The MiDGET started out as a hardware digitiser - as demoed on the SAM Newsdisk 4.
However, the original version of the hardware would take in the region of 6-8 seconds to grab one frame, which limited it rather for real time processing.
From the start it was planned by Adrian Parker (who at the time in charge of hardware development at SAMCo) to add additional features such as a Genlock.
After SAMCos demise, Martin Rookyard worked with Simon Cooke (and the occasional input/irration from David Ledbury) on a revamped product called MiDGET: Mixing Digitizing Grabbing Editing Technology (or something similar…)
MiDGET would have its own processor (probably Z80 based), and effectively be its own computer which would talk to the host system.
The idea being, that MiDGET could talk to ANY computer, not just SAM… by using a different ‘bridge’.
What was more impressive is that the hardware would be able to be controlled as an external graphics display by the host system… with a resolution in the region of 800 x 600, and around 16 million colours to chose from incding plans for hardware scrolling.
Combined with it’s genlock facilities - this would allow the host machine to control sprites over a MiDGET based background - imagine Sphera on the ZX81 :)
An early demo was given at the April 1994 Gloucester Show to many noted SAM People, including a very shocked Bob Brenchley.
