Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ucbvax!UREGINA1.BITNET!MOLNARRM
From: MOLNARRM@UREGINA1.BITNET (Dennis Robert Gorrie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Mandala System, VERY VIVID, Macro Pappa Read This.
Message-ID: <8712132054.AA04823@jade.berkeley.edu>
Date: 13 Dec 87 20:23:23 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 28

I could not find Macro Pappa's address, so I am posting this note concerning
the Mandala system which uses an Amiga to digitize a dancer, real time, and
have the dancer's digitised image interact with on-screen icons.  This
interaction results in playback of digitized sounds, as well as countless other
special effects.  For example, the dancer's image was kicking an icon ball
around the screen.  The people responsible for the  developent of this system
were went to the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.  I go to
school there and they put on several demonstrations.  The system is composed of
an 8 meg A1000 (with 68010?  I did not know that), a high speed, custom-built
real-time digitizer, and of course the special software that allows the
interaction of the digitized image of the dancer to interact with the on-screen
icons.  I know a custom digitizer would be expensive, but not that much, as
well I did not believe that the software should be that sophisticated.  So, I
asked them why they were asking $35,000 (U.S. Funds) for the system.  They said
their target was professional type entertainment, performers, and rock groups.
For these groups, money was no consideration, and $35,000 was a drop in the
bucket.  Supposedly the group Talking heads was evaluating the system.
The developers of the system did say they were considering a cheaper consumer
version.

Whatever the components or cost of the Mandala system may be, the
demonstration they performed, called VERY VIVID, was exactly that.  It sticks
in my mind as the most amazing, profound, and enjoyable demostration of the
Amiga's sound and graphics power, that I have EVER seen.  I only hope to see
some more artists make use of the system and produce some wonderful videos.

'Chain-Saw Tag... Try it, you'll like it!'
Dennis Robert Gorrie  (please respond direct)