Path: kernighan.cs.umass.edu!barrett
From: vangess1@pilot.msu.edu (Richard A. VanGessel, Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: Video Magician Card
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Date: 10 Jun 1997 03:11:26 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
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Reply-To: vangess1@pilot.msu.edu (Richard A. VanGessel, Jr.)
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Keywords: hardware, graphics, commercial
X-Review-Number: Volume 1997 Number 8
Originator: barrett@liberation.cs.umass.edu
PRODUCT NAME
Video Magician Card
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
This card is a scan rate converter and flicker-fixer for all Amiga
computers that have a video slot.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: Randomize Computer Distribution
Address: RR #2 Tottenham, Ontario, Canada LOG 1W0
Telephone: (905) 939-8371 or 1 (888) 726-3664
FAX: (905) 939-8745
E-mail: sales@randomize.com
World Wide Web: http://www.randomize.com/products/biocon.html
LIST PRICE
The list price is approximately $285.00 (U.S.). This of
course depends on whom you buy it from. I got my Video Magician
through mail order for this price, local dealers may charge a little
more.
DEMO VERSION
NONE
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
Video Slot required.
SOFTWARE
NONE
COPY PROTECTION
NONE
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Amiga 4000/040 25mHz, 16 MB Fast RAM, 2 MB Chip RAM.
1 internal HD floppy drive.
2 external 880K floppies.
1 420MB IDE internal hard drive.
1 1.6GB IDE internal hard drive.
A4008 SCSI controller w/GURU Rom + 8MB fast ram.
1 100MB SCSI internal hard drive.
1 450MB SCSI external hard drive.
1 2x Toshiba Cd-Rom drive SCSI.
1 Syquest EZDrive 135MB SCSI external.
Cybervision64 Card w/CybergraphX.
Multiface III card.
Packard Bell 2020 monitor.
AmigaDOS 3.1.
INSTALLATION
Installation should be fairly easy and straightforward. I had
some trouble with my installation due to one of the other Zorro cards
I have installed. It seems that one of the cards (I think it is the
Multiface III card) prefers a certain order to function properly.
Until I put the cards in the following order my machine did not boot
properly:
Top Zorro Slot: A4008 card
Next Zorro Slot: Multiface III card
Next Zorro Slot: CyberVision card
Bottom Slots: Video Magician (in the video slot)
On the A4000 a monitor then connects to the video magician by
way of a standard VGA connector. To use the video magician with an
A4000 and the Cybervision64 card (not the 3D model), just connect the
monitor to the Cybervision64's input port as usual, and connect the
CV64 card's output port to the video magician's port. The A4000's
monitor port is not needed.
REVIEW
Other than the installation quirk, the card performs great.
The native screens are promoted to 31 kHz rates that are then viewable
with my SVGA monitor. The Video Magician promotes these screens
without loading any software so screens like the early startup menu
are immediately promoted. I still have to tweak the screen prefs to
center the newly promoted screens, but it does not appear that they
function any differently then unpromoted. Applications that use
native screens seem to work properly and do not seem affected by the
Video Magician card. I have not found any applications that do not
work with the Video Magician. The promotion of the screens is
completely automatic and does not require any input from the user.
There are dip switches on the card that allow for future expansion and
to enable or disable the card. There is also a brightness control on
the card. The optional expansions included a video decoder board for
CVBS input and for a professional SVHS genlock board.
DOCUMENTATION
The card came with a one sided piece of paper that served as
instructions. The language was geared toward the novice installer.
The grammar and spelling could use some work, but I suspect the
documentation that came with my card was a translation.
LIKES
I like that the use of this card is totally automatic and does
not require me to configure anything or figure out promotion settings.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
I would have liked documentation that was great in-depth.
Also when using the card in the A4000 (and probably the other big box
Amigas), the video magician extends over the Zorro III slots that is
in-line with the video slot rendering that Zorro III slot unusable. I
would have like the card to not extend past the edge of the video
slot.
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
Have not tried other products like this card.
BUGS
None found.
VENDOR SUPPORT
I have not yet had to deal with the vendor.
WARRANTY
I did not get a warranty card with my video magician. I am
going to be contacting Randomize Computer to see if they can correct
this. Because of this, I would suggest buying the card with a credit
card so that you have some protection if something goes wrong.
CONCLUSIONS
The Video Magician seems to perform as advertised and is very
easy to install. The Video Magician is a low cost way to use all the
Amiga's display modes (and the Cybervision64 display modes) without
spending a ton of money for a multiscan monitor. I think this card is
well worth the money.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright 1997 Richard A. VanGessel, Jr.
Email: vangess1@pilot.msu.edu
May be freely distributed.
---
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