martin@amadis.lbl.gov (Martin Haye) (06/13/91)
I'm looking for a digitizer. Actually a plug-in board for a 386 clone that can control a VCR to play a segment of a tape, digitize it, and store it on disk. I have this sort of setup already, but the resolution is 0-2^8 gray levels and I'm finding this lousy for the application. Any pointers towards a better system, manufacturers, retailers, etc. Would be greatly appreciated. Please mail me rather than posting a follow-up. Actually, I should explain the application a little more. Specifically, the videotapes I'm digitizing segments of, are movies, taken through a microscope, of the process of DNA electrophoresis, in which DNA fragments move across and through a slab of gel, propelled by an electrical field. The DNA fragments are all of similar size, and stained with a fluorescent dye so that they may be seen (otherwise they're WAY too small to pick up with an optical microscope). I digitize the images (taking about every 10th frame at 1/30th sec. each) and write programs on this Sun box to analyze the images - locate and track the DNA, etc. So what I could really use, besides a better digitizer, is a replacement for this lousy 1981 Betamax VCR as well. The best setup would be a VCR with _true_ pause, as in being able to pause without jumps or fuzziness, and a digitizing board that is able to work with that same VCR. It's ridiculous for us to sit here and lose fidelity as we copy from our VHS tapes to Beta tapes, then use a VCR that's that old. Thanks. Eric Ongerth and Martin Haye Student Assistants for genome research martin@amadis.lbl.gov