CompuServe Thread

WOW! It's really amazing to see people actually using DeluxeVideo. I just got through skimming some of the messages related to DVideo. I hope that I am not messing up too many threads by responding to questions with this new message. I never really know in advance when I'll be getting on CIS and checking out the AmigaForum, so if you really have a DeluxeVideo question that you want me to answer, please send me mail via EasyPlex and I'll send you a reply as soon as I can. There is so much activity on this forum that sometimes the messages scroll by before I can read them. Some of the questions that I've seen are: 1). What is a FRAME BUFFER? After working with many professional video people during BETA testing, some marketing genius, probably not really knowing what it meant, decided to mention a frame buffer on the package as a means to create broadcast quality videos. I think it is simply referring to a way of recording single-frame images to video tape. This type of equipment is extrememly expensive and not found in your average home. 2). How do I create OBJECTS with DeluxePaint? To create a simple object (i.e. one that does not have a frame sequence associated with it, like a man walking) start DeluxePaint with the command "DPaint 0 3", draw something and save it as a brush in a drawer called "objects". You can now load this as an object in DeluxeVideo. You will have to use the FRAMER on sequenced objects. 3). Does DeluxeVideo support HIRES mode? DVideo uses a display mode known as 320×200 (LORES) dual-playfield mode. We decided not to support any other display modes (e.g. 320×400, 640×200, 640×400) due to the memory requirements involved. 4). Does DVideo utilize expanded memory? Yes, DVideo can take advantage of memory beyond 512K in a couple of ways. The first way allows you to have more objects and/or sounds in your videos. This involves increasing the size of your PartPool by setting the Memory Size parameter in the Options menu. Refer to page 5.39 in the manual. The second way allows you to speed up your videos by utilizing a RAM disk for your data files. This can get a little tricky because WorkBench V1.1 does not give you direct access to the RAM: device. You will need to use the CLI to copy your data files to RAM: and will need to change the DVideo data drawers to RAM: instead of DF0: or DF1: I believe that you will also need to have the "Ram-Handler" in the "l" drawer. Boy is this ever ugly! I have been told that WorkBench V1.2 will support this directly. I hope this isn't too vague. Who am I kidding? Respond to this message if you need more info. 5). The documentation doesn't explain how to do the neat things in the DEMOS. Additional documentation is being written and is available for free by sending in a card that comes with DeluxeVideo. It's an "Advanced User's Guide" and should be done by August 1986. Whew! Well I hope this sheds some light. Please respond to this message if you have other questions or need more info. Send me EasyPlex mail for a guaranteed response and I'm often in the CO (conference mode) Sunday nights. I hope you are having fun with DeluxeVideo and I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks, Tom Casey