SGHYATT%UALR.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (Steve Hyatt) (01/16/90)
[I doubt I need a line eater since I'm on bitnet but... who knows?] To You AMIGA Gurus Everywhere, While thumbing through the campus MAC nuts' fall 89-APDAlog (Information Catalog for Apple Programmers and Developers, pg 13-14), I noticed a article about a new product for the big apple. Its an onboard TV that fits in the corner of the MAC II screen (the 8 color monitor). NOW the reason I'm making such a big deal of this is: 1) Has anyone else seen said article and thought of building a card for the AMY? 2) Is it feasible? (Surely the AMIGA can do it! ;) 3) Would not this be the easiest way to digitize something from TV/VCR using a simple screen grabbing program? Two of the products suggested for the MAC version were security applications, and in-house teleconferenceing.I haven't seen the product first hand but the pictures in the article showed screen shots of the ESPN logo & NBC NEWS TODAY. I'd love to sit at my terminal writing C code, using a terminal program to download, AND watching Gilligans Island reruns... Or the new AMIGA ads for that matter! What do YOU think? /******************************************************************************/ /* Real Programers don't document.* // BITNET: SGHYATT@UALR */ /* If it was hard to write, * // Fun Disclaimer: My employer */ /* it SHOULD be hard to read! *\\ // doesn't have an intelligent */ /* * \X/ AMIGA! opinion so, I disclaim nothing!*/ /******************************************************************************/
tom@microsoft.UUCP (Tom McConnell) (01/17/90)
In article <8269@nigel.udel.EDU> SGHYATT%UALR.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (Steve Hyatt) writes: >about a new product for the big apple. Its an onboard TV that fits in the >corner of the MAC II screen (the 8 color monitor). NOW the reason I'm making [ more stuff about watching Gilligan's island reruns while downloading and compiling ] Gosh, I've already done this, since way back in '86 on my amiga 1000. Technical features: 1. Full screen full color, and full resolution of TV 2. Takes _NO_ CPU power! 3. Completely transparent! For only $20 a pop, I'll send you details for the complete setup! B-> Oh, ok, I'll tell you for free. I just hooked my VCR output (which has a TV tuner) into the composite in on my amiga 1080 monitor. While I was compiling, I would simply switch the monitor from RGB to Composite. I would watch bullwinkle and Rocky every day, while I worked on my program. The only way to program! You know, computers are not _always_ better than the real thing! :-) ;-) :-) -Tom -- "Hey COW!" _____________(( "My employer couldn't care less about BOVINES!" / ** o \ ______ _______________________ /| **** \ _/moo...\ | Tom McConnell | / | ** /\__/ \______/ | uunet!microsoft!tom |
d87-khd@sm.luth.se (Karl-Gunnar Hultland) (01/17/90)
In article <10301@microsoft.UUCP> tom@microsoft.UUCP (Tom McConnell) writes: > >Oh, ok, I'll tell you for free. >I just hooked my VCR output (which has a TV tuner) into the composite in >on my amiga 1080 monitor. While I was compiling, I would simply switch the >monitor from RGB to Composite. I would watch bullwinkle and Rocky every >day, while I worked on my program. The only way to program! > I use another approach. I have bought myself a MiniGen genlock interface. Besides from texting foreign programs etc. I have it hooked up with my Amiga and my video to watch TV on the monitor WHILE working. >You know, computers are not _always_ better than the real thing! :-) ;-) :-) Agreed > >-Tom Karl +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | Karl 'Dixie' Hultland | email: d87-khd@sm.luth.se | | University of Lulea | : {uunet,mcvax}!sunic.se!sm.luth.se!d87-khd| | Sweden | Snailmail: Mjolkuddsv. 63-5, S-95157 Lulea Sweden | |=======================| Voice nat: 0920-15479 | | Urbi et Orbi | Voice int: +46 920 15479 | |=============================================================================| | If two people agree on EVERYTHING , one of them is OBSOLETE!! | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
hgm@ccvr1.ncsu.edu (Hal G. Meeks) (01/17/90)
In article <8269@nigel.udel.EDU> SGHYATT%UALR.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (Steve Hyatt) writes: >[I doubt I need a line eater since I'm on bitnet but... who knows?] Hahahahahahaha........ > >To You AMIGA Gurus Everywhere, > While thumbing through the campus MAC nuts' fall 89-APDAlog (Information >Catalog for Apple Programmers and Developers, pg 13-14), I noticed a article >about a new product for the big apple. Its an onboard TV that fits in the >corner of the MAC II screen (the 8 color monitor). NOW the reason I'm making >such a big deal of this is: >1) Has anyone else seen said article and thought of building a card for the AMY Building a such a thing is way beyond my capabilities, but read on.... ? >2) Is it feasible? (Surely the AMIGA can do it! ; Probably. ) >3) Would not this be the easiest way to digitize something from TV/VCR using a > simple screen grabbing program? Yes. I'm using a Live!2000 to grab incoming video. After a year of tuning, I'm getting reasonably good results. It's not in the same class in terms of image quality as a framegrabber, but it captures _moving_ video. I own an KV1311CR Sony monitor, and am using the video out to grab television images. A VCR or camera works great too. The live! pretty much takes over the machine when it is running, but I can't help but wonder if it would be possible to have a program poll the live and open a small window, with a B&W image. This would give you about the same effect as the Mac card. Things would probably slow down a bit, but it might work. A-squared supplies sample code for accessing their Live.library, and appears to more than willing to help from my conversations with them on the phone. Incidentally, I'll have a brief overview of their upcoming software update for the Live! in a few days. One big addition is a 640x400 mode. Just count me as a satisfied customer. --hal ? >Two of the products suggested for the MAC version were security applications, >and in-house teleconferenceing.I haven't seen the product first hand but the >pictures in the article showed screen shots of the ESPN logo & NBC NEWS TODAY. >I'd love to sit at my terminal writing C code, using a terminal program to >download, AND watching Gilligans Island reruns... Or the new AMIGA ads for that >matter! > >What do YOU think? >/******************************************************************************/ >/* Real Programers don't document.