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From: andy@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Andy Pfiffer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari8
Subject: Re: using Atari 800 to generate TV graphics
Message-ID: <983@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: Sun, 7-Sep-86 00:36:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.983
Posted: Sun Sep  7 00:36:51 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Sep-86 20:23:59 EDT
References: <506@ucdavis.UUCP>
Reply-To: andy@batcomputer.UUCP (Andy Pfiffer)
Distribution: net
Organization: Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 28

In article <506@ucdavis.UUCP> ccrbrian@ucdavis.UUCP (Brian Reilly) writes:
>Hi - I have a friend who works for a television station which would
>like to use some computer graphics in between their shows.

Back when I was the chief engineer of a college television station, we used
a 400 as a VERY crude character generator (we couldn't afford a real one).
We later used an 800XL (much better keyboard) with a 1050 drive and some
more sophisticated software (storing title screens on disk).

Its true that these machines don't generate "true" NTSC compatible video.
The signal is more than adequate for driving a monitor or VCR, but that is
about the limit.  The colorburst is about 1/2 the required frequency, and
triangular at that.  The overall signal is too low to properly drive most
equipment.  We did end up dedicating a distribution amplifier to it...

However, it was "close enough for government work" -- particularly if used
with inferior equipment with less stringent tolerances (surprisingly...).
We eventually relegated it to making leaders and titles for tapes, and as
a message board when no other programming was scheduled.  It just couldn't
properly sync our studio cameras and switcher.

I expect that a low quality time base corrector combined with a good
amplifier could end up improving the signal significantly.

I don't know if they are still using the setup (its been 3+ years since I
was at the station).

	Andy Pfiffer