Commodore CD1300 & 1301 Genlocks @ www.cdtv.org.uk

Commodore CD1300 (NTSC) & CD1301 (Pal) Genlocks.

These cards are internal genlocks, The CD1300 is the NTSC version for the USA and Japan, The CD1301 card is the Pal version for Europe. These cards replace your current video card (In the Video Slot) and gives you an SVHF out, Colour Compostite in and out.
The cards come with a manual detailing installation and usage of the card, A key to aid removal of the old card and installation of the new genlock and the genlock itself, A CD was also available to demonstrate some uses of the card.

The card has three modes, "CDTV", "Mixed" "and External Source".
In CDTV mode it outputs just the CDTV`s screen.
In Mixed mode the CDTV`s video source is mixed with the external source, Where there is black on the CDTV`s screen the external video is show.
In the "External Source" mode the CDTV`s display is not visible at all.

The Pal version cost Ł99 new in December 1993 but can now be bought for more like Ł25.
The Composite connectors give a good, if not slightly blured image while the SVHF output gives almost DVD quality quality output on a desent TV. SVHF is a cut down scart connector and adapters are available to connect the SVHF output to a scart connector for about Ł5.

If you are looking for one of these now then you are in luck, It seems Commodore over ordered and flooded the market, Almost every Amiga shop has had a CDTV genlock in at some time and most still do. Here are two shops that I have bought off: Looking for a CD1300 NTSC version? Try www.oldsoftware.com, They also have copies (As in CDR's) of the Demo disk available as well, Note: 99% of CDTV Genlocks did not have this CD so dont expect one.
If your looking for a CD1301 (Pal) then try www.Vesaila.de who carry a good stock.

Unfortunatly there is no way to change the NTSC or PAL genlocks to work on the other systems (IE: Using a CD1300 NTSC card on a PAL CDTV), The image will scroll very fast. The designes of the two differ, The CD1301 has a large reed box mounted on the card where the other one does not and the actual Genlock components are different.

If you can get one of these cards cheap then they make a nice upgrade, As for how usefull they will be is another question that only you can answer, A genlock has a lot of potential but it takes a lot of hard work to get the best results.

To change the mode of the Genlock (IE: From the normal screen with just the CDTV output to a mixed source or just the external source) just press the Genlock button on your CDTV joypad or Trackerball, It will go from just CDTV to a mixed screen and then just to external and then back to just CDTV.

What is a Genlock?

A genlock is a device that can merge two video sources together to make a third, a single colour is turned to the transparent colour (On the CDTV it is black), On your CDTV remote there is a button marked Genlock, This switches the mode between just CDTV, Mixed and just the external source.
The CDTV Genlock will work in any mode including the highest one, High Res Ham, which lets you have tiny but clear characters in 4096 colours, Or you could want chunky text so you can use Low Res in 2 colours, or any combination you can think of.
The mixing is done by hardware, Your CDTV will not slow down and the external source will not bedisplayed in the resolution or pallet of your screen (So you get real True colour and as higher quality your camcorder or VCR can do). The most common use for this is video titling, Adding subtitles or titles to films but a Genlock has much more power than that, You can do TV or even film style effects using a paint or animation program, For example have you ever wanted to be in a space ship that is re entering anatmosphere but when the ship starts to fall apart? (Sure you have, Havent you? Oh)

Heres what to do to make a great genlocked scene.

Well just load an animation program, Put a picture of the earth that covers the screen edge to edge and get a picture of a space ship and every 5 or so frames that go by have a bit of ship fall off and in the center leave a black box (Under the ship) and as bits fall of they reveal the black box (Moving the earth ovationally to make it look like the camera is geting buffeted helps), Now save it (Make sure the only black is the box under the space ship)(Also at the end of the animation you could shift the colours to red to make it look like the camera has burnt up.) and get your camcorder out, Sit in a seat and film yourself looking very concerned for as long as the animation lasts, Now plug your camcorder composite output into the CDTV Video In and press the Genlock button once (To mix the images) and start the animation while pressing play and watch (Or hook the svhf or composite out to a VCR and record) as you fly down to earth.
This is just one example, The only thing you must remember is not to paint anything with black unless you whant it to be the transparent bit and that the original image will be full screen, not just in the black bit so you may need to zoom out a lot depending on the scene.
other examples of what you can do include:
Looking out of a window of a spaceship. (Just get a picture of a space ship and a film of you looking into the camera.)
Have a cartoon caracter in your home movie (Use a background of black and draw a cartoon caracter in colour and watch it attack your guests at your family get together).

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