My FPGA tutorials - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 06:53:04 am
content: Hi. I wasn't sure where to place this topic, but i think it suits here better then in the beginner lounge.I am currently doing FPGA Video tutorials.The EEV-community showed big interest in this topic,so i decided to put my videos here. The videos are in my own style,so don't expect Dave-like content.Since i am going to do more tutorials, i will keep them in this thread.Constructive feedback is appreciated.Enjoy:)

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 07:27:43 am
content: Three suggestions:1 - add audio. Currently this is just like reading a static web page, only worse. On the static web page I can absorb information faster, have a search functionandthe fonts are not lossy2 - you might want to make sure your video codec settings are optimized for text. As it is things are a bit blurry.3 - add audio, because see 1)Oh yeah, and provide a link to the source code. That way if someone want to try out your examples then they don't have to retype everything while staring at a poorly rendered font.

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 07:45:40 am
content: If I may ask, why VHDL over Verilog?

author: Hardcorefs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 09:01:13 am
content: Sorry but I have to say this is a big fail.....This is not how you develop for an FPGA.Nothing about simulation..........,Even with a very simple project there is not really any way you can continually fix bugs and rebuild the code ready to be loaded into an FPGA.

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 11:09:33 am
content: Quote from: sci4me on August 01, 2013, 07:45:40 amYou can easily ask the reverse, why Verilog over VHDL?

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 02:05:04 pm
content: I kind of like it. And loading straight into FPGA is not a bad idea either for small projects. Writing a testbench is quite an art in itself.And VHDL vs Verilog is a flame war same as old as AVR vs PIC

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 02:15:16 pm
content: Quote from: poorchava on August 01, 2013, 02:05:04 pmActually it is a bad idea that will bite you in the ass real fast. The real trouble is when itseemsto work, but is failing in subtle ways.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 02:51:01 pm
content: ok. I think i will answer every question one after another.1.Why no voiceover?:English is not my native language,. Since i have seen LOTS of video tutorials, where really bad pronunciation can ruin it all. And those official tutorials are from big companies like xilinix, altera, cypress etc. I always question myself why did they let this chinese/indian/korean girl/boy lead a tutorial.That is why i decided to caption version.Caption have also some advantages: you can place syntax there, write small examples, and overall you can always press space bar to pause the video, read what i "say" then read compare to my program.Moreover if the viewer is also not native English speaker(which happens on youtube quite often), he/she will understand these tutorials much better.2. Why VHDL?I live in Germany. Everyone say that verilog is more common for USA/Australia, but in the rest of the world VHDL is more used.As for me, i just like VHDL more, it si more self evident then verilog with his wires, always, etc...3. Why no simulation?In my tutorials I used simple codes like a few CASE and IF statements. You don't need a simulation for such easy stuff. Moreover i didn't want to overload the tutorial with simulations. The goal of my video were to show basics or how does procedure/function works. Sure more complex programs must be simulated, but for now it wasn't necessary.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 03:00:07 pm
content: QuoteDon't worry. I bet that no one that comments on English skills would be able to do a better yob speakin an Indian language or Korean or German. If you know your native language well and get by in a second language, you are already ahead of the majority of youtube users.I don't give a damn, as can be experienced invideo

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 03:12:06 pm
content: I agree, but i want to make my videos international friendly, so everyone can understand it.Are you from Switzerland:)

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 03:33:14 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 01, 2013, 03:12:06 pmhey, the flag of my country is next to my avatar. Learn your geography

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 03:36:32 pm
content: ah, didnt notice the flag:)

author: mswhin63
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 02:30:11 am
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 01, 2013, 02:51:01 pm1. Also assists people that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing2. My University in Australia teaches VHDL so it possible some US based engineering firms have brought along Verilog and is now considered Australian. I wont really know until I finish Uni.3. Simulation are good engineering practice now-a-days, it is taught even in the simplest configurations.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 03:19:02 am
content: You can use a text-to-speech program to add a voice, even if it's not yours.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 08:41:40 am
content: Quote from: Hardcorefs on August 01, 2013, 09:01:13 amRubbish. It is entirely feasible (and sometimes even quicker) to write and debug FPGA designs without going near a simulator.Most FPGA projects will be interacting with external devices and interfaces, which will be difficult and/or time-consuming to emulate in the simulator, and prone to errors in translation.It gets harder on larger projects due to compile time, but even then, by including plenty of debug functionality you can implement and test multiple incremental steps on each compile cycle.

