Re: Computer Eyes

[Jeff Lemke <lemke@terra.cira.colostate.edu>]

Mitchell Spector wrote:
> 
> In article Jeff Lemke <lemke@terra.cira.colostate.edu> writes...
> 
> >I recently acquired a ComputerEyes card, but there is no documentation.
> 
>     You may be able to order a manual and disk from Digital Vision,
> which can be reached at 1-800-346-0090. Be clear that you have the
> Apple II version of the card when calling, though don't be surprised
> if your told they no longer support it (even in that case, they may
> still be able to dig up what you need which is why you should call).
> Roger Wagner Publishing may now own the rights to the card and its
> software, in which case call 1-800-HYPERSTUDIO if Digital Vision is
> of little or no help.
> 
> > Does anybody know anything about these, or have a manual to sell?
> 
>     Well it is a video capture card that plugs into any slot and
> lets you digitize an image from any NTSC device (VCR, camcorder,
> TV, laser disc, game-console, computer, etc). I believe there may
> have been two separate versions: ComputerEyes and ComputerEyes GS.
> 
>     I'm only familiar with ComputerEyes GS. It allows you to grab
> video in either 16 colors or greyscales, with the latter yeilding
> the best results. It is not a real-time capture board, so it does
> require your source be perfectly still for 6 to 12 seconds. This
> is more than just an annoyance, it makes capturing from a TV almost
> impossible and means you need a VCR with freeze-frame pause, as
> bar-noise will interfere with the capture. It can also capture
> 6-bit raw data images, meaning up to 64 colors can be used if you
> have special software on an IBM or Mac to read it (or special GS
> software to convert it to a multi-palette Super-Hi-Res image or
> Second Sight video image; Prism and Emerald Vision are the only
> titles I know of that do this, but with terrible results).
> 
> Mitchell Spector
> spec@vax2.concordia.ca


Thanks for the help.

Back in art school in Chicago, we had Amiga 2000 computers with Digiview
software that would scan horizontally from left to right across the
screen either low res (320x240) video signals in 11 seconds, or hi-res
video (640x480) in 22 seconds in black and white.  If you wanted color,
you had to do 3 low res scans with an RBG filter wheel in front of the
camera lens.  The three images, one each for red, green, and blue, would
then be combined into a single low-res 32-color image.  (With that
software, color hi-res images were not an option.  In hi-res mode, the
Amiga 2000 could only display 16 colors, and in the case of this
software, 16 gray tones.)    

Anyway, I've found that some really interesting pictures can be obtained
from video tape in a couple different ways with this system.  One way is
that you can combine three different scans of a portion of paused video
tape, with each scan (again, one each for red, green, & blue) taken from
slightly different positions on the tape (separated from each other by
anywhere from a few frames to a few seconds).  If the tape is recorded
from a stationary camera, and shows subjects that are moving, the
successive offset digitizations can be interesting when combined into a
single color image.  The nonmoving parts of the image will be in black
and white and look normal, and the moving parts will appear as a
prismatic rainbow multiple-exposure.  And something even more
interesting I've found is letting the video tape run while you're doing
a digitization.  This can result in all kinds of interesting images. 
Whether the video footage is from a moving camera or a stationary one,
and depending on the level and type of motion in the subject matter, and
depending on the scan time of the digitizer, any number of interesting
variations of abstract images can be obtained.  Now whether these
one-pass digitizations are in color or black & white depends on the
video card's capabilties.

Thanks for all the information on Computer Eyes.

Jeff Lemke