cmpbsdb@pyr.gatech.EDU (Don Barry) (10/20/88)
HELP!
We are very shortly to specify a computer system to be used to perform
real-time video manipulation in the processing of double-star images
taken directly from a telescope detector. The capabilities of the NeXT
built-in DSP processor appear absolutely perfect for the task, without
having to resort to custom hardware.
Is video hardware available for NuBUS that would enable us to capture
30 frames/sec at a resolution of 256x256 or 512x512? Capturing the video
zoomed (i.e., 256x256 of a standard NTSC signal) would be a plus. There
is a product called PC-VISION available for both VMEbus and an AT-style bus,
but last I checkd, they don't make a NUBUS product.
I would appreciate any prompt replies. As our decision must be made in
the next week or so in order to disburse funds, I'm anxious to find out what
I can now.
P.S. The video processing mentioned above consists of slight variations on
standard vector-autocorrelation techniques. I.E. pixels passing a threshold
are found, and then each of these pixels correlated with all the other bright
pixels in a map. Comments?
Don Barry
GSU Center for High Resolution Astronomy
--
Don Barry Phone: (404)237-5055
2867 Ashford Rd. BITNET: CMPBSDB @ GITVM1
Atlanta, GA 30319 Internet: cmpbsdb@pyr.gatech.edu
UUCP: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!cmpbsdbalexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) (10/21/88)
In article <6614@pyr.gatech.EDU> cmpbsdb@pyr.gatech.EDU (Don Barry) writes: >HELP! > >We are very shortly to specify a computer system to be used to perform >real-time video manipulation in the processing of double-star images >taken directly from a telescope detector. The capabilities of the NeXT >built-in DSP processor appear absolutely perfect for the task, without >having to resort to custom hardware. > >Is video hardware available for NuBUS that would enable us to capture >30 frames/sec at a resolution of 256x256 or 512x512? Capturing the video >zoomed (i.e., 256x256 of a standard NTSC signal) would be a plus. Try checking with RasterOps. They do top-quality stuff for the Mac II and there's a good chance they're working on a NeXT card. On the other hand, no matter how much I like the machine, I wouldn't gamble on it being available in six months. And I certainly wouldn't gamble on third-party options. Try loking into a Mac II with a 56001 board. Not ideal, and overpriced too, but it all exists today. ---- Alexis Rosen alexis@dasys1.UUCP or alexis@ccnysci.UUCP Writing from {allegra,philabs,cmcl2}!phri\ The Big Electric Cat uunet!dasys1!alexis Public UNIX {portal,well,sun}!hoptoad/
gsarff@meph.UUCP (Gary Sarff) (10/22/88)
In <6614@pyr.gatech.EDU> cmpbsdb@pyr.gatech.EDU (Don Barry) writes: > >We are very shortly to specify a computer system to be used to perform >real-time video manipulation in the processing of double-star images >taken directly from a telescope detector. The capabilities of the NeXT >built-in DSP processor appear absolutely perfect for the task, without >having to resort to custom hardware. > >Is video hardware available for NuBUS that would enable us to capture >30 frames/sec at a resolution of 256x256 or 512x512? Capturing the video >zoomed (i.e., 256x256 of a standard NTSC signal) would be a plus. There >is a product called PC-VISION available for both VMEbus and an AT-style bus, >but last I checkd, they don't make a NUBUS product. > >I would appreciate any prompt replies. As our decision must be made in >the next week or so in order to disburse funds, I'm anxious to find out what > > Don Barry > GSU Center for High Resolution Astronomy Since you mention PC's and NTSC, I thought I would mention this for whatever it may be worth, assuming it is not engraved in granite that you must have a NeXT for this application. There is a real-time frame-grabber for the Commodore Amiga computer, called framegrabber by "Progressive Peripherals and Software". It will frame grab a true NTSC color or black and white image in 1/60th of a second (1/30th for color). When my company bought ours it was 699.95 I think, (it had gone up a bit because of the increase in prices of 256K DRAMS). The framegrabber interfaces to the Amiga via the parallel port though, not the bus, so while it can grab frames that fast it cannot get 30 frames/second into the amiga. It does have memory in the framegrabber though and you can get a kind of strobe series of pictures sent to the computer, or several smaller squares of video on your amiga monitor. It was mostly intended to be able to grab live "un-paused" NTSC video and not to actually feed moving video into a computer. Anyway, this may not be suitable for your application but I thought I would mention it, in case. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad" "Spitbol?!? You program in a computer language called Spitbol?"
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (10/26/88)
In article <6614@pyr.gatech.EDU> cmpbsdb@pyr.gatech.EDU (Don Barry) writes: >We are very shortly to specify a computer system to be used to perform >real-time video manipulation in the processing of double-star images ... >Is video hardware available for NuBUS that would enable us to capture >30 frames/sec at a resolution of 256x256 or 512x512? ... Maybe, but remember: (a) Existing Nubus hardware WILL NOT RUN on the NeXT's bus, since NeXT's bus is not a standard Nubus. (b) You can't buy a NeXT yet. -- The dream *IS* alive... | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology but not at NASA. |uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu