roseg@TAURUS.BITNET (08/20/90)
A while ago I posted the following request for information:
I need info on available systems for interactive
video-disc use. Basically, what I'd like to do
is show a film sequence, pause and interact with the
user. The system has to be able to show moving
sequences (single frame is of no use to me).
I mention video-disc because this seems most likely -
but if you have knowledge of VCR with these capa-
bilities or any other media let me know.
and here is a summary of the responses. I took the liberty
of editing the messages somewhat, but mostly in eliminating
mail headers and personal parts.
====================================================
From black@seismo.CSS.GOV
The Panasonic optical disk recorder although somewhat
expensive, gives you excellent control over which
frames are to be diplayed. RS232 control. The disks
cost about $150 for 24000 frames of data. You can
record single frames or continuous or a 100-at-a-whack,
etc. You can rapidly index (like under 1 sec) to any
frame on the disk. The base unit is about $11-$14000.
We use these for image storage and they have been quite
handy.
====================================================
From martin@IRO.UMontreal.CA
You're message isn't clear as to wich type of interac-
tion you need and if it's computer based. I'll assumed
that you want a computer controlled video with
mouse&screen interaction.
Basicaly, any computer with a serial port can control a
laser disc, equipped with the RS-232c interface.
The cheapest combination I can think of is an Amiga
500, with Amigavision and Pionner 4200. You can also
take the cheapest mac (plus), and Hypercard with the
same videodisc player. A PC base system should be
available, but I have no info on that.
One advantage of the amiga, is the color and the possi-
bility of cheaply (<200$) combining the video and com-
puter graphics on one screen.
====================================================
From kowtko@cogsci.edinburgh.ac.uk
I did research in 1989 in California using some
recently- released (Sept 89) English language-teaching
software on one such computer. It was the older (1988)
version of the Sony VIEW system. I forgot exactly what
it was called. (PCx510?) The basic unit had an IBM-
compatible PC with Video disc unit and floppy drive. I
installed a 20-MB hard disk and a compact disc player.
The system was around $10,000 in total. We connected
it to a sun computer via terminal port, so we could
transfer CD files.
The software did all sorts of manipulation, such as
what you need: showing video segments, showing video
stills, playing sound off the CD, and mixing computer
graphics and video stuff (e.g. displaying video in a
small corner of the computer screen, keeping computer
graphics in the other 3 quarters). Being more of a
linguist than a programmer, I don't know exactly how
the video control worked. I think the video and sound
(CD) both could be controlled down to milliseconds, and
certainly tenths of a second. Because it was language
teaching software, it had video repeats of people say-
ing one sentence, like auto- rewind and play. It was
very neat.
Sony has since come out with a VGA(?)-compatible sys-
tem, with better graphics. The older system's video
wobbled a bit when displayed concurrently with graph-
ics. Their CD players were newly designed and had
occasional flaws, which I'm sure they've since
improved. Sony service was tolerable, not good.
====================================================
From mailer@miamiu.bitnet
You don't mention a platform so...
MS-DOS: IBM sells infowindows. Works well. Typical
IBM product with steep learning curve.
Mac: Course of Action. Very easy to learn and use.
Works well. Controls videodisk and VTR's.
====================================================
From cvelotta@cipc1.dayton.ncr.com
You might consider Digital Video Interactive (DVI) from
Intel. It can integrate full-motion, color video with
hi-fi audio, text, animation, still photos, and any
other information that can be digitized and stored on
disk. Intel uses one board for recording and one for
playback. Unlike videodisk, DVI digitizes the video
image so it can be stored on a hard disk or a CD-ROM
disk. With Intel's compression/decompression tech-
niques, you can store an average of 72 minutes of
full-motion, full-screen video accompanied by hi-fi
audio or 100,000 still photos and five hours of AM
(low-quality) audio on one CD-ROM disk.
====================================================
From wilcox%hydra.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu
You need to look into two items, one hardware the other
software. The hardware is the RasterOps Video Color-
board 364. It will allow you to show live-action video
images (e.g., from camera, VCR, or I-Videodisk) in a
window on your color Mac monitor (32 bit color). The
software is MacroMind Director.
