We study cells using video microscopes to mark cells as we focus through slices of tissue. Until this summer we used a Mac IIci with ColorSpace II and ColorSpace FX boards. This hardware (1991 vintage, ~$4,000) accomplished two tasks: (1) it converted the NTSC interlaced video signal to a flicker-free progressive scan MAC video signal; and (2) it provided a video-overlay capacity that made it possible to trace on top of the live video in an alpha channel USING ANY PROGRAM. All youhad to do is use the desk accessory to define the overlay color.
You would think that with the high-end video cards targeted at broadcast studios, that replacing this system would be simple. Not as far as I can tell.
To the best of my knowledge there is no Macintosh video card or system that makes it possible to draw on top of live video (yes, you can do this on captured/replayed video). I understand that the Targa 2000 card used to do this but that the card is not supported actively anymore.
Our software solution to this problem is called Videoscribbler. The program (freeware) makes it possible to doodle on a live FireWire video stream: see
http://mickey.utmem.edu/videoscribbler/vscrib.html
we have been using Videoscribbler with a Canon XL-1. Works reasonable well.
If you know of an alternative solution that will accomplish the same goal please let me know. Ideally, live video would bleed through any selected color(s) and be application-agnostic and usable with any program (Freehand, Photoshop, etc.).
Videoscribbler
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