Light ROM 4/Light ROM 4 - Disc 1.iso/text/net_news/1995/041995.doc/text0059.txt

Text File | 1995-04-29 | 16.4 KB | 370 lines

Well, I saw this in rec.video.production a week ago.  After waiting
for someone else to post it here, no one did, and I don't know why,
so here it is, it answers probably all the questions people have
had about the PVR board.
(I guess we're all justabuncha lemmings. ;)

--mike
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      <  \        [e-mail] - Mike Harlock
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\<      >  \          Practice Random Kindness
 \\    /    |       And Senseless Acts of Beauty
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             New!  http://raindrop.ranma.com/mikem.html

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THE DPS PERCEPTION VIDEO RECORDER
Models PVR-2500/PVR-3500

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS

WHAT IS THE PERCEPTION VIDEO RECORDER?
  The DPS Perception Video Recorder (PVR) is a digital disk
recorder capable of recording and playing back broadcast quality
video in real time from a dedicated SCSI hard drive.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE HARDWARE?
  Perception Video is a full-length PCI card which must be
plugged into a computer. On this board is a SCSI II interface
which connects to one or more dedicated hard drives. Because the
SCSI controller is integrated with the PVR card, the video data
never has to move over the PCI bus during playback. This avoids
the bus contention problems found with systems which use the
computer's hard drive for video storage. Although the PCI bus is
very fast, operating system limitations create performance
bottlenecks which limit system bandwidth.
  The video output section utilizes 10 bit 2X oversampled
encoding and provides better than D1 scaling. Component
(Betacam/MII), composite and  S-Video analog outputs are provided
via breakout cables, which are included. An optional full-length
daughtercard (AD-2500) adds component, composite and S-Video
inputs for real time recording.

IS THE OUTPUT BROADCAST QUALITY?
  The term "broadcast quality" is open to interpretation, but the
Perception Video Recorder exceeds the specs of other products
typically used for broadcast playback. Like all DPS products, the
PVR-2500 produces a true RS-170A output.

WHEN WILL THE PVR BE AVAILABLE?
  Scheduled release date is June, 1995.

HOW WELL DOES THE PVR INTEGRATE WITH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE?
  The Perception Video Recorder integrates completely with your
existing Windows NT software packages using an innovative file
system which enables video clips to appear simultaneously in many
different file formats. Any software package capable of saving
RGB images to or loading them from a hard drive can be used. PVR
kernel level drivers enable hard drives attached to the
Perception board to appear as standard system drive letters. For
instance, a video sequence called "filename" can appear in one
program as D:\filename.tga and in another as D:\filename.bmp.
There is no need to convert to different file formats before
using images from the PVR.

IS THE PVR A NON-LINEAR EDITOR?
  From its inception, the Perception Video Recorder was
envisioned as the heart of an integrated digital video
workstation. Non-linear editing is just one possible use for the
PVR-animation is another. Equipped with an AD-2500 video capture
daughtercard, the PVR-2500 functions as a digital video recorder,
providing unsurpassed picture quality and a storage capacity
limited only by the size and number of attached SCSI hard drives.
  The standard PVR software provides some simple editing
capabilities, but is not intended to replace time line-based
editing software. Third party editing software can be used to
directly control the PVR.

CAN THE PVR CONTROL A VIDEO DECK?
  The DPS Perception Video Recorder can directly control any VCR
which emulates the Sony BVU serial transport protocol. VCR-like
controls on the PVR GUI simplify the task of batch digitizing and
recording. In this mode, the PVR can read SMPTE time code from
the source deck.

HOW DO YOU CONNECT THE PVR TO A VCR?
  The physical interface between the PVR and a VCR or editor is
via the computer's serial port. Because Sony compatible decks
utilize a 38.4 KB, RS-422 interface, it is necessary to install
an RS-232 to RS-422 adapter on the host computer's serial port
before PVR VCR emulation and control modes can be used. It is
also necessary to verify that a 16550 or equivalent UART is used
for the computer's serial port in order to support data rates of
38.4 KB.

