video sampler

[jjplano]

hi

I still don’t own a video experimenter shield, but I wanted to make a couple of question about it so I go ahead and ordered one, because I want to make a device with it

I’m a video artist, and I’m working with analog video (and not so analog, but at least no “general purpose computer” is used) on live performances. since a couple of weeks I’m getting obsessed on building a video looper that allows me to make simple cicles of video on the spot, in the way electronic audio and music always use

I tried to build a simple vhs looper, but that’s more difficult than I thought, and it doesn’t allow to make short loops, they have to be at least a few seconds in lenght

so I then thought of a digital sampler, but after searching realized that it doesn’t exists as a simple commercial product (I mostly use low tech electronics as tools)

then I found this http://gieskes.nl/visual-equipment/?file=gvs1

and even do it’s not exactly what I wanted (because of the definition and color), it’s pretty close in functionality

and I can almost bet it’s the same principle used (if it isn’t his device based on this, or viceversa)

the question is, can I make with this shield that very same device? with the same and perhaps more functions? in that page are the programs he uses in his

I know how to program, but it’s not my main passion in life, so I want to get some advice because it can be a lot of work for me

I have an arduino uno sitting over here, so I thought I can give it a use and buy this shield, instead of spending almost 5 times more money on that device

thanks

[Michael]

Making a video looper is going to require much more expensive equipment, I’m afraid. Your instincts are correct: the work done by Gijs and by me have some things in common. I think Gijs used my pixel capture code. He added SRAM memory to store a few frames. The Video Experimenter cannot do this, because the Arduino only has enough memory for one, low resolution, monochrome frame.

The problem is memory and speed. Even using external SRAM, you can’t store much video information. And an Arduino is very simple and slow. The LM1881 chip that the Video Experimenter uses is simply a chip for detecting the beginning of each frame and the beginning of each line. This information is used by the Arduino program to capture primitive frames.

I think that the GSV1c is an extremely cool device. Microchip now has SRAM chips with 4 times as much memory, and I think Gijs should try those if he hasn’t already. The new chip is called the 23LC1024 and has 1Mbit or 128KB.

[jjplano]

hi Michael, thanks for the reply

yeah, I thought memory could be a problem, but I wasn’t really sure about the possibilities of arduino + VES

I asked Gijs if he was planning on ever releasing a 2 bit version, perhaps with more memory, and he told that not in the near future, but it’s a possibility

so I think I’m going to buy his kit and start working with that, as my whole interest in this was if I was able to make something similar

thanks again!

[noreensherk]

nice

[Author]

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