Re: USB input devices-- Second Sight

[Mike Kent <Mkent01@mariner.cris.com>]

Jeff Blakeney <CUTjefbla@bconnex.net> wrote:
> On 07 Feb 1999 22:22:15 PST, Mike Kent <Mkent01@viking.cris.com> wrote:

>>I've agreed with you in the past about a great many things, but I'm going
>>to have to take issue with this.

> Not a problem.  But I think you may have taken my statements a little
> too strongly and/or missed where I said that I realized that small
> production boards would cost more.

Well, I just wanted you to know that while I was strongly disagreeing with
something you said, I wasn't flaming you.

> However, the performance difference between a Second Sight card and an
> ATI All-in-Wonder is astronomical.  Which is why I'm so disappointed
> that they cost the same.

I'm sorry, but I won't buy this argument.  They're two different cards
designed at two different times for two different machines with two very
differenct production volumes.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the cards
Sequential is selling today were actually made 2-3 years ago.

> The prices of the components can't
> be all that much.  They are using an old SVGA chipset with limited
> capabilities and an old processor.  They don't have a very large ROM
> on the card.  The most expensive part would be either the RAM or the
> etching of the printed circuit board.

OK.  I'll buy an argument along these lines.  But unfortunately, I have no
personal knowledge to judge one way or the other.

> I also know that if they had put more effort into helping the
> developers fix the problems in the ROM and such that the Second Sight
> would be capable of Double High Res graphics and FaceLift would
> already be finished.

I'm not familiar with the ROM problems.  Is this something that I, as a
potential Second Sight owner, should know about?

> As it is now, all it will let me do is use a SVGA monitor

It will also let you view high-color and high-resolution gifs and jpegs,
which is important, IMO.  The GS desktop is not that bad for spreadsheets
and most games, but it really blows when it comes to viewing true-color
hi-res pictures.  SS has corrected the most serious deficiency first.

> Now the $50-$100 range, I'd be more willing to pay to get one
> and maybe do some development work of my own with it.

Have you called Sequential and offered to help with the ROMs?  That
question may sound like a cut.  It's not.  I'm perfectly serious.
If you have the knowledge to expand SS's capability, I'd sing praises to
your name if you stepped forward and got something done.  Really.

(I started in the Apple II world when I was in junior high, and the
prospect of calling a company and helping with a commercial product was
just starry-eyed fantasy.  But here I sit at age 30 with an engineering
degree, and that scenario is not all that farfectched.  Unfortunately, I
don't know beans about writing commercial-quality software.)

>>I'm not familiar with the Facelift project.  Would anyone care to
>>enlighten me?

[cut]

> Anyways, FaceLift, when it is finished, would ship with a driver for
> the video hardware built into the IIgs.  Drivers could then be written
> for use with the Second Sight card and any other card that might come
> into existence.  You could even write a driver for the Video Overlay
> Card so that it would use its 640x400 interlaced video mode if you
> wanted to.

I've since read up on the Facelift project -- way cool!!  and Bitchin'
too!  My only question:  How do we get this project finished?

> Pretty cool project but it has been stalled for a little while.  I'm
> sure it could pick up again if people were seriously interested in
> helping.

I'd love too!  Unfortunately, my only talent with software seems to be in
finding obscure bugs.  But, if this project is resurrected, I'd be willing
to but a Second Sight card specifically to beta-test Facelift.  I'm sorry
it's not more, but that's where my talents lie.

Mike