author: jahonen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 10:34:18 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 02, 2013, 08:41:40 amAlthough I generally like using ModelSim whenever possible, I can understand this point of view perfectly. Quartus has a very good SignalTap logic analyzer which lets one to look inside the FPGA in real time. It uses some logic and block RAM to perform its task and communicates via JTAG. Sometimes one needs to put some attributes to signals to prevent optimizations so one can more easily look at things, but that is relatively minor thing.There are cases where using simulator is simply not feasible. For example I have worked on frequency estimation algorithm which ran at modest 80 MHz and processed input data at rate of 80 kHz. As settling time was in order of seconds when input frequency was low (<10 Hz), using a simulator was out of the question as it would have taken a very long time to simulate. Only practical way to test that was to use a real FPGA with real data. The input data was non-trivial also, so using simulation would have needed to first capture the input data in some way (not trivial either).Regards,Janne

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 01:59:08 pm
content: +1 for VHDL at university in Australia.I bought one of those basic Cyclone II breakout boards (basically breaks out all pins, has a few leds, the eprom, and clock source) and an altera MAX II clpd board. I have been meaning to learn a bit more about FPGAs so I'll check out your videos(also thanks to mike for those ipod lcd videos, reminded me to look at fpgas again)

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 11:16:12 pm
content: Ok, i gave it a try, and put my voiceover on the second tutorial.It took me much more time then expected since i was hearing the right pronunciation of every third word in wiktionary.Well, the result is better then i thought.I think i still have to work on pronunciation and intonation, right now my voiceover is pretty influenced through HowDoesItWorks Discovery series, but i will work on it:)

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 02:45:06 am
content: Much betterI didn't have much trouble with understanding you. The few times I had any problems, a quick look down at the caption was all it took. But with the voiceover I was able to follow what you were actually doing much more closely, and the video was much more enjoyable that way.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 10, 2013, 05:48:55 am
content: New video released!

author: mswhin63
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2013, 02:39:40 am
content: Nice tutes, but i find the music distracting. I couldn't watch it towards the end.

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2013, 02:34:46 pm
content: Still not my favorite tutorial style for this kind of subject, but an improvement over the previous ones.Lose the distracting music and you just made another improvement.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 12, 2013, 05:40:01 pm
content: Hm, i don't find this music distracting. I actually coding while hearing such kind of music....=)

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2013, 06:51:20 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 12, 2013, 05:40:01 pmOh if only you were the target audience of your own videos.I found it distracting, but maybe other people find the music helpful. Only more feedback will tell.

author: Hardcorefs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2013, 12:18:46 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 02, 2013, 08:41:40 amSorry complete nonsense. Compile times for even a fairly small design can be upward of 30 minutes.your method is clearly unprofessional BECAUSE you would not have any test benches or methods to PROVE the logic, what exactly WOULD your testing method be..... oh wait.... realtime non- traceable and non-reproducible.Good luck on 'real time' testing of a USB or GMII,RGMII design. just love to see you get that bandwidth over a JTAG connection.go READ up on WHY VHDL was designed, also go read up on Software, logic testing for reliability.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 16, 2013, 09:29:38 pm
content: I'm writing a USB 3.0 5gbps IP core right now. Minimal simulation.Really, how do you simulate extremely complex and non deterministic behavior of a 5gbit PHY? You don't. I use embedded logic analyzer and my brain.There is a small amount of internal logic I did verification against. But even then you're only verifying against what your brain can come up with, not reality, which is always nastier.Now if all you're doing is plugging together various bits of licensed IP and maybe doing some internal logic, sure simulation might work there if the vendor provide a functional equivalent. But it's right out of the question many times.

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2013, 09:55:27 am
content: Gospel is that you write a testbench... I just read a book about it ("Writing testbenches - Function verification of HDL models" by Janick Bergeron - ISBN 0-7923-7766-4). If you can stare at hundreds of waveforms all day long and (hope to) find problems that way, you probably can also come up with a way to describe that functionality and capture it in a function model. VHDL and Verilog provide loads of non-synthesizable constructs to aid in that. You don't write RTL in a testbench of course.I think ASIC companies won't commit a design to silicon without extensive testbenches that completely test a design and that allow regression testing. You simply can't test a complex design by staring at (captured) waveforms. And can you remember how they need to look like? Isn't there a specification document to which you can test your widget against? List of use-cases? Expected behaviour?And what if there is no hardware available at all?

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 17, 2013, 10:39:42 am
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 12, 2013, 05:40:01 pmA tad too commercial?

author: LtDrogo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 19, 2013, 08:56:44 pm
content: Quote from: jeroen74 on August 17, 2013, 09:55:27 amAbsolutely correct. I have worked as an RTL design / verification engineer for major microprocessor companies throughout my career, and you can be absolutely sure that no chip; no matter how small; ever gets manufactured without a very extensive verification effort. Verification is the longest step in the design process of any modern SoC. Verifying a modern, state of the art x86 microprocessor is typically a two-year effort involving regressions with testbenches, random code generators and directed tests. There are usually 2-4 verification engineers (testbench writers/debuggers) per RTL design engineer (who writes the Verilog/VHDL logic); and design verification is usually the first career step for architects or RTL designers.And there is a huge industry around this; as well as dedicated languages such as System Verilog, Specman etc. to write testbenches and checkers.Even the smallest designs in the industry are verified in this manner through dedicated verification code (testbenches, checkers and random stimulus generators, etc.) It blows my mind that any FPGA/ASIC engineer can claim that a complex ASIC or FPGA implementation can be released to production without a well-planned verification effort through testbenches.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 20, 2013, 07:37:02 pm
content: Quote from: LtDrogo on August 19, 2013, 08:56:44 pmYou are absolutely right, however the circumstances under which I'm doing this are:1. One man operation2. Produced under gubbmint R&D funding on a shoestring budget3. Experimental and research drivenVerification IP ain't in the cards, so I'm doing what I can with unit tests and live protocol analysis.

author: LtDrogo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 04:28:31 am
content: Quote from: marshallh on August 20, 2013, 07:37:02 pmMy comment was not specifically directed at you, sorry if it sounded like that. I just took a peek at your Web site and was thoroughly impressed, I have little doubt that you figured out a way to do a sufficient baseline level of verification through your unit tests.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 05:47:14 am
content: Quote from: mrflibble on August 12, 2013, 06:51:20 pm+1 for distractingUnless I'm absolutely desperate I will stop watching any such video with background music.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 11:41:29 am
content: New video! VGA interface in Vhdl+simple game!

author: deephaven
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 11:53:47 am
content: PLEASE stop the music - you're spoiling an otherwise good tutorial.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 11:55:41 am
content: <duckingforcover>the music is louder than the talk. Is it the theme music from LSL1?</duckingforcover>

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 12:10:14 pm
content: Yup, due to the music I couldn't make it past the first minute.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 12:28:43 pm
content: Lol, the intro music dissapear after 40sec. Then it gets not so loud and almost disappear when i speak. Otherwise the video will get lots of silence...which is really stupid.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 12:38:54 pm
content: I know the music goes smoother after half a minute, but by that time I had to subdue three impulses to close my browser. It seems that the frequency of the music you are using resonates with my flimsy computer speakers and with my skull. I'm still recovering.

author: rastro
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 12:54:11 pm
content: Is it possible to only use one channel Left/Right to add background music and voice narration on both channels. Wouldn't this leave your audience the option to listen to voice only - granted in only one speaker.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 12:54:50 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 12:28:43 pmBy then you're too late. As a viewer I have no way to know how long I'll have to endure the horrid music, so I just close the browser.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 01:09:58 pm
content: As a real interested viewer you will certanly stay longer, because you would really want to know how to program vga in vhdl. ..and you wouldnt give up so fast:)

author: envisionelec
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 01:44:27 pm
content: As the others, I didn't like the intro music. But I'm a fan of ambient music and the video kept my attention because I know nothing about VHDL. It seems simpler than C??

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 01:56:52 pm
content: Yes, i admit, the intro music in all my videos i a bit funky, but i think should drag viewes attention. At the beginning a wanted to use " Röyksopp - In Space" as background music, but they wanted about 1000 euro for no-commercial usage in youtube:(Yes, i also find vhdl easier then C, especialy the syntax and all those pointers....

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:03:33 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 01:09:58 pmKeep telling yourself that. The rest of the world judges a vid real quick, closes it when annoying, and hops on to the next one that doesn't suck. Welcome to the internet.Why watch annoying vids when the people at Doulos haveVHDL and other HDL material that is not annoying.

author: jahonen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:16:11 pm
content: Just watched it, besides the background music, I wonder why did you use Qsys to generate the PLL function instead of just using MegaWizard Plug-In manager to generate variation of PLL megafunction? Same result and input dialogs but I think that MegaWizard is recommended by Altera. Unless of course if one wants to instantiate the whole Qsys component.Regards,Janne

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:28:53 pm
content: Oh, cmon, as I did my first steps in FPGA/VHDL i searched LOTS of websites and videos for clear, undestandable, practical tutorial from scratch (like my videos for example).Most of youtube "tutorials" should be called " demos" , because they don't teach you anything.Also Doulos hasn't got any real tutorials for VHDL/FPGA. Just naked theory.My videos are more educative then entertaining (unlike Dave's blog, which became more entertaining then educative with time, but this is another story).That is why i am concerned, if anyone has found my video , then he surely want to learn something, and not just spend 10-15 Min watching random interesting video while eating.In this case he will see that my video is long, the thumnail is showing the real result, there is source code=> everything is pointing that he will find what he looked for.So he would stay or at least rewind the intro."he rest of the world judges a vid real quick, closes it when annoying"-- that behaviour is more likely for someone, who dont search for anything in particular..more like cats video or fail compilation...

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:31:37 pm
content: Quote from: jahonen on August 27, 2013, 07:16:11 pmI heard that megawizard was replaced by Qsys, but i am not sure. Anyway it will lead you to the same result;)

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:47:46 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 07:28:53 pmIn the end they are your video's. You can make them as you please. If we think we can do better, we should proove that. And as viewers, we'll make up for ourselves if we watch them or not.

author: jahonen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 07:54:54 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 07:31:37 pmI think it was SOPC builder which was replaced by Qsys, MegaWizard is a quite different thing (and also used internally by Qsys).Regards,Janne

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 08:00:12 pm
content: Yes, it was SOPC:)

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 08:36:09 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 07:28:53 pmOr you know, the other possibility, which is it being the behavior of someone looking for a few good ones in the huge heap of mediocrity that is the internet.Don't worry, I do the exact same thing while shopping. What, no easy to find pricing info? E-mail for a quote? *boot* neeeext shop that has learned this lesson last century. So same with shopping for information. First minute of the presentation sucks? It's likely to continue doing so. *boot* neeeext. Sometimes I do a few quick skips to some random points to see if accidentally it does get better. But most of the time the first impression actually was correct, imagine that.

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 08:43:01 pm
content: Case in point: I just checked it around 10:00+, with the PLL bit.At 720p (highest resolution I could find) I cannot even easily read the text in the GUI. I think I mentioned that before ... if you this style of tutorial vid, please make sure that stuff is actually readable. Not being able to read it makes it .... well ... what do you think yourself?@10:22"Here you can see what the PLL declaration should look like" ... uhm, no I can't see shit.Please consider using a codec that is not so lossy...

author: quantumvolt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 08:44:35 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 07:28:53 pmMy underlining. The thumb voting is disabled. So somebody didn't enjoy the 'outer space virtual sound polluter YT audio overlay'. Continue to beat the dead horse or change ... Except from that - nice video.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 08:52:47 pm
content: QuoteThat is also right. But only if you have good selection, like hundreds of internetshops offering the same product.but search for "FPGA UAR"T tutorial in youtube? Would you find many tutorials there? Just a few (my video is 2nd!! yey), the rest is low quality demos...who the hell need demos...QuoteYes, the video quality is a problem, the blurry image comes if i use ZOOM option in my corel video editor, without zoom everything is sharp, but then again it is small, and you will not be able to see anything there. Maybe i should switch to other software...or zoom in while filming, and not while editing...hm..that could be a nice idea:)QuoteThe voting is disabled, because i had conflict discussion with Dave here in forum and in his video comments, and his brainless fanboys stormed my channel and gave all my videos many thumbs downs, even to my only cat video:(That is why i dont want other ppl to think my videos sucks because of low rating, the rating dont tell anything about my tutorials in this case.

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 09:18:32 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 08:52:47 pmNow why would I want to wade through a pile of useless poorly readable youtube vids with annoying musicfor "FPGA UART" stuff, when there is aperfectly fine tutorial on fpga4funfor that? Complete with working code and all that...QuotePoor cat.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 09:32:45 pm
content: Those tutorials are in verilog + it is much easier to understand if someone explains things step by step, and showing how to programm things wisely: like using own components, procedures, packages and so on.Why visit lectures in university, if you can read everything in books?People often get stuck ( not only in programming, but in almost any subject) just because they dont understand the "evident " fundamental things.PSMarcel (the cat) will regain his appreciation one day....

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 10:05:27 pm
content: Wow fellas, keepin it classy I see.Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 09:32:45 pmKeep doing what you're doing.

author: rastro
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2013, 10:35:41 pm
content: PSMarcel (the cat) will regain his appreciation one day....I just saw your cat video - I'll give you a thumbs up on it. I'm still laughing...Thanks for the comic relief.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2013, 02:42:54 pm
content: Ok, that as my last contribution to the eevblog.I dont feel comfortable in this community for many resons.Bye

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2013, 03:11:41 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 27, 2013, 08:52:47 pmThe best way to fix this problem would simply be to adjust the font settings in the text editor tool you are using. This is very common thing to do in my part of the industry (we have a LOT of recorded software development training material and also do a LOT of in-person code-based presentations).

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2013, 03:17:24 pm
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 28, 2013, 02:42:54 pmPeople are just trying to give you constructive feedback (which I think is what you asked for?). You took the advice and added voiceover to your videos - which IMO made a huge improvement in their usability. I also agree with those who say your videos would be easier to watch if they didn't have the distracting music in the background. I realize it isn't distracting to *you*, but it is to many other people.And if the point is to get people to watch your video, then common sense says that any such roadblocks should be removed.But it's still your video and you can do it however you want - heeding advice from others or not. I use Verilog and not VHDL but still find your content to be interesting, so I've been watching them.Not sure what this other conversation is that you refer to - that caused people to hatefully thumbs-down your videos? That doesn't sound like something typical members here would do?

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2013, 05:25:49 pm
content: I also didn't quite follow the logical progression, but maybethis thread from todayhas something to do with his decision.At any rate, should he get over the drama in a few days and recheck this thread in an effort to improve his videos ... here's the todo list add voiceover[ ] make sure text is readable, at least at 720p/1080p[ ] get over it, and just remove the distracting music

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2013, 06:44:18 pm
content: Actually I don't find the music all that distracting (in the last video).If you're looking for royalty free music, tryhttp://incompetech.com/

author: mswhin63
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2013, 11:16:27 pm
content: I think if Citizen has truly left the forum, then a lot of comments will be ignored, but if by any chance he is still reading them then fix the attitude and listen to the public that would like to listen.The majority of people that want to view the tutorials do not want the music and if you are trying to get some attention in listen to the voting public. In any business listening to the viewing public is going to get you the hits that some people will give if the video is good. Don't ignore the masses. I am sure the other people will not look away if there is no music.It is the sole reason I cannot look at the tutorial video any more. I like video but I am aging and have a very slight CAPD (not ADHD) which make it moderately difficult for me to concentrate on more than one sound at a time. Music has a complex signal and continue signals which flows into the voice and make it difficult to concentrate. Learning is the key and not all of us are young any more.CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder) not deafness

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 30, 2013, 03:13:13 am
content: Quote from: MacAttak on August 28, 2013, 03:17:24 pmThey wouldn't. It's genuine feedback that they didn't like the video (for whatever reason).He just doesn't think that's possible, so assumes they are going on some sort of hate attack against him.

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2013, 04:11:38 am
content: Didn't find this thread until now, though I missed something but my thread scan says I didn't.I have been viewing a lot of Verilog / VHDL videos for pointers, make the leap from GALs many moons ago to the new age.I may have viewed the first 10 seconds of these videos.If there is background music I turn it off, this goes for all videos, except music videos.I like the music I like, I don't like to have someone to dictate what I listen too.I even turn off all background music in video games.Background music in a technical video is applying a condition of viewing, and I say no.I also support anyone's right to refuse to watch such videos for this reason.Yes I do realize the elevator music syndrome is rampant on youtube, and I still do not like it.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 30, 2013, 05:10:26 am
content: Quote from: WarSim on August 30, 2013, 04:11:38 amI also have the same feeling for intros, which is one of the reasons why I simply dropped the intro, and the music from the outro went too.

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2013, 01:40:29 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on August 30, 2013, 05:10:26 amI thought "Hi welcome to EEVBLOG" was your intro.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 30, 2013, 03:36:03 pm
content: Quote from: WarSim on August 30, 2013, 01:40:29 pmIt's more likeQuoteSorry, I can't even read that without hearing it in my mind in Dave's voice

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2013, 09:59:51 pm
content: He quite possibly could have left, or just simply logged out so his profile doesn't update 'last active time' and is still reading. Sorry for the awful conspiracy theory, must be contagious somehow.I guess without any background music the videos will quickly 'feel' empty. Because at that moment it's basically an annotated screen capture of someone typing out a bunch of code. However, I agree that I like to have my own choice of music and very often turn music off in any utility, game or whatever I play.Additionally I wonder if video is the best way of communication for code tutorials. I've been programming since I was 12 years old and never watched coding tutorials. Personally I think coding is best learned from text unless there is a continuous flow in the video for the viewer to experience, and even at that time it's very hard to follow.Look at mythbusters. Count the number of computer myths they have done. That's like 1: pilot episode "Exploding CD's". Everything related to electronics and computers is hard to visualize for the mainstream. I think in this case it's similar, as code is just a bunch of text without much meaning from a large scale, unless you read line by line.Then again, very often video is not the optimal way of communication so in that sense it's just a preference.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 01, 2013, 12:14:50 am
content: Many people would disagree with that. High-density presentation of development content is hugely popular. The key things areHigh density. Maximum value for the time invested by the viewer.High quality. Clear, authoritative information. No distractions (like music). Edit out the "ums" and "uhs". Make sure that all text is readable while in fullscreen on a reasonable monitor (i.e., make sure it works at 1024x768).Timely. Nobody is interested in crap that has been obsolete for a decade.No fluff. Edit out things which are just wasting time. Use code snippets if your environment supports it, or edit out most of the slow typing if not.Part of our business happens to be in the area of online software development educational content. This is a booming industry - triple-digit annual growth - far stronger than we ever thought likely. We too weren't really sold on the idea of video delivery of development content... but the sales and subscription numbers don't lie.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2013, 09:07:56 pm
content: Maybe trends are changing and video content is becoming more popular. There are also more content distribution platforms erupting, with tons of bandwith, supporting this trend.The 'high density presentation' sounds a bit like how the Ben Heck show is done. There is no coughing, everything is in fast synchronization and it's almost clinical and unpersonal to watch. I guess that's a 5th element: style & esthetics , but maybe for companies that's less important than for individual person channels.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 01, 2013, 11:07:48 pm
content: Yes, I think that is the main distinction. It's OK to show personality and not edit out all of the mistakes in something like a teardown or review video or even a "how-to" video. But something that is purely a tutorial or instructional video should be as focused and clear as possible.Our videos are part of a paid subscription service, so obviously there is a higher expectation there about the presentation of the content.

author: mswhin63
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2013, 12:20:10 pm
content: Just saw the latest update with no music - Great start and obviously listened, May not want to share it with this community but it is out there -

author: FrankBuss
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 02, 2013, 12:46:57 pm
content: Quote from: mswhin63 on September 02, 2013, 12:20:10 pmI don't like it. Voice over and the captions together is distracting. Maybe he should use the Youtube captions feature, then people can turn it on or off as they like.And for the video itself: it doesn't make much sense to watch a guy typing, correcting and indenting source code for half an hour (I felt asleep after the first 3 minutes). See this example how to present source code:http://youtu.be/BUvFGTxZBG8?t=13m53s.But he explained some interesting things for beginners how VGA works and how you can generate it with VHDL. If the video were more dense, it would be good.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 02, 2013, 05:19:13 pm
content: I had watched it with the music already, and yep the one without music is much easier to watch. I don't mind the captioning text as long as it doesn't cover up the part of the video that you are trying to see.

author: WarSim
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2013, 06:26:59 pm
content: Quote from: mswhin63 on September 02, 2013, 12:20:10 pmDefinitely watchable.The video showed some interesting methods to achieve the subject goal.The video style is defiantly appealing to what I have interpreted to be his intended target audience.Yes it isn't a high density technical brief, that would be appealing to some. Ergo a white paper.Nor was it a high speed advertisement for the tools he was using. Ergo a Promo video.I thought it was made to show others that such a task is achievable without a lot of effort. Ergo a tutorial.A tech brief nor a clip mash up would be able to show how easy the task can be. I think he is on the right track and the format will improve over time.One thing I will critique is, at times he was typing behind his head at times.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2013, 05:37:42 am
content: Quote from: Citizen on August 28, 2013, 02:42:54 pmLooks like he is stuck here forever and probably will never leave.Suggesting to change to new nick here and also at youtube, and with more nick at yt you can add more thumb down.Captured screen on latest Dave's video.