I’ve got a pretty slow laptop that I picked up for $50 to image with and SGP runs fine for the most part except for image analysis after downloading. I’ve noticed that it takes a few seconds to analyze the image after it’s been downloaded and since that happens, it’s extra time between exposures which really slows the whole process down. Other programs have implemented a feature where the image downloads and immediately after, it issues a dither call to PHD2, etc. and then starts the next frame while analyzing the last frame on another thread so that it doesn’t stop the actual sequence from being performed. This is a huge boost to efficiency for slower computers and also people that are taking a lot of shorter exposures (like with the ASI 1600 and its good 30s exposures). We’re talking 10% extra imaging time for short exposures like that, which is significant.
If we could have async image analysis that would be awesome and probably doable for the next release since it’s not a huge change.
We’re currently working on a lot of performance improvements around image downloading and optimizing the time spent doing these things with “lucky imaging” in mind. Although the changes will affect all cameras. I don’t have a timeline but I’m hopeful that we can start rolling out some of these performance improvements within the next month or so.
Ooh! Looking forward to this, Jared! Can’t wait! Async image processing will be a huge improvement. I often do manual focusing early in the evening. I’ve done it so far just by visually inspecting stars (and, since I use CMOS with generally shorter exposures, this works ok). But having the image history, without the high overhead it incurs now, would make manual focusing easier to do.
I would use temp compensated focus, but I use a Canon 600mm lens, which has a lot of optical elements, and determining the right comp rate has been difficult. Manually adjusting the focuser is the easiest way to maintain focus and eliminate the costly overhead of full AF runs during the rapid early-evening cooling process. Async processing and no-overhead image history would be wonderful for this!
Any movement in the works?
SGP is functionally rich compared to Nina, but they have managed to bake serious performance into it.
Feel free to match the performance of nina, but please dont get any crazy ideas of using discord for support. I like forums because you can reply to threads like this in context 11 months later!!!
Fantastic. Just tested it and there look to be significant improvements. I ran a quick test of 12x5s exposures with and without IH and got 94s for both runs! Interframe delay was approx 3s due to me testing with a USB 2 cable.