Xref: utzoo comp.windows.x:33184 comp.multimedia:171 Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!emory!gatech!prism!boa.gatech.edu!daver From: daver@boa.gatech.edu (David Rosenbaum) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x,comp.multimedia Subject: Multimedia standards for X Message-ID: <22633@hydra.gatech.EDU> Date: 22 Feb 91 20:02:02 GMT Sender: news@prism.gatech.EDU Reply-To: daver@boa.gatech.edu (David Rosenbaum) Followup-To: comp.windows.x Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 179 Here is the promised summary of responses to my query on multimedia standards for X. David Rosenbaum daver@cc.gatech.edu =========== From cam-orl!thg@relay.EU.net Fri Feb 22 06:16:39 1991 Return-Path: Subject: Multimedia and X Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 15:43:49 +0000 From: Tim Glauert You expressed an interest in multimedia and X. I have developed a synchronization extension to X which you may have heard about and have been involved in the video/X discussions for a while. What is it you want to know? :-) The current status, as far as I am aware, is: Synchronization: Olivetti Research and DEC have both thought about such an extension, and we are currently hammering out the details of a joint proposal based on my early work. This handles the issue of fine-grain synchronization which is otherwise subject to network/process switch delays (10-100ms range). Look for a version which runs under R5 soon after it's release, with the possibility of a release of the R4 version if there is demand. Video: VEX is dead, long live MVEX (Minimal Video Extension to X). This is a version of VEX with the device control removed. DEC also have a video extension proposal and I implemented one at Olivetti so that we could actually get some work done. MVEX will probably become a standard for a certain class of applications, but not THE standard for all video applications. I am inclined towards a scheme which keeps all the video out of the server and uses the existing rendering mechanisms where possible (including shared memeory for speed). There are a number of video control servers around but you'll have to ask someone else for details. Audio: Nothing to do with X, according to the speakers at the X Conference. See the proceedings for more details on audio servers. Tim. Tim Glauert, Olivetti Research Limited, | thg@cam-orl.UUCP 24a Trumpington Street, Cambridge, England. | +44 223 343232 ========== From lemkin@ncifcrf.gov Tue Feb 12 08:49:44 1991 Return-Path: Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 08:46:04 EST From: lemkin@ncifcrf.gov Subject: XAudio For your information, There is an X-Windows Audio extension /contrib/audio.shar.Z on expo.lcs.mit.edu Pete Lemkin ========== From danapple@Eng.Sun.COM Thu Feb 7 18:12:02 1991 Return-Path: Date: Thu, 7 Feb 91 15:13:16 PST From: danapple@Eng.Sun.COM (Daniel I. Applebaum) Subject: Re: Multimedia standards for X... Newsgroups: comp.multimedia,comp.windows.x Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca. In article <21347@hydra.gatech.EDU> you write: [my posting omitted...] The Galatea Network Video Device Control System is a package for controlling and managing video resources in a distributed workstation environment. The system handles the control of video devices, such as analog video disc player/recorders and analog video routing switches. Galatea runs on 4.3BSD and System V UNIX on 32 bit workstations. Galatea is available for the public under the same copyright restrictions as the X Window System. Any person may copy and use Galatea for any purpose, as long as the M.I.T. copyright is maintained on all copies of the distributed software. To obtain a copy of Galatea, anonymous ftp can be used to media-lab.mit.edu (Internet 18.85.0.2). The Galatea distribution, in tar(1) format, as well as PostScript and line printer copies of the documentation are available in the subdirectory 'galatea' The documentation is present in the distribution, so there is no need to grab both. If you cannot form an ftp(1) connection to media-lab.mit.edu, I would be happy to send mail containing uuencoded versions of either the documentation or the distribution. If you don't specify whether you want the PostScript or lineprinter version of the documentation, I will send the lineprinter version. I don't have the time or energy to send any of this information via US mail. I can send the documentation non-uuencoded, if that is better. There is no official support for Galatea, although I try to keep things going and I respond to complaints about bugs. If you wish to use the system, feel free, but the responsibility is in your hands. I want to hear about real bugs in the system, and take efforts to correct them. As I have graduated, the future of Galatea development is uncertain. As the Media Laboratory is not a product development or support organization, Galatea is only being offered unofficially by me, not by the lab. Currently, Galatea supports Sony, Pioneer and Digital Equipment Corporation video disc players and the Panasonic write-once units, Akai Digital Patch Panels and many switches produced by Presentation Environments. I welcome any device driver software that other users develop and would be more than happy it to add to the distribution. The system runs on 4.3BSD, Ultrix, Interactive 386/ix, HP-UX and Sun OS. The client library is device independent, so the clients never need to be aware of the type of device under control. In addition, the physical location of a device is hidden from a client, so in a distributed environment, a video disc player may be anywhere. Galatea servers can communicate to each other to share resources. There need not be a single server, but a hierarchy can be created, allowing the use of "office-wide", "department-wide", and "building-wide" resources by the same user without the client software or the user being aware of the distinction. Some applications of Galatea have included the recording of computer generated animations onto write-once video discs (CALTECH CCSF), image archive retrieval (Image Concepts, MIT VLW), educational applications (MIT Project Athena) and off-line video editing prototypes (MIT Interactive Cinema). For more information on Galatea and its encompassing project, see the paper "Light Table: Interface to Visual Information Systems" in the MIT Press book "The Electronic Design Studio", published in 1990. Mailing lists: To be added to the galatea-users or galatea-bugs list or to request documentation or distributions: galatea-request@athena.mit.edu or galatea-request@media-lab.mit.edu To send mail to other users of Galatea: galatea-users@athena.mit.edu or galatea-users@media-lab.mit.edu To report a Galatea bug: galatea-bugs@athena.mit.edu or galatea-bugs@media-lab.mit.edu Daniel I. Applebaum Interactive Cinema M.I.T. Media Laboratory danapple@athena.mit.edu danapple@media-lab.mit.edu ========== From parallax!vsm@uunet.UU.NET Wed Feb 6 18:06:28 1991 Return-Path: From: parallax!vsm@uunet.uu.net Subject: Re: Multimedia standards for X... Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 14:52:46 PST > I've heard of a few things - servers that support live > video in a window with the help of Parallax boards or their ilk, video ^^^^ I did not get this???? > control extensions to X Anyway, parallax has shipping its X server on various platforms since X11R3. In fact, our server is available on X11R3 tape from MIT. Till today, ours is the only video extensions to X11, that's out there. VEX is now withdrawn. Xv, of Dave craver, is still in design stage, so is MVEX. If you need more details on XPlx, you could talk to our sales department. -- Regards, Murali V. Srinivasan. Senior Software Engineer, Parallax Graphics, 2500, Condensa St., Santa Clara, CA 95051. (408) 727 2220. uunet!parallax!vsm vsm@parallax.com Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com