Re: What is this card?

[a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

 warnken@nospam@mother.com wrote:

Mitchell Spector (a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca) wrote:
>
>>    It was a real-time video frame grabber. You plugged in any NTSC
>>(composite) video source and you could digitally capture an image
>>and save it either as raw data or Super-Hi-Res. In the case of the
>>latter it was 4-bit greyscale or color for the 320 mode, though raw
>>data images held more color data if you wanted to export it. The
>>card also went by the name "Visionary GS" and "Vision Plus Enhanced" 
>>as it changed company hands. 
[snip]
>
>Thanks for the information Mitchell.
> 
>I have a couple of questions.  I have the AST digitzer and also 
>a card  labeled Frame Grabber by Progressive Computer products. 
>They don't look anything alike. Do you know anyting about the FG.  
>anybody have software for it.

    It's definitely a different product. All I know of it, from a past
mention of the card, is that it was manufactured by PCPI and 
could very well be a II+, IIe video capture card. 

    The only IIgs-specific video capture cards I'm aware of are 
Digital Vision's ComputerEyes GS and the AST Vision Plus 
(there was also Redshift's ImageWorks II, though it worked in 
any Apple II and used its own video circuity to capture images 
that by far exceeded what any stock IIe or IIgs could process 
on screen. It had very limited use though, as you couldn't 
export graphic images into Apple II software; it may as well
have been a stand-alone product for that reason).

>I also have the video overlay card.  All of these are sitting around waiting 
>for me to check out, but no time.  What you've said encourages me to find the 
>time.  It seems to take so much time to read the manuals if lucky enough to have
>such and then futz with the machines to get things running.  

    The Video Overlay Card is pretty cool, even by today's standards
(well maybe, heh). I've been anxious to try some tinkering with mine,
but still waiting to compare my card with someone else's to see if
it's working properly (no one responded to my post here about the 
VOC back in March).

    I wouldn't mind tracking down another Video Overlay Card for
my other ROM 3 still in use, anyone have a spare? :)

Mitchell Spector
a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca