Navigating the video maze

Abstract

The technology required to produce professional video and audio presentations from a desktop computing environment is now available and is supported by many companies. The hardware to support this technology, however, is offered in widely varying forms and at a broad range of prices. This article provides an introductory perspective on the current video technology and includes commercial hardware products currently available for producing video productions from a computing environment.Recording a computer graphics animation to videotape is a complicated task. The heart of the difficulty lies in the fact that video monitors, such as standard televisions, and computer monitors both use the same Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) technology, but they require different signals for display. In 1941, the National Television Standards Committee, NTSC, established a standard for broadcast video in North America. This standard signal is still in use today and consists of a composite, interlaced, 525 line signal, scanning at 30 frames per second (30 Hz.) In contrast to this antiquated standard, today's high-quality monitors display a component red, green, and blue (RGB), non-interlaced, 1280 x 1024 signal, scanning at 75 Hz. The art of producing a video signal can be summed up as translating today's technology to meet yesterday's NTSC standard, with a minimal loss of quality. Although only NTSC signal needs are specifically addressed in this article, most of the equipment is equally compatible with the European broadcast standards: Phase Alternate Line (PAL) and Sequential Color and Memory (SECAM).A video production can be produced from an animation on either a low-end personal computer or a high-end workstation, and most of the hardware discussed can be used interchangeably with any platform. However, choosing the proper system for your needs can still be a formidable task. The vast array of available products presents an endless maze, rather than an easy solution.