on motor imagery
  * P300 speller
  * Neurofeedback
  * Real-time visualization of brain activity in 2D or 3D

OpenViBE is available under the terms of the LGPL-v2+. The whole 
software is developed in C++. It consists of a set of software modules 
that can be integrated easily and efficiently to design BCI applications 
such as for Virtual Reality interaction.

=== Where to get more information ====================

If you want more details, check these links :

*Website*
<http://openvibe.inria.fr>

*Quick introduction video* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/video.php?q=video-openvibe-introduction-en>

*Software download* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=download>

*One-hour training session video* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/video.php?q=video-designer-training-fr&playlist=true>

*Screenshots and videos* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=medias>

=== What changed since 0.7.0 ? =======================

In this new release, you will find the following modifications (+ for 
adds, * for modifications, - for removes) :

  + Matthieu Goyat and Guillaume Lio contributed a box to join multiple 
signal streams in a single stream
  + Matthieu Goyat contributed an update to the Sound Player box to make 
it work on Windows
  + Yann Renard contributed a Brainamp Series driver using Brain 
Products low level API
  + We added a driver for the Emotiv EPOC
  + We implemented impedance check on the TMSi Refa driver
  + We updated the Brain Products VAmp driver to support FirstAmp8
  + We multithreaded the acquisition server for better performance and 
synchronization
  + We significantly enhanced drift management in the acquisition server
  + We added a driver seketon generator for driver developers
  + We restored the handball VR application for interaction from the 
motor imagery BCI
  + We added a box to compute the power of a spectrum frequency band
  + We added a box to rename signal channels
  + We added a SVM classifier (based on libsvm)
  * We updated the ModularEEG driver
  * We updated the temporal filter box to correct errors - should be 
very close to MATLAB now
  * We moved from libglade to gtk_builder allowing upgrading GTK
  * We updated windows dependencies to it++ 4.0.7, vrpn 7.26, boost 
1.42, cmake 2.8.2, gtk 2.16.6
  * We updated the online documentation and tutorials
  * We updated many documentation pages
  * We fixed lots of bugs !

A more detailed list of the changelog can be found on the dedicated 
topic of the forum.

=== Special note =====================================

Due to licence limitations, the Emotiv EPOC driver is not included in 
the pre-compiled package for Windows. See 
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/documentation/0.8.0/Doc_FAQ.html#Doc_FAQ_Emotiv> 
for details about how to build this driver.

=== What's coming in the next release(s) =============

Here is a snapshot of what we are currently doing and what you can 
expect from the next release(s) :

  + An updated/stable Brain Products driver through Vision Recorder 
should be available
  + An EGI acquisition driver through AmpServer Pro should be available
  + Sample scenarios and VR demos should unable the use of SSVEP
  + Visual C++ Express 2010 will definitely be supported
  ...

=== Closing words ====================================

We want to thank Matthieu Goyat and Guillaume Lio for their contributions.
We also want to thank again all the forum and bug tracker participants 
who help in making the software better every day.
Feel free to join us and to contribute as Matthieu, Guillaume and
others are doing... <http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=contributions> !

Looking forward to hearing your feedback, we hope you'll enjoy working 
with OpenViBE as we do.

Best regards,
The OpenViBE consortium

*Contact* :
Project Leader : Anatole Lécuyer, INRIA (anatole.lecuyer at irisa.fr)
Lead Software Engineer : Yann Renard, INRIA (yann.renard at irisa.fr)