Video Out

Date: 14 Jan 1993 20:51:14 -0700 (MST) From: NOHL@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: video out from macs report for the world From: Nohl Lyons Here is alot of info from various sources including manufacturers. I actually have much more information, but I thought that this alone might be overwhelming. If you need help making choices, let me know. -Nohl (anything following a "> " is quoted from someone else. This is an internet tradition.) First the word on the net; it has not yet been verified, but it appears to be accurate: > -VideoMax from Workstation Technologies Inc. > > -RasterOps makes a product called the video expander. > It costs about $400 (less ed disc) and you just > plug your video output into it. The box gives you > output to a VHS recorder and will record anything that > you would normally send to the screen. > > The only problem is that it has to convert from th 60Hz > of the Mac to the 30 Hz of the tape, so it does some strange > things to make it work. RasterOps will give you more info. > Hi! Saw your message on sumex and thought I'd offer my thoughts > (don't have a concrete solution though). I too have a spigot on > my IIci and have run into the same problem, no way to go back out > to tape. I have however heard of a relativly inexpensive box that > will run, I think, black and white NTSC out of a Quadra's built > in video. I heard about it on sumex so you might post there to > see if anyone knows anything. I imagine it would be pretty high > quality. > > (This reminds me of a cool thing with the original Mac II's and > the original Apple video card -- with a 5$ cable that you could > build yourself, you would get NTSC output -- composite video --, > albeit in only 4-and8-bit color) > > The other thing I heard is that since SuperMac is coming out with > a full Toaster-Like system for the mac (card-based called > 'Digital Film' with a price tag of about $10k) they've also > upgraded the spigot pro (only as far as I know) with the ability > to go out to tape. VHS quality with a spigot is pretty hard to do > because they don't digitize the whole frame of video, only a > field (the odd or even numbered lines) and then collapse it, this > is why the aliasing and moiring is so bad on spigoted video (you > can't be the price/performance ratio of the spigot though!). > Plus, even if you could go out to tape at VHS quailty, you'd have > to have a Quadra 950, probably accelerated (is this what your > friend has?) to handle full screen/full motion video. > > What I'm thinking of doing is saving my money for a year or so, > because things are happening so quickly in the area of > compression. Video capture boards that support hardware > compression on the card (not software driver based compression > like the VDIG and QT 1.5's compact video) will allow full screen > video at 30fps on any competent Mac (probably like a IIsi on up). > Video spigots don't have anyplace for a daughter card on them > …