IS THERE AUDIO SUPPORT?
  The DPS Perception Video Recorder can be used with any Windows
NT compatible sound card. This provides a wide range of potential
audio quality choices. Synchronization of audio and video is
maintained by the PVR software. Some sound cards, such as those
made by Turtle Beach, provide accurate system timing and have
been found to consistently maintain synchronization during long
video clips.
  Captured audio is stored on the computer's system hard drive,
not on the dedicated PVR drive. This approach provides maximum
flexibility for manipulating audio and video during the editing
process. Products which interleave audio and video on the same
hard drive compromise the total available video bandwidth and
severely limit audio editing capabilities.

HOW IS THE PVR DIFFERENT THAN THE DPS PAR?
  The Perception Video Recorder is a second generation design
which incorporates new technologies such as a PCI bus interface,
10 bit, 2X oversampled video encoding and an integrated FAST SCSI-
2 hard drive controller. Standard video resolution is CCIR-601
(720 x 480 NTSC, 720 x 576 PAL) for greater compatibility with
other products. The dynamic range of the PVR is in excess of D1
scaling so that images are brighter, have more color and greater
spatial resolution than ever before. Other new features include
seamless video looping, independent compression rates for each
video field and virtually unlimited storage capacity.
  The optional live video capture daughtercard (AD-2500) provides
a component (Betacam/MII) input in addition to composite and S-
Video inputs. The PVR capture card entropy prediction circuit
analyzes the content of incoming video and dynamically calculates
the optimum amount of compression on a field by field basis.

HOW IS THE PVR SIMILAR TO THE DPS PERSONAL ANIMATION RECORDER?
  The Perception Video Recorder, like the PAR, employs an
integrated hard drive controller. Compressed video data never has
to travel across the system bus on its way to the hard drive.
This reduces the load on the CPU, provides extremely efficient
data transfers and eliminates the possibility of dropped frames
during recording and playback.

WHAT VIDEO BANDWIDTH CAN I EXPECT FROM CAPTURED VIDEO?
  Full video bandwidth (>5.5 MHz) is maintained in component
(Betacam/MII) and S-Video modes. The composite input is limited
to heterodyne (VHS) resolution.

WHAT VERSIONS OF NT DO YOU SUPPORT?
  The Perception Video Recorder software is available for Windows
NT version 3.5 and later. Versions are available for Intel, DEC
Alpha and MIPS processors.

WHY WINDOWS NT?
  The Windows NT operating system combines unprecedented support
for multiple processors and alternate CPU architectures while
retaining some compatibility with existing Windows applications.
Many animation and video editing software developers have
released or will soon release Windows NT applications, all of
which should transparently interface with the DPS Perception
Video Recorder.

HOW MUCH TIME WILL I GET PER GIGABYTE?
  Betacam SP quality is achieved at about 4 minutes per gigabyte.
The PVR operator is free to choose the proper quality vs. storage
parameters. Unlike some systems, the PVR can play sequential
video clips of varying compression ratios. A single frame of
video might need as little as 30 Kbytes of disk space or as much
as 260 Kbytes.

WHAT IMAGE FORMATS WORK WITH YOUR SOFTWARE?
  The most popular RGB image formats are supported by the PVR's
Windows NT software including Targa, SGI, BMP, and IFF (LWI).

HOW MANY HARD DRIVES CAN I CONNECT TO THE PVR?
  Up to seven SCSI devices can be connected to the PVR.

DO I NEED SPECIAL HARD DRIVES?
  Off the shelf, high performance SCSI hard drives are required
in order to reliably record and play real time broadcast quality
video. DPS does not sell hard drives, but they are available from
DPS dealers or from hard drive specialty retailers.
  As of April, 1995, the following hard drives have been tested
and certified by DPS for use with the Perception Video Recorder:

  *    Micropolis AV Series (3243, 4220)
  *    Seagate Barracuda Series

  New hard drives are constantly being introduced and existing
drives are constantly being discontinued. For a current list of
certified PVR hard drives, please contact DPS.

