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From: hopp@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (Eric D. Hopp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Video Production equipment
Summary: Amiga Animation on videotape
Message-ID: <7660@thor.acc.stolaf.edu>
Date: 28 Oct 89 16:49:19 GMT
References: <89291.150200R38@PSUVM.BITNET>
Reply-To: hopp@thor.stolaf.edu ()
Organization: St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Lines: 72


This is a reply I sent to Marc Rifkin.  I hope it will be of use to others,
too.

In article <89291.150200R38@PSUVM.BITNET> you write:

>Does anyone know about video production equipment suitable for use
>with the Amiga, its genlocks, frame controllers,and other peripherals?
>
>On that issue, does anyone know about good Amiga frame controllers, that
>are good for single frame recording and for Sync/Insert/Assemble/etc?
>
>Marc Rifkin .... R38@PSUVM  (814) 867-4837
>Video Production Manager, Digital Reality Video Prod.

Marc,
	I think could answer the questions I quoted by telling you
what we have been using.  I'm a student at St. Olaf College, and have
been helping the Art Department set up an amiga animation lab.

	We have a Sony VO-5850 3/4 inch VTR, and a V-LAN control
network.  The V-LAN is by VideoMedia.  It consists of a receiver,
which is connected to the VTR, and a transmitter that has an RS-232
port.  V-LAN can control up to 32 video devices, and I don't think it
is limited to controlling just VTRs.  The transmitter talks to
whatever is controlling it in short ASCII commands and responses, so
you can connect it to anything, even a dumb terminal.  We added a
SMPTE time-code reader to the receiver so that we can do
frame-accurate animation, and use one of the two audio tracks for the
time-code.
	It has worked pretty well.  The biggest problems have been
with achieving frame-accuracy.  (I suspect we are using very inferior,
second or third generation time code.)  Also, the Sony VTR has a
tendency to allow the time code to bleed into the audio when playing a
tape.  Lastly, when doing frame by frame animation, the fastest you
can go is about one every 12 seconds--this is both a V-LAN and a
VO-5850 limitation.  Otherwise, the system works well.
	Within the Amiga, we use Transport Controller to control the
V-LAN.  (By MicroIllusions???  They also put out Cel Animator and, I
believe, Photon Paint.)  It has worked well so far.  Two "parasite"
utilities that come with it are really handy.  One implements
time-lapse photography, and the other one copies one or more IFF
pictures to the VTR.  (But alas, not IFF anim files.)  There is
provision for adding home-made "parasites", so there is hope.
A praise of Transport Controller is that you can record n frames at x
point in the tape.  A few problems include an inability to control
search speed, sporadic time-code reporting, and an occaisional lock-up
when using the "parasite" programs.  Also, it doesn't implement an A/B
roll editing system.
	As for getting images into and out of the Amiga, we are still
working on that.  The Framegrabber, by Progressive Peripherals, and
VD-1, by Impulse, both look like very good digitizers.  (Although
support of overscan looks very limited.)  For genlocks, we are using a
very low-end one, Amigen.  It works, but if you are at all serious,
I'd recommend better.  Amigen is not at all flexible--if there is
video input, it will replace color zero.  It also has a strange
interlace-like effect on the screen.  I've also heard of a V-Machine
by the makers of SuperGen.  It's pretty fancy, but I remember
wondering how I would ever squeeze 24 bitplanes into an Amiga.
	There are some companies that sell complete Amiga video
workstations.  You might be interested in them.  (RGB Creations, I
believe, is one of them.)  If nothing else, they compile lists of
Amiga-compatible video equipment that are useful.

	I hope this helps you.  I wish you luck!  (And, if you ever
get a chance, I'm intersted in hearing what sort of luck you have with
the equipment you end up with.  Digging through this stuff is hard by
oneself.)

							-eric hopp
							 St. Olaf Student
							 hopp@stolaf.edu