Matt's Hack TV version 2 and documentation can be downloaded here (147K).
If you’re looking for version 1.0, still free, it can be found here.
Matt's Hack TV, Version 2.0.2, March 1999.
Portions of application ©1999 Matt Warner.
Contact Info: matt@warnertechnology.com
Portions ©1992 by Apple Computer, Inc.
$10 Shareware. Not accepting payments at this time (31 March 2003).
There are no guarantees nor warranties regarding this software.
Important Note: No guarantees means no refunds. The product has a 10 minute timer. Try it out before you purchase. The shareware fee gets you an unlock code, nothing else. It is not a guarantee of support and no refunds will be given for any reason once an unlock key is sent.
PayPal is now the processing agent for the shareware fee. By choosing to purchase, you agree to the terms above. PayPal may additionally impose its own requirements. Click the icon below to purchase:
If you're interested in knowing what happened with Kagi read about it here.
Matt’s Hack TV: Software to convert, in real time, between different world video standards using your AV Power Macintosh.
| What it does: Matt's Hack TV allows you to take advantage of your Power Macintosh AV input and output ports to convert, in real time, NTSC to PAL, NTSC to SECAM, PAL to SECAM, or whatever combination. What you need is two video devices (two VCRs, for example) which understand the appropriate video standard and your Macintosh will do the rest. I've only been able to test the PAL to/from NTSC aspect, but I don't expect there to be any problems with SECAM functionality. One user has setup his Power Macintosh to his satellite system so that he can watch PAL broadcasts on his NTSC TV, in real time! I can't speak as to the quality of the Analog converters (DAC) used in the Power Macintosh, but I suspect that it does not match the quality found in professional or dedicated systems. But hey, if you already own a Power Macintosh, it's practically free (excepting the cost of the PAL VCR or camcorder).
|
| Related Info: How do I setup my Power Macintosh for video standard conversions? The first step is to make sure that you have RCA or S-VHS plugs connected to the ports at the back of your machine. Then, you must restart so that the Macintosh goes into a dual-screen mode. You might notice that your main screen doesn't have as many colors available to it since part of the video RAM is being used to drive the virtual monitor for the video-out port. If you either connect the input video to the output port or have a VCR plugged in and turned on, you should be able to see what's displayed on the virtual monitor (and goes to the video-out port). You should at least see your desktop pattern. Launch Matt's Hack TV and set the input type to PAL, even though your virtual monitor is likely set to NTSC. Move all windows out of sight and open the Monitors & Sound Control Panel. Move the main window out of the way (window-shade it even) and you'll be able to see a second window that sets the characteristics of the virtual monitor, including bit depth and resolution. To access the monitor, you'll have to move your mouse off your main screen and onto the virtual screen. For PAL output, choose one of the PAL settings. For NTSC or SECAM, choose the appropriate setting. So, what makes this different than Apple's Video Player? Apple's product can indeed take input from PAL, NTSC, or SECAM, digitize it, and display it in a window on your monitor. That is, the Macintosh changes the video standard to a digital format for display on your monitor. Before I wrote this application, I played with Apple's Video Player for over a week in an attempt to get it to work as a standards converter. It didn't work (as I'll explain below), so I had no other option than to write my own. The problem is that if you want to take an NTSC tape and output it to a SECAM tape (for example), you have to output that digitized video input signal to your video output port. With Apple's included Video Player, this means moving the output window to the virtual monitor that the system software creates as the output to the video port. Unfortunately, I don't own a PAL-system television, so it becomes impossible to center the Video Player's screen on the output screen, and there's an ugly window border which ends up on your output as well. Worse still, when you change video input standards, the window moves around, effectively destroying any alignment you might be able to accomplish. This little application solves those problems by auto-locating the output window (which has no border) and optionally blacking out the background. What are the requirements to do conversions with this software? You must have: a Macintosh (MacOS 8.1 works fine) with the Appearance Manager installed; video in and out ports; enough video RAM to drive it all (4MB seems to be the minimum); video devices that understand the video standards in question. This list may not be all inclusive. I run a stock 