kim@amdahl.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) (11/12/87)
In article <2723@cbmvax.UUCP>, grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) writes: > > The "video toaster" wasn't displayed until Wednesday or so, since some last > minute software development was needed. It is basically an external video > processing box that is controlled by the Amiga. I don't know what the actual > Amiga interface is, but it doesn't neccessarily use any slots. This seems > like an very interesting product, but I suspect it will be a while before > it's true form and full capabilities are fully revealed. > > The video effects were the demonstrated involved taking an incoming composite > video image, shrinking the image to an arbitrary size and positioning one or > more copies of the image at arbitrary postitions on the output video frame. > One intersting display modifed the video to provide a "fisheye lens" effect. > All these modes seemed to be things that you could do with delays and > dynamically varying the sampling rate and direction when displaying the > digitized input video. The Newtek people indicated the device had all kinds > of interesting capabilities and indicated that they were working on even > better stuff. It will be most intersting to see what they have in few > months. > > Notes: > > 1) All the actual video processing is external to the Amiga. > > 2) A genlock device is needed to combine the processed video with Amiga video. At the FAUG meeting on Tuesday, we were treated to the first public showing of the toaster (I guess COMDEX is not considered "public"). Acting as models ... well, subjects, at least ... were none other than RJ and Leo. It is hard to describe the video effects that were shown on the real-time images of these two, uh, characters, but if you've seen the El Gato walking-cat-on-a-rotating-plane demo, you have 1/10 of the idea. One full size image of RJ suddenly becomes 4 smaller images, then 16, then one 1/4 size that starts dancing, flopping and rolling around. Then his face becomes appears to be of a Christmas Tree ball, and the image is slid from bottom to top, with all the distortions that a mirrored ball would do (not to mention the strange things RJ was doing to himself :-) ). Then side-by-side clones that warped, slid, faded, and wiped. Absolutely fantastic! Since RJ couldn't see the screen from where he posing, Leo filled in, and performed similar feats of visual magic. This is going to be one very *hot* product! After the meeting, a couple video production types, who had been awed by the possibilities, commented they'd be picking up a couple 2000's immediately. Tim Jennisen, Pres. of New-Tek, said availability would be late 1Q88 for the initial board, and would retail for $700-$800. I'll be a little surprised if it shows up *quite* that soon, and even more surprised if they can really sell it at that price (it has 2 Meg of on-board ram, and I think that price is a bit low). Also coming are some add-on's, as George mentioned above, one of which will have the TI TMS????? graphics processor chip on it, which will be accessable to the programmer. If you get a chance to see this ... don't miss it! Another product that was demo'd was the SuperGen, broadcast quality NTSC genlock from Digital Creations (avail. 11/30/87 at $750 for all Amigas). They use a different technique than most genlocks, in that they don't decode the external NTSC signal down to RGB, but amplitude modulate the external video signal directly (they said this, not me). Seems this lets them do fades on the external video. This genlock can be controlled by s/w ... they put out some command info during vertical retrace time. They also said you could get a "sort of chroma key effect", but didnt elaborate. Will have a PAL version "in about a month". Negatives: no audio mixing ("go get a mixer at Radio Shack"), and no C-Y seperation. Looked good. Worked. What else can one say about a genlock? Lastly, look for "Robo City News", FAUG's (sorta) monthly newsletter to go nationwide in January, with John Foust (formerly of Amazing Computing, now a s/w entrepreneur) and Matt Leeds (Infinity Software) contributing. /kim -- UUCP: kim@amdahl.amdahl.com or: {sun,decwrl,hplabs,pyramid,ihnp4,uunet,oliveb,cbosgd,ames}!amdahl!kim DDD: 408-746-8462 USPS: Amdahl Corp. M/S 249, 1250 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CIS: 76535,25
jfoust@well.UUCP (11/20/87)
Just a short correction to Kim's posting. Tim Jenison is the president of New Tek. Everyone spells his name incorrectly. Also, although I hav resigned as technical editor of Amazing Computing, I will still write "The AMICUS Network" on a regular basis. I am (voluntarily and self-induced) now AMICUS and Public Domain Librarian. I will still write a few reviews as well. I do have a new regular column in the RoboCity News called "Between Bytes", and I am doing some writing for Verbum, a San Diego magazine about computer art. It is subtitled "A Journal Of Personal Computer Aesthetics." It is heavily Mac-oriented at this time, and I hope to become the Amiga and Atari editor, aka the token Other Guys editor. :-) I wear a lot of hats.