2500(1) 2500(1)
NAME
2500 - BVH2500 videotape recorder
SYNOPSIS
2500 [ -lq ]
DESCRIPTION
2500 is an interpreter of commands to control a SONY BVH2500
1-inch video recorder, whose inputs and outputs have already
been set up. The options are
-l Create a log file; useful in pursuit of bugs.
-q Suppress the initial status report.
Most of the commands require an intimate knowledge of the
equipment. The simpler commands are described below; see
the help command for a complete list. Times are given as
[[hrs.]min.]sec.fr where there are 30 frames per second.
The commands are
cue t Move the tape to time t.
help Produce a list of all commands.
loop t0 t1 fps
Play from t0 through t1 and back again at fps
frames per second.
play Start playing the tape from the current frame.
snap n When in still record mode, record the current
input onto the next n frames. A missing n is
taken to be 1.
status Print some status information. The command status
status prints all available status information.
still t Go into still record mode and cue to time t. The
command returns before the tape transport is done;
usually it must be followed by `wait'.
still mode on|off
Turn still mode on or off.
stop Stop the tape transport.
view t0 t1
Play from t0 through t1. wait Wait for the previ-
ous tape transport command to finish.
! Interpret the rest of the line as a sh(1) command.
# Comment. Ignore the rest of the line.
EXAMPLES
Assuming you have already set up the video switch to feed
the BVH2500, the following script will record (or rerecord)
a movie starting at 2 minutes.
still 2.0.0
wait
2500(1) 2500(1)
!generate an image
snap 1
# repeat the last two lines as necessary
still mode off
stop
BUGS
The BVH2500 will misbehave if the pause between snaps (in
still record mode) is too long, or if you record for many
hours on end. The latter problem can be avoided by using
scripts that run for 2 or 3 hours and sleeping for 10 min-
utes between scripts with the tape transport off.
Commands in the help list are (incorrectly) capitalized.