Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!ncc!alberta!att-ih!pacbell!ames!lll-lcc!well!shf
From: shf@well.UUCP (Stuart H. Ferguson)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: video disk
Message-ID: <5724@well.UUCP>
Date: 17 Apr 88 03:13:13 GMT
References: <1481@silver.bacs.indiana.edu> <10230@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> <139@esosun.UUCP>
Reply-To: shf@well.UUCP (Stuart H. Ferguson)
Organization: The Blue Planet
Lines: 24
Keywords: video disk, worm


I've used the Panasonic TQ series optical disk recorders at work.  Except
for ocassional glitches, they work very well.  I believe they cost ~15K now,
though we bought ours for 30K, so the price for this type of device is dropping.

Two drawbacks are that the disks are non-standard -- that is, they won't 
play in the commercial players.  The other drawback is that 24K frames is
about only 10 minutes of full speed video.

The first drawback is more or less canceled out by the fact that the read-
only version of the disk player costs about 1.5K, and it can also be controlled
remotely by RS-232.  We use this system for recording digitally processed
movie sequences and playing them back under computer (PC) control.  The
scientists here get no end of insights by playing the movies at different
speeds and forwards and backwards.  For this type of application it is ideal.

I have used the Panasonic to record Amiga output with considerable success.
You'll need a genlock, and a good video source since the TQ is a little
fussy about sync.  I used the built-in serial port control support in 
VideoScape 3D to record animations automatically, and it worked like a charm.
Good luck.
-- 
		Stuart Ferguson		(shf@well.UUCP)
		Action by HAVOC		(shf@Solar.Stanford.EDU)