27-April-1999 [Artur Marques]

As some of you might know, there is a limit of 2 GB for AVI video files, which certainly seemed like a lot, some 5 years ago, but is impractical for today video needs, of those into digital video editing. I am one of those :-)

The size of an AVI file is very much determined by the CODEC used (COmpression DECompression algorithm). Usually, affordable video grabbing hardware, can't apply any CODEC in realtime, meaning that you will end up with a 2 GB file in very few seconds (because you will be capturing RGB frames, with some 16 bits color depth), depending on the resolution, frames per second and audio quality of your capture. Probably, you can't even capture a 5 minutes musical video clip with some mid-quality settings.

Better hardware is able to do some realtime compression. One of the most interesting pieces of hardware for video grabbing, and probably the best gear that MATROX has launched since some 2 years now, is the MATROX RAINBOW RUNNER (RR) add-on, for the MATROX MYSTIQUE video card. This interesting silicon thing *can* perform MJPEG captures in realtime, with variable compression. It is a very affordable equipment, for the tremendous quality it can achieve. MJPEG is simply one of the best CODEC for digital home video.

The RR has its disadvantages, such as the poor NT4 drivers' support, as I commented day 25 April 1999, and the fact that you are STUCK with the Mystique card... having no fun with the constant progress of technology, that now delivers 3D pumping wonders... of course IF you use an O.S. with multi graphic card support, such as Windows 98, you can kind of "live with it", but that is all in theory, because it will be a nightmare to make it all work exactly as you want.

Today, after coming back from school, I've made modifications to my main PC, replacing the good old ADAPTEC 2940 FAST SCSI2 controller with the... suspense... ADAPTEC 2940U2W ULTRA2 WIDE SCSI controller, simply the very high end of SCSI controllers you can buy, without entering the **extreme** ULTRA3 bandwagon. U2W can handle, per device, sustained transfers of 80 MB /s... it is very impressive. AH, but after that change to my main PC, I've also modified one of the secondary machines **just** for video grabbing. It is the machine that was running NT4, the other day, and that is now running Windows 98... what a difference (for better)!

I will be using that machine for opening a new section in this website with VIDEOS of very distinct content. These videos will be *documentaries* related to the Internet revolution, to start with, but there will also be some unusual stuff, such as a collection of PSX intros. Alternative stuff. Spread the word!

I am very, VERY motivated by the tremendous cultural revolution that the Internet is causing. Last sunday, the ARTE sat channel broadcasted a program about that, directed in the most unusual fashion, with people such as the Hot Wired boss, and some webmasters, very much like yourself, or me. It is wonderful to go to some building by 5 am and spot the windows with light... in the USA, that must mean sex or Internet :-) In Portugal, it means "must go to work", or Internet. Yes!, the Internet is really here, and despite our very modest salaries, compared to other countries, the truth is that our Internauts, are spending fortunes trying not to loose it.

Just you wait for those superb videos. I WANT YOUR VIDEOS TOO! Still no picture of YOUR work environment :-(

Returning to the starting point of this log, where I was writing about the 2 GB to AVI files, there NOW is a way AROUND it. You still can NOT have valid AVIs in files over 2 GB, BUT you can tape at will, not worrying about it because NCT has created the AVI_IO utility, that lets you break your stuff, without you noticing, for as many files as needed. Great! Go get the demo (follow the NCT link).