home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
ftp.whtech.com
/
ftp.whtech.com.tar
/
ftp.whtech.com
/
articles
/
limanews
/
MAKVID.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
2006-10-19
|
7KB
|
128 lines
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 1989
^^^^^ MAKING VIDEO TAPES WITHOUT A VIDEO CAMERA
^^^^^^^A NEW SERVICE TO THOSE MEMBERS WHO CAN'T
^^^^^^^^^ATTEND OUR REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^by Charles Good
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Lima Ohio User Group
The concepts discussed here were inspired by an article
by Everett Smith published in the Aug 89 newsletter of the
K-Town 99ers and by a demonstration put on by John Parkins
(C.O.N.N.I.) at the 1988 (not the 1989) Lima Multi User
Group Conference.
I have long known that it was possible to output from
the 99/4A to a VCR. What I didn't realize was that this
can be done easily without a video camera using "off the
shelf" cables instead of custom soldering my own home made
cables. I also didn't realize until recently how easy it is
to add a spoken commentary to a video tape of computer
output using nothing more than an ordinary cassette tape
recorder. If I had known these techniques a few months ago,
the videos we made of our 1989 conference would have had
much better audio and video quality.
From now on, the Lima User Group will videotape all of
the demonstrations shown at our regular monthly meetings.
The video tape will include simultaneously the computer
video output, the computer audio output, and a spoken
commentary by the person presenting the demonstration. A
copy of the tape made at each meeting will be kept at Dave
Szippl's home and made available on loan to all local
members at no charge. We will make copies of these tapes
for all out of town members who are interested. Paid out of
town members of the Lima User Group need only send a VHS
tape and $1 ($0.90 postage and $0.10 for the "send the
libarian on a Florida vacation fund"). We will copy the
tape for you at no charge and put it back in the mail to
you. This will allow ALL OUR MEMBERS, particularly out of
town members to learn from the demos presented at our
monthly meetings. You will be able to hear the
demonstrator's verbal commentary and the questions members
ask during the demos. What you see and hear will be less
"slick" than the demos at our MUG Conferences. Mistakes and
equipment failures sometimes occur. Demonstration
topics will be listed in this newsletter each month.
--------------------------------------------------
AUGUST 1989 VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS- "House of the Rising
Sun", a music program that pushes the limits of the 99/4A's
sound generation. The program is enhanced by Ray Kazmer (of
Woodstock fame) with a very nice graphic. This is Public
Domain and will be available from the group Library in
September.
"QD40" a beta testing version of the new enhanced
Funnelweb Quick Directory in 40 columns. This is for those
who don't have 80 column cards and contains many of the
features found in QDAV, the 80 column enhanced Funnelweb
quick directory described on page 1 of our Sept 89
newsletter. QD40 is not yet available for release.
--------------------------------------------------
The main equipment you need to output directly to a
video tape, besides a VCR and a 99/4A console, is a MONITOR
CABLE. This is the cable normally used to connect the
console to an RGB composite color monitor such as the 10
inch monitor TI used to sell. This is TI part number
PHA2010, and is available for $15 from L.L. Conner
Enterprises (317-742-8146), Tex Comp, and probably any other
dealer that sells 99/4A hardware. Hook one end of this
cable to the console where the RF modulator (TV adapter)
normally attaches. Hook the other ends of the cable to the
VIDEO IN and AUDIO IN female phono jacks in the back of the
VCR. Attach a TV in the usual way to the VHF OUT antenna
jack in the back of the VCR and you are ready to go! You can
hear the audio and view the video output of the computer on
the TV and at the same time optionally record the output
onto video tape.
To allow for a spoken commentary you need a cassette
tape recorder and some cables from Radio Shack. The T.I.
PRORAM RECORDER, or the almost identical GE Computer
Program Data Recorder (model 3-51588) we once used to store
99/4A tape programs and data work fine. You can't use small
tape recorders that mute the EAR(phone) jack when you press
RECORD. Buy a small "Y" shielded phone cable with two
female and one male end (Radio Shack #42-2436) and plug it
into the AUDIO IN jack in the back of the VCR. Plug the
audio part of the MONITOR CABLE into one branch of this "Y"
cable. Connect a shielded cable between the other side of
this "Y" to the SPEAKER or EAR(phone) jack of the tape
recorder. Small tape recorder EAR(phone) jacks such as that
on the "TI Program Recorder" need a "mineature phono plug".
The appropriate Radio Shack cable is #42-2444 which is 6
feet long and has a mineature phono plug at one end and a
male "regular" phono plug at the other. If you can't find
this particular cable for the cassette recorder-to-VCR link,
you can use Radio Shack cables with stripped ends, a 3 foot
phono cable (#42-2370) and a 3 foot mineature phono cable
(#42-2434). Just twist and tape the ends together.
Using this setup, you need to push RECORD on the
cassette tape recorder to record a spoken commentary onto
the video tape. This allows the built in tape recorder
microphone to pick up your voice and send it to the VCR via
the EAR(phone) jack. You can, if you wish, use an external
microphone attached to the tape recorder's MIC(rophone)
jack. With most recorders you can only push RECORD if there
is a cassette tape in the recorder. If you don't want to
use the cassette recorder with a tape inside, you can
usually reach inside the tape compartment with a finger and
push the pin that is normally pushed by the write protect
tab on a cassette tape. Pushing this pin will allow you to
push RECORD and activate the microphone. To turn off the
microphone push cassette STOP.
With this setup you can make VCR recordings that
simultaneously include the video putput of the computer, the
audio output of the computer, and the voice of the person
presenting the demonstration. This can be done WITHOUT A
VIDEO CAMERA. Neat! Because it is so easy to do, there is
alot of potential for dealers, software authors, and user
groups to video tape stuff and make the videos available to
the TI community.
.PL 1