F.A.Q. info on video equipment for mixing, correcting, capturing distored or non-sync analog composite video
Video Mixers:
There are allot video devices that call them self 'video mixers', which they ain't, they
fade to black, switch sources and fade in again. In order to mix video the inputs need to be
synchronized or genlocked. Consumer video mixer often do this by frame synchronization, or with an inside time base corrector.
. A frame synchronizer is not a "stripped-down type of TBC." It synchronizes two separate video sources by electronically delaying one source until the second one begins a new field. It does not correct time base error. A frame synchronizer
An easy-to-get and inexpensive video mixer will probably be a second hand
Panasonic WJ AVE-5 or a new
MFB serie.
Here's a list of cheap, second hand (out of production) video mixer that mix two non-synchronized video signals.
Time Base Correctors: If you want show video distortion on a digital video medium like a LCD/DLP video projector or video
capture device you often running into a 'no signal' message or blue screen. Because digital video media need to convert the
analog signal into a digital one, and if the 'sync' signal is distorted the digitization can't be done.
Composite video contains information that is invisible in the image but necessary for viewing devices;
the composite sync.
You can easily corrupt
the composite sync with video circuit bending and will blue screen the projector . A tv with a tube or ctr
devices don't need a tbc for showing image because this is a analog technique. An lcd/tft video projector / capture device
will digitize the analog distorted video.
This is the moment where you have to use a Time Base Corrector that will correct the sync info in the video signal so it can be projected or captured on computer.
On ebay.com there's a large choice in professional 19" tbc's. All of them will do the trick of
correcting sync info but you maybe want to check if there's a composite video input and output on it. Often these 19" devices are for broadcast aims that
working with component or digital video.
My choice for a easy-to-use, portable tbc would be a TBC-1000 from Datavideo or a video mixer with inside tbc, like a panasonic ave/mx. A video mixer with
inside tbc/frame sync will correct the image for digital media plus you can play with effects or mix different sources. And they are easy to get.
A cheap video mixer with inside tbc on ebay auctions is probably
a Panaonic WJ AVE-3 or WJ AVE-5
or a Videonice MX-1. Have a search on
ebay.com
There's also inexpensive new tbc's of LektroPack that produce cheap and multi-purpose gadgets. Like the CCR9, a tbc - PAL/NTSC converter and enhancer!
Capture Devices: Capturing video onto your computer can be a bitch! I've lost allot of time
messing around with drivers, bad hardware and unclear problems, maybe its me. Digitizing full quality
composite video is still a expensive and complex technique. For Windows machines you have allot usb-mpeg2
capture gadgets, for mac there are less devices for capturing video. There two main difference in these devices.
Most of the usb/mpeg version can only capture video with mpeg compression. For full frame (both fields) uncompressed composite
video capturing you need more expensive and solid capture devices, like a Datavideo DAC-15, DFG 1394, Black Magics Decklink SP.
Capturing component video (rgb, yuv, rgbhv, vga) a Datavideo DAC-15 or the Black Magic Decklink SP+ will do the job.
Capturing distorted video is even a bigger problem but fun! If you don't have a tbc in front of the
capture device than glitching stuff will occur. If you like to search for some glitch like effects by
running distorted or interfered video signals, most devices will stop sending out digital signals and
freeze. My experience is that with the most cheap ass usb capture devices the glitching is very effective.
Here's a nice site that explains
more about capturing video the right way.
