What video overlay display format do you prefer ?
Bean
Posts: 8,129
I'm getting really close on my video overlay module.
But I need to decide on 12 lines of 16 characters or 6 lines of 32 characters.
So what better way to decide than to let you guy vote.
If you were buying a video overlay (it will also work stand-alone) which display would you want ?
Thanks,
Bean.
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"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 8/9/2005 11:01:10 AM GMT
But I need to decide on 12 lines of 16 characters or 6 lines of 32 characters.
So what better way to decide than to let you guy vote.
If you were buying a video overlay (it will also work stand-alone) which display would you want ?
Thanks,
Bean.
·
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 8/9/2005 11:01:10 AM GMT
Comments
In the end - it would come down to clarity. My personal use for the overlay would actually be halloween related, as I wanted a way to show the next time of the outside floorshow - as well as loop a video/kiosk of previous years past, with the occasional 'ghoulcam' inside the place.
So ultimately - I would love to do video switching as well as overlay. I know - more then what this project you are doing, so the overlay helps for the time and such. Plus - I was thinking of the security cam areas with overlay of the status of the haunt on the screen. So I can see vertical space as an issue. I would prefer a higher-res personally of something like 12x32 with options for colors.
I have often thought of doing a genlock vga adapter with video overlay and a flash program, but that's a tad too much work to slap together.
Just my 0.02$
Daniel
Thanks for the comments. I don't know if I could squeeze in the code to support both modes. But it's something I'll look at.
Maybe a comprimise(sp) of 8 lines of 24 characters ?
As for a hi-res or color, that·would require an external RAM and that would put the project out of my proposed price point of $49.95.
Bean.
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"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
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I hear ya on the price per color thing and I agree. Color would be cooler by a long shot though. If it wasent much more then I could justify it.
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Ibsen
" It's nice to be important, but
·· more important to be nice... "
I cast my ballot for 12 lines of 16, but would prefer 8 lines of 24 myslef as well.
From the pic of the prototype it seems you are using the SX28 AC/SS and I know that the curent Video Display module is max-ing the code space, would color be possible if you switched to the SX48 instead? Except for the fact that you have to design a new board (minroi detail <grin>) the pricepoint in single quantities is only another $1.20!
cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhill center, vermont
I have already upgraded to the SX48 (thats how I can get twice as many characters as the video module that you have).
Color is a whole different ball of wax, much more complecated unless you use a specialized chip.
Since the voting is about even (and I can't figure out how to add 8x24 to the options). I think I will forge ahead with 8 lines of 24 characters for now. That is a happy medium between the two other options. So that means no-one gets what they want [noparse];)[/noparse]
Bean.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
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Can you post a few pics showing the various formatting options? To be honest, the phrase "12 lines of 16 charcters" is pretty much an abstract concept. A nice concrete screenshot showing it would really help, along with shots for the other formatting options so folks could make a simple visual comparison.
Thanks, PeterM
Bean.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
·
On the color overlay thing. I understand now ... another question, if it is fed a color composite video signal does the color come through with white letters overlaid?
cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhill center, vermont
Oh absolutely. The screen looks the same only with the white letters on it, and a switch option to dim the background of the letters.
Bean.
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"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
·
Have you considered adding a drop shadow to the letters? Nothing fancy, just a black version of the letter offset one pixel in X and Y. Why do this? It would increase the legibility of white letters over bright backgrounds by a huge amount. If you have ever watched a movie with sub-titles that don't have a drop shadow, you know what I'm talking about.
Thanks, PeterM
(i.e. option to overlay in red, blue, yellow instead of just white) That way you are not worring about increasing the ram-map for all the characters - just 1 'tint'.
cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhiull center, vermont
Sorry no it won't. But I will share my knowledge with anyone who wants to make an overlay circuit.
Explanation: The SX video module is so inexpensive I figure people will buy it just so they don't have to hack it together. But I have about 5 times as much time into the overlay module and it's going to be more expensive. In other words, the video module is so cheap it wouldn't pay anyone to make their own boards and sell it using my code.
Bean.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
·
12 lines of 16 characters would be easier to read - less dense.
That is if you are using a whole screen.
Since you mention overlay, I am guessing that people would prefer to put the information at the top and/or bottom so that the center of the screen is free. Then, the 6X32 seems to be optimal.
The drop shadow is quite wonderful. Here in Taiwan, we have a lot of movies with Chinese and English subtitles that omit it and you constantly loose the text when the picture becomes near to the same color as the lettering. Commercially, it is a must have.
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G. Herzog in Taiwan
Bean.
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"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
·
While the black outline with a white character is standard movie technology in the West, there are 7000 Chinese characters that you have to do this for [noparse][[/noparse]instead of the ASCII set of less than 256]. So, we have a lot of movies that wash out the sub-titles in bright movie scenes.
Still, it eats up precious memory geometrically [noparse][[/noparse]if you are using a 5X8 based character set alone, you need a 7X10 based character set for the additional outline] to do it the normal way.
I suppose you could 'cheat' and offer a 5x8 white character on a 5x8 black background [noparse][[/noparse]or maybe a mid-scale to darker gray]. That might eliminate the need to toggle between 'background dimmed' and 'background normal'.
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G. Herzog in Taiwan
I have decided that a comprimise of 8 lines of 24 characters would be best.
Bean.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
Product web site: www.sxvm.com
"One experiment is worth a thousand theories"
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