Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!crash!root
From: root@crash.cts.com (Super user)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: LIVE! digitizer
Message-ID: <256@crash.cts.com>
Date: 24 Aug 89 15:16:06 GMT
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 79

Network Comment: to #3072 by hgm@ccvr1.uucp

I'm commenting to Hal and didn't have the head to do all the fancy quoting.

I can honestly tell you that I've never used the LIVE! myself.  I've seen it
demonstrated and seen output and others use it and I found it to be almost
useless for any of my purposes.  I have a Digi-View which does everything you
would ever need in a still object capture and is even good for some line art.

If you are really into line art captures, you MUST get a scanner.  There are
no alternatives in the video world as video does not have sufficient res for
line art or charaters..but then, I'm getting off track.

You mention the JVC BY110.  Sorry, BUZZZZZZ...you lose.  That is NOT a
broadcast camera and I imagine that many cameras that you may use are not
actually broadcast.  There are several video cameras out there in the video
world that are "industrial" cameras.  Of which, the JVC you mentioned is..as
well as a bunch of other $2000-$15000 cameras.  Just to stress the point.

I imagine that it wouldn't make a whole heck of alot of difference if you used
one or the others (industrial/broadcast) in the Amiga capture applications as
the final result (currently) is a 320x400 HAM image (or the larger overscan
image of which I forget the exact pixel size).  So the final output on the
Amiga is currently the limiting factor.

I think that it would behove (sp) Commodore to seriously look at the Amiga
output before long as the lead we Amiga owners have all been sharing is
quickly being erodded away by low cost graphics workstations and image boards.
If something isn't done soon, we will find our Amiga's no longer on the
cutting edge of PC graphics.  

If you are seriously into animation for video, you have to take a step back
and seriously consider your abilities on the Amiga.  I have been over this and
over this with some associates of mine.  We supply graphics to several people
as well as for our own clients.  A few things we have encountered were almost
insurmountable problems.  If you have alot of money, you can overcome these
problems on the Amiga but I feel the problems should be addressed by Commodore
themselves.

Seems that any type of animation that gets any bigger than half the screen
size will not blit fast enought to produce smooth animation.  This is a
serious drawback to producing animations that *WE* find useful.  We currently
use (mostly) hi-res 16 color screens and it's just not possible to do Anims in
this mode for video.  Even the 68020 cards don't address this problem. 
Solution?  Get a frame controller to hook up to your VTR.  Yeah, you thought
those capture boards were expensive..try finding a good frame
controller...figure about $5000 for a Lyon-Lamb.  No drop in the bucket.  

As for 3D, try doing something *REAL* like a sequence.  Most I've seen are
looping demos.  For a real animation, scene with shots of 4 seconds are not
uncommon.  Unless you get *ALL* the goodies (accellerator w/math; frame
controller; "large" Hard drive; Oodles of RAM; not to mention the VTR's etc.)
you just can't do anything that comes close to a broadcast animation and I
think that's where the Amiga is lacking.  The Mac is starting to fly now that
several third party companies are starting to support it.  Heavy hitters such
as TrueVision has a whole line of their new NUVISTA products available for it
and Digital Arts is porting the software over.  Where does that leave us?  In
the dust.  In fact, I asked the guys at TrueVision about supporting the Amiga
at this years NCGA show in Philadelphia, PA and they didn't even know hardly
anything about it.  

I'm just saying that Commodore has to seriously look at the Amiga product line
and has to make some major decisions in the next half year about where they
want to be and where the Amiga fits in.  If we don't see an Amiga based on the
(now old) 68030 archetecture or even the 68040 (maybe a RISC) then I think we
are going to lose our advantage and I, for one, don't want to give up that
foothold.   I am very glad that I can work in the same type of medium as
people with graphics mainframes for a fraction of the cost, but I would also
like to see some major improvement in the capabilites.  Something that hasn't
really happened since the A1000 was introduced.

-- Bob
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