Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!rochester!cornell!batcomputer!sun.soe.clarkson.edu!bkc
From: bkc@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Brad Clements)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: RE: Video recording
Message-ID: <525@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>
Date: 9 Mar 88 18:31:40 GMT
Sender: bkc@sun.soe.clarkson.edu
Reply-To: bkc@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Brad Clements)
Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Lines: 60


From article <5420@ames.arpa>, by hultquis@pioneer.arpa (Jeff P.M. Hultquist):
> 
> 	A while back I asked for info on "cheap" single
> frame video recording.  One netter directed me to the
> proceedings of the Third Usenix Conference on Computer
> Graphics.  It includes a paper on a simple video
> controller which used one of the audio tracks for timing
> information.  Modern 3/4 inch decks use this concept;
> look for the magic words "SMPTE time code."  A Sony
> BVU-950 (a "typical" SMPTE deck) weighs in at about
> fifteen thousand dollars.  Has anyone heard of SMPTE
> decks for less than this?
> 

Be careful not to associate SMPTE timecode with the VCR. It is not
a function of the vcr (any tape deck can record longitudenal time code)
The real question is, is there a device that can control the vcr And 
make use of the time code.

If I may digress, there are two types of SMPTE time code, longitudnal
and VITC. Longitudnal (most common) is recorded as an audio signal
using a spare audio track or a so called 'third data track'. VITC
(vertical interval time code) is recorded in the, you guessed it, vertical
interval of the video signal.

Any VCR (vhs included) can record and play back SMPTE timecode. The
question is, can you find a controller to read the timecode and direct
the vcr to edit correctly.

I use a setup consisting of a convergence 203T editing controller and
Sony VO-5850 editing decks. The convergence reads SMPTE longitudnal from
one of the audio tracks and directs the VCR to edit at the appropriate
time.  The sony costs about $5600 and the convergence was around
$23000 (controls four vcrs at once)

You could probably get a cheaper controller that does time code, or make
one yourself. Once using SMPTE, its not difficult to get an editing deck to edit
at the correct time, what is hard is getting two machines to synchronize 
(which you don't need for animation).

I once saw a SMPTE longitudnal generator/reader for S100 bus machines. There
are probably some out for IBM PC's. I bet you could program the
parallel port (or mouse port) of an Amiga to read SMPTE audio
and convert the (essentially binary bit signal) to a usable form.

Most editing decks are controlled using TTL signals, you could
get the parallel port of an IBM PC to control a SONY 5850 easily
enough.

Also, you could probably get by using a VHS editing deck, Panasonic
has one for about $2500 or so and JVC makes them too.

All in all, you could probably get a system going for an Amiga, and
VHS system for about $3100, less cost of amiga.

Brad Clements

BTW: SMPTE stands for Society of Motion Picture/Television Engineers
analogous to ANSI.