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From: hagens@CS.WISC.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.mail.multi-media
Subject: Re: Some multi-media hardware questions
Message-ID: <8910111531.AA19133@janeb.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 11 Oct 89 15:31:08 GMT
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> 
> In article <8910082247.AA28634@arisia.Xerox.COM> venkat@ARISIA.XEROX.COM (Ven
kat Rangan) writes:
> >(5) Are there audio digitizers  (with less than 4K price tag)that plug into 
> >the VME bus of  a Sun Workstation?

> I've been working with a voice/telephone product from Natural MicroSystems
> called VBX.  It lists for under $800.  Unfortunately, it works only on
> the Sun386 workstation, but does have a UNIX driver.  It uses a telephone
> for input/output or can take an optional speaker.  It is primarily designed
> for voice applications, but can do digitization up to 64kbs.
> Voice quality is excellent at 32 kbs.

> If you want to call Natural Microsystems you can reach them at
> 508-655-0700.

> Herb Lison
Beware the VBX. It has a 1 byte window for communication between the host and
the card. Furthermore, a strict busy-wait protocol must be followed to transmit
data through this window. Typical PC-braindead, hardware design mentality 

I would look for a card that was designed more intelligently.
There is a company in the Bay area that claims to support a large amount 
of dual memory. I think it is called talking technologies.

Rob Hagens
University of Wisconsin