$10 Shareware. There are no guarantees nor warranties regarding this software.
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 <–> 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.
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.
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
March 1999.
Minor change to fix compatibility issues with third-party digitizing cards, such as the iREZ Capsure for PowerBooks.
October 1998.
Added Appearance Manager features (now required).
Added a proper preferences file.
Added clipping feature.
Changed background blackout functionality for better reliability.
Added “hide menubar option.”
Squashed, created, then squashed innumerable bugs.
Now $10 shareware.
March 1998. Released as version 1.0.1.
Changes to documentation.
March 1998. Released as version 1.0.0
First release.
Esoterica
Anyone desiring to donate Mamiya medium-format camera equipment or SGI computer equipment/software to my cause, be sure to contact me!
So, why the $10 charge? That’s a tough question. The short answer is that we (my family and I) need the money 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 =:-)
