Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!masscomp!calvin!mark
From: mark@calvin..westford.ccur.com (Mark Thompson)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Functioning JPEG-like systems? (was Re: Real time animation)
Message-ID: <61900@masscomp.westford.ccur.com>
Date: 16 Apr 91 14:35:29 GMT
References: <1991Apr10.022005.9615@oakhill.sps.mot.com> <1991Apr15.234158.25619@intacc.uucp>
Sender: news@masscomp.westford.ccur.com
Reply-To: mark@calvin.westford.ccur.com (Mark Thompson)
Organization: Concurrent Computer Corp. Westford MA.
Lines: 33

In article <1991Apr15.234158.25619@intacc.uucp> mann@intacc.uucp (Jeff Mann) writes:
>In article <1991Apr10.022005.9615@oakhill.sps.mot.com> matt@ace4.sps.mot.com (matthew noell) writes:
>>I am looking for a way to animate large bitmaps and record this to video 
>>tape. I would like to be able to get
>>the same capabilities I am looking for in something other than a NeXT
>>with maybe a third party add-in board.
>I would also much prefer an add-in board.  I've seen a demo of a system
>running on a Mac II playing "Star Wars" off the disk, 24 bits, 30fps,
>using a jpeg system (but not the C-cube chip).  It was very glitchy.

There is a small "black box" made for the Amiga which converts the standard
display output to full NTSC color composite video and takes full advantage
of the Amigas animation speed capabilities. The box is called DCTV and is
sold by Digital Creations (a very reputable manufacturer of Amiga video
products). I saw a demo of it hooked up to an Amiga with a relatively fast
hard drive. It played back from the hard drive real-time full size video
from Back To The Future III along with 16bit stereo sound. The drive was
capable of over 1M/s but less than 2M/s. The image quality was quite good
and looked as though it were being played from a commercial VCR. DCTV does
not use JPEG but a proprietary video compression scheme. I might note that
while it does a wonderful job with real video, synthetic images (3D computer
generated) tend to exhibit some contouring (banding) in large areas of slow
color transition. The demo was done by IVS (the company that makes the
hard drive controller used in the demo). If you would like any more info,
give me a buzz. I use the device as a previewer before I record single
frame to a video disk recorder.
%~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~%
%      `       '        Mark Thompson                 CONCURRENT COMPUTER  %
% --==* RADIANT *==--   mark@westford.ccur.com        Principal Graphics   %
%      ' Image `        ...!uunet!masscomp!mark       Hardware Architect   %
%     Productions       (508)392-2480 (603)424-1829   & General Nuisance   %
%                                                                          %
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~