Only one instance can be running at any given time. 

The profile of the forms and toolbar are saved between uses.  Each time IRC is used the previous profile will be used.

The main window contains a dockable toolbar, video image and status bar.  The toolbar contains buttons offering the functions ‘Enlarge’, ‘Reduce’, ‘Default’, ‘Freeze’, ‘Contol’ and ‘Exit’.  The status bar shows the captured image size (320 x 240) followed by the current image size.

The ‘Freeze’ function provides a ‘Snapshot’ for a period of (configurable) time.  The ‘Snapshot’ window includes options for previewing this period either at real time speed or on a frame-by-frame basis.  The frames can be zoomed, moved, emailed, printed, saved (frame or movie).  The ‘Snapshot’ view is additional to the main window, thereby allowing you to continue watching the real-time video stream while previewing, printing, emailing or saving the captured period.

The ‘Control’ function provides the ability to recall previously saved images and movies.  This window provides the ability for zoom, email, printing and colour correction.  Movies can be played at real-time speed or viewed on a frame-by-frame basis.

Colour correction is global.  It affects real-time images as well as previously saved pictures and movies.  The original image is not affected.  This allows images to be viewed across different locations (different monitors and lighting conditions) without altering the quality of the original image captured.  The same applies to printed and emailed images.

Zoom operation maintains position and zoom factor for captured movies allowing an operator to realistically view a zoomed portion of the captured frames.  Filtering is applied to maintain the best possible view.

IRC is accompanied by a configurator for installation purposes.  The IRC Configurator allows an operator to define the parameters to be used by IRC.  Configurable parameters include the following (alphabetical order):

	Email BCC Address : Blind Carbon Copy Address (can have multiple)
	Email CC Address : Carbon Copy Address (can have multiple)
	Email From Address : Address emailed from
	Email From Name : Name of email station
	Email Host : Email host name (SMTP host)
	Email Image Name : Name (can include path) of image file created for emails
	Email Notes  : Additional information supplied from operator
	Email Port  : SMTP port
	Email Subject : Subject of email
	Email To Address : Address to send email (can have multiple)
	Email UserID : SMTP User ID
	Form Left / Top / Width : Form position and width (auto created at runtime)
	Frame Rate : Rate of captured images
	Image adjustments : Red / Blue / Green / Hue / Saturation / Luminosity / Contrast (auto created at  runtime, initial default is no adjustment)
	Movie Height /  Width : Size of images captured (defaults to 320 x 240)
	Movie Period : The time (in seconds) of captured images to be buffered.
	Print Scale : Scaling factor used when printing images
	Resize Factor : Scaling factor used when adjusting the size of the viewing window (this only scales the viewed area and does not alter the captured image size)
	Zoom Factor  : Scaling factor used when zooming into an image / movie.  Filtering is provided on zoom operations to enhance the quality of the image.  A maximum scale factor of 400% is implemented.