-----Original Messages----- cut

David,

I've done this, so I'll try to shed a little light...

Also written among others:

VCRs were tried and abandoned as data storage devices many years ago. Among
the problems with analog VCRs include the probability of loss of frames or
noise, etc.

The quickness of the list is great.  As with any questions there are the
answers you want to hear and the ones you wish you did not have to hear:)
What I am looking at doing is using a VCR as a playback/control unit for a
laser display.  Having the music sync'ed by being on the tape with the
control signals would be a plus.  I am also looking at getting out as
cheaply as possible. I understand that perhaps a VCR is not the highest
speed, best device around - but the cost makes it attractive.  So here is my
idea - given that one frame consists of 512 horizontal lines, repeated 30
times per second (NTSC), then if you were to encode just 8 bits on say 400
lines out of 512, there should be enough data - I imagine to do control and
display.  I would not think this would be asking a lot from a VCR setup.

After doing an initial search on "VCR data storage" I wrote the original
email to the list.  After sending the email, I did another search on
"understanding video signals".  One of the hits was for
www.rt66.com/dthomas/pic/pong.html .  This was a project a gentleman did
that used a single 16C711 PIC and a few other components to re-create the
famous Pong game.  The really neat thing is that the PIC program is divided
into two sections - 1st is a "video engine" that setups the timing and all
for outputting a NTSC signal.  The 2nd part of the program is the "user
part" which is the Pong game itself.  His whole reasoning was to create a
video engine that could be used for various applications by just changing
the user part of the program.  I have downloaded the info.  Unfortunately
for me, he wrote the program using the Tech Tools/Parallax PIC mnemonics.  I
am currently converting the code back to standard MicroChip mnemonics so I
can better understand it.

Thanks to the list for all the input.

David V. Fansler
DFansler@MindSpring.com
www.DV-Fansler.com

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