IREX Player: Retracing Events with New Precision Playback Tools for Enhanced Incident Investigation

MURRIETA, CA – IREX, a global leader in ethical AI and intelligent monitoring, has introduced two new precision tools in its Video Analytics player: frame‑by‑frame navigation and reverse playback for archived videos. These features provide operators and analysts with improved control for incident reviews, while maintaining the familiar playback experience.

Enhanced precision for reviewing past incidents

Until now, reviewing archived footage often meant repeatedly starting, stopping and guessing on the timeline to find the “right” frame or the beginning of an event. The updated player solves this by adding two focused navigation tools that work directly inside the already loaded fragment of the archive, using the video buffer near the current position.

Frame‑by‑frame navigation lets users move one frame at a time, forward or backward, while the video is paused and the timeline updates with each step. Reverse playback allows users to watch the recently viewed segment backward at normal speed, making it easier to retrace what just happened and quickly locate where an incident began. Both functions are available only for archived videos on the desktop, and only within the portion of the clip already stored in the buffer, ensuring fast, local navigation instead of jumping across the entire archive.

Overview of the new features

The new Frame Forward and Frame Back buttons, along with the forward and back keys on the keyboard, step through video frame by frame. When an archived video is first opened, stepping back and reverse playback are disabled until that segment has been played and the buffer filled. The new controls are placed alongside the standard player buttons, with the timeline bar located above, ensuring that operators can easily separate precise frame navigation from moving along the timeline.

Reverse playback is activated via the Reverse button or the R key. When in this mode, the button changes its appearance to an active visual state, clearly indicating that the function is now enabled. The player then plays the most recently viewed fragment backward within the buffer. Upon reaching the end of the buffered content, the video pauses, reverse playback stops, and the button deactivates. To exit reverse mode, operators can pause the video, click the Reverse button again, or press the R key.

When frames aren’t yet buffered, the interface displays an “unavailable” status and disables the related buttons, with a tooltip clarifying that “back” and “reverse” functions only apply to previously viewed fragments. When watching live video or jumping to an unplayed timeline segment, these tools are disabled until new footage is played, and footage is added to the buffer.

Faster, more accurate analysis

By keeping both functions close to the current position and fully integrated into the player, IREX makes analyzing archive videos more efficient and less frustrating. Operators no longer need to constantly toggle playback just to land on a key frame; they can step through frames to capture the precise image they need and use reverse playback to roll back quickly to the start of the event.

These capabilities strengthen the IREX video management platform for incident review, investigations and quality control, giving public safety agencies, companies and operators enhanced precision when working with existing archive videos. The update continues IREX’s focus on practical, intuitive tools that enhance daily efficiency while avoiding unnecessary complexity.