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Sound and VISION!

Started by gpo706, June 02, 2010, 05:57:17 PM

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gpo706

Just stumbling around ebay, as you do, picked up the first brace for a fiver, the third went for £6.70, I'm not telling you the postage as its giving me stomach-ache.

http://www.britishtelephones.com/rel2000.htm

Now I need a third transformer, and plug into the PBX on a house exchange and - voila - 8 frames per second colour telephony, nearly as good as dial-up!

These went for £500 back in the day, but not a lot of use unless your mate had stumped up £500 for the phone their end.

I'll get back if they work, if not I've bought 3 fancy push-buttons...

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"


McHeath

Curious how video phones never took off.  I for one have little interest in people looking at me while I'm on the phone with them, seems unnatural in some odd way.  Maybe that's just decades of conditioning. 

It's also interesting to me how we have more or less returned to the telegraph with text messages. 

gpo706

McHeath, points well made, you watch any sci-fi show and they all have video comms, but its just a gimmick, its about as redundant as smello-vision.

You call anyone at work on the phone and you can click who it is withn a couple of seconds recognising their voice.

What is the utter folly is that this was BT's only commercial effort at "videophonography" available to anyone with a phone line and its priced at £1000 a pair, back in 1993, so I reckon it was only bought by folks with too much money on them to impress their visitors, for what other practical reason would one need a tiny screen?

It's a nice piece of redundant tech which was overcome by advances elsewhere - viz the internet etc

As you say txt'in the nu telegrf
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Greg G.

Quote from: McHeath on June 03, 2010, 12:19:15 AM
It's also interesting to me how we have more or less returned to the telegraph with text messages. 

Not me, I hate texting!  If I want to type something, I'll use a QWERTY keyboard send them an email. 
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

gpo706

The first brace turned up yesterday, lets call them Huey and Dewey.

They both work as phones fine, but you need the transformer for the loudspeaking and video functions.

So Huey get juiced up first, - handset fine - dialling ton - display came up fine, LS - fine, but its on my desk whch is facing my window so the video is dire, also 8 fps looks terrible, especially when  underlit, the manual actually says it work best in direct sunlight or a tungsten lit lamp posed slightly to one side, so one accessory not offered by Bt was a decent lighting source!

They came with a fab sales booklet which when you open it has an actual flip up insert like on the phone with a full size picture of the video screen, superb marketing!

Now Dewey, the handset was dead. (SH**).

Plugged the mains in and got a display but was just a frozen pattern of lines.

Okay dokay, swapped the line in from the Pana PBX and Dewy suddenly has a dial tone through the handset, wow that was easy solved!

Swapped them over again and Dewey still has the handset toe, and the LS, but now the video display is dead...

Louie is yet to arrive, see what that does...

Bloody technology, don't you love it eh?

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

foots


[/quote]

Not me, I hate texting!  If I want to type something, I'll use a QWERTY keyboard send them an email. 
[/quote]

I hate phone texting too. I' am into really old school texting however, - using a typewriter and sending my message via U.S. Post Office.
 
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

gpo706

Louie came today, this one in its original box.

This camera works fine and as a phone.

Actually with a working camera 8fps doesn't look too bad, a bit jittery especially on fast movement, Huey's poor camera giving me a wrong judgement.

Now if I can coax Huey's camera up to scratch, I can have a video call.

Dewy still refuses to power up his camera, god knows what I'd be able to do to revive it though.
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

gpo706

Huey and Louey have been linked through the PBX, and they transmit pictures to each other!

Pity Huey's camera is knacked, Dewy will donate his camera as a replacement, as it might work OK even if his display doesn't, I dont relish what I'll find when I tlook at the innards though...
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

McHeath

Apple seems to be the latest company set to go down the doomed to fail video phoning road, the iPhone 4 will be able to do it.  This is an idea that's been around for 45 years and no one has ever made a go of it because I don't want to have to worry about how I look when I'm talking on the blower.  You don't want to worry about how you look either, nobody does, not you, me, the guy across the street, the lady two doors down, no one. 

Okay a few folks do, deployed military so they can see the family, the kids with the new baby on the other side of the world, but that's about it.

It's the idea that never goes away it seems.

Glad you have got a couple of yours working, they should be a fun deal. 

gpo706

Very true McH.

Imagine calling in sick with a vodka in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

I'll probably need a 4th working set to have a two way link, I took Dewey apart and its as bad as looking at a computer, circuit boards, connectors and wires all over the shop.

BUT - I did figure out how that clever swiviling display works, its 2 screws near the back to take it on on off through a huge (1cm) cable, now I have to find where to disconnect the circuit board, as it goes underneath naturally, and try a swap.

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

gpo706

Got a fourth, its used in the box, and seller tried the cam and worked fine, so at least I can try and get 2 to transmit to each other,

It was 99p plus £9.99 p&p.

Huey, Dewey and Louie, what do I call this 4th one?
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Kenny C

In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010

gpo706

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Kenny C

shmewie it can be jewish
In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010