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General Category => Amstrad CPC hardware => Topic started by: spookspring on 20:46, 26 April 12

Title: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: spookspring on 20:46, 26 April 12
Hi noticed you amazing electricians revamping all sorts of CPC hardware here.


But I was wondering about the Video capture add ons. Such as  ARA Video Digitizer.


Has anyone attempted to reconstruct one with modern components? Bet it would be popular.


Searched forms and wiki but nothing obvious came up.


My interest was sparked because I have a Dart scanner being delivered soon.


Spooks
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: steve on 20:50, 26 April 12
ARA Video Digitizer - CPCWiki - The Ultimate Amstrad CPC Community & (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/ARA_Video_Digitizer)
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: TFM on 01:24, 27 April 12
I got this one:
VIDI digitizer - CPCWiki - The Ultimate Amstrad CPC Community & Encyclopedia! (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/VIDI_digitizer)
And it does a wonderful job. You can even watch TV or Video in near realtime on the CPC monitor. Quite fascinating hardware IMHO.
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: Gryzor on 14:07, 27 April 12
An interesting idea, redoing it modern-style... I reckon I'd use one a lot if I had one, just for the fun of it :)
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: SyX on 22:35, 27 April 12
If it was possible to overlay an external video source with the CPC graphics, then it would be a dream come true for me ;)
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: Bryce on 13:52, 28 April 12
??? Mixing an RGB source with the CPCs RGB to give a Teletext type effect is simple. It would only require 1 cheap 8pin IC and a few resistors.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: SyX on 16:09, 28 April 12
Oh My God!!!  :D

Bryce, you should not say that xDDDD, because in my imagination i'm watching already an external video source (dvd, laserdisc, mp4, ...),  controlled by the cpc parallel port, sending the Dragon's Lair sequences :D :D :D



Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: ralferoo on 16:32, 28 April 12
Quote from: Bryce on 13:52, 28 April 12
Mixing an RGB source with the CPCs RGB to give a Teletext type effect is simple. It would only require 1 cheap 8pin IC and a few resistors.
Overlaying the actual RGB data is simple, but the tricky part is getting the sync signals in sync. It's actually not *too* difficult - if the sync signal from the external video source was exposed to the CPC, it would be possible to force the crtc to restarted in time with the external video, but it's definitely not trivial and certainly not possible without having special software on the CPC to achieve a software genlock via sampling the sync signal.
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: TFM on 19:38, 28 April 12
Quote from: SyX on 22:35, 27 April 12
If it was possible to overlay an external video source with the CPC graphics, then it would be a dream come true for me ;)

Well, that's what I saw at the systems 87 in Munich (my hometown), it needed a 6128 and could add CPC GFX to videos, scrollers, texts. I couldn't afford it in these days though, since I would also have needed a video recorder. But it was a masterpiece of Germans engeneers art. Like I remember it was used also once a while in television. (Hmmm....  I also remember additional cables into the CTM...).

So all that stuff does exist, one could just rebuilt it  :)
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: fgbrain on 20:33, 28 April 12
Although not a digitizer, talking about video titling, perhaps you forgot about:

Videomaster - CPCWiki - The Ultimate Amstrad CPC Community & Encyclopedia! (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Videomaster)
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: Bryce on 22:31, 28 April 12
You can use a cheap video seperator like the LM1881 to trigger the second video source (the CPC) and easily overlay the two RGB signal with a simple op-amp configuration. Not an issue, but what use is it?

Bryce.
Title: Re: Remake of the Video Digitizer?
Post by: SyX on 09:20, 29 April 12
For me, this is the use: ;D Time Gal (LaserActive) gameplay 01 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGxdxaBlk8Q#)
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