[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

5177.0. "HELP ON FINDING A GENLOCK" by WRKSYS::PHAM () Tue Nov 05 1991 15:08

    Hi All,
    
    I really enjoy reading this notes-file and I have had a question
    about AMIGAgenlock and I don't know whether I should mention it in
    this notes-file if not please forgive me.
     
    I have owned a DECstation325 with 386/Intel microprocessor and now
    I want to buy some module that will allow me to capture images from
    VCR's or Camcoders and then do some kind of animations/graphics over-
    lay them (superposition). Is the AMIGAgenlock compatible with my system
    or should I look at some other GENLOCKs...... Please give me any
    information that you think will help me out on buying a GENLOCK module
    for my system. I really apprepriate for your recommendation.
    
    B.G
    Lee Pham  
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
5177.1Amiga genlocks can't be used with clonesTLE::RMEYERSRandy MeyersTue Nov 05 1991 16:5030
Re: .0

Amiga genlocks are Amiga specific.  One of the features of the Amiga
computer is that you can feed an outside timing pulse into the computer
to synchronize the bus and video to an outside source.  This makes it
easy to support genlocks.

This is an unusual hardware feature, and means that genlocks designed
for other computers have more work to do.  I'm not really that
knowledgeable on the subject, but I believe that IBM clone genlocks
are usually built into video boards, so that you buy a all in one
VGA board and genlock (and perhaps frame grabber).

You actually may find it cheaper to buy an Amiga 500 and genlock than
to equip your clone with one.  (Again, I'm not very knowledgeable
here, I just seem to remember seeing ads for clone genlocks that cost
about $1000).

Perhaps other folks in this notesfile can make recommendations for
IBM clone genlocks, or at least recommend features found in Amiga
genlocks that you should add to your feature list.

By the way, your note asked about two very different capabilities.  Being
able to overlay computer graphics on a video source is genlocking.  Being
able to digitize a video signal so that it can be stored and manipulated
by the computer is frame grabbing.  In the Amiga world, these usually
are different products, but not always.  For example, the video toaster
and some of the other high end video cards perform both functions (as
well as others).  When shopping for the card(s) you want for your clone,
make sure that you get both features if you want both features.