* // BITNET: SGHYATT@UALR */ >/* If it was hard to write, * // Fun Disclaimer: My employer */ >/* it SHOULD be hard to read! *\\ // doesn't have an intelligent */ >/* * \X/ AMIGA! opinion so, I disclaim nothing!*/ >/******************************************************************************/ -- ---------------- hgm@ccvr1.ncsu.edu "Those that won't innovate, litigate" netoprhm@ncsuvm.bitnet
ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar) (01/18/90)
In article <8269@nigel.udel.EDU> SGHYATT%UALR.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (Steve Hyatt) writes: >To You AMIGA Gurus Everywhere, > While thumbing through the campus MAC nuts' fall 89-APDAlog (Information >Catalog for Apple Programmers and Developers, pg 13-14), I noticed a article >about a new product for the big apple. Its an onboard TV that fits in the >corner of the MAC II screen (the 8 color monitor). NOW the reason I'm making >such a big deal of this is: [A line accidentally deleted because vi is a pile of $$#@$$E$#$] >2) Is it feasible? (Surely the AMIGA can do it! ;) Almost certainly possible, but I would like some heavy financial backing before I attempted anything like it! Hmm... initial thoughts. First, lets assume that you are using PAL (the REAL television standard). 50 fps at 625 lines. To display it on a 640 x 200 screen, we would need to reduce the resolution somewhat. Both are fairly easy, and once converted to digital (that may be the hardest bit - those fast converters are expensive) then it is either a matter of a few fast TTL, or some custom logic (if you could make it fast and cheap enough). The algorythm to convert this is: Window height --------- x current line of source field 312.5 This give the y coordinate of the current pixel. The x-coordinate depends on the horizontal resolution of the A/D converter, but is calculated similarly. Anti-aliasing - ie. taking into account that a scan line in the window may consist of several scan lines in the source field - may complicate matters and would require storage of scan lines temporarily. Making it work with interlaced screens would be a real pain in the prosterior. The hardest part of this is actually writing the finalised field into chip RAM. One simple - and quite brute force - method would be to limit the access of the 68000 across the scan line, which would really pull the hell out of the performance of the Amiga (many system structures are in CHIP ram). You could not clip this against the clipping rectanges nearly fast enough, so you would have to ensure that it was covered by a foreground window (sort of like a backdrop window that stays upfront). This would allow intuition to clip the lower windows against yours properly. It would also have to respond to menu activation by stopping the update so that the image did not trash meuues (I hate that kludge, CBM!) Anyone got a better solution? I am sure that with a bit of thought, and my hardware manual which is at home, I could come up with a better system. Naturally, the fewer bit planes, the easier. I am assuming that the screen you are running on is capable of a decent number of bit planes, or you are willing to put up with a a solarised screen (solarising is that awful effect with was so overused in the seventies where they reduced the number of on-screen colors and mucked about with them. It looked awful.) >3) Would not this be the easiest way to digitize something from TV/VCR using a > simple screen grabbing program? Frame rate considerations? How do you feel about a frame per second.. or less? >Two of the products suggested for the MAC version were security applications, >and in-house teleconferenceing.I haven't seen the product first hand but the >pictures in the article showed screen shots of the ESPN logo & NBC NEWS TODAY. >I'd love to sit at my terminal writing C code, using a terminal program to >download, AND watching Gilligans Island reruns... Or the new AMIGA ads for that >matter! Security applications? Sounds like rampant paranoia to me, folks! Do they have a camera under the bed so that the mac user can look for communists (or PC owners - they probably hate them more)? I remember an issue of Scientific American that had a picture of one of Bell Lab's development environments. It has a security system whereby a picture of the employee was displayed in a small window up the top of the screen. If the user did not match the picture... That is quite a neat idea. The whole article refered to a small screen hack called Crabs (I think), which invaded the display and started munching windows! Apparently the sight of one attaching a picture was gruesome. As for the question of watching television on an Amiga, why not use a cheap genlock and just place the image behind your work? I did this one, though it can be hard to read unless you are clever and make sure that a window's paper color is not color 0. The other option is to buy a Toaster (he says, clutching his chest with helpless laughter). 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