🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct13.002950.3397@research.nj.nec.com> zilla@ccrl.nj.nec.com (John Lewis) writes:
>Most mac-II models will record direct to video with the addition of
>some init or something, which is available from apda for about $30.

I assume you are referring to VideoSync. Saying that this will allow
you to "record direct to video" is a bit misleading. What it does is
allow change the scan rate on a monitor so that it can be videotaped
*from a camera*. It also allows you to change the phase of the scan
so that the horizontal line caused by the relative phases of the monitor
and camera being out of sync is not visible. It does not work with many
monitor types, Portrait, 9", 19", and so on. I have only used it with
13" 8 bit or 24 bit video cards. It works OK, though getting the camera
tilt to match that of the monitor, trying to eliminate all glare from
the monitor glass, and constantly adjusting the phase made it frustrating
sometimes.

To truly record direct to video, you need some kind of video card that
has an NTSC output option. Someone earlier posted a list of such cards
for the Mac that were evaluated in MacUser August 1991:

Generation Systems TV Board $395
Generation Systems TV Box $395
Mass Microsystems Colorspace IIi/fx $1995
RasterOps Provideo 32 $1750
RastorOps Video Expander $575
Truevision NuVista Board $2995

I think the RastorOps products have since been replaced by the 24stv
and related boards. All of these products vary considerably in options.
I have used the Colorspace IIi/fx board. It does a lot of nifty things,
but it's only 8 bit and rather slow. The NTSC output has been fine,
though it will only operate in RGB or NTSC at one time and has to be
rebooted to change from NTSC to RGB.

>Rasterops 364 and 24stv (roughly $800-$1400) will encode video
>and digitize video, though the video cannot be saved to disk at 30fps.  
>They will also display a video source in a window.

Now digital video, i.e. QuickTime, is another matter. There are an
increasing number of boards that will record QuickTime, if that fits
your purpose, but I had understood the original question to be about
NTSC conversion. By the way, I just got a release from Vision Software
about CameraMan - an application that records to QuickTime whatever shows
on the Mac monitor. They are touting it as a way to record demos and
presentations. They are offering it to attendees of the Apple Developer's
Conference for $74.50 and giving the list price as $149.

Another application especially made for people videotaping presentations
is MacroMind's MediaMaker. You can edit and synchronize your presentation
using Director animations, sound files, audio CDs, graphic images, etc.
If you have a video card with NTSC output, MediaMaker will then control
a VCR through a control-L/M/S/P interface to automatically assemble the
presentation on videotape.

Bill Alves