jordan@hpfcdj.HP.COM (Steve J. Jordan) (12/21/89)
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REVIEW: COLOR COMPUTEREYES GS
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This Color Video Digitizer for your Apple IIGS is an excellent
product. It requires 512k memory, 3.5" floppy drive, and your GS.
It also requires some form of video input (VCR, Camcorder, etc...)
Installation is easy--just plug the card into any slot. If you
install the card in slots 1,2,5, or 6, it overrides the functions
of that slot (your printer, modem, disk drives, etc.), but slots
3,4,7 cause no problem.
Software included is pretty good. It is NOT copy-protected. Its
menu options are:
1. View Video Input
2. Capture Image
3. Adjust
4. Change Settings
5. View Current Image
6. Modify Image
7. Disk Access/Printing
Most of these menus have sub-menus. Features are described below:
1. View Video Input
If you have an RGB monitor only, you CANNOT use this feature!!!!!!
(IE. You cannot preview the image to capture.) Preferably, have
BOTH an RGB and Composite monitor. I use a Magnavox monitor that
has a built-in switch to switch between RGB and Composite. It isn't
crucial to have this feature, though, since you can usually preview
your video image in a Camcorder Viewfinder or on the TV connected to
your VCR.
2. Capture Image
Images can be captured in 3 modes:
A. Color 320 Super Hires
B. Black/White 320 Super Hires
C. Black/White 640 Super Hires
When you capture the image, the video input to the Computereyes Card
must remain ABSOLUTELY MOTIONLESS for 6 seconds while capturing takes
place. This is great for a camera, but if the PAUSE feature on your
VCR isn't perfect...your image is kinda screwed up! And if you're
using a camera on a person they must be good at not moving.
3. Adjust
This option has a submenu:
A. Calibrate
This MUST be done if you wish to capture QUALITY images. It
involves putting a paper calibration picture in front of your
camera (which has dull grey, white, black colors on it)
(included in owner's manual) and running this calibration.
Calibration should be done periodically. It improves the
color balance in your images.
B. Adjust Pallete
Allows you to individually adjust the Red, Green, Blue, Brightness,
and Contrast components of your captured image. It's pretty neat.
C. Paint Screen From Raw Data
After you've messed up your captured image using the image
modifying tools, you can bring back your original captured image.
D. Restore Calibration Settings
Same as option C, except it uses the intensity and color settings
from your last calibration.
4. Change Settings
This option has a submenu.
A. Display Mode
This allows you to take your Super Hires CAPTURED image and convert
it to any of the following formats:
1. Color 320 Super
2. B/W 320 Super
3. B/W 640 Super
4. Double Hires
5. Standard Hires
6. Print Shop Graphic
Some conversions are not allowed. For example, you cannot go from
B/W 640 Super mode to Standard Hi-res.
B. Number of Colors/Level
For 320 Mode Images, this allows you to use a number of color
or intensity levels other than the default of 16. 640 Mode
Images ALWAYS USE 4 LEVELS.
C. Color Separation
This sets the minimum difference between any 2 colors in your image.
D. Dithering
This technique is supposed to help you get a wider variety of colors
in your images, especially in 640 mode. I haven't noticed any great
improvement in any of my captured images, though.
E. Pallete Frozen
You can freeze the Super-Hires Color pallete so that ALL of your
captured images use the same pallete. I don't know why you'd want
to do this, cuz it makes the images you capture less representative
of the true colors.
F. Capture Speed
This allows you to slow down the Capture rate from 6 seconds to 12
seconds. It isn't really neccessary. 6 seconds works fine.
G. DHR mode (Double-Hires)
On the IIGS, double hires images can be either 140x192 w/16 colors,
or 560x192 using only black/white.
5. View Video Input
Puts your current captured image on the screen til you click the mouse.
6. Modify Image
There are 5 very useful ways to adjust the appearance of your
captured image:
a. Convert to High Contrast (up to 2 intensities (B/W) )
b. Mirror Image
c. Invert Image (good for Black & white)
d. Scroll Image (using arrow keys)
e. Shrink/Expand (pretty neat)
7. Disk Access/Printing
You can Save/Load your images in several ways:
a. Super Hires binary screen File Format (used by Paintworks,
DeluxePaint, and 816/Paint). Uses 32k on disk.
b. Double Hires Two-File
Saves the main/auxiliary memory portion of your image in 2 files.
c. Double Hires Dazzle-Draw
Used by Broderbund's Dazzle-Draw. Auxiliary memory is saved
in 1 file following Main memory data.
d. Standard Hires
The old 8k graphics binary image is stored.
e. Print Shop Graphic
This is useful for Print Shop Users!
f. Raw Data
A 192k byte raw data file unique to ComputerEyes. The owner's
manual provides details on this format.
You can also delete files, catalog, and print to an IMAGEWRITER (only.)
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Well, In general I'm very happy with the ComputerEyes GS. The 320 Color
mode is most useful to me, though I wish I could also capture images in
the old standard/double hires mode rather than just convert to this format,
because converted images just don't look that great. I've even thought
about ALSO buying the other ComputerEyes Card (maybe standard/double hires
images would look better, who knows?) (I have both a IIGS and an old II+.)
I don't think this card would be very useful if I didn't have a Video
Camera (Camcorder), since the Pause on my VCR isn't good enough to capture
the image without severe distortion. Some people might prefer a
"Flash" digitizer, instead, though I don't know if any COLOR ones exist.
(I don't think so.) Supposedly, Digital Vision will be updating the
ComputerEyes GS software occasionally. They charge $7.50 for upgrades.
Supposedly, they send out mailings regarding this, but I've never got one.
I bought my digitizer for $195 out of an ad in A+ magazine and didn't
have any ordering problems at all. It came quickly, too.
ComputerEyes GS and ComputerEyes is made by:
Digital Vision, Inc.
66 Eastern Avenue
Dedham, MA 02026
(617)-329-5400
I've never had to call them (which is good), but that means I don't
know if they are helpful or not! In conclusion, ComputerEyes GS is
an excellent product, acknowledging a few limitations.
Review written by: Steve Jordan
steve@hpfcmb.HP.COM