> >
> > Sorry, yet more random ideas, but would some (very) basic video
> > processing modules be out of the question
> >
> > Although i'm not too fantastically hot on the subject of video
> > processing, some kind of video mixing/filtering/switching/whatever
> > modules might sell (or not, who knows). Its just interesting to see
> > that no-one has ever developed a modular video system!
> >

I once saw a for modular voltage controlled one back in the mid 80s that was built in the
70s, individulal modules and patchcords. I didn't see it in operation though. I'm trying to
remember the name. Also for what it's worth MFB (Fricke) the drum machine and synth
maker had something very simple for video processing shown as Musik Messe.

The big problem though is unlike audio so much of a video signal has to stay unprocessed
to just display an image. And the "good" part that contains the image is herterodyned
together. You can't process the entire raw video signal and get much that isn't instantly
totally scrambled or no image at all. For the most part just end up being able to modulate
the kind of parameters you have on a TV, you know the hue, brightness, saturation after
you've built special equipment to do it. If you've seen a 70s or 80s TV mixer and imagine
voltage control on it's parameters then that's the range of voltage control processing that
one can expect (wipes, luma key, etc.). Note how much the EMS Rehberg device resembles
a video mixer.

Some of the more radical early video art tended to be voltage control of electromagnets
around a TV display rather than processing the signal itself. That let you bend the picture
around. Of course that meant you had to re-phoptograph your monitor if you wanted to
record the results. If you think about it, while there are a few artists still doing this sort of
thing sometimes there are a few too many limitations that keep something from really
catching on. (you spend a lot of time and money to get limited results)

Arguably to get into really synthesizing a picture you need a frame buffer, in other words
to convert the whole image into a raster and then process a frame as a whole bitmap
frames one at a time rather than linearly like audio.