CompuServe Messages

Edward, There is an "VCR EX Pak" available that has RS-232 serial control over the following decks: Panasonic series AG-5700, AG-7330, AG-7350 and RS-232 controllable Sony U-Matic decks. The suggested retail price for this EX pak is $149.00 U.S. The other option is the Scala "Echo EE100" product which we recently introduced. Like the "Video Director" intelligent cable, the EE100 has a Control-L (LANC) connector and InfraRed transmitter/receiver. It works in conjunction with our new "Scala MultiMedia MM300" product. Some people have asked me if the Video Director's intelligent cable can work with MM300. Unfortunately, the answer is no. Like the Video Director, you can teach the EE100 InfraRed EX to learn all of your VCR commands and then incorporate them into a Scala MultiMedia script. For more accurate control, the EE100 LANC (Control-L) is accurate within 1 second, depending on the video equipment capabilities. At this time, we do not have an EX that is compatible with the BCD protocol. However, this may change in the near future since we are planning for support of the Sanyo GV-RS950 VTR. As you may know, the BCD protocol is used in this deck. Therefore it could work with your SFC and JVC deck. Hope that answers your questions. Sincerely, John Chang Technical Support Manager Scala, Inc.