Dave Pratt, founder of Digital Vision (ComputerEyes)
Dave Pratt was founder of Digital Vision, the company that made ComputerEyes for the Apple //, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers. ComputerEyes was a slow-scan video digitizer that plugged into the joystick port (on the Atari version). You'd connect a video camera or VCR into the ComputerEyes box, and software on your computer would create a black-and-white or greyscale version of the image on the computer screen.
This interview took place October 12, 2015. After we did this interview, Dave set up a nice web site with a history of Digital Vision and photographs of the early products, at www.Digital-Vision-Inc.com.
Teaser quotes:
"Even just running tight machine language loops, it barely could keep up with that kind of rate pulling samples from the scan lines."
"That same signature from the very first scan -- literally the very first scan that was done by the prototype initial product -- literally, that same image was used to sign the company's checks for half a dozen years."
Digital Vision History site: http://www.Digital-Vision-Inc.com
Dave’s personal web site: http://www.dvpratt.com
Antic magazine review of ComputerEyes: http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n8/VideoStar.html
ComputerEyes in Creative Computing magazine: http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v11n7/70_Choosing_an_image_process.php