#TBC IV/PCA From DPS
9 messages in this thread
Have any of you Toaster users had any experience with either the DPS TBC
IV or the DPS Personal Component Adapter? My local Toaster dealer tells
me this combination does the same thing, at somewhat lower cost, than the
Y/C Plus, i.e. that it allows input of S-video to the Toaster and Toaster
output of S-video? Is my dealer confused on this? Thanks for the help.
Tom
Thomas,
Before you invest in any component adaptors, you might be interested in
something I learned recently.
NONE of the currently available products will passs actual YC THRU the Toaster.
They may attatch to the pin type connectors on the Toaster board but they are
still COMPOSITE branches of the same inputs/outputs that feed the BNC
connectors. With Toaster's current design, it is impossible to "keep" the YC
information seperated while the Toaster is processing it. All of the devices
currently available and planned for release utilize some form of filtering
technology to process some of the dot crawl and chroma shift, which makes the
signal "appear" as though it were YC thrughout.
Of the units that I have actually seen ,the Smith Audio Visual YC PLUS, the
DPS component adaptor, and the Prime Image YC PLUS-PLUS, I am most impressed
with the Prime Image unit. It doesn't require a slot and it allows selection of
the Betacam/MII/SVHS outputs as well as the composite/SVHS inputs via an
external switch. It retails for $699. If you want more direct info you can
contact Prime Image at (408) 867-6519. As far as I know, they do NOT sell
direct, you would still have to order the product through a dealer.
Regards
Frank
Frank,
It's important information such as you have just provided me regarding the
Personal Component Adapter that makes me feel like CIS is worth every
penny! Thanks so very much for taking the time to point this out to me.
I'll be talking with my dealer about this. Fortunately, my dealer is
having some difficulties getting the DPS TBC IV's and the Personal
Component Adapter so I have some time before laying my cash down.
Obviously you have had a chance to directly see the output of these three
component adapters. In your opinion do they make a significant improvemnt
in the Toaster's output? I know this is asking for a judgment call on
your part, but any information is better than none. My primary reason for
getting the Personal TBC IV is that I have the original Personal TBC in my
Toaster 2.0 system in my Amiga 2000, but with the purchase of the Toaster
4000 card I felt that I ought to upgrade my TBC's to the latest
generation. My dealer then mentioned the Personal Component Adapter and
it all seemed like a worthwhile thing to do. Let me hasten to add that I
am not a video professional like yourself, but simply a serious video
hobbyist. I do show my edited videos on a Sony 1042 commercial projector
on a six ft high gain screen in my home and because of this larger image
size I like to have the best quality Toaster output that I can afford.
Frank, while I have your ear, I am becoming increasingly interested in
non-linear editing. The recent issue of Desktop Video had some quite
interesting articles on this subject. Do you first hand experience with
any non-linear editing systems? Yes, I know that right now they are too
expensive for a mere amateur, but I am hoping they will break the $3K
price range sometime in the next year.
Finally, I would like to thank you for the interesting questions and
discussions that you often instigate on the Amiga forums. As a frequent
"lurker" and sometime participant, I find these discussions always
interesting and frequently useful.
Tom
Thomas,
Thanks for all the kudos, I am not certain I deserve all of them, but I'll take
what I can get <g>.
Regarding the component adaptors;l think that all three have a similar
appearence with regard to filtering certain artifacts out of the video signal.
I wouldn't say that one unit really offers a substantial improvement over the
other. There is a slight edge to the YC Plus unit from Smith Audio/Visual,
probably because of the Furudjia circuits.
Your question about the TBC represents a valid consideration, since the specs
on the original DPS board were not all that impressive compared to what is
currently available. An upgrade might be in order,m but I wouldn't limit my
choices to the DPS product line. Prime Image has a very good board that has
impressive specs, but doesn't offer the kind of "tie-in" to other
products/capabilities that the TBC IV offers.
Regarding non-linear edit systems; My only direct experience has been with Mac
based systems which were primarily designed to be used as "Off-Line" editing
tools. Materials could be previewed in any of several versions the "Off-Line"
before commiting to a final version which would be produced using the higher
quality "On-Line" gear. It's becoming fairly obvious that new technology is
fast approaching which will make broadcast quality non-linear hard disk based
edit systems an affordable reality. I am hopeful that I will be able to take
advantage of such a system as it becomes available. At the moment, no such
system exists. Hopefully we might see something that we can all afford to buy
within the next two to three years.
Regards
Frank
Frank,
Again thanks for the useful information. I think your conclusion about
non-linear editing becoming affordable over the next two to three years
is quite correct. This may well be the next "revolution" in desktop
video. NewTek has ocassionally mentioned that they are working on a
product in this area. The near future should, indeed, be interesting!
Tom
Is there any adaptor on the market that will allow me to go direct to the
head-to-head input/output connectors on my U-Matic (Y-688) VTR's?
HAve never seen anything advertised that will allow this type of Y/C
transfer to/from my computer. Any information is appreciated!
Alan Wolney
Alan,
There are a couple of options, but they will only degrade or "filter" the
signal somewhat. There's a composite-to-Y688 transcoder from a company called
V.I.P., you will find their product in the current Markertek catalog. There are
also some transcoding TBC units that will fit the bill. IMHO, you aren't really
gaining anything by adding more circuitry to the signal path when attempting to
go to Y688, since the composite input of your Umatic deck already handles the
transcoding task for you.
Frank
Frank,
I had no intention of going composite to y-688. I wanted to make SVHS to
U-Matic transfers for editing purposes, and have a TBC inbetween the source and
record U-Matic decks. When editing, the results look far cleaner when using the
head to head dub connections, but would look even better if there were a y-688
TBC inbetween.
Alan Wolney
Alan,
There should be a VIP encoder model that does the trick (check Markertek
catalog), if not I would contact Broadcast Systems design (see their ad in the
current issue of Video Toaster User) and see if their model ten can transcode
from "S" to Y-688.
Frank