donnald@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Creig Donnald) (06/19/91)
I am interested in finding out what it will take to produce high quality video from my Mac IIfx. I have followed all of the "computer to VCR" posts with great interest. I have seen the output from a scan converter, and it is not of acceptable quality. I have been gathering information on several boards for the Mac, but I am still confused about the exact function of the various systems that are out there. In looking around, it seems that there are three different categories of computer-video products. The first category seems to be systems capable of digitizing video sequences for internal use on the Mac. Products in this category seem to include ColorSnap 32+, Quickview, and RadiusTV. The second category seems to be for taking video input, combining it with graphics overlays and animation, and then recording that to tape in real-time. I believe NuVista+ falls into this category. Finally, there seem to be systems which control the VCR for frame-by-frame recording. The only product I have heard of in this area is the Diaquest DQ-ANIMAQ system. Anyway, here are my questions on the subject: 1) First of all, are my impressions accurate? 2) At the NCGA show they had a NuVista+ card and a Diaquest card in one machine. What functions is each board providing to the system? Are the two capable of working together or were they just separate capabilities put in the same box? 3) Are there any problems with the first two categories of products using different format VCRs (VHS, S-VHS, U-matic, M2, etc.)? 4) Are either NuVista+ or Diaquest capable of digitizing input video? How good is the still input of the products in the first category? 5) If I was interested in producing professional quality video from rendering and animation software, which products would I need? 6) What systems are people using? What horror or success stories are out there? Any and all input on the subject is welcome. I would like to thank you in advance for helping me with my confusion. -Creig Donnald --