Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.misc:2514 comp.sys.mac.apps:1247 comp.sys.mac.hardware:4964
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!unmvax!ariel.unm.edu!hydra.unm.edu!wilcox
From: wilcox@hydra.unm.edu (Sherman Wilcox)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: digitizing with a video camera (more generally)
Message-ID: <1990Aug23.044111.4632@ariel.unm.edu>
Date: 23 Aug 90 04:41:11 GMT
References: <41073@sequent.UUCP> <9037@ur-cc.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ariel.unm.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 42

In article <9037@ur-cc.UUCP> carlo@cvs.rochester.edu (Carlo Tiana) writes:
>future reference (ie to send to future posters asking these questions).
>
>I envisage collecting tips of all sorts - from "how to get NTSC out using a
>Apple video card" to "my favorite jumper settings on the ColorSpace IIfx"

I am just now getting started on a multimedia project funded under a
fedederal grant. Our goal is to develop a videodisk-based American
Sign Language (ASL) dictionary. We plan to store lexical entries,
definitions, and example sentences in ASL on the videodisk, then develop
a front end which will allow users to look up words based on ASL formational
properties. One of our requirements was to show the ASL words, sentences,
etc on the Mac monitor.

We have decided to implement the system on a Mac IIci with the Rasterops
364 Colorboard and MacroMind Director. I have been using both of these
products only for a week, so I am barely knowledgeable, but from I have
seen so far they are both excellent products. The Rasterops board produces
excellent, clear live-action video in a moveable, resizeable window. Although
our product will use the display from within Director, the software supplied
with the 364 allows you to do some nice things such as grab single frames
and save them as 24- or 8-bit PICT files; do timed grabs of frames to disk;
and do timed grabs of frames to memory. The timed grabs to memory feature
is especially nice, allowing you to specify the grab interval (0 = continuous
grabs, 1 = 1 sec intervals between grabs, etc.), an initial delay before
the grabs start, and the number of grabs. The latter is of course limited
by your available memory and the size of the window. Using an 8-meg Mac and
the live-action window set at what Rasterops calls "half" (seems to be about
a 3" by 4" window), I can grab 10 frames. By making a fairly small window,
the maximum number goes up to 40+ frames. These frames can then be reviewed,
selectively saved to disk, etc. Very nice.

The board has NTSC (RCA connector) and S-VHS inputs. So far, I have only
used it with VCR as a source (my Pioneer laserdisk is on order), and a
Canon RC-470 Still Video camera. Both work like a charm. Although I should
get better quality with the S-video input, I seem to get drop outs ("dirt"
on the screen) when I use it with the Canon source. I cannot say for sure
whether this is a problem with the 364, the cable, or what. I plan to try
to isolate the problem and could re-post my results if anyone is interested.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions about either the 364 board or
MM Director (although I am *far* from conversant with it yet).