8500 with 4MB VRAM onboard, a Sony camcorder, and JVC VCR. Where to buy PAL equipment: I bought a PAL-system VCR through the mail from B&H Photo and Video in New York (I'm on the west coast of the USA). Their web site is http://www.bhphoto.com. They also sell professional equipment and had reasonable prices, so I felt pretty comfortable buying from them. And no, I am in no way affiliated with them (wouldn't that be nice!). Hey! My color picker stopped working! Actually, it's a problem with the color picker itself. The color picker automatically chooses the deepest-pixel-depth monitor, which (if you have the problem) is the virtual monitor. Unplugging the video-out jack and rebooting will restore expected behavior. What about those without video in and out? Being an Engineer I suffer from an overdose of practicality. If you don't already have the necessary AV ports on your Mac, I'm not sure that it makes sense to run out and buy a bunch of hardware when you consider that dedicated converter boxes run anywhere from US$300 on up. That is, in complete opposition to what so many MIS people would have you believe, diversification often times makes more sense than consolidation. Makers. If you know of other information that should be on this list, contact matt@warnertechnology.com Resellers What about a PC version? First off, let me preface this section that I don't believe that anyone's choice of computing platform gives others license to make derrogatory remarks about their intelligence or abilities. I personally have been ridiculed by PC users for choosing to own a Macintosh. In every case, the persons in question are violating the old rule: "better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt." I use Windows NT at work every day; I even do all the system and network administration in our office, but I'd rather have an SGI workstation or a Macintosh. However, my preferences should not be forced on other people. We're all different and the computer world is technologically advanced enough that we can survive in a multi-platform environment. Nobody should have a computer forced on them without any say in the matter. End of soapbox. Matt's Hack TV takes advantage of the integration between the MacOS and the AV ports (or add-in cards) installed in the Macintosh. In other words, I'm not making any direct hardware calls: the computer is doing all the work. While it may be possible to perform the same functions (taking in one video standard and outputting another) on a Wintel machine, I don't believe that this level of integration exists, meaning that it would take a programmer far more talented than I (not hard to do) to pull it off. It would also undoubtedly require additional hardware (refer also to the previous section about people without AV ports). The bottom line is that the Macintosh is renowned for its video capabilities and this is one reason why it has its reputation. Anyhow, the short version is no, I don’t plan to develop a PC version. If you’d like to do video conversions, probably the easiest solution is to refer to the list of dedicated converter boxes above. NTSC to PAL example: Please see the documentation. It may not be much, but I put some effort into it, and it should get you a long way. Known Limitations/Bugs: None known.
|
| Background: I wrote this software to use in conjunction with a PAL-system VCR to which I transfer home video in originally shot in NTSC. This way I can send video to friends overseas. I looked around for an application which performed a similar task, but couldn’t find one. So I wrote my own, based on sample code found at Apple’s QuickTime site, written by Gary Woodcock and called Hack TV. With version 2.0 I added menubar hiding (thanks to sample code from David Hayward at Apple DTS), preferences file support (thanks to Jim Luther, Apple DTS Emeritus), and clipping support. Change History October 1998. Released as version 2.0.1. March 1998. Released as version 1.0.0 Esoterica So, why the $10 charge? That’s a tough question. The short answer is that we (my family and I) need the money, just like the next person, and it takes time to develop software. The long answer: When I wrote the first version, I made it free, as my own meager contribution back into the world society that is the Internet. The Internet was founded on sharing information and ideas. In fact, arguably some of the best software out there is free. Unix is a prime example of this. Perhaps, in my case, this is just an instance of not being very proficient at programming, so it takes a lot of time away from other tasks. The bottom line is that while it genuinely pains me to charge for software, the pain is inconsequential when compared to that felt when I see my monthly stack of bills. So please understand. And please pay =:-) |
Back to the Warner Technology Home Page
Page created by: matt@warnertechnology.com
PGP Encryption Available for secured messages. Public key is available at MIT’s site or here.
