The DigiSync — An Advanced Intelligent Bar Code Reader and Multiformat Film Counter/Calculator

F. Gasoi, E. Zwaneveld, M. Lazaridis, D. K. Brubacher-Cressman

The DigiSync® was originally conceived by the Technical Research and Development Division of the National Film Board of Canada as an intelligent, multipurpose, multiformat film counter/calculator designed to replace the traditional mechanical footage counter on benchtop film synchronizers. The prototype unit offered interformat translation, calculator functionality, two independent counters, and a serial communications capability to permit enhanced automation opportunities. Its ability to compute in all film and video formats provided a facile link between the film and video worlds. After the ten original prototypes had been in service for about a year, the advent of machine-readable edge numbers made it apparent that an opportunity existed to enhance the original design to provide even greater automation of the film post-production process. Accordingly, the National Film Board of Canada funded the developer of the prototypes, Research in Motion Ltd. of Waterloo, Ontario, to redesign the unit to take advantage of this opportunity. The result is the production version of the DigiSync.

Print ISSN
Published
1991-05
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J00628