About video input/capture hardware.

27 responses total.

There is a parallel-port device called "Snappy" for PC's that will
transfer video from a video camera to the computer. It costs about $190.
Is there a similar device for a PowerMac (at a similar price)? 

I've heard tell that the image quality is not very good.

is that transfer a real-time field/frame rate capture? or still-frames.
  
i do still frames with pgp (pretty good pixels) <g> rather nicely.

The image quality from "Snappy" is suitable for "snapshots". People and things
are quite recognizable. They would make suitable web page pics. 

I see a variety of PCI video boards in the catalogs, usually called
"accelerators", but some with video in and out, and even TV *tuners*(!). I
do not need a TV tuner for my computer. 

It would help me if someone explained what these video boards do that my
computer (a PowerMac) doesn't on its own. 

The catalogs don't explain real-time or still-frames, etc. I'd be happy with
still-frames, but of course I'd have to scan the video frames to pick ones
I want. 

Hello? Any video voluptuaries out there?

The Micro Conversion's Video Wizard PCI cards have "accelerated graphics and
video, 4MB memory, Video-In, Video-Out, and TV Tuner at tremendous value:
$348.99! 128-bit graphics/ video engine. Quickdraw (tm) accelerated graphics
in 8, 16 & 32-bit at resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 (4MB version). Bi-linear
interpolated video acceleration. Video capture at 30 fps. Video-Out in NTSC
and PAL, 181 television channel.. Multimedia magic!" (sic)

They also have a 2MB version of same. So, does that do anything I can use?
If so, what (and what not)? I have a PowerMac 7200/120 with a MultiScan-15
monitor. Will it at least capture frames off a video camera?

Then there is the "NEW ATI XCLAIM (tm) VR Gaming and Multimedia Solution!"
with a "...multimedia egine with XCLAIM VR! It features Quickdraw 3D
acceleration, Quicktime capture and TV-quality video out capabilities.",
all for $269.99.......

Perhaps there are PCI video boards boosted in more modest tones? Please
advise.

Now linked to the video conference.  The cpnference to discuss all things
video both digitsl and analog.

I am now leaning toward the ATI Xclaim VR (4MB - $270). It has 2D and 3D
Quickdraw (what are they?) video acceleration; Quicktime video
acceleration; video capture, and video output. It is a 'low end' board,
but gets good reviews on usenet. An ATI blurb is at
http://www.atitech.ca/pr/xclaimvr.html What I don't know for sure is
whether it will accept video input from a Panasonic PV-IQ325 "Palmcorder",
which has ""EIA Standard NTSC color signal" (is that good?). [I would
think so, but I don't know anything about video interfacing.] Any
comments, observations, or suggestions?

I suggest you contact keats@m-net.arbornet.org. He may have some insight,
given that he heads the electronics division of Photo Systems, Inc., and
deals with electronic imaging on a regular basis. (His company sells to
the public, btw., but their primary market is corporate. See 
www.photosys.com.)

keats hasn't answered my inquiry. I went ahead and bought the Xclaim VR
and installed it - yes, I put a *card* in a *Mac*! I haven't captured from
a video camera yet, but did run "Weekend Warriors", an arcade game (50 MB)
that came bundled with it. It one of the
find-the-treasure-but-battle-the-bad-things games. Now...the video
camera...  (this all started because my oldest daughter started attaching
video frames of my grandson to her e-mail, and I want to respond in kind). 

Your Xclaim stuff should work just fine with the NTSC signal out of your
Palmcorder, VCR, TV, etc.  NTSC is standard here in the US and Canada.
Not in Europe thought.

(Since the Xclaim VR has 3D / RAVE (=?) acceleration, I installed "Weekend
Warrior" and played with it a little. The animation and control is "pretty
fast", though not as fast as what I have seen in video arcades. It grew
tiresome pretty quickly. I hesitated telling my daughter it was on the
machine, but finally did - I feared she would kill the rest of her summer
trying to beat it - but I should not have worried: she tried it a little and
then said it was "awfully silly". I shall recover those 50 MB of HD.)

HelloKlaus , Rane, the video capture board from Philips Trimedia
is made for MAC. For PC there are boards from Miro, Sigma Design.
For videophone, you can use Creative Labs (low end), Intel and
Picturetel. Connectix make several video camerafor parallel port.
Best regards (AW)

Thanks awijaya - but I think we all have (dozens of) catalogs, and what would
be most useful is experiences and comparisons among these products.

(related) Are the audio and video output RCS jacks on a VCR for *just*
the playback signal from a tape?  This appears to be the case on ours,
but I thought I'd check if any other signal is ever passed to them.

On ours you can also get the AV signals from the VCRs internal tuner.

Clarification: our VCR has two outputs - straight video feed from
either the cable or the tape player, or "line level" separate audio
and video outputs, as also from camcorders, etc (I presume this is not
on a VHF carrier, as is the 'straight' video). I was asking in #14
if the "line level" outputs can also come from the cable or VCR
tuner. Since I asked #14, however, I learned the term "line level",
and have played more with a VCR and TV, and am concluding that the
"line level" outputs are fed only by the tape playback or recording.
Is this true of all VCRs? 

(As an aside, related to the common jokes about programming a VCR, I
would sure like it if the manual for the VCR and TV gave a *little*
technical information regarding which signals are on which ports
with which settings, and what is the nature of the modulation on each....
I would understand the instructions much better!)

