ComputerEyes for Atari XL/XE

[ndary]

Does anyone have information on how to Modify an NTSC ComputerEys (graphics digitizer hardware) to a PAL version, i have the NTSC version now but in the past i also so a PAL one..

 

and did anyone programmed his own utility to control this device? (beside the original software that came with it)

 

Nir

[Gunstar]

The only thing I remember about this product are the adds in Atari magazines, always wanting one, and an article from somewhere in an Atari magazine, about a guy who used it with a couple of programmed graphic mode, picture viewer/editing software that was shareware. The programs/graphic modes are known as APACview and Colorview, 256 and 4096 color, interlaced graphics respectively. He said he used Computereyes with red, blue and green lenses in front of the Computereyes camera, in 16 shade mode, to achieve very good graphic pictures. APAC uses two built in atari graphic modes, interlaced with DLI's to achieve the computer's full pallette. Colorview uses a custom mode made up of 3 graphic files that are "page flipped" rapidly in red, blue and green 16 shade mono graphics to achieve a picture with a percieved palette of 4,096 colors (like tha AMIGA!) in 80x196 resolution. The results, which I have seen from files on a disk from Atari Interface magazine (where all these programs and the article were originally published), are VERY impressive because the PERCEIVED resolution is much greater with that amount of color. One picture I remember was of Kirk and Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise. I also recall that the brightness and contrast were manually adjusted on the TV for this special mode to work at it's best. But it did work good. I think he used the original software that came with computer eyes for the pictures and then the graphic programs were capable of loading all standard atari images, including computereyes format, and also Jpeg and others. So that would be the way to go. Many graphic art programs for the 8-bit are capable of importing different graphic formats, except the early ones like Microillistrator. I no longer have these shareware programs and am looking for them myself on the net, but there seem to be very few places with a good selection of application or utility software. It's all games.

[RJ]

The November 1985 issue of Antic has a type-in program called Rapid Graphics Converter (I think by Charles Jackson) which lets you load/save/switch among several types of graphic formats including MicroIllustrator. MegaFont ][+ from XLent Software has a screen dump option that uses ComputerEyes files.

I got my ComputerEyes & 4-5 XLent disks from a SPACE auction for a few bucks! I use C/Eyes on a GXTV (which lets me switch between GAME/ANT signals to monitor the image). I get good images from any VCR tape footage recorded in EP (& paused) w/ very little noise bars/interference. I edit/clean up the image w/ AtariArtist & Touch Tablet for great results! Sorry I can't help more on the tech side, Nir... -RJ