Apr 6, 2014 – Quick update! Just presented PETpix at VCF East 9.1, now running at video frame rates on the PET and C64. Check out the post on Hackaday!
I’d like to introduce the PETpix, a PETSCII image and video player for the Commodore PET! (And soon, other Commodore computers.)
You start with a video file (AVI, MOV, etc) and convert each frame in the video to its closest match in PETSCII characters. The frames in the video are split into 8×8 sub-images, and each sub-image is matched to a PETSCII glyph which is its closest match. The matching is done using a discrete cosine transform, which gives a close visual match for each sub-image.
A quick description of PETpix:
And see PETpix in action here:
More on PETpix coming soon! It’s still in the prototype stage now, but as soon as I have a chance to lay out a board, PETpix will be available for purchase as a kit or assembled.
Awesome! Using the DCT to convert images works extremely well!
Are you updating a full screen each time? What frame rate are you able to push?
I am interested in the petpix, what is the current frame rate and can the sd card be accessed like the pet disk?
Thanks
Now that looks awesome! Imaging that with my 10MHz CPU board for the PET
Hnnm… perhaps a later sophistication could encode PETSCII changes per field instead of complete screen updates? a-la mpeg… Petscii-peg?
Great work,
the program that converts the image to PETSCII, is that available for download?
Or are you willing to release the sourcecode. It would be a shame if this project ends up in closet. I ask this because I see potential in using this on a VIC20, which simply doesn’t have to much memory for an alternative charset (required in order to display a decent picture).
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