The RCA jacks have line-level signals on them.  Line level is about 1
volt peak to peak.  If you plug the line-level audio form your VCR
into, say, the AUX input on your stereo amp., you can listen to the
audio form the VCR on your stereo.  Stereos use line level signals too.
If you plug the line-level video signal from your VCR into the AUX in-
put on your stereo, you can also listen to the video signal ;-)  Not
very enjoyable, however.  You won't damage anything doing so though.
You can also listen to these signals with a regular old earphone, though
the audio will be week.
 
The signal that comes out of the F-connector is RF modulated with the
line-level audio and video signals that come out of the RCA plugs. 
This signal mimics the signal that you would get from an outside 
antenna or from your cable box.
 
A RF composite video signal (Both video [AM] and audio [FM] combined to
produce the US standard NTSC signal) from your antenna or cable box is
demodulated to produce separate line-level audio and video which is what
the TV, VCR, closed caption decoder, etc needs in order to do its par-
ticular "thing".  For, say, a VCR to produce the RF signal on that F
-connector on the back, it has to convert the audio and video signals
from the playback head back into RF.  For this reason, I like to keep my
signals at line-level once they have been demodulated.  The fewer line
-level to RF and RF to line-level conversions you go through, the less
distortion will be introduced.
 
Does this help?  BTW, Jameco sells a Video RF modulator (Output on
channel 3 or 4) with line-level audio and video inputs, for $4.95.
It also needs a 8vdc to 13.5vdc power supply.  A lot cheaper than the
$50 box you mentioned above.  One can often salvage one of these out
of an old VCR, cable box, cam-corder, etc.

We agree! (Though you have expressed it more precisely.) But the bottom
line is - there is no inexpensive way except a cable to relay everything
from my VCR/TV to a satellite TV set. Thanks for the lead to Jameco -
that is a great price improvement for a modulator. 

has anyone ever played with an AVID system? Apparently, that is what is used
to edit Baywatch. Even if you think (as I do) that the show is total
clap-trap, you still have to admit that technically speaking, the production
is very impressive, from the lighting for underwater shots to the fast cuts,
to whatever else, and I suspect that AVID helps out in this :)
Anyways, I am going to have to get an internship at a studio or something so
I can play around with said equipment... I am guessing that Commy Access
doesn't have any such stuff, which means I am gonna have to SELL MY ASS to
the commercial media :)

I can't say that I've done any "playing" with an Avid, but, yes, it's the 
defacto standard for non-linear finishing. 

I'm not sure how the choice of editing system has an effect on underwater 
lighting, though. If you have any thoughts on the matter, I'd be open to 
hear them.

About "Commy Access"--if you're referring to Community Television Network 
in Ann Arbor, they have an NT Avid System. I'm not sure if it's an Xpress 
or what. I doubt it's a Media Composer. Generally, it's used only for 
CTN's own productions. The necessities of loading material onto and off 
of the system don't lend themselves well to public editing stations.

If you're looking to get your hands on equipment as an intern at a 
commercial station, it's best not to go to a union town. I was an intern 
at WJBK in Detroit, and only once did I get to touch equipment. (I 
adjusted a key clipping level on the switcher, and only did so at the 
insistence of the technical director.) The next summer I was at WNWO in 
Toledo, and every day I was cutting tape for the evening news.

As far as the Snappy goes, well, yes, crap in, crap out. But if you know 
what you're doing, and feed it a good signal, you can get some nice 
results. 

http://cf.play.com/play/snappy/museum.cfm

I looked at internships, when I was thinking about going into video
production.  I found, though, that TV is one of those fields where you're
expected to intern for free.  I'm not well enough off to be able to afford
that.  It's kind of discouraged me from trying to get into the field.

Huh. See, at U of M, you don't get to do an internship until you're a junior,
so by the time you're up for one, you already know well that you ain't getting
paid for the thing.
 
Of course, you're also expected to attend your classes for free, too. Those
bastards, huh?

How can I go to another city and pay for food and an apartment, while
working full-time for free for some company?  I don't think my expectations
are unrealistic.  Many companies pay their interns pretty well, in other
fields.  College classes are a little different; I'm paying to be taught,
not to put in free labor.  And scholarships are available to help with those
costs.

You're learning while interning, too. And when people go to college, 
it's often in another city, thus requiring food and lodging. 

But it's pretty rare that you'd be working 32-40 hours at an internship.

Granted, when I was taking morning classes in Ann Arbor, working an 
afternoon internship in Toledo, and doing a play in Pinckney, I sort of 
wished there were a transportation stipend. Or if they could even give 
me a pre-paid gas card or something. But that's not how it goes.

And good luck getting a tee-vee job without an internship or two behind 
you. 

Well, that's the thing.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm not rich
enough to work in TV. :P

Any input as to a somewhat cost-effective way to setup a digital archive
system on my computer? Basically transfer analog video to a digital format
(VCD,DVD,any others?). I am interested in software that some may think will
help in this at-home endeavour, as well as hardware recommendations.
I am also looking for some relatively inexpensive editting software to help
in the cut-&-splicing ov the video (ie removing commercials from a recording).

Bear in mind that even if you have a DVD burner, at this point, it's just a
really big disc, not something that would be compatible with a home video DVD
player. It's going to be a few years yet until you can grab a blank DVD, throw
it in your entertainment center, and record that night's "Friends". The DVD
video spec requires a good amount of encoding and compressing, and that's not
widely available. This May, I had 30 minutes of Betacam footage encoded, cued,
and burned to two DVDs. It cost $5000--not even including the original
production costs.
 
As far as "cut-&-splicing", how sophisticated are you looking to get? Is it
simple enough that the $30 version of QuickTime Player could handle it?

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