Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!ufqtp!sutherla
From: sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Color Bleeding in Video Titles
Message-ID: <735@orange9.qtp.ufl.edu>
Date: 26 Oct 89 23:34:01 GMT
Reply-To: sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Florida Quantum Theory Project
Lines: 66


I am doing some video titling work and I am having a few problems.
First, my hardware/software configuration:

	1 Meg A2000
	CMI VI-500 Video Encoder
	Impulse's VideoPage Titler
	Zenith VCR, VHS, 4 head
	Avanti VHS Tape (okay, so I couldn't pass up a $2 tape!!)
	RCA playback VCR
	RCA Color Track 2000 TV.

I plugged the CMI encoder into the video port. I used a dual banana plug
cord to hook chroma and luma outputs of the encoder to my Commodore 2002
monitor. 

	There are 2 video outs. One is a banana plug composite out, the other
a BNC video out. I set the switch on the CMI and the VCR channel selector to
channel 3.


	PROBLEM #1: I can ONLY get a video image from the BNC output. 
		    The banana plug composite out gives me nothing. 
		    Anyone know why???

	PROBLEM #2: I created a variety of title pages, changing font style,
		    color, and size. For white letters on black background,
		    the result is okay. BUT, for red letters on a black
		    background, I get SEVERE bleeding of the colors. Even
		    though my letters are 42 scan lines in height, some
		    of them are totally illegible!! This I do not understand.
		    Also, some of the colors are very washed out. I would
		    expect this in a 4th or later generation copy, but not
		    in my ORIGINAL!!

		    Possible problem areas are:
			a) The low quality of VHS tape.

			b) A problem in my BNC cable.

			c) A general problem with VHS resolution.

			d) A problem with poor output from the CMI.

			e) Hardware mismatch between the Zenith and RCA
			   VCR's.


Can anyone out there who may have experienced similar problems putting video
images to tape give me suggestions as to the most likely candidates. Some
of these I can test. I can use a better tape. I can get a better BNC cable.
I cannot afford a better encoder. I can temporarily borrow a friends S-VHS
camcorder, record with it, and transfer to VHS. I cannot afford an ED-Beta or
S-VHS recorder. 

I do notice that images come out okay. I believe that this is mostly due to 
the fact that the resolution of image features is not a crucial when viewing
something like the Mandrill image. Text has sharp lines with high contrast.


Any other ideas on putting my titling and animation onto VHS tape with the
above equipment would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott Sutherland
sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu