scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) (10/14/90)
AN OPEN LETTER TO FUTUREVIDEO CUSTOMERS
The following may prove to be of interest to current
FutureVideo customers as well as those considering the purchase
of FutureVideo equipment. It is an account of a recent experience
I had with the firm.
FutureVideo Products, Inc. (hereafter referred to as FV) is
a manufacturer of video editing equipment based in Laguna Hills,
California. Among their products is the EC1000 series of editing
controllers. I have corresponded with several people who have
purchased these controllers, and, in general, their comments were
favorable. The EC1000PRO was also reviewed in a recent issue of
Videomaker magazine. Based upon these favorable reports, I
decided to purchase a FV controller.
I located a dealer who carried FV products, and placed an
order for an EC1000PRO/PLUS. The PRO/PLUS comes equipped with an
RS-232 serial port, allowing it to interface with a personal
computer for enhanced editing capabilities. Because my particular
video equipment has special quirks, I chose not to purchase FV's
Edit Decision List (EDL) software - instead, I intended to write
my own to better match my unique requirements.
Some time later, my new unit arrived. Upon opening the box,
I discovered that everything was there - with the exception of
the cable to connect the unit to my computer. Thinking the serial
cable had been left out by mistake, the dealer got on the phone
with FV headquarters. To our mutual surprise, we were told that
the serial port cable was *not* included with the EC1000PRO/PLUS.
I inquired as to the cost of the cable, and was told that the
cable was not available separately. To get one, I would have to
purchase FV's Edit Decision List software - for an additional
$295!
Somewhat taken aback, I asked the reason for this policy.
The response was "copy protection" - the man from FV said that FV
does not copy protect its software diskettes, and that it
controls piracy of its software by limiting the availability of
the necessary cables. I explained that I had no need for the FV
software, because I was in the process of writing some of my own.
His response could be summed up in two words: too bad. I asked
him if there was any way I could obtain a cable without
purchasing the EDL software. He mentioned some sort of
"developer's program" which I could join (for $175/year) which
would give me the sacred privilege of purchasing a cable from
them without having to purchase their EDL software. Some choice!
Either I cough up $175 plus whatever they want for the cable, or
$295 for their (useless to me) EDL software.
Realizing that I would get nowhere with the gentleman from
FV, I politely brought the conversation to a close. The dealer
was very understanding, and was willing to refund my purchase
price if I so desired. Instead, I opted to keep the unit. I'll
tell you why in a moment. But first...
[FLAME: ON]
FV chooses to call the above "copy protection" - but is this
an accurate description? Some of you may recall Tandy
Corporation/Radio Shack's Tandy 1000 computer. The 1000,
ostensibly an IBM compatible, was nonetheless riddled with
INcompatibilities. One such incompatibility was the printer port.
The IBM uses a DB25 connector for its parallel port; the Tandy
1000, on the other hand, used a card-edge connector. Tandy made
the connector non-standard to "encourage" customers to purchase a
printer cable from Tandy. This was not copy protection, this was
PROFIT protection. Slimy as this was, at least Radio Shack did
not force its customers to purchase a $295 software package just
to get a cable. In fact, RS would even sell you the parts to
make your own with, if you wanted. Not so with FV.
No, what FV is doing just doesn't seem like "copy
protection" to me. There are many reasons why a user might want
to purchase the cable but not the software, the vast majority of
which have absolutely nothing to do with software theft. Take my
situation, for example: My video equipment is not entirely
compatible with the FV controller. FV's software simply won't
handle my equipment; I require custom software to accommodate it.
I am fully capable of writing my own software to address MY
specific needs. I have no need for their EDL software; indeed,
even if I were to "pirate" a copy of it, it would be useless to
me. And yet, FV insists that I buy their software in order to get
their serial cable. They want me to spend $295 for what is, to
me, a $12 cable and a $0.25 floppy disk? Just who are the pirates
here??
Other such situations are easy to imagine: According to the
sales brochure, FV's EDL software comes only in IBM and Amiga
versions. What do they tell their customers who happen to own
Macs? Do they say "Well, in order to get the cable, you have to
buy our EDL software - even though it won't run on your Mac"??
Suppose I were to purchase their EDL software, and my cat chewed
through the serial cable, necessitating a replacement? (Don't
laugh - I lost a mouse cord in just this fashion.) Would they say
to me "Well, I'm afraid you'll just have to buy ANOTHER copy of
our EDL software in order to get a replacement cable"?
If what they really wanted to do was copy protect their
software, they are do doubt intelligent enough to come up with a
scheme which is not grossly unfair to their paying customers. Why
have they chosen not to? Does FV really believe that all its
customers are untrustworthy crooks who will steal its EDL
software if given half a chance? Whatever the reason for not
implementing a fair copy protection scheme, it must be a very
compelling.
Perhaps FV is attempting a more extreme form of Tandy's
"Profit protection" idea. Perhaps FV is attempting to milk its
customers, who have already spent upwards of $600 for the
controller itself, out of another $300 for the EDL software.
Perhaps one day they will realize that the customer goodwill they
destroy with this attitude costs them far more than any "piracy,"
either real or imagined.
[FLAME: OFF]
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending (at least for
me). Since FV won't sell me a cable on reasonable terms, I
decided to make my own. Approximately 20 minutes with a
multimeter resulted in a workable wiring diagram for the serial
cable. Although the connector is wired in a non-standard fashion,
the cable itself contains no nasty surprises (i.e. no "dongles"
or "hardware key" devices are hidden within). After reverse-
engineering the pinouts, I constructed my own cable; everything
is now working perfectly.
For the benefit of those of you who have been contemplating
the purchase of an EC1000PRO/PLUS, or those of you who own the
PRO and were thinking of upgrading, the wiring diagram of my
cable appears below. It can be constructed from about $12 worth
of parts by anyone who's reasonably comfortable with a soldering
iron. Should you not feel up to making a cable yourself, many
computer stores will custom-make cables to these specifications
for a reasonable fee (i.e. much, *much* less than $300).
In addition, I plan to make the EDL software I am writing,
which I call CyberEDL, available FREE OF CHARGE to other PRO/PLUS
owners (once it is completed). Interested parties, please contact
me via email. By offering a reasonable alternative, my hope is
that I can help prevent others from being forced to purchase
software they neither need nor want simply to obtain a cable. If
I can save even one soul from a $295 bath ;-), then I will
consider my efforts successful.
Note that I have nothing against the equipment itself. I
have only had it a short time, but so far it works as advertised.
In fact, I'm extremely pleased with the editing accuracy the unit
achieves with my equipment and CyberEDL. What annoys me is the
company's policy regarding this serial cable; I find it to be
utterly ridiculous, shortsighted, and insupportable.
APPENDIX I - Connector Pinout and Cable Wiring Diagram
WARNING, WILL ROBINSON!!!! WARNING, WILL ROBINSON!!!! WARNING, WILL ROBINSON!!!!
Caveat: I make absolutely no guarantees as to the accuracy of the following
information. It was in no way derived from any "official" FV information. The
pinouts and cable described below have been used successfully by me to connect
my computer to my FV controller unit - if it doesn't work for you, or it
breaks something, you're responsible, not me. I will in no way be held liable
for any damages whatsoever. Use this information at your own risk! That said,
here's the good stuff without further ado...
FutureVideo Serial Connector Pin Layout (Mini-DIN-8)
/------###------\ 1 TxD Transmit Data (To EC1000)
/ ### \
/ \ 2 RxD Receive Data (From EC1000)
/ [O] [O] [O] \
/ 8 7 6 \ 3 GND Protective Ground(?)
| |
| | 4 DSR Data Set Ready (Tied to pin 8)
| [O] [O] [O] |
| 5 4 3 | 5 RTS Request to Send
| |
| | 6 N/C (no connection)
\----+ [O] [O] +----/
\###| 2 1 |###/ 7 N/C (no connection)
\##| |##/
\| |/ 8 DSR Data Set Ready (Tied to pin 4)
\------###------/
### Shield Signal Ground
Notes:
The signal names used above were empirically determined by first
constructing a functional cable (see below) and then noting which pins on
the Mini-DIN-8 corresponded to "known" pins on the DB25. The pinouts and naming
shown above may or may not correspond to "official" FutureVideo nomenclature
for this connector; however, the cable does appear to work.
To connect the EC1000PRO/PLUS to the serial port of an IBM clone, use
the following connections. The Mini-DIN-8 is the same connector used on the
higher-end Mac serial ports (note, however, that the pinout is different).
The IBM serial port uses a standard DB25 connector. Connect them with a
suitable length of shielded 6 conductor cable (where the shield is connected
as noted below).
This same diagram may also work with other computers - as always, your
mileage may vary.
FutureVideo EC1000PRO/PLUS to IBM Clone Cable Connections
Mini-DIN-8 DB25F
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2
2 3
3 1
4 6
5 4
6 N/C
7 N/C
8 6
Shield 7
--
Scott Coleman khan@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Wanted: Specs on the edit control protocol for the Panasonic AG-1960 VCR. If
you have them or know where I may find them, PLEASE email me! Thanks!!dlh@polari.UUCP (dave holo) (10/16/90)
Your experience in getting a cable is not necessarily a unique experience when it comes to buying "high-tech" equipment nowdays. If you like the product and think you might want to use some of the company's products in the future, I would urge you make an effort to find out whether the shabby treatment you received is official company policy. I've been buying electronic equipment (computers, video, hi-fi, etc. ) for over twenty years, and I can't begin to tell you how many times I have actually been witness to an uninformed, over-eager salesperson making up extemporaneous answers to questions that stump them. It sounds to me like he had no idea why you couldn't get a cable so he gave you an answer that stops the curiousity of many .... " uh, uh, um -- copy-protection! yeah, yeah -- copy-protection --- that's the ticket!" I would either talk to that person's boss or write a letter in the hopes that the person would either be taught the proper response ... or get his ass chewed out if he's jacking customers around.
goldberg@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Mark Goldberg) (10/16/90)
In article <2578@polari.UUCP> dlh@polari.UUCP (dave holo) writes: >If you like the product and think >you might want to use some of the company's products in >the future, I would urge you make an effort to find out >whether the shabby treatment you received is official >company policy. >I would either talk to that person's boss or write a letter . . . I own the basic EC1000Pro. When looking into integrating Hi-8 with my SVHS editing setup, I called Future Video to ask about the interfacing. They were very helpful and gave me some important information about potential problems I'd face, but they did have the necessary control cable available at reasonable cost. So I concur strongly with Dave's posting above - it depends who you talk to. There's something else you can do: write to VIDEOMAKER magazine, where Future Video advertises just in case "you can't get no satisfaction!" =============================================================================== , , __ | "Everyone is entitled /|/| /| |) |/ / _. /\ | |\ |) [~ |) /~_ | to my opinion." / | /~| |\ |\ \__/ \/ |_ |/ |) [_ |\ \_/ | goldberg@oasys.dt.navy.mil
scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) (10/16/90)
In article <2578@polari.UUCP> dlh@polari.UUCP (dave holo) writes: >the future, I would urge you make an effort to find out >whether the shabby treatment you received is official >company policy. I've been buying electronic equipment (computers, >video, hi-fi, etc. ) for over twenty years, and I can't >begin to tell you how many times I have actually been >witness to an uninformed, over-eager salesperson making up >extemporaneous answers to questions that stump them. It >sounds to me like he had no idea why you couldn't get a >cable so he gave you an answer that stops the curiousity >of many .... " uh, uh, um -- copy-protection! yeah, yeah -- >copy-protection --- that's the ticket!" Alas, that does not appear to be the case. Closer inspection of the order sheet reveals no separate listing for the serial cable, but it is listed as being included with the software. In addition, I've received a response via email from another (potential) FV customer who tried three different dealers who all confirmed the information. Finally, FutureVideo appears to have only one "sales" person who handles phone calls. I've called them at least three times to ask various questions, and I've spoken to the same gentleman each time. (They're not a very big company, it seems). I'm convinced that it's official. -- Scott Coleman khan@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign