#PAR QUESTIONS!
4 messages in this thread
Since it seems that this entire Forum has become PAR converts I have two
questions :
(1) If you record an Anim to the PAR drive, and then load individual frames
back to the Amiga side, process them and write them back :
a) How much quality is lost ( I presume this process keeps JPEGGING the frames
and thus gives me a third generation image?)
b) Does the frame get written back at the right place in the sequence?
(2) What's the qaulity of the real time recording feature using TBC IV?
(3) (I lied!) Are their any material differences between PC version and Amiga
version of PAR?
(4) Has anyone used the PAR adapter to improve the toasters output? Any good?
Thanks in advance folks.
SK
Suresh,
When you write images back to the PAR's DDR device, PAR will automaticly
recognize it's own file structure and thereby prevent "recompression". There is
one option you might watch out for; FILTER, which can be disabled from a
control panel. This option is used for removing NTSC artifacting of video
images such as grabbed framestores from Toaster. If you are processing PAR
images individually in something like ADPRO, there is always a possiblity that
the file structure will be different and the images may suffer some minor
artifacting depending on the Block limit and Q factor settings.
The quality of the real time video capture of the TBCIV-PAR combo is quite
good. I dumped some Bcam footage to the PAR recently and could not see ANY
visible difference from the source material.
My understanding is that there IS a physical difference between the PC versions
and Amiga versions of the PAR. They are not interchangeable.
The output quality of the PAR's component connections are excellent. I had a
custom cable made for my portable BetaSP deck (BVW-35) to allow recording of
the Y, r-Y, b-Y signals, and the resulting images are far better than either
the composite or "S" outputs. I assume you understand that the PAR's output
only plays back anims and NOT the regular Toaster video output. One of the
Major advantages of recording images to a device such as the PAR is recording
image files to disk as opposed to using the Toaster's framebuffers for display.
On older Toasters, the output quality of the video images are not clean as on
the 4000 version of the board.
Frank
Speaking from purely theoretical grounds, repeated JPEGging should reach a
certain minimum quality, and plateau, after all the frequencies which get
abused by the compression are completely lost. Unlike analog video dubs,
where the noise you add is random each time.
Suresh,
1) – There will be some quality loss if the images keep changing. This is
unnoticeable to me – but I've got pitiful eyes. (b) – You would place the
images back into a different anim on the PAR and then split up the original and
replace the old frames with the new anim.
2)- Pretty good if you get one of the Micropolis drives. I had a Seagate
because I bought the PAR in Oct '93. When I needed a quality sequence I bought
one of the new AV Micropolis drives and it made a BIG difference!
3) – They are physically different boards – as for SW… I don't know.
4) – I'm not sure what you're talking about. I've fed the PAR output into the
Toaster before but, of course, without a Y/C enhancement for the Toaster I had
to do it in composite.
Whatever you're thinking… buy it! You won't believe your eyes! It doesn't
seem you could go wrong with a company like DPS. They keep upgrading the
software – which downloads microcode into the proms. Also, it _appears_ that
all of the firmware on the board is in socketed chips – possibly for easy
replacement! It just keeps getting better and better!