Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watcgl!imax!dave
From: dave@imax.com (Dave Martindale)
Subject: Re: Video Recorders with single frame step/record
Message-ID: <1990Nov17.160013.7331@imax.com>
Keywords: video recorders
Organization: Imax Systems Corporation, Oakville Canada
References: <3361@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU> <1990Nov16.211405.12123@alias.uucp>
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 90 16:00:13 GMT

In article <1990Nov16.211405.12123@alias.uucp> tom@alias.UUCP (Tom Burns) writes:
>
>What you might consider is a recordable videodisk unit from SONY, the 
>LVR-5000, which records RGB directly in 525- (NTSC) or 625- (PAL) line 
>format. It is stepped though an ASCII command to an RS-232 port on the unit.

It doesn't actually record RGB; it records YUV (Y, R-Y, B-Y).  The
two colour components have 1/4 the bandwidth of Y, so it isn't as good
as D-1 digital, but ought to be better than 3/4 inch and smaller VTR's.

It has RGB inputs, so must contain an internal transcoder.  I believe it
also has NTSC input and output.


Now a question: why does anyone use a VTR for inexpensive single-frame
animation when videodisc recorders are available?  A VTR requires an
external single-frame controller to provide frame-accurate recording;
the videodisc unit does not.  The VTR requires time to shuttle back and
forth, taking time and causing wear; the videodisc doesn't incur excess
wear and can record frames as fast as you can supply them.

In addition, with this Sony unit, it seems that you don't need an external
sync generator and NTSC encoder, since it will accept RGB input and provide
NTSC output.  This makes up for most of the price difference between the
Sony unit and the cheaper Panasonic.