Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!ucbcad!zen!ucbvax!cbosgd!clyde!watmath!ccplumb
From: ccplumb@watmath.waterloo.edu (Colin Plumb)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: more press (PC WEEK)
Message-ID: <15719@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: Tue, 1-Dec-87 22:43:51 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.15719
Posted: Tue Dec  1 22:43:51 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Dec-87 14:31:19 EST
References: <5394@oberon.USC.EDU>
Reply-To: ccplumb@watmath.waterloo.edu (Colin Plumb)
Distribution: na
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 64
Keywords: mandala

In article <5394@oberon.USC.EDU> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes:
>
>
>Is there anybody that has more info on the Mandala system? What is this
>"customized" Amiga?

I raved (it is *really* amazing!  One of the World's Greatest Toys)
about this a while ago - early this year - after seeing a version
demonstrated here at the University of Waterloo.  I'll briefly
summarize what I know again, but

NOTE: All this information is almost a year old!  Use with caution!
If you want up-to-date info, call Very Vivid.  They're in the Toronto
phone book.

Amazing Computing did an article on it some time ago.

The "customization" is simply a frame grabber.  You also need, of
course, a video camera, and I think the software needs expansion mem,
but that's it.  It can also drive MIDI instruments.

How it works is by opening a 5-bitplane screen, of which 4 planes are
used for background and 1 bitplane is used for a silhouette of the
person, extracted in real-time.  (I heard 10 frames/sec.  All I know is
that it looked perfectly smooth when it was digitizing me.)  Tricks
with the colour look-up table let you create front/back effects.

The version I saw used someone else's frame grabber, but they're
working on one of their own, only one bitplane (variable threshold), 60
frames/sec, and able to do left/right swapping (so that your silhouette
in the monitor behaves like a mirror image).

There was also vague mention of a genlock that could replace more than
colour 0 with live video, letting the camera image replace the
monochromatic silhouette.

Your silhouette can interact with objects in the background.  I saw
(among many others) a drum set (hit the drums and cymbals), a harp (I
don't know how it worked, exactly, but strumming worked - perhaps it
plays any strings that have been suddenly uncovered), and a ball being
tossed around the Toronto skyline.  The sounds were done on a DX-7.

Imagine using your shadow to do things instead of a mouse.

Last I heard, the only package they were selling was $40,000, including
all the hardware (Amiga, DX-7, etc.), LOTS of support, and all the
frills, for stage shows and similar professional undertakings.  They
said they were trying to get the price of a minimal system (frame
grabber and software) down to several hundred dollars.  Certainly worth
it to me!

The only other thing I heard was that they were talking with a video
game company for using the software in coin-op games.  They said the
games would be out by christmas.  I doubted.  I think I was right.
(However, I heard about Bally buying a bunch of Amiga 500 motherboards,
so there may be some truth to the matter... hard to say.)

Oh, yes... with all its amazing graphics and capabilities, the Mandala
multitasks just fine!  Marble Madness has *no* excuse.
--
	-Colin (watmath!ccplumb)

Zippy says:
Catsup and Mustard all over the place!  It's the Human Hamburger!