CompuServe Messages

I agree totally with you concerning the "plug and play" advantages to PCI bus. I think that you will begin to see many companies entering this arena this year. PCI seems to be a stable standard now, processors are gaining workstation speeds, etc. The alternative to this type of thing is something like a Personal Animation Recorder/TBC-IV combo. The are standard ISA devices but do not rely on the bus to handle video information. They are processors in amongst themselves and only use the bus to receive instructions from your operating system. 752×480, 60 field per second capture is standard with this combo irregardless of what computer you are running them in. Albiet, this solution is a tad more expensive than, say, a $500.00 capture card but depending on what quality of output you wish to attain, it is money well spent. Biggest problem with standard capture cards (just my opinion) is their compatiblity (or lack thereof) with whatever video accellerator you happen to have. While there is supposed to be the VESA 1.2 standard as well as a standard feature connection, the slightest anomolie an a video card's bios or driver can cause problems. I use the PAR/TBC combo everyday for everything from 3D animation to rotoscoping and playing around with the latest video's of my two year old. Anyway, I think that you will soon see a whole new ere in PCI devices unveiled at NAB and SIGGRAPH this year. Keep your eyes open! Dean Oliver Virtually Real