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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: TomJ on September 05, 2010, 11:45:02 PM

Title: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: TomJ on September 05, 2010, 11:45:02 PM
I was wondering if anyone has used a DCTV on a pc with or uae.

and if a normal pc no UAE what software was used.

what I'm trying to do is get a vcr tape to a dvd without buying anything new.

i have never tried to copy a video to my amiga so I am assuming it will take a lot of disk space and then I would have to transfer it to pc
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: beller on September 05, 2010, 11:55:19 PM
No, it won't work with anything but an Amiga since it relies on the Amiga's output in order to produce the DCTV image.  There is much more involved than booting the software on UAE.

Digital (which became Play) created the Snappy digitizer for the PC. If they could have sold DCTV hardware to the PC market just by writing software I think they'd have done it in a heartbeat.

Bob
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: beller on September 05, 2010, 11:59:15 PM
In answer to the second part, I can't think of ANY Amiga digitizer that copied the video to hard drive.  Hard drive storage was extremely expensive.  Instead you used the Amiga to generate effects, titles, etc., and then did final editing by splicing these scenes into your video tape by whatever means.  Most setups included the Amiga and monitor, at least two video players/recorders and a television to view the new video image containing the combined Amiga/video image which was recorded to the second recorder.

This was the extreme early days of desktop video....

Bob
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: B00tDisk on September 06, 2010, 03:48:16 AM
Quote from: beller;577959
In answer to the second part, I can't think of ANY Amiga digitizer that copied the video to hard drive.  Hard drive storage was extremely expensive.  Instead you used the Amiga to generate effects, titles, etc., and then did final editing by splicing these scenes into your video tape by whatever means.  Most setups included the Amiga and monitor, at least two video players/recorders and a television to view the new video image containing the combined Amiga/video image which was recorded to the second recorder.

This was the extreme early days of desktop video....

Bob


The DPS PAR plus TBC IV was an NLE system that recorded video on (up to) 2 4gb IDE HDs.  Of course when the Personal Animation Recorder was new, 4 4gb HDs would - assuming you could buy an IDE HD in 4gb capacity - $16,000.00 (drive space was $2/mb at the time).  Certainly not beyond the pale for a serious audio/video studio's budget back in 1993, but probably outside the bounds of the DTV hobbyist!

Most folks were motoring along with 100mb drives or thereabouts, so a pair of those would set you back $400, and you'd get about 10 minutes of video on 'em.
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: xeron on September 06, 2010, 07:24:34 AM
Quote from: beller;577959
In answer to the second part, I can't think of ANY Amiga digitizer that copied the video to hard drive.


Well, they could only capture colour stills or B&W video, but the Rombo Vidi-Amiga gear were proper video digitizers.
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: Crom00 on September 06, 2010, 01:32:00 PM
PC's used the PLUG in card approach to graphics and capture. Easier to incorporate a GFX card or a dedicated capture card.
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: bloodline on September 06, 2010, 03:00:04 PM
Any £20 PCI or USB "TV Card" could be used to capture the VCR output for you to burn to DVD/CD
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: smerf on September 06, 2010, 04:24:26 PM
Quote from: beller;577959
In answer to the second part, I can't think of ANY Amiga digitizer that copied the video to hard drive.  Hard drive storage was extremely expensive.  Instead you used the Amiga to generate effects, titles, etc., and then did final editing by splicing these scenes into your video tape by whatever means.  Most setups included the Amiga and monitor, at least two video players/recorders and a television to view the new video image containing the combined Amiga/video image which was recorded to the second recorder.

This was the extreme early days of desktop video....

Bob


@beller,

I have a snappy that will do it, and there are about another dozen things that are made today to transfer a VCR tape to a CD or todays MP3 format.

smerf
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: beller on September 06, 2010, 08:03:43 PM
Quote from: smerf;578054
@beller,

I have a snappy that will do it, and there are about another dozen things that are made today to transfer a VCR tape to a CD or todays MP3 format.

smerf


Smerf....yea, I know but he was asking about Amiga products in the original question.
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: beller on September 06, 2010, 08:06:58 PM
Quote from: xeron;577983
Well, they could only capture colour stills or B&W video, but the Rombo Vidi-Amiga gear were proper video digitizers.


Yea, but I was referencing the ability to do editing of standard video, not stills. Of course DCTV/DigiView etc. could save stills.  

Upon reflection I do remember something that saved short burst of video, sorta in color too.  It was ALive!  Fun to play with but never really useful without massive storage.
Title: Re: Can DCTV be used with a normal PC
Post by: beller on September 06, 2010, 08:15:29 PM
Quote from: B00tDisk;577976
The DPS PAR plus TBC IV was an NLE system that recorded video on (up to) 2 4gb IDE HDs.  Of course when the Personal Animation Recorder was new, 4 4gb HDs would - assuming you could buy an IDE HD in 4gb capacity - $16,000.00 (drive space was $2/mb at the time).  Certainly not beyond the pale for a serious audio/video studio's budget back in 1993, but probably outside the bounds of the DTV hobbyist!

Most folks were motoring along with 100mb drives or thereabouts, so a pair of those would set you back $400, and you'd get about 10 minutes of video on 'em.


I started working in Amiga video in '87 when a local TV station called to help them make their A1000 useful.  This was just prior to Commodore's release of the A1000 genlock.  I was lucky enough to get in touch with the engineer who designed the genlock and to get a pre-release version so they could check it on their equipment.

Ultimately they used the system to generate station promos.  Between '87 and '93 computing changed significantly and video work on computer became easier but expensive.  

I was helping push folks towards using the Amiga for video, and worked with Mike Posehn who created Deluxe Video for Eletronic Arts.  You can read my first article on desktop video in the July '87 issue of Amazing Computing...

Bob