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SNAPPY VIDEO DIGITISER
INTRO
It’s getting a lot easier to get video images
into a PC, the new Snappy from Logitech makes it childs-play, well almost...
COPY
We’d better begin with a word or two of
warning. Whilst the box Snappy comes in claims it will run on an IBM or
compatible PC with a 386 processor, don’t even think of using it on anything
less than a fast 486, with at least 8Mb of memory. Even then it can still take ages
for things to happen.
If you’re wondering what that’s all about,
past experience has shown that a lot of people buy PC add-ons and peripherals
on the strength of dubious compatibility claims and then get justifiably
annoyed when the product fails to meet their expectations, or match
enthusiastic reviews in magazines. Unless you have suitable PC, or plan to get
one, give Snappy a miss, now read on.
Snappy is a little gadget that plugs into the
parallel port of a PC. It’s a video
digitizer, that turns a normal PAL video signal, from a camcorder or VCR etc.,
into a still image that the PC can display, process and save in a variety of
file formats. It’s not a new idea, but until recently digitizers have been
rather expensive, and usually in the form of a plug-in expansion card, that has
to be installed inside the machine. At just under £200 Snappy is relatively
cheap, and it doesn’t involve dismantling your PC; it can be fitted, and up and
running -- in theory at least -- in
just a few minutes.
There’s a bit of a problem using the parallel
port on most PCs as it’s usually hooked up to a printer. You can get switcher
boxes, but an on-board loop-through socket would have been a better idea. Physically
fitting the unit can be a problem on some models. The Snappy module is a little
wider and fatter than a normal 25-pin parallel connector; on two out of three
of our test PCs it collided with the mouse plug, forcing us to use a parallel
extension cable instead. It’s powered by a 9-volt battery (supplied), that’s
good for around 1000 image captures; an optional mains adaptor is available.
The only other connections are a pair of phono sockets, for the video input and
monitor by-pass. The driver software comes on two CD Roms (3.5-inch floppies are
available on request). The package also includes Adobe Photo Deluxe paintbox
and re-touching suite, Power Goo special effects, and Gryphon’s excellent morphing
software.
The rather snazzy-looking Snappy desktop consists
of a simple screen, with a preview window and a row of seven buttons. They’re
used to capture an image, adjusting the picture, set-up, printing, saving and
help options. In most cases it should run happily on the defaults. The image on the preview screen is updated a
couple of times a second, when you see what you want press the ‘snap’ button. The
image is frozen, then processed. On a clunky 486/33 it can take a minute or
more before the full-screen image appears behind the Snappy interface window.
And very impressive it is too, capture
quality is significantly better than most other digitisers on the market. Maximum
resolution (on suitable PCs) is up to 1500 x 1125 pixels with 16.8 million
colours, though even on a more modest set-up with a 256 colour display and 640
x 480 resolution, it looks remarkably good. There’s plenty of detail, colours
are well defined, with a good Once
captured images can be saved in a variety of file formats, including bitmap
(BMP), JPEG, PCX, TIF, TGA and Windows Wallpaper. These can then imported into
other applications, manipulated processed and generally fiddled around with to
your heart’s content
Various other factors will affect the final
quality of the image, and a lto depends on the source video, but even a cheap low-band
camcporder will provide a sufficiently detailed image, that can be used to
produce good-looking pictures for inclusion in documents, newsletters, web
pages, desktop edits, you name it... The manufacturers go on to suggest such
applications as estate agent databases, ID badges, police departments, dentists
and hair salons, just use your imagination.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model Logitech/Play Snappy
How much? £199
What is it? video image capture device
System IBM PC and compatibles, 386
processor or higher (see text), Windows 3.1/95/NT, 8MB RAM, 4MB free hard disc space
(and the rest...), 640 x 480/256 colour or better display
Connections 25-pin parallel port, video in/out
(phono)
Video input CCIR composite, PAL only
Power supply 9 volts DC (internal battery or
optional mains psu
Image quality 9
Ease of installation 8
Ease of use 8
Build quality 9
Value for money
VC Rating 87%
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