I am not yet using this equipment but soon will be, to
do a multimedia sign language dictionary (words and
definitions stored on videodisk, interface done in
Hypercard and Director). From what I have been able to
determine (users, reviews, friends, etc) these are two
excellent products.
====================================================
From finkel@taurus.bitnet
If you aren't restricted to PC's, you can always use an
Amiga. We have a new software called AmigaVision, which
is commodore's answer to HyperCard. The look at feel is
totally different, but the target is the same. This
program is intended to construct Multi-Media applica-
tion with very little programming knowledge, if any at
all. the programming metaphore is based on icons and
is very easy to use, even by non techies.
The program directly supports several RS-232 operated
video discs ( a few pioneer models, a few sony models,
and a few more I forgot - about 15 models total ).
best of all - AmigaVision should be bundeled with any
new Amiga.
====================================================
From zaft@suned1.Nswses.Navy.Mil
There's a company called Computer Teaching Corporation
in Champaign, IL; they have a product called TenCORE
which is an authoring system for CBI. It has extensive
video-disc capability.
====================================================
From tbandit@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
I have developed some tools to use within the WingZ
spreadsheet program on the Mac which allow you to
select segments off a videodisc and assign them to a
picture icon which you paste on the spreadsheet and
whenever you click on them it will play that segement
back. We are currently driving a Pioneer 4200, but it
would no be hard at all to switch it to another video-
disc player. The digitizer is specific to the
ColorSpace IIi card from MassMicro. This card will
also allow for the mixing of graphics and video on an
NTSC screen. They also make one of these for the Mac
SE. These cost about $1500 and $1800 respectively. If
you wish to view the video in real time on the Mac II
screen you need to get a ColorSpace FX board to add on
(+- $2500) this card also does some cool effect to the
video. A special video board is not necesary. We are
currently working on a presentation tool for the Macin-
tosh line of computers using videodisc players or VCRs.
Let me know if you are interested.
====================================================
From mailer@icnucevx.bitnet
I have a Sony VO9600 P U-matic SP (this is a high band
U-matic) and a Sony VO7630 U-matic (this is a true mul-
tistandard VCR) equipped with BKU701 RS232 interfaces
and a FGC700 frame code generator. These are con-
trolled with a Sun workstation using a simple library
of functions I wrote in C. The FCG700 adds to a normal
PAL video source a "frame code". This is a signal
encoded in the vertical interval time, more or less
similar to the VITC (SMPTE in the US, EBU in Europe)
code. That signal identifies each frame with a unique
number. The BKU701 interface (that plugs into the VCR)
can decode that frame number and can control all the
VCR functions (even the eject cassette function!). The
system can work with rs232 that has 8 data bit 1 stop
bit no parity (this is not selectable) and speeds from
1200 to 9600 baud (this *is* switch selectable). The
9600 was $5500, the 7630 was $3500, the 700 $2000, and
the 701 $350. Any Sony series 9xxx and 7xxx can be used
with the BKU701 so you can chose the one that suits you
(there are even cheap players).
If you need a higher quality (MII, Betacam, 1" open
reel, D1 or D2 digital) all professional grade
videorecorders have 9pin rs422.
With some of them you can even use still frame (not on
the one I have). I mean that you can use them like a
videodisk. With the machines I have the precision is
about 2-3 frames (due to mechanical delays) but you can
always know *exactly* the real frame #.
====================================================
From jdaly@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
One division of our project [this is Project Athena -
roseg], the Visual Computing Group (or VCG) has devoted
its efforts to the development of a multimedia author-
ing language known as Athena Muse. Muse has been
developed by educators for educators. It enables a
courseware developer/faculty member to create applica-
tions that can use visual, audio and text information
in "windows" on the monitor.
Muse is not yet commercially available, but there are
plans to make a version available within the upcoming
year. If you would like to receive more information on
Athena/VCG/Muse, I can send you (via postal mail) a
packet of informational materials.
That's about it. Hope this is some help to all the people
that asked for a summary.
Robert
roseg@taurus.bitnet
roseg@math.tau.ac.il