CAN I PUT THE DRIVES OUTSIDE THE COMPUTER?
  DPS provides a ribbon cable for attaching up to two internal
SCSI drives to the 50-pin header on the PVR card. To provide for
easy connection of external SCSI drives, this ribbon cable can be
replaced by readily available third party cables which terminate
in an external SCSI connector. The external connector can be
mounted on an empty expansion slot cover or in any available
computer case knock out.

CAN I VIEW VIDEO ON MY COMPUTER MONITOR?
  You can preview video sequences on your computer monitor, but
it is more useful to see the video sequence at full resolution
and frame rates and at its native color depth on an external
video monitor. RGB monitors don't adequately portray television
images.

CAN I USE THE PVR TO PREVIEW 24 FPS MOVIE SPEEDS?
  Perception can perform real time interpolation of 30 FPS video
to 24 FPS film rates or convert 24 FPS sequences to 30 FPS so
that it can be recorded on any standard VCR.

IS THERE A WAY TO BACK UP STORED VIDEO TO DIGITAL TAPE?
  Compressed video data stored on the PVR's dedicated hard drive
can be backed up using the standard tape backup software that
ships with Windows NT.

CAN I PLAY BACK VIDEO AND ANIMATIONS IN SLOW MOTION?
  In addition to real time (30 frames per second), there are many
intermediate recordable speeds that you can choose for video
playback.

 WHAT KIND OF VIDEO MONITOR DO I NEED? CAN I USE MY TV?
  We recommend using broadcast video monitors which when
connected to the component output of the PVR, will properly
display the true quality of the video output signal. You can use
a TV set to monitor the output of the PVR if it contains a video
input. Many consumer TV receivers and monitors now include both S-
Video and composite inputs. In available, we highly recommend
using the S-Video input instead of the composite input. The S-
Video (Y/C) connection will provide a higher resolution image
which is free of NTSC encoding artifacts.
  Whichever type of monitor you use, be sure to carefully adjust
the brightness, saturation, hue and contrast controls using the
SMPTE color bar test signal which is provided with the Perception
Video Recorder.

CAN I PLAY A SEGMENT LONGER THAN ONE DRIVE IN LENGTH?
  The Perception Video Recorder hardware is capable of providing
uninterrupted playback from multiple video segments, even if they
span multiple hard drives.

WHAT TYPE OF COMPUTER CAN I USE?
  Perception Video is designed to run under Windows NT version
3.5 on computers employing 80486 (DX2-66 or higher), Pentium, DEC
Alpha or MIPS processors.  The PVR software utilizes Windows NT's
native support for multitasking and multiple processors which
allows you to take advantage of  the most powerful personal
computers available today.
  An ideal system would consist of a 90 MHz or faster Pentium CPU
with 32 MB  or more of RAM, a 4 gigabytes or larger dedicated PVR
hard drive and a 1 gigabyte or larger system drive.  An example
of an advanced system would be one based on a 300 MHz DEC Alpha
CPU. A DAT or Exabyte tape backup system would be a welcome
addition to any system.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PVR'S HOST PC?
  To install the PVR card, you will need a full-length PCI slot
which is unobstructed by the CPU fan, heat sinks or other
components. Two slot widths (but only one bus connection) are
required if the PVR system also contains an AD-2500 real time
video capture daughtercard.

CAN THE PVR BE USED WITH STANDARD WINDOWS 3.1 APPLICATIONS?
  We feel that the Windows NT environment offers significant
advantages over other operating systems and that our long term
development efforts will be concentrated in that area. Still, we
recognize that many people would like to use their existing
Windows 3.1 applications with the PVR-at least until native NT
versions of their favorite applications become available. To meet
this need, DPS will initially offer Windows 3.1 compatible
software for the PVR. Windows 3.1 software will be limited to use
with Intel processors.
  The Windows 3.1 version of the PVR software will enable popular
video editing packages, such as Adobe Premiere 4.0 and in:sync
RAZOR Professional to be used with the DPS Perception Video
Recorder today. In fact, a computer system containing a DPS PVR
card with capture daughtercard, a sound card, third party editing
software and one or more SCSI hard drives provides a non-linear
editor of unparalleled performance at an unbeatable price. For
many users, such a system will provide precisely the performance
and functionality they desire.


