From: sargent@westford.ccur.com (Ken Sargent)
Newsgroups: rec.video
Subject: Re: * What kind of VCR will do single frame recording?
Date: 30 Jul 92 18:59:43 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Concurrent Computer Corp.  Westford, MA

In article <3679@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>In article <Brr3y0.L01@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> gardner@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Mike Gardner) writes:
><brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
><
><>In article <1992Jul20.141045.1917@njitgw.njit.edu> meg5184@hertz.njit.edu (Starman) writes:
><><Howdy,
><><	I'm looking for a VCR (preferably S-VHS for now) which will do
><><single frame recording. Perhaps in the format of:
><><	Record a frame
><><	Preroll 7 seconds
><><	Play/record a frame
><><	....etc.
><><
><><Any suggestions? I'm not looking to spend $10,000 (AAAAhHHHH!)..more
><><like the $1000-$2000 price range. Thanx.
><
><>You gotta be kidding, right?  No machine with that kind of capability is
><>going to be that cheap.  Your first price was closer.  Maybe a little high,
><>but better than $2k.  I only know of pro-decks with that ability, and then
><>if you are looking for a particular frame, then you need SMPTE time code,
><>which adds about $1k to the price (if not included are part of the deck).
><
><NO we aren't kidding.  All a machine needs is VITC capability and a little
><more internal control software.  If it remembered the "number" of the last
><frame record, it could back up for preroll and record 1-n frames at the
><next position.  Certainly with consumer grade transport such a system would
><wear out from heavy use, but there are a LOT of us with the need to do
><a few hundred or even a few thousand frames per year.  Once this first
><deck wears out, I can afford to go buy a REAL transport, with SMPTE etc.
><This is much more a marketing decision than a capability decision, with
><the end result keeping a lot of people from bootstrapping themselves into
><animation markets.
>
>Adding anything to the VCR to provide servo control from an external driver,
>will add to the cost of the VCR.  Current consumer decks that have some kind
>of shuttle transport are already near $1k.  Adding timecode capabilities
>turns the VCR into a pro-deck, at least as far as manufacturers are concerned.
>Pro decks cost much more, since they toughen up the transport a little bit
>(at least I hope they do) and add the electronics for editing control (if it
>is an editing deck).  I don't even know of a pro deck that can self edit,
>even if it does have time code built in.  Normally the time code goes to an
>outside editing controller, which in turn makes the deck do things.
>
>Nope, I can see a deck like this costing around $4k, not $2k.  Apparently
>the VCR manufacturers don't believe there is a market for the kind of deck you
>want.  If you go talk to them now, they will point you to their pro-series
>decks.  I've done single frame editing with my 3/4" Umatic-SP deck.  A very
>slow process, considering the low-ball editing controller that I have.
>
>Keep in mind that the electronics would have to be added to work with the 
>VITC code.  You'd have to be able to enter a value.  All of that electronics
>is going to cost $$$.
>
>
>-- 
>      harvard\     att!nicmad\          spool.cs.wisc.edu!astroatc!vidiot!brown
>Vidiot  ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown
>      rutgers/            INTERNET:vidiot!brown%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu
>                                   brown@wi.extrel.com

Mike,

Your original request was for a S-VHS VCR to do single frame recording.....

Here's my 2 cents worth.....

I have an old SONY CCD-V110 8mm Camcorder that has the capability of either
recording "single-frames" - actually, it records 8 frames on tape each time
the record slide switch is activated - or "time-lapse" - which records 8 frames
every 15 - 30 seconds for 15 minutes.

I'm not positive about the exact frame count, or the time lapse times exactly,
and I'll have to look-up/try and see if it will single-frame record using an
external input instead of the camera section.

I suspect that these units would be cheap..... not sure if Hi8 machines have
this capability... I know my CCD-V801 Hi8 camcorder doesn't.

ken