Rombo Vidi

[ComSoft6128]

Back in 1998 or 99 I sold my Rombo Vidi Digitiser. If now in 2018, I managed to buy one in working condition, would it work with the new digital technologies or would it be hopelessly obsolete and require a radical redesign to function?

Cheers,

Peter

[spookspring]

Had one a couple years ago, worked fine with a modern digital camera, simple stuff

[rpalmer]

I have the Rombo Vidi and initially connected this to a "portable" VCR recorder and camera, but alas the camera and recorder had died some 15 years ago and was disposed of (wish I had kept it for sentimental reasons) leaving the Vidi a non-functional device. I still have the device and original box it came it.

The Vidi uses RF cable connection so it would not work with modern devices connected as the RF connection was abandoned some decades earlier. All new devices (like cameras and such) of at least the last 5-10 years have been connecting with HDMI, so you cannot capture from them.

Even the TV connection with RF will not work since the signal sent by local TV stations is digital data now (at least here in Australia), and the Vidi will just show "snow". If you have a "set-top" box which takes the digial TV broadcast and creates an RF signal (to connect to old CRT TVs) then you could use this to capture a TV broadcast, but these are not easy to find since all new TVs now days contain the essential circuits to handle the new format of TV broadcasts (both SD and HD) and they are more cost effective then to buy such a set-top box and connect to old TVs.

rpalmer

[ComSoft6128]

Thanks for the detailed answer to my query. I had a suspicion that this might be the case.

Cheers,

Peter

[IanS]

The Rombo Video takes a composite video input, not RF. Lots of devices still have a composite video output, but even if they don't HDMI to Composite is easy to do - http://cpc.farnell.com/unbranded/77hdmi-comp01/hdmi-to-composite-converter/dp/AV27168

[rpalmer]

Thanks IanS, I forgot about that connection. I did not realize that farnell (aka Element14) sell such a device, hence my statement about connection to modern devices. I might just buy one to get my vidi connected to modern equipment to see how good the converter works.

rpalmer

[ComSoft6128]

If you do buy one please let me (and the Wiki) know how you get on.

Cheers,

Peter