DPS PERCEPTION VIDEO RECORDER SPECIFICATIONS

Output Signals
  Composite (BNC)................................. 1 V p-p 75 Ohm
  S-Video (4-Pin Mini-DIN):
     Y Signal .................................... 1 V p-p 75 Ohm
     C Signal ............ 286 mV (NTSC), 300 mV (PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
  Component Betacam (BNCs):
     Y Signal ............... 714 mV (NTSC), 1 V (PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
     R-Y, B-Y (Pr , Pb) Signal .... 700 mV (NTSC, PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
  Component MII Mode (BNCs):
     Y Signal .......................... 700 mV (NTSC) p-p 75 Ohm
     R-Y, B-Y (Pr, Pb) Signal .......... 486 mV (NTSC) p-p 75 Ohm

Genlock Input (BNC):
  Composite ............................ 1 V p-p (Loop or 75 Ohm)

Digital I/O:
  DPS CVE-2 Bus (40 pin header) ...... For Real Time Capture Card

GPI Trigger:..(RCA connector)Negative Edge TTL or Contact Closure

Hard Drive I/F: (Internal 50 pin header)  Standard or Fast SCSI-2

Raster Size: .................. 720 X 480 (NTSC), 720 X 576 (PAL)

Video Performance:
  Frequency Response 0-5.0 MHz (+/-.25 dB), 5.0-5.5 MHz (-1.5 dB)
  K-Factor (2-T) ........................................... < 1%
  Differential Phase ......................................... <1
  Differential Gain ......................................... <1%
  Signal/Noise (Luma Weighted) ........... >68 dB (Playback Mode)
                                               >60 dB (All Modes)
Power Consumption:
  +5V .................................................. 1.6 Amps
  +12V ................................................... 240 ma
  -12V .................................................... 50 ma
  Total .............................................. 11.5 Watts

Recommended Host System:
  CPU .................................... 80486 DX2-66 or Faster
  RAM ....................................... 32 MB (Recommended)
  Other ............ PCI.Bus, Windows NT, VGA Graphics and Mouse


OPTIONAL LIVE VIDEO CAPTURE DAUGHTERCARD SPECIFICATIONS

Input Signals (Via supplied breakout cable)
  Composite (BNC) ................................ 1 V p-p 75 Ohm
  S-Video (4-Pin Mini-DIN):
     Y Signal .................................... 1 V p-p 75 Ohm
     C Signal ............ 286 mV (NTSC), 300 mV (PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
  Component Betacam (BNCs):
     Y Signal ............... 714 mV (NTSC), 1 V (PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
     R-Y, B-Y (Pr , Pb) Signal .... 700 mV (NTSC, PAL) p-p 75 Ohm
  Component MII Mode (BNCs):
     Y Signal .......................... 700 mV (NTSC) p-p 75 Ohm
     R-Y, B-Y (Pr, Pb) Signal .......... 486 mV (NTSC) p-p 75 Ohm


ORDERING INFORMATION (MODEL NUMBERS)

PVR-2500  DPS Perception Video Recorder (NTSC)
AD-2500   DPS Video Capture Daughtercard (NTSC)

PVR-3500  DPS Perception Video Recorder (PAL)
AD-3500   DPS Video Capture Daughtercard (PAL)

For more information, please contact your nearest DPS location:

U.S.                Canada              Europe (UK)
606-371-5533        416-754-8090        44-01252-718300
Fax: [phone]   Fax: [phone]   Fax: [phone]


Prices and specifications subject to change without notice.
(FAQ revision date 4/4/95).

Copyright 1995 Digital Processing Systems Inc.
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*      [e-mail]        In non-cyberlife aka David White       *
*      Advanced Project Manager    Digital Processing Systems       *
*      Voice [phone]                  Fax [phone]       *
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