Re: Color PXL?

["Alexander the Great jr." <kanaris@bode.usc.edu>]

> Cool.

> I had a videographer friend who got a hold of the Pxl2000 patent papers &

> thought that provisions could be made to expand the camera to color.



Being an engineer, even without seeing the patent papers, I can assure you 

that the possibility of designing the PXL as a color camera WAS there.



Instead of using a monochrome CCD they could have selected a color CCD,

one with a "CMY mosaic filter" built-in. Then they would have to triple

the amount of memory used in the frame buffer. Instead of a single byte

for the brightness of each pixel they would have to use three, one 

for each color (RGB).



Theoretically, they could use two bytes per pixel, (just like VGA's 16 bit,

64K color mode does) but this requires additional processing of the samples

that would not be economical to do with the microporcessors of 1986-1987.



The hardest part whould have been to squeeze out the extra bandwidth from

the audio tape to store the color info. They could use the track that

records the sound to record the color but I don't think that would be

an acceptable trade-off...



The bottom line is, they COULD have designed the PXL with color but it

would not have been easy and it would not meet the price range of the

target audience. So they didn't, and don't expect that me or somebody

else will start offering a "color output mod" anytime in our lifetime!



> I'm hopingthat when the Pxl does reemerge, optional switches will provide

> us w/ different alternatives for resolution & color.

> -Bern

> 

> Bernard M. Delgado

> Art Department

> The New York Times

> (212)556-4172



I'm afraid it might be too late for another PXL. That product was sold

for $200 right? Now for $250 (which is actually about the same or less

when you adjust the price for inflation) you can buy an 8mm camcorder

to give your kids (or to yourself) as a toy.

The GE brand 8mm camcorder is made with the same cheap plastic

as the PXL-2000 and even has an optical "see through" viewfinder,

just like the PXL. And a 3x zoom lens on top! 



If you invest in a slighly more expensive camcorder (like the ES-6000,

list price $1699 but now heavily discounted) the switches for 

resolution and color are already there (and 40x zoom).  It's only

a matter of time when you will be able to buy all that for $250. 







    <<alex kanaris>>  



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Alexander Kanaris                           ___   ___     kanaris@bode.usc.edu

Electrical Engineering --- Systems   /  /  /__   /      kanaris@thales.usc.edu

University of  Southern California  /__/  ___/  /__     kanaris@aludra.usc.edu

Los Angeles, California 90089-2562                  kanaris@alumni.caltech.edu

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